So, I'm a computer science guy, now a real estate agent. Buttery soft hands, and a tendency to have little honey-do jobs turn into 3 day marathons. So this is a big deal for me.

I got my stuff together: 1426 Astro Heavy Duty riveting tool, 3/16 closed-end aluminum rivets with aluminum mandrels and a 3/8- 1/2 inch grip range (how cool that sounds), and #11 drill bits, which seem to be a bit of a rarity:



We went camping last week for our kids' spring break at Casini Ranch (nice place to stop) and I figured that would be a good time to try them out. After poking around the front end, I found 37 rivets that were either gone or no long holding!! I drilled and replaced them:







Unfortunately, the driver's side had a bunch that had popped out, causing a big gap between the two panels. Someone had filled the rivet holes with silicone and the panel gap with a weird, very hard sealant of some kind. So now I couldn't get the outer panel to lie flat against the inner. I tried caulk softener (snicker) and it softened the stuff, but instead of an impenetrable barrier, I now had a horrible sticky mess:





Ugh. Some paint came off, there's still gap between the panels. Think I can just Dicor over this? Anythying else I should try to get the gunk off first?

Also, when I was drilling out the rivets, the head would more often than not break off leaving the body of the rivet in the hole, sometimes very annoyingly dropping in between the aluminum body panels. Does this indicate too big a drill bit?

Shouldn't the bit be a 3/16"?

You would think, but Barthmobilers have suggested #11 bits. Barthmobile Bit Discussion

Maybe so the hole is clean? The rivets still fit closely after drilling. At least I think so, as it's the first time I've ever done it.

A #11 is larger than a 3/16. A 12 is equivalent to a 3/16.

I believe bit sizes are like wire sizes. Smaller is bigger.

This Bit Size Chart says
3/16" = 0.187"
#12 = 0.189"
#11 = 0.191"

Which makes me think I should have tried larger rivets after drilling...

Although we're only talking about 5/1000". Dunno.

If you have a hole that is too large for a standard 3/16 you can use a Tri-fold rivet.

I wanted to offer a few things on riveting. First off, a 3/16 peg will not fit in a 3/16 hole. I saw the rivet gun and rivets from Hanson Rivet. On there website, they have a chart showing what size holes to have, what grip range (how much material you are riveting thru). Also, google a drill size chart. Its all there. a 3/16 (.1875) rivet needs a.189" diameter hole. which on the drill size chart shows a #11 bit. Keep in mind that a drill bit does not drill a round hole. the thinner the material being drilled, the more triangular the hole will be. When I drill out rivets, I use a .156" (5/32) diameter bit. I drill thru the rivet, then use the drill bit to snap off the head. then re-drill the hole to .189 for a 3/16 rivet. Be carefull on grip range. A grip range must be defined with two dimensions. A minimum and a maximum. Example a .375 to .500 grip range rivet will only hold the pcs tight if the thickness of all pcs fall into this range. I hope this helps a bit.
Kenny

Only 37 bad rivets? Cool…

37 down, ??? many to go! It seems to be a continual process of replacement.

Too bad someone goobered the gaps in. So much more work!

If the rivets are closely spaced, I sometimes put small bolts through the holes to clamp the surfaces, then replace the bolts one at a time with a rivet while the surfaces are tight.

If the holes are blind you can find an airplane guy and borrow some Cleco clamps to hold the surfaces tight.

I have found some of the rivets have a steel mandrel which spins when trying to drill out. I use a punch to drive the mandrel out prior to drilling. The two step method from Kenny works well.

Good luck, keep us posted.

I'm using closed-end rivets. Is it overkill to fill the little mandrel holes with Dicor or some other sealant? Will water get in there and cause havoc over time?

Any suggestions for cleaning off the goop on the driver's side panel (pics above)? Denatured alcohol? Mineral spirits? Acetone?

quote:

3/16 closed-end aluminum rivets with aluminum mandrels

Quinn, How much did you pay for your closed end rivets?

Kevin,

I hate leaks. I've used closed end rivets for 40 years. The last ones I got came from A m o z o n.

100 Rivets All Aluminum CLOSED/SEALED 6-4 3/16 x 1/4
Sold by: The Rivet Gallery
$20.70

I have drilled out and replaced or used to make repairs well over a hundred. I keep them around. I am always tweaking things on my aluminum fishing boat.

I forget, might be able to look it up tomorrow. I think a lot more than $20.70 per hundred.

try wd 40. It removes a lot of crazy stuff. ploader/RivetTools.jpg[/IMG]

We went camping last week for our kids' spring break at Casini Ranch (nice place to stop) and I figured that would be a good time to try them out. After poking around the front end, I found 37 rivets that were either gone or no long holding!! I drilled and replaced them:







Unfortunately, the driver's side had a bunch that had popped out, causing a big gap between the two panels. Someone had filled the rivet holes with silicone and the panel gap with a weird, very hard sealant of some kind. So now I couldn't get the outer panel to lie flat against the inner. I tried caulk softener (snicker) and it softened the stuff, but instead of an impenetrable barrier, I now had a horrible sticky mess:





Ugh. Some paint came off, there's still gap between the panels. Think I can just Dicor over this? Anythying else I should try to get the gunk off first?

Also, when I was drilling out the rivets, the head would more often than not break off leaving the body of the rivet in the hole, sometimes very annoyingly dropping in between the aluminum body panels. Does this indicate too big a drill bit?[/QUOTE]

A good place buy rivets online.

To hold the work together after cleaning it out get some Cleco"s in the proper size (3/16), push the material flat put in a Cleco in the hole above and below the one you are going to rivet. They will squeeze the material together until you finish the rivet. Just move the Cleco's along so you have either a rivet or Cleco on each side of the hole you are working on. After a while it becomes easy. They can be bought at any aircraft supply (like Aircraft Spruce) and you only need a couple. Make sure you match the Cleco to the rivet hole size. Easy job and permanent. Once installed no need to seal the rivet. If you later paint the coach just prep the rivet like the skin, prime and paint. Then it is fully sealed.