Re-riveting

Ok, this is something I have never ever done before in my life, but with the attitude "how hard can it be" and "you can always learn" I started out googling the topic reading threads and looking on YouTube. So I drew some tools based on the old rivets head shape and asked a friend if he could help me out making the tools.

So with new tools, rivets, and a borrowed acetylene/oxygen torch I picked up my phone and called my neighbour and asked if he could lend me a set of hands. I have read that they can come in handy.... and they did. Believe me they did.

Punch in place on the air hammer (long stroke)

We test fitted the bucking bar and used a crowbar to keep it in place. The heating of the rivets where done out of the frame using a wise grip.

Riveting tools

As mentioned in earlier post I found some broken frame rivets. As it was only two rivets I decided to try and replace them using heated rivets, pneumatic airgun ( rivet hammer) and some custom made tools seen below.

Bucking bar to the left, rivet punch in the middle and the air hammer tool to the right.
(old rivet head is placed in the tool to get a feeling of the accuracy)

Broken frame rivets

Okey this is a picture showing the rear engine crossmember to the right and to the left is the crossmember slightly infront of the rear runningboard bracket. I assume this crossmember is meant to prevent the framerail from twisting when you step on the runningboard.
However just as I made everything ready for for shippment to media blast and paint I stepped on the rear runningboard frame bracket and noticed a small small flex between the crossmeber metal and the framrail. Like if the top rivet hole was slightly to large from years of stepping on the runningboards. I got a hold of a guy in my town that actually had all the toolings for pressing steel rivets. (Not very common is Sweden today). So of I went to the garage and grinden of the rivet heads. Then i tried to beat the rivet out with a sledgehammer and a punch. I was amazed on how firm it was to the hole not budging anything. So I took the pneumatic hammer and the same punch and after som heavy hammering it came out...... to my surprice, TWO pieces ended up on the floor. The rivet has sometime cracked into pieces from fatigue.  Really interesting to see the force needed to get it out despite it was cracked and one head was grinded off.