On my 1968 overlander I'm missing a few external rivets towards the bottom of the trailer. These appear to be in non-crucial places, but I'd like to replace them for appearance. I have heard that the only way to get to the external rivets in the skin is to remove interior rivets and portions of the wall. The interior of my AS has been 97% beautifully restored by previous owners.
Is there a way to replace these rivets from the outside -- a cosmetic fix? What kind of rivets woud I use?
I'm missing a few screws myself but that's a different matter.
AS rivets are either pop rivets (have a hole in the center) or solid Olympic rivets. Pop rivets are available from most hardware stores, Olympic rivets are available at Airstreamdreams, InlandRV, etc. If in doubt as to how to apply them, do a search on "rivets".
You'll want to use Olympic Rivets on the exterior. They can be applied from the outside, without disassembling the interior wall. (They work like a drywall anchor, or molly bolt). When installed, they look just like new--or old, as the case may be.
This is an easy and cheap repair for a dealer, or aircraft mechanic, or metal shop. It takes a couple of special tools, which are very expensive. Unless you're doing a whole bunch of them, it wouldn't make sense to buy the tools yourself--let a professional handle it.
Actually, Olympic rivets can be installed without the fancy equipment that Tom mentioned...the bucked rivets are the ones that require pros, removing inner skins and special equipment.
We have ordered and installed Olympic rivets ourselves, no problem with a regular rivet gun. If you wnat to finish them off like a pro you can "shave" them either by hand or with a Dremel tool. It you have a bunch to do, you may want to invest in a rivet-shaver which runs about $180.
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