Rivets missing on inside wall

[cmmorsey]

I think the pic says it all. How do I replace/fix?

Thanks!


Airstream 2008 Int Sig 23d
2012 Ford F150 FX4

[TG Twinkie]

Rivet gun and ALL aluminum Pop Rivets.
Best guess is 1/8" but could be 5/32".

[cmmorsey]

TG T... It's 2008... Not sure if there is way to know for sure?


Airstream 2008 Int Sig 23d
2012 Ford F150 FX4

[TG Twinkie]

All big box stores carry pop rivets. Buy a box of 25 of each size. And see which one fits in the hole. Get a quality pop rivet gun.
Be sure to get ALL aluminum rivets.
If you keep having rivets pop and they are 1/8". You may eventually have to increase the size to 5/32" to compensate for the continual drilling and enlargement of the hole.
Some will say pop rivets breaking is caused by vibration from the running gear being out of balance. Which could be the case.
Other causes may be a sudden shock of hitting a pot hole or curb etc.
Or the aluminum sheet not being properly installed at the factory. Lose installation to begin with, allowing the rivet to move in the hole and get cut off.
Or simply a weak pop rivet.

[Belegedhel]

When rivets start to pop, they are often a symptom of greater ills. As mentioned above, it could be caused by wheels out of balance, etc., but it could also be a broken frame, hardened elastomer rods in your axle, too stiff of weight distribution bars, too burly of a tow vehicle, etc.. Take a few minutes to slide underneath your trailer and have a good look around. Also take a good look at the exterior of your shell, and look for buckling/bowing panels, rivet damage, cracking, etc.

good luck!

[rodsterinfl]

Put an aluminum rivet in. I had one missing on my roof. You may need to borrow a shaver for the rivet.

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by rodsterinfl

Put an aluminum rivet in. I had one missing on my roof. You may need to borrow a shaver for the rivet.

Interior rivets are pop rivets that do not need to be "shaved." You're thinking of an olympic rivet that is often used to replace a popped buck rivet on the exterior skin. Olympic rivets need to be shaved to look like a normal buck rivet.

In any event, before inserting the replacement pop rivet, make sure to carefully drill out any remaining metal from the old rivet. And by careful, I mean to make sure you don't pierce the exterior skin of your trailer!

[PAL07]

What size drill bit best used to remove 1/8 inch pop rivet?

[acstokes]

1/16" should do.


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by cmmorsey

Attachment 214938

I think the pic says it all. How do I replace/fix?

Thanks!


Airstream 2008 Int Sig 23d
2012 Ford F150 FX4

Don't buy the rivets at the "Big Box Store", as they are likely aluminum rivets with a steel mandrel. We see this all the time, they are a real pain to drill out the steel mandrel, plus the mandrels tend to rust & leave stains on the interior. I get my pop rivets through Fastenal & make sure they are aluminum rivets with an aluminum mandrel. I believe Vintage Trailer Supply also carry's them. They are 1/8" diameter.
Colin

[Bas&Wen]

The internal rivet size is 1/8", what would be a typical length of rivet for internal skin installation?

[perryg114]

1/8" long all aluminum pop rivets are fine but 1/4" long will work fine as well. A few broken rivets it common even on newer trailers. Now when you have several along the same rivet line then you may have to vibration issues. Rivets tend to loosen up close to the wheel wells, since that is where most of the vibrations are from out of balance tires or worn out axles that no long have any spring left in them.

Perry

[scamp]

When we bought our first airstream(2012) we were told at the dealer there maybe a few rivets that might pop out on our way home . And when we got home sure enough there was one and after a few months another popped out , when we were in jackson center getting all our warrantee work done ,they replace the two rivets with stainless steel rivets and told us this is what they do . This is what the tech told us ,he was instructed to replace any aluminum rivets that pop out with stainless steel rivets. Hope this doesn't cause any corrossion problems ( two dissimilar metals cause corrossion this is what I know from the automotive trade) I guess I will never know as I sold it last summer.

Don

[Mike91208]

This happens to me, occasionally, and I just wait until I have the trailer serviced at an Airstream dealer. Last time they charged me all of $0.75 per rivet.

[Wayne&Sam]

No big deal, I've had it happen to both of my Airstreams. And in both it was just to the rear of the door header. So I think it's just normal flexing that causes it. I just pop a new rivet in, after testing it with a magnet to make sure it's not steel.

[AnnArborBob]

An occasional popped rivet is just part of being an Airstreamer. Get a pop rivet gun at any hardware store and a supply of various sized aluminum rivets and get used to it. There are lots of YouTube videos on how to drill out an old failed rivet and install a new one. Look at a couple of those to get the hang of it. If you can, practice on a couple of pieces of junk metal stock.

If you have the same rivet failing over and over again, or if you see a half dozen rivets in one area fail in one towing episode, then you might have an issue to investigate further. Otherwise, don't sweat it.

[Gene]

We for the first year or two had rivets pop along a line above the kitchen. My guess was that they weren't installed properly. Once I put new ones in, they stayed in. Maybe I can apply for a job installing rivets in JC.

I've had a few others pop over 50,000 miles and I keep the rivet gun, bit and rivets in the trailer. Sometimes I have to use an oversize one because the holes that were factory drilled have worn too large.

I recall that when you drill out the remains, inch sized drill bits are too big or too small. These require different sized bits with numbers in the 20's. It would be helpful if I could remember the size, but I bought the bit in 2008. Maybe someone remembers the bit size.

Gene