Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 03-30-2012, 12:05 PM   #1
Rivet Master
 
PA BAMBI II's Avatar
 
1964 17' Bambi II
1961 24' Tradewind
Strasburg , Pennsylvania
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 917
Drilling out buck rivets

Greetings Streamers:

I need to drill out the buck rivets around my entrance door to remove inner skin on my '64.

What is the best process to do this? I am guessing center punching the "front" of the rivet which is actually inside on this application and then drilling it out like a regular pop rivet.

If so- what size drill bit should I use?

Thanks for any further direction- Ben
__________________
"The difference between vintage and retro is that vintage is honestly old and cool. Retro tries to be but isn't."
PA BAMBI II is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2012, 12:33 PM   #2
Rivet Master
 
RickDavis's Avatar
 
1961 24' Tradewind
1969 29' Ambassador
1970 21' Globetrotter
Jamestown , Tennessee
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,783
I have done the center punch and drill removal with an 1/8 in drill, or perhaps 5/32.

if you can get between the inner skin and the door frame they can be cut with a sharp putty knife and a hammer and then punched out
__________________
Rick Davis 1602 K8DOC
61 tradewind, plus a few others
13 Ram 2500 TD
99 Dodge TD 577K miles

RickDavis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2012, 01:46 PM   #3
Rivet Master
 
Belegedhel's Avatar
 
1973 21' Globetrotter
Houston , Texas
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,314
For drilling out any rivet, especially bucked rivets, I use a "Rivet Removal Tool" I bought from The Yard for $39. See the link below:

Rivet Removal Tool

This tool is awesome for gettting your drill bit centered on the head of the rivet and keeping it there. You also don't have to work so hard to get the drilled rivet heads off of the bit again.
Belegedhel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2012, 01:51 PM   #4
Chief Chili Cook
 
newroswell's Avatar
 
2010 30' Flying Cloud
Bakersfield , California
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 738
A lot of info in this thread, and a few of our professional restores chimed in with their own equipment and methods.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f381...ets-85451.html
__________________
The NSA -- The only part of the government that listens.
newroswell is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2012, 03:16 PM   #5
Rivet Master
 
Crusty's Avatar
 
1992 34' Excella
Austin , Texas
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 563
Images: 10
Back when I did a little work on aircraft, we found the easiest way was to cut an X across the heads with a cutting wheel in a Dremel tool and then pop the bits off with long nose pliers. No more skidding drill bits which damage aluminum panels that way.
__________________
Crusty
"If you come to a fork in the road, take it."
Lake Travis, TX
"Rancho Deluxe"
Crusty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2012, 05:15 PM   #6
Rivet Master
 
truckasaurus's Avatar
 
1960 33' Custom
Athens , Georgia
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,373
Images: 25
Ben, in this scenario your safe to take a sharp #30 drill and place the tip on the rivet head, twist the chuck 1/2 a turn to set the point on the rivet head then slowly drill into the rivet head down to the skin, then either snap the head off with a #30 punch or just the drill, your choice. Next step (if possible ask your assistant to hold a bucking bar or something dense behind and next to the rivet tail) whilst using the #30 or 1/8" punch and a 8 oz (or smallish ball peen) hammer tap the shaft and tail out of the hole. If you have a problem drill a bit more, you can always use oversize rivets, same size head-greater shaft diameter (#27 bit).

There's a ton of ways to remove the rivet but this will leave the most unmolested hole possible. (NB your can use a centre punch to create a tiny point right at the beginning but there's is an argument that you slightly harden the head making your task a little more tricky as well as slower). Anyhow food for thought and good luck
__________________
1960 Sovereign 33' Pacific Railroad Custom
truckasaurus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2012, 07:10 PM   #7
Rivet Master
 
PA BAMBI II's Avatar
 
1964 17' Bambi II
1961 24' Tradewind
Strasburg , Pennsylvania
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 917
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crusty View Post
Back when I did a little work on aircraft, we found the easiest way was to cut an X across the heads with a cutting wheel in a Dremel tool and then pop the bits off with long nose pliers. No more skidding drill bits which damage aluminum panels that way.
This worked perfectly except that I tapped the cut rivet heads off with a screwdriver and hammer. Thanks for the tip!!

Ben
__________________
"The difference between vintage and retro is that vintage is honestly old and cool. Retro tries to be but isn't."
PA BAMBI II is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2012, 07:40 AM   #8
Rivet Master
 
Crusty's Avatar
 
1992 34' Excella
Austin , Texas
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 563
Images: 10
Glad it worked for you. In the shop I was in we found it to be the quickest and easiest way of removing aluminum panels that we wanted to later reuse. I probably should have said to remove the bits with whatever tools you preferred because there was a variety of methods even in the shop for this part of the process.
__________________
Crusty
"If you come to a fork in the road, take it."
Lake Travis, TX
"Rancho Deluxe"
Crusty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2012, 07:45 AM   #9
Rivet Master
 
JFScheck's Avatar
 
2020 30' Classic
Derwood , Maryland
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,515
Images: 37
I would be so nervous messing up the skin of the Airstream...
__________________
John "JFScheck" Scheck
2020 30’ Airstream Classic
**I Love U.S.A.**
JFScheck is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2012, 07:58 AM   #10
Site Team
 
azflycaster's Avatar

 
2002 25' Safari
Dewey , Arizona
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 15,615
Images: 62
Blog Entries: 1
I had to remove the refrigerator vent cover this week to snake an antenna wire down. This required the removal of 10 bucked rivets, so I tried several of the methods listed in this thread. These are my conclusions but since I only had a small number of rivets to remove, I only could try each method on a few rivets.

Center Punch and Drill - Worked OK, but the drill did not always stay centered in the punched dimple. Maybe I needed a bigger punch or to smack it harder.

Dremel Cross Cut - Not easy when working in a tight spot. Getting down from the ladder to replace a broken cutting disc was a pain. I did not feel comfortable with this method. The issues I had may have been due to the area I was working.

Hand Start and Drill - In my situation, I felt this was the easiest and fastest method for rivet removal. Starting the drill by hand and then drilling worked every time with no problem.

Your mileage may vary...
__________________

Richard

Wally Byam Airstream Club 7513
azflycaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Need help, replace rivets or try to seal? timzog Leaks - Weatherstrips, Gaskets, Caulks & Sealants 10 04-25-2012 11:40 AM
2009 Airstream Classic 30' w/ Slide Out - Price Reduced!!! eBay Watch Airstreams on eBay 0 03-29-2012 09:50 AM
Solarized paint? (wonder if it wears out?) AIR-Quarius Generators & Solar Power 2 03-29-2012 12:23 AM
What Kind of Rivet Do I need? Why Olympic rivets? Kyle-King Ribs, Skins & Rivets 10 03-27-2012 09:47 PM
Another Airstream dealer Dropping Out? Foiled Again Off Topic Forum 12 03-24-2012 07:58 PM


Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Airstream, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Airstream is a registered trademark of Airstream Inc. All rights reserved. Airstream trademark used under license to Social Knowledge LLC.



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:03 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.