Ideas anyone?

[Scott P.]

So I've got the shell back on as part of a full monty restoration. Have bucked rivets most of the way around. In the street side it sits lower now than before and I have about a dozen holes that don't match up with the J channel. They are right below and even with the top of the subfloor. It won't be hard to drill a new row right above and hit the j channel but not sure what do do with the existing holes. Would like to fill with rivets but not sure what kind would work. Can't buck. Anybody have a suggestion?

Thanks!

[Belegedhel]

When I put my shell back on, I had holes that didn't line up as well, tried a dozen different things to try and get the frame to flex so that the the holes would work, but ended up giving up and drilling new holes. I have a '73, so the rivet line was all covered by a piece of trim anyway, so I didn't have to worry about the way it ended up looking. I also didn't have such a mismatch that I missed the entire channel. Anyway, I assume you have already tried things like messing with the leveling of the frame in order to get things to line up a little better.

So how to fill the existing holes....What would be ideal would be if you could install a blind (or "pop") rivet that can be counter-sunk so that you could minimize the appearance of the "plugs." I am not sure whether such a thing exists. If you could slip a piece of 1/8" steel between that row of holes and the plywood (to searve as a permanent anvil), then you might be able to buck in some counter-sunk solid rivets from the outside.

Good luck!

[KZGoodchild]

I guess you could "trim" the bottom edge off, not ideal I know....

[cwf]

Welllll... Do you know if the frame is flexed causing the floor and C-channel to lift or nose to drop? Things may not line up due to lifetime flex... so, if frame is good, you might be better off redrilling where C-channel is...

one thought... if ribs and skin were not separated during shell removal, do the ribs alight to the c-channel?