New To Rivets

[chiselmallet]

Hi Folks!

So I'm almost 2 years into owning a 1962 FlyingCloud 22. And I have discovered some leaks... I have ordered a bunch of sealant (Sikaflex, Captain Tolleys)

But... I think I have some rivets to replace, redo... I can see that some of my rivets are proper buck rivets, some shaved blind rivets, and some... rivets with holes in them.. wondering if anyone can help me identify what I'm looking at here. These are oversized and well... look like they may be leakers.

[Bubba L]

The rivets with the holes that you’re showing on the drip cap are pop rivets. The hole is where the mandrel is countersunk. I wouldn’t use pop rivets on the exterior. If you leave them I would use silver Parbond in the mandrel hole and maybe around the base. On drip caps they should be sealed on the top edge with butyl or caulk. Good luck

[TitusNW]

Pulled rivets (commonly called 'pop' rivets) come in an array of quality. Those that are commonly available at big box stores are not usually designed to capture the head of the mandrel and it can fall out. Not water tight.

Pulled rivets designed for more structural use, e.g. aircraft, are generally designed to capture the mandrel and keep it in position, blind end rivets - water tight.

Review what's available at Aircraft Spruce and others, see Avdel Avex and Cherrymax rivets. Not cheap but quality never is.

Steve

[chiselmallet]

Thanks for the info!

[Aironius]

The open top rivets in your photo may be used in locations where they do not penetrate the outer skin, like on the frame of the rock guard. Use the smooth type rivets on exterior repairs for watertightness and factory look. You can buy Olympic rivets as described in some previous replies. I found a link on this forum to get some. They break off the mandrel with a stub left protruding. You then file the stub down by hand to an even and rounded shape without scratching the surrounding skin. Looks like a buck rivet and is waterproof. All exterior rivets should have gray urethane sealer pushed into the hole before rivet insertion. Buy a large heavy duty rivet tool, it will make the job much easier.

[chiselmallet]

When i drill these bad boys out.. I will need to go to the next size up rivet? These thing already look pretty big.

[TitusNW]

It depends. Watch some Youtubes. To remove any rivet you really just want to drill with an appropriate size drill to thin out the rivet head so it will pop off without drilling through the underlying panel. Better rivets will accommodate a bit of an oversize hole as the 'tail' of the rivet will bulge out. If it looks much larger than 1/8" then use a 5/32". If it was a 5/32" and the hole seems too loose, use a 3/16".


Steve