Rivet Guide?

[stormbornSG]

Does such a thing exist denoting what goes where?
Do I want to buy the olympic or pop river kit from VTS?
Or the airstream official kit? They have different size interior rivets how do you know which to use.

Please help, I can seem to find anything decisive on my phone and I have next week off to work on this sucker.
73' excella 500 31ft

[Belegedhel]

It might help if you tell us what you need to rivet. In general, Olympic rivets are only used to replace bucked (solid) rivets that are used on the exterior when you don't have access to the inside of the wall to properly buck a rivet. Once shaved, the head of the Olympic rivet will be hard to distinguish from an original bucked rivet. Nearly all the rivets on the interior are conventional "pop" rivets, typically 1/8" in diameter. You can pick these up at your local hardware store, just be sure to get aluminum rivets with an aluminum mandrel. There are pop rivets on the exterior too, holding on bits of trim and the bellypan. These rivets are typically 3/16" in diameter, and especially for the belly pan, you can buy some special pop rivets from VTS that have a very large head.

If you are replacing bucked rivets and can buck in the new rivets, then look at VTS's site. You can buy a complete starter kit for buck riveting, and you will need relacement solid rivets, which VTS also sells in a 5/32" diameter to fill up the hole that will inevitably get enlarged when you drill out the original rivets.

Good luck!

[stormbornSG]

I'm doing a little bit of everything. Basically full Monty. Interior gut. New editing and plumbing.?Exterior awning, Windows from their frames, new fans, likely will get rid of the rooftop ac and go with a split system.

So from VTS
A) buck rivet kit
http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/...-p/vts-843.htm
Or
B) Olympic rivet kit
http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/...-p/vts-791.htm

Or do I need both? What about interior rivets do I need a "kit" for that?
TIA

[Belegedhel]

If you are lifting the shell from the frame you will definitely need to buck rivet it back in place, so the buck riveting kit from VTS is what you will need. If you are going to be removing the interior skins, then you will have access to the back side of the rivets you intend to buck, so Olympic rivets should not be needed. For the pop riveting, buy yourself the pneumatic pop riveting tool available from Harbor Freight for ~$30 or so. You do not need the one that does the 1/4" rivets, stick to the "cheap" one that does 3/16" and below.

good luck!

[TheGreatleys]

I have the vts buck rivet kit and have been very happy. Sounds like that's what you need. Every Olympic rivet in my overlander leaked and was replaced with buck rivets while I had access. Don't use Olympics except as a last resort.