Riveting

[racephotoman]

Before my build starts, any suggestions or comments regarding using either a manual or pneumatic riveter. Never really used one for more than a few rivets at a time. I did buy what seens to be a good manual, but after reading a few comments over the forem addressing them, was now wondering if I should spend a few more $$ for the air driven. My biggest fear is not getting it to sit well and have to cut it off, leaving part of the rivet in the frame to rattle around. Maybe some of these concerns will be eliominated once I start working on the car, but figured I ask while I await of roadster.

Walter

[michael everson]

The air riveters work very well. I feel I get a better riveted joint using the air. Just stick it in the hole an pull the trigger.

[Mikey_P]

For the amount of riveting you will be doing get an air riveter. I used both and was glad I had the air one. They are relatively cheap for how much they help speed things along. On long runs I would just poke all the rivets in and go down the line.

[Jeff Kleiner]

I'll be the dissenting vote. I have an air riveter and used it for some of the early work on the first car. Eventually I got tired of having to fire up the compressor, dragging hose around and not being able to fit it into tight areas so found myself using the manual one more and more. When I built the second car the air riveter never came out of the tool box. A quality manual riveter will pull a rivet as tight as, if not toghter, than the air tool.

Jeff

[SStrong]

Using a manual riveter, you will have arms like Popeye! I have used a manual exclusively till now, but recently bought one that uses my drill (haven't done any riveting with it yet). Whatever you do, get a good one (air or manual). A lot of rivets are in places with limited access where you will have to use the manual, but most are easy to get to. If you haven't already, get a few Clecos and a tool. I bought about 35 Clecos, and only opened about 10, but it doesn't hurt to have too many. BTW, I have probably put in about 400 rivets and am not nearly finished with major sheet metal. I bought a heavy duty (2 foot arms) to put in a door handle on a Mustang a long time ago, and the stainless 3/16" rivets on the radiator mounts required this tool. An air riveter might handle this though. Enjoy your build.
Steve

[riptide motorsport]

Jeffs right.....your not doing that many rivits at a time.

[CHOTIS BILL]

In my opinion the rivets that come with the kits are standard blind rivets and are not the best ones to use. I use multigrip type blind rivets. With standard rivets the center mandrel is pulled through the rivet body which expands the body against the inter part until enough force is applied to snap off the mandrel and leaves a long tube sticking out. With the multigrip rivet the mandrel expands the body of the rivet in the hole filling up the hole and making the joint much tighter and the mandrel doesn’t pull through the body but collapse it giving it a more finished professional look. You can tell if they are multigrip by the size hole required. The multigrip requires a .129-.142 for a 1/8 inch rivet apposed to .129-.133 for a standard rivet according to McMaster-Carr.

Bill Lomenick

[emac]

I used a manual gun for the whole build. It wasnt too bad. IMO, get a right angle drill before the air rivet gun.

[hrosenthal]

I only just started, but have not had any problems with the manual gun. I also have a drill attachment, but haven't used it yet.

[Avalanche325]

Just get a decent hand riveter. I have a Craftsman (Made in China -:mad:) and it is really easy. I was all ready to get a pneumatic one after reading up. I honestly think it would have been a waste of money. Maybe HF is not the place to go for this tool.

If you do go pneumatic, you have to get a manual one anyway. So try the manual one first.

PS. I work on computers for a living. I don't pop tennis balls for a living.

[Pierre B]

In 2004, when I began building my MKII, I was 61 years old. I installed all of my pop rivets with a manual tool, and was very glad I did it that way. I used mostly manual tools for the entire build, since I particularly like that approach. Naturally, I used electric drills, including (very importantly) a right angle one. Back to the riveting. My aging hands didn't particularly care for all of that squeezing, and arthritis made that clear over time. However, I would not have wanted it any other way. That's just me. Were I to build another of these, I would certainly need to have a pneumatic riveter along with the manual one. BTW, it's the rivets that provided for me a strong incentive to build one of these cars. I find that technique reminiscent of the race car cockpit construction I admired so much years ago in the 917 Porsches, 312 Ferraris, along with all of those Can-Am cars. Back then, we could walk through the garages (Watkins Glen) right up to the cars and crews, and look right into the cars. I am just happy to have an MKII built just like that, and it wouldn't be possible without the rivets*. That's one of the reasons I wanted to get up-close and personal with those components.
*Wouldn't have been possible without the Factory Five group either, for/to which I am eternally grateful.

[rich grsc]

Air riveter, turn in your man card. I'm on my third build, all manually pulled.

[The Stig]

I bought an air riveter for the heavier rivets. I also used it for the 1/8" rivets. It works great for those that are in open space. However, tight spaces make it pretty much useless.

I found myself using the manual rivet puller, when I could have used the pneumatic puller.

With that said, I'm glad that I have the pneumatic puller in case I want to use it. I also picked up a pneumatic riv-nut / thread setter. Because I absolute hate trying to crush the 1/4-20 riv-nuts by hand. They tend to remind me that I haven't been working out nearly as much as I need to... And I don't like that. :cool:

[flynntuna]

What areas did you use the riv-nuts on?

[Mesa Mike]

air

[SStrong]

Riv nuts are great for things like attaching tubing to the frame (brake and fuel) or anywhere you might want to remove something which would have been riveted, but would wind up drilling the rivet out. This happened on my front battery box mounting. Had to remove to take off the steering rack, and wound up removing three rivets (had used two riv nuts to mount to the heavy cross member, but the three on the x-member were riveted). I went back with riv nuts on the x-member when I put it back.

[flynntuna]

This gives me a lot to think about, every where you look on a build give one an opportunity to personalize.

[Timb]

Since this was a family project I bought an air riveter and my 7 and 9 year old girls installed all the rivets after I did the drilling. As for making tight panels and connections we backed everything with 3m 5200 instead of silicone.......God help us if we ever have to get it apart ;)

[CraigS]

A lot of this depends on what rivets you are using. 1/8 inch all aluminum rivets are easy to do manually. Get them w/ steel mandrels and the effort goes up. 3/16 riviets are a killer for me even when aluminum. If I were building a car as you are (bought mine already on the road) I would get an air rivet gun and also a very good quality manual tool.