Floor rivets again

[TomB]

A few years ago, following loosening of the alloy rivets on the tunnel sides of the floors, I replaced most of them with steel rivets. Now, there is a bit of play again, initially noticed due to the drivers seat being able to rock slightly although the seat and runners are bolted in tightly. The rock is the floor being a touch loose at the front of the underside ali channels/ tunnel area.

 

The problem I have not is two fold - the existing rivets are steel and so difficult to drill out, and secondly, the softer ali floor panel has either compressed or corroded behind the head of the rivet, leaving it very thin.

 

What Ive done in the past with the thinned floor beneath the rivet head, is to place a small ali rectangle over the hole and rivet through the additional piece. Is there an alternative solution? Replacing the whole floor panel seems a bit extreme!

 

Any suggestions for how to get out steel rivets? My HHS bit (admittedly old) and battery drill hardly scratched them! Ill try new bits and proper drill next.

 

 

[randybugger]

I used repair washers when I did my floor, seems to have held well for quite a time.

 

Dont envy you drilling out the steel ones

[SLR No.77]

Tom, it must be time to lose some weight, married life's treating you too well

 

Fairly easy to drill out with a proper power drill and a good quality new bit ... B&Q sell 4mm Bosch drills in 2-packs. Main problem is preventing them from spinning in the chassis. Did you use steel on all 4 rails around the seat base? Were they Caterham/Arch supplied or did you get them locally? IIRC the ones I had from Arch had quite good sized heads, slightly larger than the ally rivets.

 

Stu.

[TomB]

Washer - duh - Im not usually that hard of thinking, honest! 😳

 

Steel rivets have been suggested here lots of times, but Im not not so sure as it appears over time the floor settles/ compresses around the head of the rivet allowing a bit of flexibilty to develop. I wonder if I could grind the heads off with a Dremel/ grinder and then drill out the stem of the rivet? Might knacker the floor in the process though.

[Curly]

A thought rather than good advise -instead of drilling out the existing rivets, what is the overall opinion of drilling new holes and addingmore rivets?

[DJ.]

Another way to reinforce the join without extra holes would be to cut an aluminium strip and rivet that over the edge of the panel (like a joined up washer ).

 

You could use a heavier gauge of alloy and would effectively be clamping the good bits of alloy floor between the rivets.

 

Duncan

[elie boone]

Drill trough the chassis and use M4 bolts.

[paul richards]

Tom

Decent drill and bit should make light work of drilling out the rivets.

LADS TOP TIP - Use a 4.1mm drill bit - you can purchase at Brabbin and Rudd in Bolton.

[TomB]

Yep, decent Bosch titanium bit and a slow speed reamed them out - bit of a relief I can get them out I thought I might be in trouble. Now just need some washers.