boot poppers

[Jim 123]

Would a No6 countersunk stainless tap screw do the same job as a pop rivet?

[John Vine]

Would a No6 countersunk stainless tap screw do the same job as a pop rivet?

That's exactly what I did.  Just be sure to choose a screw whose head fits snugly inside the popper base.

JV

[Flipper69]

Thanks for all your helpful comments everyone. I have bounced the issue off Tristan at SBFS to see if he can throw any light on why my cack handedness is failing to achieve the desired result but to answer your question Jonathan, I'm not sure if the issue is with the reach of the riveting tool. Jim, John, thanks for the suggestion about a tap screw, I may well try that.

This is the first time I have posted a query on the forum but what a fantastic resource and it's great to know that there is such a wealth of advice and knowledge in the ether! Thanks again.

[Flipper69]

Thanks again for everyone's assistance. The issue proved to be that the diameter of the existing holes was too large to allow the rivets to bite and so the judicious application of some metal filler allowed us to drill a finer hole and et voila!

[cr500dom]

You need a backing washer.

Rivet - popper base - vehicle skin - washer

then Rivet it, making sure the nose of the rivet gun seats on the rivet head, and teh rivet head it pressed in tight to the popper base.

Filler will pull out again.

The washer wont.

I turned down the nose of my rivetter to alow it to sit correctly in the base. works brilliantly now

HTH Dom

[Flipper69]

Thanks HTH Dom. We did try getting a washer behind the vehicle skin but were unable to get access to the relevant area.

Flipper

[David Brown]

Used a screw into an appropriately sized plastic rawlplug. Can't remember the details but worked fine.

[Norman]

Hi guys, I’m trying to add 2x poppers to my existing boot lid. I have the rivet gun, rivets and the little popper fitting kit. Someone mentioned that there was a How To video in the FAQs section on how to do this, but I can’t find it. 

Can someone post a link to it please? I wanna make sure I’m ready with all the right bits in the right places before I get started... 

thanks 

[Jonathan Kay]

Was it this?

Did your half-hood come with replacement studs etc for those two? Mine did. The FAQs have a diagram of the new fitting and a video.

I was referring to the Soft Bits for Se7ens FAQs and video. But that was about the two studs on the hood that have to be changed, not a new stud onto the body.

Jonathan

[Norman]

Great, thanks Jonathan. Indeed It’s not exactly what I’m trying to do, but close enough and helpful so see someone arrange the bits to help me be sure I’m doing it the right way! 

[Jonathan Kay]

I thought that you'd be disappointed! :-)

I'm still looking for notes on fitting ordinary poppers... but apart from the problem of getting the nose of the gun into the recess it's pretty straightforward...

Jonathan

[Grubbster]

I put a very tiny nut over the metal pin on the rivet - a nut that will fit inside the popper base, this way the base is pulled up tightly against the bodywork when the rivet is set.

[Norman]

Thanks Jonathan. I’m looking to finish this job today - can you elaborate on the issue of getting the nose of the gun into the recess? 

Or is this what you’re talking about Grubbster? 

I have filed down the shoulders of the rivers so they fit fully inside the hole of the popper base if that’s what you are referring to. 

Also I see that with the existing poppers, there is a small washer on the inside of the boot panel which the rivets sit up against. Presumably to add strength against the years of unpopping that will follow? 

I’m going to look for some similar washers so I can do the same on the new ones. 

Thanks 

[ScottR400D]

The removable nose on many rivet guns is too big to go fully in and seat inside the popper base. The result is the rivet isn’t pulled tight. 

The solution is to machine down the nose or put a small nut or some very small washers down the rivet mandrel, into the popper to fill the gap. They come out with the mandrel after fitting  

 

[Jonathan Kay]

What ScottR400D says above, and posts #7 to #11.

I have filed down the shoulders of the rivers so they fit fully inside the hole of the popper base if that’s what you are referring to. 

Rivets or rivet gun? I wouldn't do that to a rivet. The discussion above is about reducing the size of the nose of the rivet gun, not the size of the rivets.

Also I see that with the existing poppers, there is a small washer on the inside of the boot panel which the rivets sit up against. Presumably to add strength against the years of unpopping that will follow? 

I’m going to look for some similar washers so I can do the same on the new ones. 

Posts #30 and #31 for the positioning.

Jonathan

[Norman]

Thanks chaps. Got some M4 washers and little nuts and got the job done properly. All sorted! 

[Jonathan Kay]

Well done.

Jonathan

[Felixgogo]

As this thread is about half hood side poppers rather than general poppers on the boot, I thought I'd share what I did when I fitted my half hood.

I wasn't really keen on the 'stacked' popper idea, and I noticed that there was a rivet on almost the same place, but inside the car, one of those holding the interior panels on.

I drilled these out, and replaced them with a popper base, and then refitted the popper top on the strap the other way round:

 

I have since upgraded these with Tenax fittings, as I found the sideways pull on the poppers was too much for standard poppers. The Tenax base I used was a self tapping one, and the lift button button on the strap resists the hood pull very well, and is easy to remove when you lift the button.

I think this is a better solution to the half hood side straps, and avoids any alteration on the boot cover.

Cheers - Ian