Got two 4x8 sheets of 16ga aluminum, I was looking to find the same sized rivets as the stock ones. Anyone have a clue? Thanks.
Steel rivets or aluminum?
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Who is the regular advertiser in the magazine that sells every kind of rivet?
Mag is remote to my location currently.
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Quote from: Tikvah on January 24, 2013, 05:22:15 PM
Steel rivets or aluminum?
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Aluminum
Hi;
Try Byler rivet @ 800/325-3147.
They are in Irving, Texas and advertise
regularly in BCM. They should have any
thing you want in rivits and tools to
install them.
Gook luck, Merle.
You could also try FSI (Fastener Systems International) 800-344- 2393, another advertiser in Bus Conversions Magazine. I had good luck with them.
Good luck, Sam
Quote from: Jnbroadbent on January 24, 2013, 08:46:50 PM
Aluminum
This question of steel or aluminum has haunted me since I did my side panels. Aluminum rivets will not be compatible in the steel subframe. Steel rivets will not be compatible with the aluminum panels.
Byler Rivet sent me Steel ???
Quote from: Tikvah on January 25, 2013, 02:00:45 PM
This question of steel or aluminum has haunted me since I did my side panels. Aluminum rivets will not be compatible in the steel subframe. Steel rivets will not be compatible with the aluminum panels.
Byler Rivet sent me Steel ???
I am a bit curious now, I know the interior panels rivets are aluminium but I don't remember abou the exterior. When I'm home I'll pop one out and check.
with aluminium and steel, aluminium corrodes preferentially. Steel rivet will corrode the aluminium skin, aluminium rivets will kind of loosen up in the steel structure. It can take a really long time - I have a 32 year old race car in my shop with aluminium tub riveted to a steel subframe and it looks like new... I personally prefer aluminium rivets in stainless or mild steel. Using a really good paint or even double-sided tape between the steel and the aluminium sheet works really well.
Brian
Yup, positive they are aluminium solid buck rivets.
I rivetted aluminum to steel frame and as Brian suggested I used the sticky mastic that comes in a roll. I am assuming you are going to use pop rivets. IF this is on a upper wall (house or living enclosed area) I would recommend the closed rivets. Some places refer to these as blind rivets. One day when I was working on the outside I had to go inside to get a tool. While walking past the sheet I had just rivetted I could see daylight though the center of a rivet. I think what happens is when the pop rivet breaks it is with such force that the head of the rivet flys back and goes right out the back end. I was able to go over each rivet from the inside with a silcone gun . But after this i switched to closed rivets. It is amasing how much water can get though a small hole. Don't want water inside living wall area. If this is on a bay door Either type should be fine. This is only my personal choice.
Larry B
Byler sells a closed head rivet made for repairing airstream trailers. I think maybe called bulbtite. These are not pop rivets but rather expanding back style and have to be trimmed after pulling. Look like driven rivets after trimming with the proper tool! John L
I have a MCI rivet board, with part numbers.......they should be available from MCI
without seeing them, I would bet they are 3/16 stainless
Quote from: Chuck Hancock on February 04, 2013, 08:45:58 AM
without seeing them, I would bet they are 3/16 stainless
Nope, 1/4" aluminium
Not sure if this would help at all...
http://www.buses101.com/PDF_Files/MCI%209%20Maint%20Manual%20in%20PDF%20format/MC-9%20-%20Maint%20Manual%20Section%203.pdf (http://www.buses101.com/PDF_Files/MCI%209%20Maint%20Manual%20in%20PDF%20format/MC-9%20-%20Maint%20Manual%20Section%203.pdf)
There's a page where they show what rivets are used on each section of the body and provide the model of the ones they originally used.
Quote from: AeroFluffy on February 06, 2013, 08:33:15 PM
Not sure if this would help at all...
http://www.buses101.com/PDF_Files/MCI%209%20Maint%20Manual%20in%20PDF%20format/MC-9%20-%20Maint%20Manual%20Section%203.pdf (http://www.buses101.com/PDF_Files/MCI%209%20Maint%20Manual%20in%20PDF%20format/MC-9%20-%20Maint%20Manual%20Section%203.pdf)
There's a page where they show what rivets are used on each section of the chassis and provide the model of the ones they originally used.
Interesting, the rivets I needed are apparently 7/32x3/8, but the holes (that appear to be stock) are all 1/4" (on the panels AND on the inner supports)
I looked in my aircraft handbook and typically you drill the holes for rivets larger (~2-5 thou) than the diameter of the rivet... so that doesn't account for why the holes are 0.032" larger. If the original rivets weren't installed correctly at the factory or if the panel was ever replaced, the rivets would have been drilled out. If the holes had grown as a result (or someone used a 1/4" drill instead of a 7/32" drill) and 7/32" rivets weren't snugly fitting within the holes, the next size up of rivet (1/4") would have been used. It's also possible that as 7/32" is (to me at least) a weird diameter of rivet, MCI just went with the much more common 1/4" diameter rivets. 1/4" rivets are probably going to be fine to use given that's what was in there originally; if 1/4" rivets are fitting loosely in the holes you might want to go to the next size up (5/16").
(Full disclaimer - I don't know the history of your bus, I'm not a mechanic (or, though I have a degree in mechanical engineering, a P.Eng), and I'm following what I've read for riveting on aircraft)