Jim,
I had the same difficulty at first with pop rivets and snap buttons. It
turns out that some riveters have a nose too wide to fit down inside the
snap button so they don't properly hold the rivet down tight when clinching.
The same riveter will work perfectly if you use a small spacer slipped onto
the pull pin of the rivet to hold it slightly away from the tool's nose.
Find a small nut or a stack of tiny washers thick enough to hold the
riveter's nose above the rim of the snap. With the spacer in place you can
push down on the riveter holding the snap tightly against the sheet metal as
the rivet is clinched. The spacer can be used over and over again if you
don't loose it when the rivet pops.
Does that make any sense at all? Doing it is sure easier than explaining it!
Rick Patton
75 Supercharged EFI TR6
http://topshamautoparts.com/tr6/
> From: Jim Jones <jimjcmo@yahoo.com>
> Subject: pop rivets - GRRRR!
>
>snip
>
> Anywaaaay..... I have an issue with pop riveting the tonneau and
> hood studs
> on my car with its brand new paint job. Just to make sure I knew I had the
> "right" parts I ordered all new studs and pop rivets from a well
> known big-3
> vendor. I know I was paying more than I needed to for the parts, but I
> wanted the peace of mind. Well to make a long story short, things aren't
> going well. Only about a third of the studs I attempted to install riveted
> correctly. Another third were loose, with only half the pin cut
> off. On the
> remaining third the rivets were so snug that they split the studs.
>
> ARRRGH! Hasen fratzen gmorphen fretenhowsin RIVETS!
>
> Is there some great secret to doing this? Do I need to sign up
> for Remedial
> Pop-Riveting at the community college? Whyizzit that the little
> chores that
> should be a snap end up being the ones causing the most frustration? This
> cannot possibly as difficult as it seems to be, can it???
>
> End of rant. Any help is appreciated.
>
> Jim Jones
> (I need drink!)
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