Jeff,
The door checkstrap rivit is a driven rivit, not a blind rivit. A driven
rivit is driven with a pneumatic rivit gun with a heavy bar on the other end
of the rivit held against it (a bucking bar). A blind rivit ("pop" rivit) is
lower strength and is used in applications where you don't have access for a
bucking bar.
To make matters worse, this is a steel rivit and is hard to drive. Any
aircraft mechanic would know how to do this and would have the tools.
I replaced the checkstrap and rivits on a Spitfire a few years ago and chose
to replace the rivit with the proper steel driven rivit. I had to cut out
about a 1x2 inch part of the A post to gain enough access for the rivit gun or
bucking bar as I remember. Once the rivits were in place, I welded the piece
I took out of the A post back in and then gound the weld down flush so you
can't see the seam, which also kept the strength of the A post intact.
Not the easiest way to do it, and probably overkill but it's as strong as new
and how it was done from the factory, so it's original. The riviting is a two
person job. You'll have to take the seat out as well, so the person holding
the bucking bar can curl up in the footwell.
Hope this helps.
Frank Magnusson
Wichita, KS.
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