Can anyone tell me the best way to remove rivets on transmission crossmember on a 1952 ford f2

 

Grind one head of the rivet , on the side that's easiest to get to, flush with the frame. Then use a large punch, held with Vise grips for safety, and pound with the biggest hammer you can swing with the other hand.

 

Agree but I've needed to go a step further by drilling into the center of the rivet to about 1/4" depth or close, then have used a drift to drive the rivet out. Drilling the hole allows the remaining wall of the rivet to collapse in toward the drift thus releasing its grip on the surrounding hole. Stu

 

Yup. Even simpler, if you have it, is an air hammer with a punch bit slightly smaller than the rivet.

 

I have removed the head completely with a cold chisel then punched out the rest. Normally use a three pound hammer on the chisel.

Later I used a cut off wheel to grind an X in the head of the rivet and remove the rest with a cold chisel, much easier and saves on grinding disks. With the X cut it can be much easier to remove the rest of the head and might not even need a 3 lb hammer.

 

I've had rivets that held so tight in the holes that I bent a frame rail trying to get them out without the pilot holes. Others have come out fine with just the BFH. Have also had some where the holes didn't line up right at the factory but the rivet got squeezed in anyway. The rivets were put in cold and set under huge hydraulic pressure. Stu

 

Yes I have seen them where they mushroom out a little inbtween the frame rail and cross member. Makes them much harder to remove.

 

This is my home made rivet buster. Grind off the head, drill a hole in the center of the rivet and smack it. Rivets come out much easier with the hole drilled in them and there is less frame distortion as well.