Front End Rivets
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Front End Rivets
I have a 2WD with twin I beams. The brackets where the I beams pivot are riveted to the crossmember and some of my rivets are loose and worn out. Is it OK to replace them with some grade 8 bolts or do they have to be re-riveted?
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From: okc
grade 8's are what you need, if the rivots are in that bad of shape, i would remove all of them and replace them all at once.....i took the ones out of my rear spring hangers on my F-250 with a torch, i heated them up(from the bracket side) till they glowed bright red, being carefull not to blast the bracket, when they glow bright red they can be hammered right out from the backside....they popped out rather easily to my surprise....
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From: Batavia
I have a question. Do the bolts have to fit tight in the holes? Would it be better to grind the head of the riviot and then punch it out rather than heating the frame? 
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For a critical application like I-beam mounts, I'd say the bolts have to be an EXACT fit in the holes. Make sure you use large heavy duty washers (or better still, a drilled piece of plate) on the chassis side, or else eventually the chassis will crack around the hole and the bolt heads will pull through. If you grind off tight rivet heads, you might find that they still take a fair wallop to punch out, because they swell to a press fit in the holes. Why were they loose? If the holes in the chassis or in the beams are worn oval then it may be a bigger job than you thought.
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From: okc
Originally Posted by Alphy's
I have a question. Do the bolts have to fit tight in the holes? Would it be better to grind the head of the riviot and then punch it out rather than heating the frame?