riveting buck

[russ]

I'm needing to set some hefty rivets at the front crossmember of my AA frame. Access to the backside of the rivets is tough. Am wondering what you folks have used to buck the backside in tough places? I've made a styrofoam mockup of the buck I need, and was fixin' to take a heavy chunk of steel to the local metal shop for fabrication. I imagine it's going to be a pricey item, but can't set the rivets properly without it.
Setting the smaller rivets was cake, but these bigguns seem to require a real buck.
Give me a holler and let me know what worked for you. Thanks in advance, Russ

[Neil Wilson]

I borrowed a bucking bar made for an A from a friend to install an AA front cross member. It didn't work great. It was about a 1" rod with a couple of bends with a cupped hole in the end.

All of the rivets were held from the inside of the frame and the new head formed on the outside. It took two people. We used a torch to head the rivet shank several times while setting the rivets. The three rivets on the top of the frame rail were ground flat after setting.

Send a picture of your mockup. I would be interested in seen your design.

[Neil Wilson]

Below is some e-mail information regarding rivet installation. It might prove handy the next time this job is required.

From: aaford157@nosford.com
To: wilsmor@juno.com
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 07:27:55 -0800
Subject: AA Rivet Bucking Bar

Neil, I'm also interested in the front crossmember bucking bar that Russ is looking at making. I've gone a much simpler route, in using a grade 8 - 5/8 bolt with nut and a short piece of pipe and simply use the nut against the pipe to screw the bolt head firmly against the rivet head, and place the frame on a piece of 4X4 timber at the point where the buck is installed. The top of the rivet is heated and air hammered. Very little finishing is needed, as the rivet conforms to the tapered hole in the frame.
Eric Moore

From: Neil Wilson or Holly Moore <wilsmor@juno.com>
To: aaford157@nosford.com
Cc: rja921@pacbell.net
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 09:14:21 -0700
Subject: AA Rivet Bucking Bar

Hola Eric,
Your approach for backing up the rivets on the inside of the frame sounds like a very easy item to make. I assume that the same tool will work on the two rivets on the bottom of the frame.

Once I got the three top rivets installed, I ground any excess flat with the frame so that there is not interference with the fender installation. The original rivets were flat head countersunk. But these rivets (if they could be found) would have to have the heads formed from inside the frame. This is not something I would want to figure out how to do!

I have not used an air hammer to form any rivets. For rivets which need a round head formed, I use a ball peen hammer to form most of the head and then use a rivet set to finish it. Rivet sets are sold by Big Flats Rivet. I heat the rivet red hot several times during the process.
Adios Amigo,
Neil

[dan svoboda]

I just wanted to echo the response forwarded by neil from aaford157. I also used 5/8 bolts to back up the rivets within the frame. However I used grade 5 bolts, used 1/2 drill bit to countersink top of bolt head, then rounded out the hole with a 1/2 grinding stone to fit the rivet head. This kept the "bucking bolt" from moving while riveting. Tightened the bolt in place wiht the nut. Used this method for all 5 rivets on each side. Worked great.

modelaadan@hotmail.com