Thread: rivnuts vs poprivets for checkerplate

Originally Posted by Samblers

Cant access the rear of the panel on the wings though...

I think i have steel rivnuts

Cheers for all your help

You shouldn't need to access to back of your panel! That is the beauty of the rivnut. I bought aluminium ones from local fastener, m4 from memory. I used a set of engineers callipers to get drill size. Drilled holes and used rivnut tool and viola, you have it all ready to go!

can you by CSK rivets?

Just to clarify ...

Originally Posted by PhilipA

You can strengthen both rivets and rivnuts by placing a washer with an appropriate sized hole behind the panel.

Originally Posted by redneb72

You shouldn't need to access to back of your panel! That is the beauty of the rivnut.

Originally Posted by Samblers

Just to clarify ...

I've never had to put a washer behind a rivnut, so I've never had to gain access to the backside of the panel.

If you google or YouTube rivnuts, it'll show you everything you'll need to know.

Hmmm, I did the install today but not happy. The rivnuts I have been supplied have a plain outer surface (there are no ribs that crush), and they just pull out.

I tried the method described in the link but was not v successful - the theory seems wrong to me... i.e. when tightening the nut on the bolt it pushes me up, rather than the rivnut down. Make sense...? I had to tap them in

Anyway, now how to solve?

Kerching!

OK i just youtubed and ive completely misunderstood how these things work - thought they were an inteference fit but they actually crush/ splay behind the panel and are therefore retained...?

Hopefully all is not lost...

They are called rivnuts because you set them with pliers much like a pop rivet tool. Doing them by hand (nut-and-bolt method) is OK so long as they don't squidge out the front of the panel they are in. I made a hand-held tool once, the main thing was a sharp recess to retain the top of the rivnut as you did up the setting nut. You can easily make a hand tool, you need a drill bit exactly the OD of the rivnut flange, sharpen it so it cuts with two raised points not the normal shape, (basically a shallow W shape so the centre still locates) and drill a shallow circular groove into a piece of flat bar to use as a hand hold.

Well it was easy in the end - like the tutorial says, should take about a minute each...

Apart from that I got 9 crimped up OK and 1 of them not quite hard enough... the spinning rivnut Couldnt get the bolt out, had to cut it off with the angle-grinder, v difficult, right next to the bonnet/bullbar, damaged the checkerplate

Now i'm left with a loose rivnut that i cant get out and probably cant tighten back up. Suggestions?