Thread: Bodywork .. 110 tub rear corner removal?

Henry,

I have removed the corner bracket and capping from a defender 4 door wagon (unknown age but post 90 model). There are no rivets under the capping attaching the corner steel bracket to the tub, so removing the exposed rivets (and lights) should be all that's required.

Have a close look at the rivets used to fix the bracket to the tub. The pop rivets on the landrover do not appear to be the same as standard hardware pop rivets. They seem to have a taller (slightly more substantial) head with straight edges rather than a standard round pop rivet head. Landrover sell their rivets for about $1 each.

I am currently reassembling a 110 body and are trying to decide whether to use standard hardware rivets or the apparently stronger landrover rivets. I am mostly concerned about the impact on body strength if I use hardware rivets along the dog leg (behind the rear passenger door) and along the tub capping.

RAR110

Thanks for that RAR110. I'll probably get the rivets from Land Rover as I'll only need enough to replace the rear corner. Does seem a bit excessive at $1 a rivet especially in your case, have you determind how many you'll need?

You can use Aluminium pop type rivets 3/16" dia (Blind) or alternatively you can use the round head (dome heads) but these rivets need a dolly to support the head and a tool to peen over the shaft end of the rivet after you have cut it to the required length. I have had reasonable success using an air chisel that I modified one of the tools to be the peening end and I turned up a small dolly to support the head of the rivet, but it is difficult with most of the Landrover body insitu, all of mine has been done to my restored Series 2A's with B.all of other fittings in the way, in the past I have done some repairs to myL/rs and O.P's using either Lazy tongs riveter and pnuematic type rivet guns using standard Aluminium 3/16"dia Blind rivets cheers.
Ps I may be able to find the last docket where I purchased my last lot of 2,000 rivets (real Aluminium ones that require dollies etc if needed) [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

I've got a stack of 3/16 alu pop rivets, and stainless rivets.

I was going to use stainless for extra strength, with a rust preventor to isolate the steel from the alu body (prevent electrolysis). However, using stainless with a manual (long handle) pop rivet gun means you don't get a tight compression, ie the rivet doesn't pull in tight like an alu rivet. They are a real pain if you need to drill them out and do it again. Because they don't compress tight they will spin with the drill bit. This causes two problems, 1st it makes it difficult to drill out as the bit is not cutting into the head of the rivet, and 2nd it strips the paint off the body when it spins.

I haven't worked out how many I need, probably about 40 - 50.

I am considering going with construction rivets. Very high compression and no hole in the rivet head, and stronger. What do you think Dinty?

You could always try cherrymax rivets. They do require a special tool though.

They are blind and have comparable strength to the solids that dinty is talking about.