some info for you re: rivets/riveting. the correct amount of rivet tail that needs to be protruding prior to compressing the rivet is ONE 1/2 times the rivets diameter ie: if it is a 1/4dia. rivet you need 3/8 to stick out the other side. it then should be compressed so that the tail is HALF the diameter of the rivet to provide structural integrity.
you can buy rivet snaps to suit the profile of the rivet heads you are using. check e-bay under sheetmetal or aviation tools, there should be something avail. there. these are used in conjunction with a pneumatic rivet gun, and an appropriate hunk of steel/dolly to back up and squash the tail. as has been mentioned there are various suppliers to the aircraft industry who could help you out with what you need. you can also get gauges to take some of the trial and error out of cutting to the correct the rivet to the correct length.
fyi i am an aircraft sheetie so this is my bread and butter. if you think some of the rivets are hard to reach on your landie then dont try working on commercial aircraft as they expect the impossible at times.
hope this helps someone and remember that if you stuff it up just drill it out and start again. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]
