Back in the late seventies I worked in a Big Truck shop, on the frame rack; Mostly Kenworths Peterbilts and Freightliners. The crossmembers and much else were assembled with bolts and nuts. I used a 1" rattle gun for assembly and disassembly. Most of what I remember is that the air wrench was heavy and I was a tired puppy at the end of the day. One truck required a replacement frame rail. I gave the factory the VIN and a week or so later a frame rail appeared on the loading dock. All the holes were in the correct places. The job required no riveting but was a riveting experience nonetheless.
I have overload spring perches bolted onto the frame on my 1-ton and they haven't moved in 30 years. When the rivets in the front crossmember on the 1-ton worked loose, I replaced them with grade-8 bolts. This required reaming the holes to 7/16 as they had been 25/64 rivets. I drove the bolts in with a hammer. This was 15 yrs ago and there is no apparent movement or rust around the bolts.
