I like rivets where rivets were factory and have set my fair share of them. The equipment can be had for a couple hundred $ and rivets are cheaper than bolts and washers and nuts.
Wouldn't worry about replacing a few rivets with bolts but I sure wouldn't cut the rivets out to bolt the entire frame. One difference in these old riveted frames and a newer semi truck frame is our old frames were designed to be riveted. A riveted joint is more secure than bolted unless unreasonable care is given to fit the shanks of the bolts in the holes, and common bolts won't do that.
Huck bolts are sort of like a fancy rivet, they are what is used for the bulk of semi truck frames these days. The equipment for them is expensive. They are also not the same as common bolts and nuts, again they're more akin to a rivet.
Not quite sure what the point of the thread is if you're welcoming comments but being as the deed is done it doesn't matter....
Perhaps someone in the future will consider this more carefully before doing the same. Or I personally hope they decide rivets are worthwhile and not replace them with bolts.
To discuss the success of frames that have been unriveted and then bolted we should compare the results to the original frames that survive hundreds of thousands of miles with rivets. Has anyone dissembled a modified/bolted frame and checked if the holes are wallowed or still snug, any unusual cracks? Has anyone put a couple hundred thousand miles on a re-bolted frame?
Today's generally smoother roads probably help any frame live longer than they did in the past.
Last edited by Grigg; 08/18/2016 1:53 PM. Reason: more info
