Center punch the rivet head as close to the middle as possible, drill most of the head away and chisel the remaining shell off. A drift punch will drive the remainder out easily. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Hold on to that chisel with a pair of vise grips and put on a face mask! I've done it that way, but prefer to punch and drill as Jerry said.
1970 Chevrolet C10 Grandpa's -- My first truck -- In progress to shiny Follow the build in the Project Journal 1950 Chevrolet 1-Ton Dually "Ole Red Girl" In the Stovebolt Gallery More pictures here 1951 GMC 9430 1 ton dually--Shiny! | 1972 Chevrolet C20- Rusty- the puzzle box lid for the C10 | 1962 AMC Rambler American- my wife's Parts trucks- 1951 GMC 9300 | 1951-GMC 9430 | 1951- Chevrolet 1300
I recently removed the very rivets of which you speak (there are lots of them). HRL's method is what I used. The rivet heads are crowned and some are irregular, so I used a small angle grinder to make a flat spot which makes finding the center easier, then did what HRL recommends. Carl
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
If the parts are going to be reattached with bolts, I strongly recommend precision-reaming the holes and using shouldered Allen head bolts to eliminate any slack between the parts. That's particularly true if you're working with stressed parts like crossmembers. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I strongly reinforce the comment about eye protection.
I was 17 and working under my '63 drilling out cross member rivots so I could relocate the cross member with the rear transmission mount to change from the Power Glide to the TH400. No eye protection.
The doctor ended up taking 11 pieces of metal out of my right eye. They left the 12th piece in because it had already sealed over. It eventually dissolved, but I have had trouble with that eye ever since.
On the hammer and cold chisel, go big. I started trying that method with a heavy ball peen hammer and a standard (small) chisel (top combo in attached photo) with frustrating results. Once I switched to a bigger hammer, and the largest cold chisel I could hang on to, I enjoyed much more success.
~ John
A kid raised on Hotwheels, Matchbox and Tonka cannot be reasonably expected to own only one vehicle as an adult.
1949 Chevrolet 3804 In the Legacy Gallery | In the Gallery Forum 1973 IH 1310 Dump 1963 Kaiser M38A1 2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie" 2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)
