The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Doors '54 Vent rivets and weathestripping - help + rant

I appreciate any insight that you can give me re: vent window pivot rivets, vent frame weatherstripping, vent assembly and window installation in my '54 3100. I'm on a tight schedule and can't afford many more screw-up delays!

NOW - I see that I must remove the vent window to install the rubber weather stripping into the frame. Trying to save time, I left them in - WRONG @#%&>^!!

> Stripped the vent assembly - extremely hard w/o removing the vent window.
> Painted the vent assembly (shoulda used 2K) - extremely hard w/o removing the vent window.
> Riveted the new rear rubber-metal weatherstrip - extremely hard w/o removing the vent window.
> Patted myself on the shoulder for completing w/o removing the vent window.

Started putting in the frame weatherstripping today and see that the lower pivot must go through the weatherstripping. Guess I thought that I could cut the weatherstrip at the pivot and that it wouldn't leak or look geeky. I hope that I can stretch the rubber around the striker. I'm not gonna remove them (I hope).

Anyway, I'll drill out the upper pivot rivet, install the weatherstripping and coerce my wife into holding the assembly while I pound the new pivot rivets. Only have two, so I can't screw up.

My two-week spiff-up has taken 6-weeks so far, and I'm still not though. I am registered for the Winter Park Concours d’Elegance on Nov 6. The pressure's on. My neighbor is one of the promoter's, so she got me in. The $500K exotics are gonna crap when they see my rust bucket parking beside them! Still, I'm trying to clean up some of the buggers for the show.

Thanks for letting me rant and for giving me any info from your window experiences. Oh yeah, and for letting me brag a little about the show.

Lonnie, this may not be what your looking for but this is what I did. I simply could not get the pivot rivets to set and I did try it with the rivet tool. I simply could not do it. Bad rivets or tool or what ever. Some say its easy. I found it extremly hard with what I got.
So, I took one of the rivets to a machine shop and had him to cut me 10 pieces just like the rivet with some threads on the bottom.($20) I then stopped at Ace Hardware and got a couple of the small acorn type nuts with the teflon in them for self-locking.
I loved it!!
I would send you a set but I gave the last set away to a bolter about a week ago.
Just a thought pal.

These are NOT good pics but you can get the idea.

The first batch are a little long and had to be cut off a tat but the next batch, if there is one, will be shorter.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r19/LutherParris/52Panel/wingventrivet004.jpg

As you can see here I had to cut the bolt off some but they do work really nice. (they were made out of stainless)

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r19/LutherParris/52Panel/wingventrivet001.jpg

Don't know if this helps.....just an idea.

Thanks Alvin,

I read your original June post about your solution and logged the idea in case I screw up the pivot rivets. I'm gonna cross my fingers and try to pound the rivets into submission. Can't be any harder than setting the rivets in the vertical rubber weather strip in the vent ... especially since I did them with the glass in place.

Just hope I don't damage the assembly or the paint. I don't have time to fix or repaint. If all else fails, I guess I could drive a 6p nail through the hinge and call it good!

You the man,Lonnie. I couldn't fight the assembly and rivet the vertical piece either. I glued them. So far so good.
I guess I'm just getting old and its not worth the fight.

Here's an update and closure to my post.

I ground out the vent pivot rivets and installed a new ones after installing the rubber weatherstripping. It was easier than setting the rivets in the vertical rubber weatherstripping. I installed the vent assembly and windows without scratching up too much. And I finally figured out that the vent rubber goes over the interior window garnish.

I stapled the window wipes to the interior garnish by inserting staples through the original holes and bending them over with 4" Task Force mini vice grips - $2 - from Lowe's.

All of the new vent and window weatherstripping fit well.

I bought a set of screws for the interior window and windsheld garnish from The Truck Shop, but the heads were larger than the originals. So I bought #8 screws with #6 heads also from The Truck Shop (pictured on lower right corner of page). They are perfect.

I'm finishing up details on the truck this week and will be completed in time for the Winter Park car show on Nov 6.

Thanks to all for the help that I have gotten from this forum.