Damn Rivets.

[Vexy]

I have a 96 B4000 4x4, and I am currently installing a 4" suspension lift. The back went on great, but the front is a different story. I need to remove quite a few rivets, which I did. The problem is that there is barely any room to swing a hammer, and my drill is too large to fit between the axle and whatnot.

Are there any realistic ways to remove a rivet in a closed space? This is getting ridiculous.

 

[adsm08]

Well, I wouldn't buy a Chicago Pneumatic, but v THIS v guy is your best bet.

You can get a pretty good Porter Cable one for not that much. I think a punch and chisel set is about $25 at Lowes.

 

[heptofite]

i used an angle grinder.

 

[Vexy]

i used an angle grinder.

Now how did you get the center out? I even tried grinding off BOTH sides, and the hammer and punch still didn't do any justice.

 

[heptofite]

Now how did you get the center out? I even tried grinding off BOTH sides, and the hammer and punch still didn't do any justice.

a dodge 3500 and a length of chain.

 

[adsm08]

a dodge 3500 and a length of chain.

I would just like to point out ^THAT^ is not the factory approved method.

 

[Vexy]

a dodge 3500 and a length of chain.

I wouldn't want to ruin a transmission now...

But seriously, is an air chisel my only hope?

 

[adsm08]

An air chisel will get you a good bit of hammer force without the need to make swinging moves. It'd be my first choice.

 

[Captain Ledd]

There's always trusty "smokey the blue wrench", more so of the cutting variety.

Luckily I had an empty engine bay, but even after drilling out all the rivets I got madder and madder that it wouldn't come off. Eventually I channeled my rage through a 6' crow bar whilst standing on the engine cross member. That finally did it.

 

[xkotyx]

we fit just a regular grinder up in mine and got them grinded decent.

when we did mine, we jammed a pry bar under the edge, then put a 6 foot pipe on the end for a cheater. it takes some huge muscle if you dont have that long of a pipe.

 

[disciplerocks]

I wouldn't want to ruin a transmission now...

Rofl


I had to grind all the rivets off on a bracket and then beat on the bracket.

 

[Combs Customs]

Get a bigger hammer?

I've done 2 lifts personally and I've never used more than a 4lb sledge and a large punch. If you're afraid of hitting your hand, hold the punch with a pair of vise-grips.

Also, I've found cutting 3 lines in the rivet head, then using a chisel to knock the head off to be the fastest method, and much less sparks than grinding the whole head off.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Since my air compressor doesn't seem to be quite big enough to adequately run an air hammer, I usually use a torch to cut the head off then give it a good couple raps with a ball peen hammer while it's still hot. I usually use a medium sized hammer, but I've seen a guy do it with a small ball peen.

I've chiseled them off by hand and ground them off, I've even sawed the head off with a sawzall or hacksaw before. Most of the time I just light the torch an go though. If the rivet still doesn't want to pop out, I've heated the rivet red hot with the torch and punched it out, seems to work better than prying the bracket off and still having the rivet to deal with because if you just beat it with a hammer it'll usually start to mushroom before it goes through. When it's in a bracket it has a hard time mushrooming.

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

Torch the head off and beat it out while it is still red hot. A smaller drill bit through the middle of the rivet will help stress relieve it and it will come out easier if you can get at it.

 

[AgPete139]

I've tried all of the above methods. The best that worked for me was to etch the head of the rivet, chisel it out, then use a punch and a small sledge. Drilling out the rivet takes too long, and I sometimes lose the hole if I use a grinding wheel on the rivet/frame. Just be perserverent, and give her Hell.