need help moving transmission crossmember

[jr89ranger]

i have an 89 ranger that had the fm146 that went out so i got a transmission from an 87 ranger that had the fm145 so i swapped transmissions but need to move the crossmember forward like 2inches but never did a job like this so i dont know how to tackle this job all i know is i gotta drill new holes for the bracket but how do i remove the rivets i do not have a torch or plasma cutter or any air tools. id apprciate the help thank you

 

[Spott]

If you can center-punch the rivet well, you can drill it out. You might want to try and grab the backside with vise-grips to keep it from spinning.

Or you could split the head off with a cold chisel and a large hammer.

Once you get the rivets out, drill the holes out to the next larger common bolt size for extra strength when you bolt things back together.

 

[97RangerXLT]

^^ what he said.

If you have the room, you can grind down teh heads flush with the frame with an angle grinder then take a hammer and punch and drive the rest of the rivet out. I have also been able to get a hacksaw or sawzall on the head and cut it off close to flush, to help take the grinding time down. All in All, I found that it takes about the same amount of time to grind it down rather than hacksaw then grind, but produces much less spark and noise.

AJ

 

[Andy D]

IIRC, I started with a 1/4 bit, then switched to a 3/8 and then used a 1/2 to drill away most of the rivet head. Then I cleaned it off flush with a cold chisel. I back filled with 3/8 bolts. This was on a cab support, YMMV.

 

[enjr44]

Make sure you use grade 8 bolts for this adventure.