Steel rivets

Does anyone know where i could get solid steel rivets, im after 1/2 inch by 2 inch roundhead solid steel rivets to repair a truck chassis,
Thanks mike

These people might be able to direct you to the right place.

nhtb.com.au/rivets-solid-rivets-mushroom-head-solid-rivets.html

If no luck maybe this mob

www.cdaets.com.au/Fasteners-Fixings-Bolt...ws/Rivets/Round-Head

Chassis Rivets have been discussed Before..

www.hcvc.com.au/forum/topic/id-12138?start=0

www.hcvc.com.au/forum/restore/2300-to-rivet-or-not-to-rivet

www.hcvc.com.au/forum/restore/16977-replacing-rivets

www.hcvc.com.au/forum/restore/14814-chas...il-repair-techniques

www.hcvc.com.au/forum/restore/16363-chassis-rivets

Personally I'd Just use some grade 8 Bolts with hardened Washers & Lock nuts..

Hayseed

I suspect chassis rivets are just mild steel. Will have to check a bit more.

I saw somewhere that Kenworth now use bolts instead of rivets (maybe on this forum) and they are Grade 6 which are still "high Tensile" but not as brittle as Grade 8 in a flexing situation. Aircraft bolts are 90% Grade 6.

This may or may not be useful.


Lang

Yes,

I just used bolts. But be careful to keep the hole as small as possible so things don't move around. When rivets are pulled down, they bow out and fill the hole. So, while there is a clamping action, there is a "locking/jamming" expansion action in the hole too.

I've heard that there are special chassis bolts where the shank is larger than the thread. And the shank is pulled into the hole which has the expansion action similar to a solid rivet.... not sure where you get them from.

Does that not sound similar to wheel studs???

Mack used to advertize "body bound bolts" holding their chassis together.....Des Stevenson pulled two new Macks apart and couldnt find one body bound bolt.....so Mack rebuilt both the trucks he d bought ,and never advertized the claim again........Incidentally ,I recall Kenworths being held together with "Huck Rivets",which couldnt be replaced without the proper gear.

The attraction of rivets to chassis builders was the holes didnt need to line up........even half a hole misalignment.... would be filled with a smaller rivet ...another common bodge with chassis was to put shims in between the pieces then rivet the lot together.......chassis rivet were not rivetted hot but upset cold with closers worked by hydraulic units......steam boilers were also mostly cold rivetted with a device called a "gap rivetter"...which could be 60ft long to take a big boiler shell...

Just my two bobs worth with replacing chassis rivets, after drilling out the old ones, replaced with Allen keyed socket head domed bolts with hardened wahers and lock nuts on the inside of the rails. I filled in the socket head after tightening, with a smidge of body filler bog, sanded it off, hoiked a good dose of chassis paint on it, never had any comeback after. Dave

Thanks for the information guys, ive sent off a request to jcee’s in the states and another contact i know off in the uk,
boiler rivets are soft mild steel and this is what will work best apparently to replace the ones in my old chassis which im trying to keep the authentic look,
Cheers mike