Challenging Rivets

In the rear floorboards of the RV-10, there are four partially obscured rivets at the upper forward corners of the floorboards. One each on the left and right side of both floorboard panels.

How'd you guys shoot those? I've been holding off on 'em for months - they look like a nightmare. I'd put a Cherry Max in there, but you can't get a pop rivet puller in there either.

if they're the ones I'm thinking of...

I pulled them tonight. LP4-3's. There is access. Outboard ones I did with a HF pneumatic puller, the ones in the inside corners I installed backwards from inside the tunnel. One stroke wasn't enough to set these and snap the mandrel, so I had to choke up on the mandrel with great difficulty because of the narrowness of the tunnel and give them a second pull to snap the stem.

I know it's not to plans. I did the entire outside rows with LP4-3's instead of trying to fish some long bucking bar that I don't even own into the side pocket and hope for a decent shop head, which would never happen for me. At some point, I feel you have to look at the rivets that are acceptable in other locations on the same piece of metal and remember the words of Ken Kreuger to me on the mothership support line 20 years ago - "You're not building the Space Shuttle, here..."

Kyle Boatright said:

In the rear floorboards of the RV-10, there are four partially obscured rivets at the upper forward corners of the floorboards. One each on the left and right side of both floorboard panels.

How'd you guys shoot those? I've been holding off on 'em for months - they look like a nightmare. I'd put a Cherry Max in there, but you can't get a pop rivet puller in there either.

Click to expand...

Kyle - are you talking about the 470s on the side flanges, next to the seat brackets? If so, double offset worked fine on mine.

Thanks, gentlemen.

I'll take another look at using pop rivets there.

If that doesn't work, I'll see if I can borrow a double offset set.

That location sucks...

I tested that idea

knowing that the callout was for a 470 4-4 there. My particular double offset didn't give enough offset, and the distal straight portion is too long, to snub up close given the clearance inside the seat bracket. It was not square to the 470 rivet head and could not be made so, which in my hands is a recipe for disaster. The rivet puller, if used on those outside rivets, can't be held square, either, but the pulled rivet temporarily cants the metal sheet as it is being set, and in this case the effect is enough to get a decently square factory head on the LP 4-3 before it snaps loose from the puller. On the inside corner rivets, the manual puller can be held square, but the tunnel walls make it difficult, as I said, to spread the handles for the second pull needed to snap the mandrel.

It can be done, my friend. But like me, you'll find yourself wondering why those particular rivets are even structurally necessary/included.

What section/page is that on? Just for my future plans as well

Thanks