Rivets on door catches (1 Viewer)

Mags52

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Our Autotrail has the underbed storage locker door fitted with rivets. It has stopped holding and so we are risking life and limb every time we go in there. I have a new catch but don't know how to get the old one off and whether the new one can be fitted with screws. If it has to be rivets how do I do it? Mags
 
Dec 12, 2010
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Pop rivets generally need drilling out, you can sometimes chisel the heads off but that might be troublesome on thin moho bodywork. Any chance of a picture ?
 

Mikey RV

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Best to drill them out carefully and use same holes but with stainless screws.

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Oct 14, 2007
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I would drill them out and replace with stainless steel pop rivets, yacht chandlers sell them.
 

Geo

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Usually it can be quite a faff to replace rivets with screws as hole is usually to big,
if a suitable screw was found, a bigger hole would be needed in you catch to make things work
far better to carefully drill out the rivets and as suggested replace with either stainless or aluminium
you will need the correct size drills and a riveting tool, maybe best job for a Garage.
Rather than replace catch look at packing out the striker plate as an option if it has one
G
 

maxi77

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Stainless rivets will corrode the aluminium, you need monel metal rivets which you will get in a chandlers. If the catch is stainless you will need to insulate it from the aluminium with something like yellow chromate.

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Mags52

Mags52

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Thanks everyone. Definitely not a job for me. Will take it to the man who looks after our van. In the meantime will be careful
 
Oct 15, 2012
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I agree with some of the others you need to drill out the pop rivets or as you say get someone else to do it but I must say two posts in a day is a bit greedy. :whistle::whistle::whistle::)
 

TheBig1

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getting somebody to do the job should not be expensive,its a 5 minute job for anyone with the right tools
 

Dognewf

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you can get rivets which then allow you to screw into them, but i would just re-rivet
 

cornish boy

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Stainless rivets will corrode the aluminium, you need monel metal rivets which you will get in a chandlers. If the catch is stainless you will need to insulate it from the aluminium with something like yellow chromate.

If it is internal it should be ok with stainless rivets as it is unlikely to get soaked in an electrolyte to kick off the galvanic reaction.

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maxi77

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If it is internal it should be ok with stainless rivets as it is unlikely to get soaked in an electrolyte to kick off the galvanic reaction.
Any moisture is enough, and any way monel rivets are no more expensive and usually easier to find. Considering the skin thickness on most motorhomes you don't really want to lose any of the metal.
 

Minxy

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getting somebody to do the job should not be expensive,its a 5 minute job for anyone with the right tools
... ie wait until you're at a rally/show with @Techno (y)
 
Dec 12, 2010
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My van has aluminium side skirts, we had them resprayed as part of the deal when we bought it. 5 years later, the paint is starting to blister again, near the screw fixings, wonder what type of screws they used as it's obviously a galvanic issue ?

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cornish boy

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Any moisture is enough, and any way monel rivets are no more expensive and usually easier to find. Considering the skin thickness on most motorhomes you don't really want to lose any of the metal.

You are right that any moisture will start a galvanic reaction. (y)

I was suggesting an internal fixing is less likely to fizz away as it is a better, drier environment.
You will know from your marine experience (looking at your profile picture) that many mainstream yacht and boat manufacturers will use stainless and mild steel screws internally fixed into dissimilar metals with little issue and without isolating them especially in the engine bay and lockers.

In my opinion aluminium pop rivers are possibly a better bet in this situation due to requiring less effort to swell and therefore running less risk of deforming the panel. Of course a pneumatic riveter makes things so much easier! :)
 

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