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MG MGA - Split Rivet Tool - Help

A few weeks ago I posted an inquiry about a tool to set the split rivets that hold the rubber gasket material to the splash panels. Well, after a search, I found such a tool sold by a craft company in England - Fred Aldous, Co.

http://www.fredaldous.co.uk/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_RIVETSRT

It is only £2.14 (inc VAT), but unfortunately for me, the company does not sell to the US because of high shipping overhead and customs. Is there anyone out there who lives in a country that Fred Aldous ships to (that is, nearly everywhere on earth except the US and Canada), who would act as an intermediary for me and purchase the tool and send it to me? Obviously, I will pay for all costs. PayPal is a convenient way for currency exchange, but I will accomodate anyone's payment requirements to obtain the tool.

I have contacted Fred Aldous and they state that the tool should set the rivets properly with the characteristic "m" backing pattern. However, I think that this is the first time the tool would be used for an MGA application and I am willing to be the guinea pig to find out if it does work. The information should be useful to anyone who restores their MGA.

sbrandt@rochester.rr.com

Thanks,
Steve
Steve Brandt

Steve,

I can understand why they may not want to get into a lot of overhead work to sell a single tool (worth about $5) on which they probably only make a few cents profit. They may be interested if you were to buy 10 or 12 of them. If that is the case, I would be interested in buying one from you.

Karl
Karl Leclerc

Hi Steve, I have had a look at the Fred Aldous web site - interesting craft site - nothing to do with cars - how on earth did you find it - If you like I will order one and forward it to you I might even get one myself - I can take cash in dollars if you want to risk sending it through the post - can't take paypal though. Cheers Cam
C Cunningham

Karl:

Purchasing at any level is not an option for US orders. The company policy does not have exceptions for quantity.

Cam:

To answer your question, luck and persistance...Please email me via the embedded email address in my posting so that we can make the arrangements. (Yours was not posted so I can't contact you directly.) I will be glad to send you payment through the post.

Thanks much,
Steve
Steve Brandt

Can anyone supply a photo? It may be quite simple to machine up a few.
Regards,
Doug
D Sjostrom

It seems to me if the tool can be shipped in a small envelope, you do not need customs papers. I have received many things that way. I just received an item from Thailand and the only thing different was the box was opened by "Homeland Security" and retaped shut.
JEFF BECKER

I too would be interested in obtaining a tool for that purpose. I would also use it to redo the rivits used to secure the plates onto the valve cover. I tried using a center punch to secure the backs but as careful as I was, that just smashed them over. Enough to hold the plates in place but not what I would have prefered. How did the factory get those rivits to curl back so evenly? Do you think this tool would serve the same purpose on the valve cover attachment rivits as those on the splash pan?
robert maupin

At this point, it's all guesswork as to how the tool will work for the application. The site does not show a picture, but when I contacted them, they told me that it would shape the split rivets properly. That having been said, even if the tool is designed for a different sized split rivet, it could be used as a pattern to fashion a proper sized unit for the rivets used on the splash panel rubber. I got the impression that this particular tool is used primarily for setting split rivets for leatherwork. For US$5 plus the shipping, it's worth the experiment to me.

As far as the logic of shipping direct to the US, I could not make my case using similar arguments talking by telephone. According to the information they gave me, they do not make exceptions.

Steve
Steve Brandt

Here's a neat product.
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Cases/PeelRivet/peelrivet.html

Or from this site
http://www.nativeground.com/Reapiring%20Your%20Instrument%20Case.asp
"Split rivets are usually original equipment on cases. They make good replacements since they are fairly easy to install, require no special tools, and they are very strong. Always purchase a few more rivets than you think you will need. If you have exactly enough, chances are one will fall on the floor and roll down the heating register. The rivets should be long enough to go through the latch and the case with about 1/" extra sticking through the inside of the case.

Place the latch on the case. Slide one split rivet through a hole. A new rivet looks like "A" in illustration 4. Use a large flat-blade screw driver to start bending the rivet tines. Slide the blade between the tines so it looks like "B" in illustration 4. Most of the time you can tap the rivet tines flat with the ball end of a hammer. If you can't quite get in between the lining and the case shell, loosen up a little more lining or place the blade end of the screwdriver on the tine and tap the screwdriver handle with the hammer until the rivet is bent over and firmly in place. It should look like "C" in illustration 4. A third hand is very helpful to hold a wood or metal block on the rivet end while you tap. This is the perfect time to let your spouse or the kids help you out in the workshop."

I couldn't find the illustrations on this website but I didn't try very hard.
Maybe this will help.
I googled "split rivet tool.


A man

Without a picture of the tool, it is hard to say what you might be getting. Take a look at this split rivet tool:

http://www.ohiotravelbag.com/pdf/p2004-a.pdf

Scroll down to page 17. T-1244 Just a solid metal dowel with a 90 degree chisel point ground on the end.

I hope you aren't expecting more than that for ~$5US plus shipping.

Chuck
Chuck Schaefer

Chuck:

You are right. I have no idea what I will receive, but the fact that the original BBS post in this thread has now led to another link (the one you provided) that shows what such a tool might look like has been worth the time invested so far. I don't expect a fancy tool for the low cost, but the more information and examples I have, the closer I come to finding or making a tool that does exactly what I need it to do.

Thanks,
Steve
Steve Brandt

That T-1244 is what I'd imagined. If I were going to make them, I'd most likely do curved-wedge sides to mimic the platen of a common stapler. One might buy a small cold chisel and experiment with different grinds.
BOL,
Doug
D Sjostrom

I have used a large cold chisel. That is what #1244 looks like at the business end. Too small would split and not curl. A worn out chisel that has been sharpened too many times looks perfect.
R J Brown

There are a couple of case manufacturers that come to mind. Humes and Berg and Anvil. They build thin fiberboard cases for musical instruments, and maybe other things, I don't know. Anyway, they use hollow point rivets, not split ones as far as I know. I have used split rivets to replace those that come out of these cases, with reasonable results. I don't really care how they look on the underside usually, but with care, you should be able to make a neat m shape.

Insert the rivet, split it a little. A lot of different tools or common items could be used to hold the legs(?) up a bit while you tap them around with a tack hammer and maybe a punch near the tip. A pliers for bending piano wire has round tips, and could be held on both sides at once. Speaking of piano wire, you could bend something to achieve the same or better shape to get into a small area. A needle nose pliers would be almost as good. If the pieces you're joining are small, you'll need 3 or more hands, I suppose. So a vise would be handy.

In the blacksmith shop I used to work, we had a rivet tool that made really nice looking swages(?). It tightened down on the tip and you turned a handle (tighten, turn, repeat). We used it with solid rivets. A tool like that may work on splits too. Maybe an upholstery shop or boat cover maker would have something, they have neat punch-like tools for snaps. And now that I've been brainstorming by clicking keys, that sounds like the best possibility. A snap has a hollow rivet, but the tool makes a nice curve. The size is about the same, if I'm visualizing your rivet correctly. I'd look in the hardware store or home center for a snap tool.
Tom

This thread was discussed between 24/01/2006 and 25/01/2006

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