My friend has a '91 Ultra that has a broken saddlebag lid due to theft. He has a new painted and pinstriped lid that we need to install. The hinges and latches all use small rivets. The rivet heads sit flush with the hardware but we can't quite figure out what tool is used to mushroom the stems.

A call to the Harley dealerships was no help of course. Anything older than 5 yrs. and they deny any practical knowledge at all.

Any help appreciated,
Mike

 

Probably a driven solid rivet (not pop). THey come in dome head (universal) and flush head variety. A "bucking bar" and "rivet gun" are used to set these or a rivet squeezer. You can use a couple ballpeen hammers to set them but it is risky as it is easy to damage the surrounding material. Do a google search for setting aircraft rivets or setting solid rivets and it should give you some help. Looks like you're in Colorado or I may be able to help in person.
Pagan48 (Aircraft Mechanic)

 

Thanks for the reply. The way the ends are mushroomed out it has a hollow space in the middle which to me means they weren't bucked. I think you hit the nail on the head with "rivet squeezer." Now, just to find one!

Mike

 

I'm sure your dealer has the riveter... most here do & yes it is a speical one. Take the lid to the dealer & have them install the lid latch. Should'nt cost more than a few bucks, if any (my local dealer did mine free). Then get the premium hinges, they screw in instead of rivet and look better too.

 

+1 on what 07FLHT said. IIRC, the tool is a "blind" rivet tool and simply squeezes the rivet with a die of the appropriate size to mushroom the rivet. I had a tech at the local dealership do it for me; same type rivets are used for tour pak hinges and lid latch hardware.

Carl

 

I can confirm it's a rivet squeezer. If you wanted to buy the tool, it's about $175 or so. My dealer wouldn't put the rivets in when I rebuilt my tourpack after repainting it, and I really couldn't justify the cost, so I bought some Stainless Steel rivets that worked with a regular rivet gun. Looks great, and I really doubt you can tell they are not the blind rivets.

 

Would a 1/4" chicago screw work? They have them at True Value hardware in black or aluminum.

 

go to your local airport FBO (fixed base operator) that does aircraft maintenance...I'm sure someone will have no problem bucking a few rivets..
Or call one

Being in Aviation, I've helped quite a few people out for riveting needs...instead of buying

 

I know this is an old thread, but an aviation pop rivet will do. In another universe I use them to build BD-5J Microjets. LOL!

 

squeeze it up with Knipex pliers, we do it all the time on helicopters, nice neat job with no effort