Rivetnuts

[Tom Warner]

Has anyone else replaced the rivnuts on their coach and found that the
holes are for hex rivnuts not round ones? I am sure that my coach has the
original rivnuts installed and someone stripped some of them which meant
grinding the heads off and replacing them. What I found was a series of hex
holes and not round ones. There is absolutely no doubt that they were
installed by BB and in fact I verified that when I visited Fort Valley.
When I toured the BB factory the first time I specifically wanted to see
how they installed the rivnuts in the front panels. I knew the newer BB did
not use them but hoped that someone there knew how it was done. After the
tour was over I asked the guide if I could find out how the rivnuts were
installed. Someone went with me and we finally found an employee that not
only knew how to do it, but still had the tools and the rivnuts in his
locker. He had the hydraulic punch to make the hex holes, the air tool to
install the rivnuts and a small quantity of the hex rivnuts. He explained
that BB used the hex rivnuts so they could not turn after installation.
Once they are torqued down they become extremely resistant to turning. You
will strip the inside threads first and that is what happened to mine.

So when I needed some more hex rivnuts I stopped at parts in Fort Valley to
get some. I had already purchased the tools to install them. Earl Davis
looked at the one hex rivnut I had and told me Bluebird never used them.
But when I insisted the one I had was one I got in the BB factory he
continued looking and finally found a stock of them.
This is what they look like and you can get them from other sources.
http://www.cardinalcomponents.com/fasten...ivnut.htm.

I bought enough hex rivnuts and stainless steel screws from Earl Davis to
last me for a long time.

Tom Warner
1982 FC35
Vernon Center,NY

At 08:05 PM 6/22/2005 -0500, you wrote:
>This is about riv-nuts, Not RIV-Nuts. Tim, I don't see how the Dzus
>fasteners would be much help. Unless I am mistaken they would need to
>riveted or bolted to the frame works. It sounds like that might create some
>problems and a lot of work. I had about half a dozen slipping riv-nuts on
>my coach and was real fortunate in that I was able to get a hold of all of
>them with pliers and get the bolts out without grinding the bolt heads off.
>After I installed new riv-nuts I ran a 1/4"-20 tap into all of the riv-nuts.
>I also put an anti-seize compound on all the bolts. What a difference.
>You can now run all the bolts in with your fingers and just give the a quick
>turn with a speed wrench to finish the job.
>
>Chet Geist
>1981 FC33, Austin, Texas
> -----Original Message-----
> From: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
>[mailto:WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Tim Hannink
> Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 12:05 PM
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Was Bird Sightings (long rant), Now
>Rivetnuts
>
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Jeff Miller"
> wrote:
> > I've not seen the "hexagonal" rivnuts in a Wanderlodge either, his
> > must be special. Someone might even have installed them in more than
> > one 'Bird, but I've never seen them.
>
> I don't have the hex-type of rivet nut either but was wondering if
> anyone had ever replaced them with a 1/4-turn (or Dzus) fastener? I'm
> sure you could get them in stainless or aluminum and polish them for
> effect and they sure would be easier to remove and less easy to lose
> than the stock 1/4"-20 hex bolts. They also wouldn't sieze up as
> quickly and would be a lot easier on the painted sheet metal that the
> bolts are.
>
> Good luck
>
> Tim Hannink
> Winter Park, FL
> 1981 FC-33SB
>
>
>
>
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