Replacing stock ECJ5 bumpers, to rivet or bolt?

I've found sources for stock replacement front and rear bumpers for my '56 CJ5, and the rivet kits for them....but how do you install the rivets? Has anybody done this? Or does everyone just replace the rivets with bolts? Am I just unreasonably anal?

 

A piece of heavy steel and hammer or 2 hammers , they also make a tool to expand the rivets but they are high and Ive never saw one for rivets that big. We still use the old stle rivets on some farm machinery and they are a total PIA.

 

I'd bolt it. Ive taken mine off on several occasions. Easy access is a good thing

 

I used bolts grade 8

 

That's what I love about this place, getting great feedback from others that have been there. My anal tendencies want to use rivets, because those are stock and original, but I hadn't thought about being able to remove the bumpers for various reasons. I reckon I'll be using bolts, I'm not going to be entering it in concours car shows after all. Anybody that notices the difference is too damn close anyway! And, I suppose rivets could always be put in later on if the time was right and I found a way to do it.

Thanks!

 

Front was bolted from the factory, no?

 

Get the best of both worlds and use a carriage bolt. Looks like a rivet on the outside and use a washer and nut on the otherside.

here's a deal:
http://cgi.ebay.com/100-New-round-c...540774710QQcategoryZ41500QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Thanks for the suggestion, I've been thinking about carriage bolts, but I'm not sure how strong they are. I don't kow if they're available in grade 5 or 8, or in stainless either. For no more than I'd need, I'll just get them locally when the time comes. I don't do e-bay.

 

What's your source for the bumpers and rivets if you don't mind me asking?

 

Oh jeez, I'm at work right now and don't have my box of catalogs and other crap with me, but there's several parts vendors that have the bumpers, and I know I saw the rivets listed in at least one catalog....probably Beachwood Canvas or Walcks.

I know there's lots of parts vendors out there that all offer the same parts, usually from Crown or Omix-Ada, but the difference in prices is astounding! I bought a new gas tank from Walcks for $90, I've seen the same part number elsewhere for $250!

I started building an Excel spreadsheet listing all the parts I could find, and all the vendors, with their part numbers and prices, and the differences were mind-boggling. And most vendors used the same part numbers out of the Crown catalog. Gave up on the spreadsheet after it became obvious that Walcks had the best prices overall, and The Jeepsterman seemed a close second. Some were obviously out to screw as many folks as possible as hard as they can.

Now that I've found this forum, maybe I'll finish it and offer it someday, but it's friggin' huge.

 

button head allen bolts they are graded at eight IIRC

 

NOT A GOOD IDEA DUE TO THE SHEAR STRENGTH OF THE CARRIAGE BOLTS BEING JUST ABOVE POT METAL COMPARED TO A GRADE 8, In other words do you want the bumper flying at you when you need a tow to get out of a bind?????

 

The 71 bumpers were bolted not riveted.

 

Button head Allens are a good idea, I'd forgotten about those! Damn sure stronger than carriage bolts. I'm only gonna use this Jeep for mild trail riding anyway. I'm not into mud-bogging, rock-crawling, or other extreme off-road stuff. But I'll still want the strongest bolts I can get in it.

 

This is a place I use near by for replacing my fasteners as I'm rebuilding. Gotta love those zinc coated bolts even if they aren't stock. http://www.nuttycompany.com/catindex.html

I would think Grainger or McMasters would have anything you need.

 

if you wanted to rivet it in place you would need an air compressor, an air hammer, a bucking bar and a rivet set. depending on the classification of rivet, there are different methods needed to buck the rivet in place.

***
hot riveting was what i was thinking of, but i was thinking of conventional rivets to.

 

I hear what you're saying jetdoc, I took 3 years of Aircraft Mechanics in high school, both powerplant and airframe, so I'm familiar with that kind of riveting. But these are BMF steel rivets, like 5/16", probably 3/8", and there ain't no air hammer and bucking bar gonna work on those. I'll just use bolts.

 

I've heard the button head allen type bolts work great. Then if you want you can weld in the hex key part, grind smooth and it will look like a rivet. The steel rivets would have to be shot with a HUGE rivet gun. The steel rivets are heated untill they are cherry red before bucking them. Then when they cool they contract and hold even better. So the rivets hold by far better than any bolt.