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Old 08-03-2017, 08:38 PM   #21
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So you're saying that you don't drill the rivets partially and then chisel the heads off? I have a nice IR air chisel I'm using but if I want to reuse the holes to install new rivets straight chiseling the rivet heads turns a nice round hole into an oval or obround hole. Please clarify if you would[emoji15]

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None of the thousands of rivet holes on my bus went oblong from air chiseling.
But do it whatever way you see fit.
I agree with bob- drive out the mandrels with a pointy bit, then shear the heads right off those pesky rivets. Not that I've got it down to system I can de-rivet a while 40' bus interior in about 3 hours.

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Old 08-03-2017, 08:41 PM   #22
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Yeah, that Sioux drill must be 24k gold plated on the inside, lol. I have a third of the rivets drilled and punched already. My dad will be out to give me a hand drilling the rest tomorrow. I'll be glad when it's done, I doubt that anything else in my build will be as monotonous as drilling the rivets.

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I wasted a lot of time messing with drilling em.
Days.
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Old 08-03-2017, 08:51 PM   #23
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I wasted a lot of time messing with drilling em.
Days.
I know howya feel, I have a day and a half in and I only have a third of em drilled.

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Old 08-03-2017, 09:03 PM   #24
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I know howya feel, I have a day and a half in and I only have a third of em drilled.

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A $17 air chisel and a borrowed compressor had em licked in no time.
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Old 08-04-2017, 12:17 AM   #25
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A $17 air chisel and a borrowed compressor had em licked in no time.
I have a 60 gallon compressor and a Ingersoll Rand air chisel, I tried chiseling off the heads and it really wallowed out the holes. I'll give it a try again but I believe solid steel 3/16 rivets are a bit too much for the 16ga steel sheet. We'll see......

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Old 08-04-2017, 05:27 AM   #26
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I have a 60 gallon compressor and a Ingersoll Rand air chisel, I tried chiseling off the heads and it really wallowed out the holes. I'll give it a try again but I believe solid steel 3/16 rivets are a bit too much for the 16ga steel sheet. We'll see......

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Wait- are we talking SOLID rivets or pop pop rivets with mandrels??
Another pointer- keep your chisel sharp with a grinder or sander.
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Old 08-04-2017, 06:44 AM   #27
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Not that I've got it down to system I can de-rivet a while 40' bus interior in about 3 hours.
Hey what are you doing for the next 3 hrs?

I'm not quick enough for that. Compressor runs constant. Last night the extension cord died. I spent an hour trying to get power. No dice. Need to buy a new cord.

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Wait- are we talking SOLID rivets or pop pop rivets with mandrels??
Another pointer- keep your chisel sharp with a grinder or sander.
Both. Started with the mandrels and then he went with the solid rivets.

With the skins off I can grind down the back side of the rivet and push them out. That's the theory anyway. I haven't done any solid rivets yet. The front cap over the windshield will be fun. There's literally a rivet every inch across the 8 foot span. Thomas uses screws instead of rivets for at least the ceiling. Why Blue Bird WHY!!!!
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Old 08-04-2017, 08:24 AM   #28
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Wait- are we talking SOLID rivets or pop pop rivets with mandrels??
Another pointer- keep your chisel sharp with a grinder or sander.
I'm talking about all of the solid rivets above the window openings, all the way around the bus. I'm doing a full front to back roof raise.

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Old 08-04-2017, 08:58 AM   #29
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I'm talking about all of the solid rivets above the window openings, all the way around the bus. I'm doing a full front to back roof raise.
I'm going to do the same and I'm not looking forward to it. The rivets on the side of the bus appear to be easy enough to get at the backside with an angle grinder. That's going to be my first attempt at removal. Drilling does NOT sound like fun. The front cap I might have to. I havent' gotten to removing the interior skin over the windshield yet.
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Old 08-04-2017, 11:42 AM   #30
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Hey what are you doing for the next 3 hrs?

I'm not quick enough for that. Compressor runs constant. Last night the extension cord died. I spent an hour trying to get power. No dice. Need to buy a new cord.

Both. Started with the mandrels and then he went with the solid rivets.

With the skins off I can grind down the back side of the rivet and push them out. That's the theory anyway. I haven't done any solid rivets yet. The front cap over the windshield will be fun. There's literally a rivet every inch across the 8 foot span. Thomas uses screws instead of rivets for at least the ceiling. Why Blue Bird WHY!!!!
Yeah, I've removed a good bit of the outer solid rivets to get my rub rails off.
Grind em from the back side, then pop em out with the pointy bit on an air chisel. The ones that can't be reached from the back, I just ground flat then drilled em.
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Old 08-04-2017, 12:23 PM   #31
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Yeah, I've removed a good bit of the outer solid rivets to get my rub rails off.
Grind em from the back side, then pop em out with the pointy bit on an air chisel. The ones that can't be reached from the back, I just ground flat then drilled em.
Why are you removing rub rails? I guess ... are you removing and putting back or getting rid of them forever? First rub rail overlapping with the new skin sounds right.
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Old 08-04-2017, 12:55 PM   #32
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Why are you removing rub rails? I guess ... are you removing and putting back or getting rid of them forever? First rub rail overlapping with the new skin sounds right.
No- you have to take the rub rails off to make the roof raise re-panel look good and sit flush. I've tried to explain that to you, but I'll show you in person in Sept!
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Old 08-04-2017, 01:07 PM   #33
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This is after the upper rub rails were removed-



This shitty drawing I did quickly on Imgur to sort of illustrate what I'm talking about. The paneling on the sides will come down to the bottom of the line, then the rub rails will go on right back where they were and everything will be flush and factory-ish looking, hopefully.
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Old 08-04-2017, 01:27 PM   #34
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No- you have to take the rub rails off to make the roof raise re-panel look good and sit flush. I've tried to explain that to you, but I'll show you in person in Sept!
You need to get some damn work done before now and Sept so I have more ideas to steal.
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Old 08-04-2017, 01:32 PM   #35
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Nah, I got it. I just had to talk myself thru it first. You going to put the rails back? Some don't. I almost certainly will.

You need to get some damn work done before now and Sept so I have more ideas to steal.
I move SLOW on this thing. But this winter we'll be getting a bunch more work done. I now have a part time helper who's a decent fabricator and a great welder!
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Old 08-04-2017, 01:59 PM   #36
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I move SLOW on this thing. But this winter we'll be getting a bunch more work done. I now have a part time helper who's a decent fabricator and a great welder!
It's been too damn hot for me to do much. I went and sweated by balls off for an hour yesterday trying to get power. My extension cord died. At first I thought it was the GFI outlet. Once I had power there, still nothing at the end of the cord. I hit it with a weed eater once. Been waiting for that to finally go. Cut and splice. Stlll didn't work. It has another break somewhere and I can't find it. My 25ft will reach one of the poles but that GFI box is shot. Belongs to the Army RV lot so I can't just slap a new GFI on it. I finally gave up and helped a co-worker with his popup camper. New cord will be here today. Tomorrow is low 80s and less humidity. Today was miserable at lunch. Yesterday wasn't much better.

2 hrs 2 or 3 times a week if it's not raining doesn't get much work done. I honesty can't wait for a high of 50°. Long sleeve coveralls and I'll be fine.
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Old 08-04-2017, 02:36 PM   #37
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It's been too damn hot for me to do much. I went and sweated by balls off for an hour yesterday trying to get power. My extension cord died. At first I thought it was the GFI outlet. Once I had power there, still nothing at the end of the cord. I hit it with a weed eater once. Been waiting for that to finally go. Cut and splice. Stlll didn't work. It has another break somewhere and I can't find it. My 25ft will reach one of the poles but that GFI box is shot. Belongs to the Army RV lot so I can't just slap a new GFI on it. I finally gave up and helped a co-worker with his popup camper. New cord will be here today. Tomorrow is low 80s and less humidity. Today was miserable at lunch. Yesterday wasn't much better.

2 hrs 2 or 3 times a week if it's not raining doesn't get much work done. I honesty can't wait for a high of 50°. Long sleeve coveralls and I'll be fine.
Right now I''m at about 2 hours every other week or so. Its raining a LOT and I have mowers, vans, and all kinds of stuff to fix!
READY for winter!!
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Old 08-04-2017, 02:56 PM   #38
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Right now I''m at about 2 hours every other week or so. Its raining a LOT and I have mowers, vans, and all kinds of stuff to fix!
READY for winter!!
This is normal for your summers. I moved twice to get away from this crapola. Today 90° 60%.
Yesterday 86° 87%
Wed 86° 85%
Tue 87° 78%
Mon 86° 75%

Tomorrow 75° ~ 40%
Sunday 80°
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Old 08-04-2017, 06:14 PM   #39
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No- you have to take the rub rails off to make the roof raise re-panel look good and sit flush. I've tried to explain that to you, but I'll show you in person in Sept!
+1 for this, at least! It'll look so much better with that lower edge of the new metal concealed behind the rub rails.

I've been using a relatively cheap Lotos 3-in-1 plasma cutter to burn out the middle of the heads of the solid rivets. In concept it's similar to drilling them, but in practice it digs a hole out of the rivet head in about 3 seconds vs the 20 (or more?) it takes to drill them. Then hit it from the side with a modified chisel in an air hammer (sharpened to a shape like a wood chisel) and the head pops right off. Then hit it with the pointy bit in the air chisel and the rest of the rivet pops out the back.
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Old 08-05-2017, 08:25 AM   #40
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This is normal for your summers. I moved twice to get away from this crapola. Today 90° 60%.
Yesterday 86° 87%
Wed 86° 85%
Tue 87° 78%
Mon 86° 75%

Tomorrow 75° ~ 40%
Sunday 80°
I would kill for weather like that.
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