Can a replacement cross member be riveted in?

[jerseyboy]

I have a replacement cross member, that is bolted in, on my 32 woody. Can that be riveted in? What size rivets would I need for that?

[Lawson Cox]

Yes, it should be rivited in. The rivet should be the same size as the hole you are putting it in. When driven in it expands the rivet.

[Bruce Lancaster]

Lots of good info here: http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread...light=riveting

Marco's frame was assembled entirely from NOS pieces this way...

[PeteVS]

Big Flats Rivet has all that you'll need for this. If you're going to Hershey, they're always there with all the stuff. (I think you can find them at bigflatsrivet.com)

Checked their website- they say :

Visit us at Hershey:

We'll be there, Spaces C4J 28-31, under light pole #41, same spaces as last year.

[Terry,OH]

ford had a lot of changes to the crossmember for the 4 cyl. as well as a service replacement crossmember that strengthened the area of the spring seat. It is possible your crossmember should be bolted in place. Check out the V8 restoration book and contact the author or someone else with 32 expertice.

[Ol' Ron]

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You can use a grade #8 bolt torqued to spec. I used some aircraft polts torqued to #45 for the new "K" member in the truck.

[jerseyboy]

Thanks guys for all the suggestions

Originally Posted by Terry,OH

ford had a lot of changes to the crossmember for the 4 cyl. as well as a service replacement crossmember that strengthened the area of the spring seat. It is possible your crossmember should be bolted in place. Check out the V8 restoration book and contact the author or someone else with 32 expertice.

Terry, the current cross member on my wagon was identified as a service replacement cross member by Dave Rehor through some photos I had sent him awhile back. At the time he wanted to see if the wagon was early, mid, or late production. I had not asked him if the cross member could be
riveted in.

One reason for wanting to rivet the cross member is that the bolt heads sit proud and the fenders won't lie against the frame.

I will drop him an email, thanks for the suggestion.

[jerseyboy]

Oh by the way, came across this B frame with the same replacement cross member. It's for sale on the HAMB.

[Terry,OH]

if your going to restore the car for shows, your at a crossroad. The dealer who replaced the crossmember used bolts to install it which would have been a proper technique for the dealer, but the car left the factory with a different crossmember that was riveted in place. Do you search for the original (weak) crossmember and rivet in place?

[PeteVS]

If you don't want to go through the whole trouble of riveting, AND you want to have the screw heads flush with the top of the frame AND you want high strength fasteners, there are flat head, socket head screws that might make you happy. Below is a link to McMaster's catalog.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#socket-cap-screws/=8zzrjl

Oops. I thought it would take you directly to the size, etc, but you'll have to navigate- SOCKET HEAD, then FLAT HEAD, then INCH, then SIZE, ETC.

[jerseyboy]

Pete and Terry, thanks for the additional thoughts.

I emailed Dave, and he recommended that I rivet in the replacement cross member. He also said it would help my fenders fit better.

From what I have heard regarding bolts vs rivets, rivets will be a lot stronger.

I guess I'm going to learn how to rivet.