Rivets for Dara Plates Valve Cover

[stretchit2]

Fellow enthusiast,

I found a decent Valve Cover recently and I want to recondition it. It needs some prep and paint and the data plates need to be replaced. How are the rivets for these plates pressed onto the valve cover?

Your comments would be welcomed.

Jeff

 

[Keoke]

There are small tools used to upset the rivets, a good tool supply should have them available for you.

 

[steveg]

Try this:
https://youtu.be/H4AQK9I4oGI
Shows technique for setting copper rivets in leather

 

[BJ8Healeys]

Fellow enthusiast,

I found a decent Valve Cover recently and I want to recondition it. It needs some prep and paint and the data plates need to be replaced. How are the rivets for these plates pressed onto the valve cover?

Your comments would be welcomed.

Jeff

Jeff, the rivets used to attach the plates to the valve cover are solid steel. They are not pressed into the valve cover holes because the shank of the rivets is slightly smaller than the holes. You can install these with a hammer and a tool like a flat-ended punch. I used a long socket extension as the tool, I believe, but I might have used a solid steel bar I had lying around. It's also necessary to have someone to back up the head as you "buck" the shank with the hammer and punch. Be careful not to let the tools slip and damage the valve cover. When you buck a rivet, the shank expands enough to fill the hole and retain the rivet.
If you don't want the engine oil to leak around the plates, you should install the rivets wet with an oil-resistant sealant such as Permatex. After installing the rivets, seal the bucked end with the sealant just as insurance.

 

[stretchit2]

Thanks fellas as usual good advice. I always appreciate solutions that include beating a part into submission.

Jeff