-
Hi Guest!
You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
There are some perks with a member upgrade!**Upgrade Now**
(PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
Rivnuts anybody
- Thread starter catfood
- Start date
Share this page
Randy Forbes
Yoda
Offline
Rivetnuts and (primarily, nutserts) are holding most of my car together! Also use them on BMW mods too.
Ironically, I bought the set__tool and an assortment os styles and sizes__to fix an aluminum screendoor, back in the the 80s. For my application, buying the best quality tool paid off, as it has seen regular use for over two (>2) decades, and is none the worse for wear today.
Nutserts in practice:
Ironically, I bought the set__tool and an assortment os styles and sizes__to fix an aluminum screendoor, back in the the 80s. For my application, buying the best quality tool paid off, as it has seen regular use for over two (>2) decades, and is none the worse for wear today.
Nutserts in practice:
Keoke
Great Pumpkin
Offline
I was afraid of that so i always coated the nut with JB Weld before i set it none came loose.
Healey Nut
Luke Skywalker
Offline
Rather than trying to remove the screw/bolt when the insert spins . Tighten it and further collapse the insert to tighten it in the hole then remove the screw/bolt .
I did some today on the Vantage for my custom front licence plate bracket , all worked like a charm .
Offline
I had the same thing happen with a custom aluminum radiator. The mounting points were via Rivnuts and one of them spun freely and I could neither tighten nor remove the machine screw used to mount the rad. Ultimately I was able to jam the insert by working a very sharp chisel under the shoulder which allowed me to remove the screw. The failure was probably a function of both the aluminum's softness and the thin section which would not stand up to normal tightening torque. I ultimately removed the Rivnuts and had the holes welded up so that they could be drilled and tapped.
I think they are a great tool when used in the right place, esp. where a fastener must be removed and reinstalled, etc. They are definitely better than running a tapping screw into sheet metal.
I think they are a great tool when used in the right place, esp. where a fastener must be removed and reinstalled, etc. They are definitely better than running a tapping screw into sheet metal.
Last edited:
Offline
Nut clips as Steve illustrated above are available for coarse thread style sheet metal (PK) screws, often referred to as Tinnerman nut plates, or machine screw thread pitches as his illustration shows. Some even have floating but captured nuts in them so that you don't have to line all the holes up exactlly. Tinnerman nuts are available through most aircraft supply houses. I've used them in some places where you won't see them and the sheetmetal screw holes were hogged out due to repeated use and became oversized.
Randy Forbes
Yoda
Offline
That's a very good approach!
It's critical to use the right size drill-bit for the application, and NO WALLOWING out the hole; I especially like it when I have to use some force to get the nutserts into the hole (my preference over the rivet-nut variety).
When possible, try to find inserts that are knurled around the top; these will bite into the panel much better, resisting any tendency to spin out.
And lastly, you may have to play with how much pressure you use when setting the insert; too little and it will spin right out, and too much can damage the internal threads of the insert from the much harder mandrel acting against it. If you have a squeeze-type tool, unless you have really big hands (in that case, you have my sympathy when trying to work on sportscars!) it's hard to crack the insert started, and get it set all in one pull. My method is to adjust the insert in the tool so that I don't have to spread my hand very far; 1st pull cracks the insert's deformation phase, and then I keep turning the mandrel into the insert and giving a little more squeeze, walking it home.
Doing it this way, I also am aware of the first sign of the mandrel getting too tight in the threads, and know when it's done. Even so, I sometimes have to use a pair of pliers on the end of the mandrel (the mandrel's holder, to be precise) to loosen it enough to remove the tool by hand.
Offline
Rivnuts are elegant but require a special tool and can spin, etc. U-nuts are primitive and can only be used on the edge of material but they are cheap to buy or replace and will not let you down. I have one installed at the front of my CAB where a custom round-to-square adaptor for the fresh air hose attaches.
Offline
I use them to hold my transmission tunnel in place.