Soft top mounting problems
#31
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Soft top mounting problems
Tookie <tookie_nospam@***.net> wrote:
> Sheesh!!!!!
> Just measure 1" (or 1/2") over from the holes that are there already,
> drill a new hole in the frame for some new screws, then do the same
> with the channel. The old holes? Leave em alone, they won't hurt
> anything. Done!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obviously you've never had to repair something for my brother! He has an
almost magical (or perhaps cursed) ability to have things break around him,
whether he touches them or not. This roof rail thing is a perfect example
of that. Other examples include every other car he has owned, every piece
of home entertainment gear he's used, computers, kitchen equipment,
plumbing... heck, even his keychain fob just broke in a totally unexpected
way!
I tell ya, the boy's jinxed. I generally get to fix things for him since
most people just throw a fairly simple patch onto things, or replace a part
with an identical part that has the same "design defects" which he can
somehow magically locate and trigger. The Jeep is the ONLY vehicle he's
ever owned that has been able to survive his curse enough to keep on
driving... a testamonial to Jeep ruggedness, for certain. Still, in this
case the rail on the window frame needs an improved fastening design, hence
my ---- and exhaustive search. Just drilling new holes won't survive...
that's an identical repair to one I tried in the past, and it held for
about a year and a half. I want this one to be permanent. He knows he's
cursed, and so he gets visibly nervous around stuff that has broken before
out of fear that it'll break again. I want him to look at it and feel
confident it's not going to fail. It's more a point of personal pride than
anything else, I think. For anyone else your suggestion would work just
fine... but trust me, for my brother, I'd be revisiting the repair in a
very short span of time!
Bryan
> Sheesh!!!!!
> Just measure 1" (or 1/2") over from the holes that are there already,
> drill a new hole in the frame for some new screws, then do the same
> with the channel. The old holes? Leave em alone, they won't hurt
> anything. Done!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obviously you've never had to repair something for my brother! He has an
almost magical (or perhaps cursed) ability to have things break around him,
whether he touches them or not. This roof rail thing is a perfect example
of that. Other examples include every other car he has owned, every piece
of home entertainment gear he's used, computers, kitchen equipment,
plumbing... heck, even his keychain fob just broke in a totally unexpected
way!
I tell ya, the boy's jinxed. I generally get to fix things for him since
most people just throw a fairly simple patch onto things, or replace a part
with an identical part that has the same "design defects" which he can
somehow magically locate and trigger. The Jeep is the ONLY vehicle he's
ever owned that has been able to survive his curse enough to keep on
driving... a testamonial to Jeep ruggedness, for certain. Still, in this
case the rail on the window frame needs an improved fastening design, hence
my ---- and exhaustive search. Just drilling new holes won't survive...
that's an identical repair to one I tried in the past, and it held for
about a year and a half. I want this one to be permanent. He knows he's
cursed, and so he gets visibly nervous around stuff that has broken before
out of fear that it'll break again. I want him to look at it and feel
confident it's not going to fail. It's more a point of personal pride than
anything else, I think. For anyone else your suggestion would work just
fine... but trust me, for my brother, I'd be revisiting the repair in a
very short span of time!
Bryan
#32
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Soft top mounting problems
Simon Juncal <sjuncal@erols.com> wrote:
> Weld fresh metal into the holes and continue to push metal down each
> until you've got some buildup... then redrill or better yet tap the
> holes for a FINE thread bolt instead of sheet metal screws.
The hole welding trick has been discussed previously in the thread, the
concern being that the resulting weldment will be too hard to be
practically drilled and tapped since I can't safely anneal the welds
afterwards... still, I like your idea of tapping for a fine thread bolt.
That would be preferable to a rivet as it's removable, so perhaps I'll give
that a try instead. I'm fairly certain an aircraft structural rivet would
hold better (those things are amazing) since the stresses encountered here
are very similar to what aircraft rivets are designed to survive (lots of
peeling and shearing forces), but I'd prefer something that can be
unscrewed and removed it necessary. Thanks for the suggestion!
I'll be attempting the repair in the very near future, I'll let everyone
know the end result.
Bryan
> Weld fresh metal into the holes and continue to push metal down each
> until you've got some buildup... then redrill or better yet tap the
> holes for a FINE thread bolt instead of sheet metal screws.
The hole welding trick has been discussed previously in the thread, the
concern being that the resulting weldment will be too hard to be
practically drilled and tapped since I can't safely anneal the welds
afterwards... still, I like your idea of tapping for a fine thread bolt.
That would be preferable to a rivet as it's removable, so perhaps I'll give
that a try instead. I'm fairly certain an aircraft structural rivet would
hold better (those things are amazing) since the stresses encountered here
are very similar to what aircraft rivets are designed to survive (lots of
peeling and shearing forces), but I'd prefer something that can be
unscrewed and removed it necessary. Thanks for the suggestion!
I'll be attempting the repair in the very near future, I'll let everyone
know the end result.
Bryan
#33
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Soft top mounting problems
Simon Juncal <sjuncal@erols.com> wrote:
> Weld fresh metal into the holes and continue to push metal down each
> until you've got some buildup... then redrill or better yet tap the
> holes for a FINE thread bolt instead of sheet metal screws.
The hole welding trick has been discussed previously in the thread, the
concern being that the resulting weldment will be too hard to be
practically drilled and tapped since I can't safely anneal the welds
afterwards... still, I like your idea of tapping for a fine thread bolt.
That would be preferable to a rivet as it's removable, so perhaps I'll give
that a try instead. I'm fairly certain an aircraft structural rivet would
hold better (those things are amazing) since the stresses encountered here
are very similar to what aircraft rivets are designed to survive (lots of
peeling and shearing forces), but I'd prefer something that can be
unscrewed and removed it necessary. Thanks for the suggestion!
I'll be attempting the repair in the very near future, I'll let everyone
know the end result.
Bryan
> Weld fresh metal into the holes and continue to push metal down each
> until you've got some buildup... then redrill or better yet tap the
> holes for a FINE thread bolt instead of sheet metal screws.
The hole welding trick has been discussed previously in the thread, the
concern being that the resulting weldment will be too hard to be
practically drilled and tapped since I can't safely anneal the welds
afterwards... still, I like your idea of tapping for a fine thread bolt.
That would be preferable to a rivet as it's removable, so perhaps I'll give
that a try instead. I'm fairly certain an aircraft structural rivet would
hold better (those things are amazing) since the stresses encountered here
are very similar to what aircraft rivets are designed to survive (lots of
peeling and shearing forces), but I'd prefer something that can be
unscrewed and removed it necessary. Thanks for the suggestion!
I'll be attempting the repair in the very near future, I'll let everyone
know the end result.
Bryan
#34
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Soft top mounting problems
Simon Juncal <sjuncal@erols.com> wrote:
> Weld fresh metal into the holes and continue to push metal down each
> until you've got some buildup... then redrill or better yet tap the
> holes for a FINE thread bolt instead of sheet metal screws.
The hole welding trick has been discussed previously in the thread, the
concern being that the resulting weldment will be too hard to be
practically drilled and tapped since I can't safely anneal the welds
afterwards... still, I like your idea of tapping for a fine thread bolt.
That would be preferable to a rivet as it's removable, so perhaps I'll give
that a try instead. I'm fairly certain an aircraft structural rivet would
hold better (those things are amazing) since the stresses encountered here
are very similar to what aircraft rivets are designed to survive (lots of
peeling and shearing forces), but I'd prefer something that can be
unscrewed and removed it necessary. Thanks for the suggestion!
I'll be attempting the repair in the very near future, I'll let everyone
know the end result.
Bryan
> Weld fresh metal into the holes and continue to push metal down each
> until you've got some buildup... then redrill or better yet tap the
> holes for a FINE thread bolt instead of sheet metal screws.
The hole welding trick has been discussed previously in the thread, the
concern being that the resulting weldment will be too hard to be
practically drilled and tapped since I can't safely anneal the welds
afterwards... still, I like your idea of tapping for a fine thread bolt.
That would be preferable to a rivet as it's removable, so perhaps I'll give
that a try instead. I'm fairly certain an aircraft structural rivet would
hold better (those things are amazing) since the stresses encountered here
are very similar to what aircraft rivets are designed to survive (lots of
peeling and shearing forces), but I'd prefer something that can be
unscrewed and removed it necessary. Thanks for the suggestion!
I'll be attempting the repair in the very near future, I'll let everyone
know the end result.
Bryan
#35
Guest
Posts: n/a
Soft top mounting problems - end results
Ok, so I finally found the time and collected all the parts required to
repair the front roof rail for my brother's '94 YJ. After many good
suggestions, I decided to go for the installation of rivnuts in place of
the factory screws, plus drilling a bunch of new holes for rivnuts in an
attempt to compensate for the cracks in the old holes. This seemed the
fastest and most economical option, since time was a factor in it as well.
To start out, I went down to Harbor Freight to pick up a rivnut kit
figuring that even if the rivnuts themselves weren't suitable I'd at least
need the installer either way. As a test I selected a 10-24 rivnut,
drilled a hole in a scrap piece of 18 gauge steel sheet, inserted the
rivnut, squeezed down on the handle of the tool... and promptly ripped the
threads clean out of the rivnut. And that wasn't with much force applied,
either, which said to me that Harbor Freight's rivnut offerings simply
would not suffice for this repair. Not surprising, I know, but it was
worth a try.
So, I figured I'd go with the more rugged option, and headed down to
Aircraft Spruce to pick up some REAL Rivnuts, as in the name brand
version. Additionally I purchased a bunch of aircraft grade bolts and
washers to thread into them since I didn't want to skimp on anything.
Keeping in line with my normal bad luck, Aircraft Spruce doesn't carry
10-24 rivnuts... I had to buy 10-32, which meant my tool from Harbor
Freight was also now useless. Tack on another $28 for a 10-32 rivnut
installation tool from Aircraft Spruce... ouch. But, these rivnuts can
definitely take a load better than the Harbor Freight ones. You can
really crank down on these and not have them strip.
With all that out of the way, I mounted the rail onto the window frame
using just the two outside edge screws, redrilled all the holes so they
were big enough to take the new 10-32 bolts, and then removed the rail
and drilled the window frame holes large enough to accept the rivnuts.
Next I installed the first series of rivnets. With that done, I
reinstalled the rail and drilled even more holes, plus drilled out the two
outer edge holes I skipped in the first round. In order to compensate for
the additional metal added to the window frame by the rivnuts, I lightly
tapped the installed rivnuts with a hammer to sink them down just enough
to make everything flush. In cases where the frame was cracked and
wouldn't properly handle this, I created a divot in the rail that would
clear the collar on the rivnut using a hammer and an open vise as a
backing against the rail. Worked pretty well overall, though it did take
some slight tuning to get everything properly flush once it was entirely
installed. No big deal though.
The end result looks like this if anyone wants to see:
http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-1.jpg
http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-2.jpg
http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-3.jpg
There's not much to see, really, but I must admit I do like seeing those
cadmium plated aircraft bolts holding the rail down. It certainly looks
like it's not coming off any time soon, but it can still be removed if
necessary.
Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions, it looks like this is a
repair that should even be able to survive my brother's mechanical curse!
#36
Guest
Posts: n/a
Soft top mounting problems - end results
Ok, so I finally found the time and collected all the parts required to
repair the front roof rail for my brother's '94 YJ. After many good
suggestions, I decided to go for the installation of rivnuts in place of
the factory screws, plus drilling a bunch of new holes for rivnuts in an
attempt to compensate for the cracks in the old holes. This seemed the
fastest and most economical option, since time was a factor in it as well.
To start out, I went down to Harbor Freight to pick up a rivnut kit
figuring that even if the rivnuts themselves weren't suitable I'd at least
need the installer either way. As a test I selected a 10-24 rivnut,
drilled a hole in a scrap piece of 18 gauge steel sheet, inserted the
rivnut, squeezed down on the handle of the tool... and promptly ripped the
threads clean out of the rivnut. And that wasn't with much force applied,
either, which said to me that Harbor Freight's rivnut offerings simply
would not suffice for this repair. Not surprising, I know, but it was
worth a try.
So, I figured I'd go with the more rugged option, and headed down to
Aircraft Spruce to pick up some REAL Rivnuts, as in the name brand
version. Additionally I purchased a bunch of aircraft grade bolts and
washers to thread into them since I didn't want to skimp on anything.
Keeping in line with my normal bad luck, Aircraft Spruce doesn't carry
10-24 rivnuts... I had to buy 10-32, which meant my tool from Harbor
Freight was also now useless. Tack on another $28 for a 10-32 rivnut
installation tool from Aircraft Spruce... ouch. But, these rivnuts can
definitely take a load better than the Harbor Freight ones. You can
really crank down on these and not have them strip.
With all that out of the way, I mounted the rail onto the window frame
using just the two outside edge screws, redrilled all the holes so they
were big enough to take the new 10-32 bolts, and then removed the rail
and drilled the window frame holes large enough to accept the rivnuts.
Next I installed the first series of rivnets. With that done, I
reinstalled the rail and drilled even more holes, plus drilled out the two
outer edge holes I skipped in the first round. In order to compensate for
the additional metal added to the window frame by the rivnuts, I lightly
tapped the installed rivnuts with a hammer to sink them down just enough
to make everything flush. In cases where the frame was cracked and
wouldn't properly handle this, I created a divot in the rail that would
clear the collar on the rivnut using a hammer and an open vise as a
backing against the rail. Worked pretty well overall, though it did take
some slight tuning to get everything properly flush once it was entirely
installed. No big deal though.
The end result looks like this if anyone wants to see:
http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-1.jpg
http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-2.jpg
http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-3.jpg
There's not much to see, really, but I must admit I do like seeing those
cadmium plated aircraft bolts holding the rail down. It certainly looks
like it's not coming off any time soon, but it can still be removed if
necessary.
Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions, it looks like this is a
repair that should even be able to survive my brother's mechanical curse!
#37
Guest
Posts: n/a
Soft top mounting problems - end results
Ok, so I finally found the time and collected all the parts required to
repair the front roof rail for my brother's '94 YJ. After many good
suggestions, I decided to go for the installation of rivnuts in place of
the factory screws, plus drilling a bunch of new holes for rivnuts in an
attempt to compensate for the cracks in the old holes. This seemed the
fastest and most economical option, since time was a factor in it as well.
To start out, I went down to Harbor Freight to pick up a rivnut kit
figuring that even if the rivnuts themselves weren't suitable I'd at least
need the installer either way. As a test I selected a 10-24 rivnut,
drilled a hole in a scrap piece of 18 gauge steel sheet, inserted the
rivnut, squeezed down on the handle of the tool... and promptly ripped the
threads clean out of the rivnut. And that wasn't with much force applied,
either, which said to me that Harbor Freight's rivnut offerings simply
would not suffice for this repair. Not surprising, I know, but it was
worth a try.
So, I figured I'd go with the more rugged option, and headed down to
Aircraft Spruce to pick up some REAL Rivnuts, as in the name brand
version. Additionally I purchased a bunch of aircraft grade bolts and
washers to thread into them since I didn't want to skimp on anything.
Keeping in line with my normal bad luck, Aircraft Spruce doesn't carry
10-24 rivnuts... I had to buy 10-32, which meant my tool from Harbor
Freight was also now useless. Tack on another $28 for a 10-32 rivnut
installation tool from Aircraft Spruce... ouch. But, these rivnuts can
definitely take a load better than the Harbor Freight ones. You can
really crank down on these and not have them strip.
With all that out of the way, I mounted the rail onto the window frame
using just the two outside edge screws, redrilled all the holes so they
were big enough to take the new 10-32 bolts, and then removed the rail
and drilled the window frame holes large enough to accept the rivnuts.
Next I installed the first series of rivnets. With that done, I
reinstalled the rail and drilled even more holes, plus drilled out the two
outer edge holes I skipped in the first round. In order to compensate for
the additional metal added to the window frame by the rivnuts, I lightly
tapped the installed rivnuts with a hammer to sink them down just enough
to make everything flush. In cases where the frame was cracked and
wouldn't properly handle this, I created a divot in the rail that would
clear the collar on the rivnut using a hammer and an open vise as a
backing against the rail. Worked pretty well overall, though it did take
some slight tuning to get everything properly flush once it was entirely
installed. No big deal though.
The end result looks like this if anyone wants to see:
http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-1.jpg
http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-2.jpg
http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-3.jpg
There's not much to see, really, but I must admit I do like seeing those
cadmium plated aircraft bolts holding the rail down. It certainly looks
like it's not coming off any time soon, but it can still be removed if
necessary.
Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions, it looks like this is a
repair that should even be able to survive my brother's mechanical curse!
#38
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Soft top mounting problems - end results
Nice, and thanks for the tip on Harbor Freight. I can't even believe that
somebody uses 10-24 thread for this application.
Earle
"The Hurdy Gurdy Man" <bryan@linux.webicommerce.com> wrote in message
news:H0jyb.5786$n4.3170@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...
>
> Ok, so I finally found the time and collected all the parts required to
> repair the front roof rail for my brother's '94 YJ. After many good
> suggestions, I decided to go for the installation of rivnuts in place of
> the factory screws, plus drilling a bunch of new holes for rivnuts in an
> attempt to compensate for the cracks in the old holes. This seemed the
> fastest and most economical option, since time was a factor in it as well.
>
> To start out, I went down to Harbor Freight to pick up a rivnut kit
> figuring that even if the rivnuts themselves weren't suitable I'd at least
> need the installer either way. As a test I selected a 10-24 rivnut,
> drilled a hole in a scrap piece of 18 gauge steel sheet, inserted the
> rivnut, squeezed down on the handle of the tool... and promptly ripped the
> threads clean out of the rivnut. And that wasn't with much force applied,
> either, which said to me that Harbor Freight's rivnut offerings simply
> would not suffice for this repair. Not surprising, I know, but it was
> worth a try.
>
> So, I figured I'd go with the more rugged option, and headed down to
> Aircraft Spruce to pick up some REAL Rivnuts, as in the name brand
> version. Additionally I purchased a bunch of aircraft grade bolts and
> washers to thread into them since I didn't want to skimp on anything.
> Keeping in line with my normal bad luck, Aircraft Spruce doesn't carry
> 10-24 rivnuts... I had to buy 10-32, which meant my tool from Harbor
> Freight was also now useless. Tack on another $28 for a 10-32 rivnut
> installation tool from Aircraft Spruce... ouch. But, these rivnuts can
> definitely take a load better than the Harbor Freight ones. You can
> really crank down on these and not have them strip.
>
> With all that out of the way, I mounted the rail onto the window frame
> using just the two outside edge screws, redrilled all the holes so they
> were big enough to take the new 10-32 bolts, and then removed the rail
> and drilled the window frame holes large enough to accept the rivnuts.
> Next I installed the first series of rivnets. With that done, I
> reinstalled the rail and drilled even more holes, plus drilled out the two
> outer edge holes I skipped in the first round. In order to compensate for
> the additional metal added to the window frame by the rivnuts, I lightly
> tapped the installed rivnuts with a hammer to sink them down just enough
> to make everything flush. In cases where the frame was cracked and
> wouldn't properly handle this, I created a divot in the rail that would
> clear the collar on the rivnut using a hammer and an open vise as a
> backing against the rail. Worked pretty well overall, though it did take
> some slight tuning to get everything properly flush once it was entirely
> installed. No big deal though.
>
> The end result looks like this if anyone wants to see:
>
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-1.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-2.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-3.jpg
>
> There's not much to see, really, but I must admit I do like seeing those
> cadmium plated aircraft bolts holding the rail down. It certainly looks
> like it's not coming off any time soon, but it can still be removed if
> necessary.
>
> Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions, it looks like this is a
> repair that should even be able to survive my brother's mechanical curse!
somebody uses 10-24 thread for this application.
Earle
"The Hurdy Gurdy Man" <bryan@linux.webicommerce.com> wrote in message
news:H0jyb.5786$n4.3170@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...
>
> Ok, so I finally found the time and collected all the parts required to
> repair the front roof rail for my brother's '94 YJ. After many good
> suggestions, I decided to go for the installation of rivnuts in place of
> the factory screws, plus drilling a bunch of new holes for rivnuts in an
> attempt to compensate for the cracks in the old holes. This seemed the
> fastest and most economical option, since time was a factor in it as well.
>
> To start out, I went down to Harbor Freight to pick up a rivnut kit
> figuring that even if the rivnuts themselves weren't suitable I'd at least
> need the installer either way. As a test I selected a 10-24 rivnut,
> drilled a hole in a scrap piece of 18 gauge steel sheet, inserted the
> rivnut, squeezed down on the handle of the tool... and promptly ripped the
> threads clean out of the rivnut. And that wasn't with much force applied,
> either, which said to me that Harbor Freight's rivnut offerings simply
> would not suffice for this repair. Not surprising, I know, but it was
> worth a try.
>
> So, I figured I'd go with the more rugged option, and headed down to
> Aircraft Spruce to pick up some REAL Rivnuts, as in the name brand
> version. Additionally I purchased a bunch of aircraft grade bolts and
> washers to thread into them since I didn't want to skimp on anything.
> Keeping in line with my normal bad luck, Aircraft Spruce doesn't carry
> 10-24 rivnuts... I had to buy 10-32, which meant my tool from Harbor
> Freight was also now useless. Tack on another $28 for a 10-32 rivnut
> installation tool from Aircraft Spruce... ouch. But, these rivnuts can
> definitely take a load better than the Harbor Freight ones. You can
> really crank down on these and not have them strip.
>
> With all that out of the way, I mounted the rail onto the window frame
> using just the two outside edge screws, redrilled all the holes so they
> were big enough to take the new 10-32 bolts, and then removed the rail
> and drilled the window frame holes large enough to accept the rivnuts.
> Next I installed the first series of rivnets. With that done, I
> reinstalled the rail and drilled even more holes, plus drilled out the two
> outer edge holes I skipped in the first round. In order to compensate for
> the additional metal added to the window frame by the rivnuts, I lightly
> tapped the installed rivnuts with a hammer to sink them down just enough
> to make everything flush. In cases where the frame was cracked and
> wouldn't properly handle this, I created a divot in the rail that would
> clear the collar on the rivnut using a hammer and an open vise as a
> backing against the rail. Worked pretty well overall, though it did take
> some slight tuning to get everything properly flush once it was entirely
> installed. No big deal though.
>
> The end result looks like this if anyone wants to see:
>
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-1.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-2.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-3.jpg
>
> There's not much to see, really, but I must admit I do like seeing those
> cadmium plated aircraft bolts holding the rail down. It certainly looks
> like it's not coming off any time soon, but it can still be removed if
> necessary.
>
> Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions, it looks like this is a
> repair that should even be able to survive my brother's mechanical curse!
#39
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Soft top mounting problems - end results
Nice, and thanks for the tip on Harbor Freight. I can't even believe that
somebody uses 10-24 thread for this application.
Earle
"The Hurdy Gurdy Man" <bryan@linux.webicommerce.com> wrote in message
news:H0jyb.5786$n4.3170@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...
>
> Ok, so I finally found the time and collected all the parts required to
> repair the front roof rail for my brother's '94 YJ. After many good
> suggestions, I decided to go for the installation of rivnuts in place of
> the factory screws, plus drilling a bunch of new holes for rivnuts in an
> attempt to compensate for the cracks in the old holes. This seemed the
> fastest and most economical option, since time was a factor in it as well.
>
> To start out, I went down to Harbor Freight to pick up a rivnut kit
> figuring that even if the rivnuts themselves weren't suitable I'd at least
> need the installer either way. As a test I selected a 10-24 rivnut,
> drilled a hole in a scrap piece of 18 gauge steel sheet, inserted the
> rivnut, squeezed down on the handle of the tool... and promptly ripped the
> threads clean out of the rivnut. And that wasn't with much force applied,
> either, which said to me that Harbor Freight's rivnut offerings simply
> would not suffice for this repair. Not surprising, I know, but it was
> worth a try.
>
> So, I figured I'd go with the more rugged option, and headed down to
> Aircraft Spruce to pick up some REAL Rivnuts, as in the name brand
> version. Additionally I purchased a bunch of aircraft grade bolts and
> washers to thread into them since I didn't want to skimp on anything.
> Keeping in line with my normal bad luck, Aircraft Spruce doesn't carry
> 10-24 rivnuts... I had to buy 10-32, which meant my tool from Harbor
> Freight was also now useless. Tack on another $28 for a 10-32 rivnut
> installation tool from Aircraft Spruce... ouch. But, these rivnuts can
> definitely take a load better than the Harbor Freight ones. You can
> really crank down on these and not have them strip.
>
> With all that out of the way, I mounted the rail onto the window frame
> using just the two outside edge screws, redrilled all the holes so they
> were big enough to take the new 10-32 bolts, and then removed the rail
> and drilled the window frame holes large enough to accept the rivnuts.
> Next I installed the first series of rivnets. With that done, I
> reinstalled the rail and drilled even more holes, plus drilled out the two
> outer edge holes I skipped in the first round. In order to compensate for
> the additional metal added to the window frame by the rivnuts, I lightly
> tapped the installed rivnuts with a hammer to sink them down just enough
> to make everything flush. In cases where the frame was cracked and
> wouldn't properly handle this, I created a divot in the rail that would
> clear the collar on the rivnut using a hammer and an open vise as a
> backing against the rail. Worked pretty well overall, though it did take
> some slight tuning to get everything properly flush once it was entirely
> installed. No big deal though.
>
> The end result looks like this if anyone wants to see:
>
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-1.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-2.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-3.jpg
>
> There's not much to see, really, but I must admit I do like seeing those
> cadmium plated aircraft bolts holding the rail down. It certainly looks
> like it's not coming off any time soon, but it can still be removed if
> necessary.
>
> Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions, it looks like this is a
> repair that should even be able to survive my brother's mechanical curse!
somebody uses 10-24 thread for this application.
Earle
"The Hurdy Gurdy Man" <bryan@linux.webicommerce.com> wrote in message
news:H0jyb.5786$n4.3170@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...
>
> Ok, so I finally found the time and collected all the parts required to
> repair the front roof rail for my brother's '94 YJ. After many good
> suggestions, I decided to go for the installation of rivnuts in place of
> the factory screws, plus drilling a bunch of new holes for rivnuts in an
> attempt to compensate for the cracks in the old holes. This seemed the
> fastest and most economical option, since time was a factor in it as well.
>
> To start out, I went down to Harbor Freight to pick up a rivnut kit
> figuring that even if the rivnuts themselves weren't suitable I'd at least
> need the installer either way. As a test I selected a 10-24 rivnut,
> drilled a hole in a scrap piece of 18 gauge steel sheet, inserted the
> rivnut, squeezed down on the handle of the tool... and promptly ripped the
> threads clean out of the rivnut. And that wasn't with much force applied,
> either, which said to me that Harbor Freight's rivnut offerings simply
> would not suffice for this repair. Not surprising, I know, but it was
> worth a try.
>
> So, I figured I'd go with the more rugged option, and headed down to
> Aircraft Spruce to pick up some REAL Rivnuts, as in the name brand
> version. Additionally I purchased a bunch of aircraft grade bolts and
> washers to thread into them since I didn't want to skimp on anything.
> Keeping in line with my normal bad luck, Aircraft Spruce doesn't carry
> 10-24 rivnuts... I had to buy 10-32, which meant my tool from Harbor
> Freight was also now useless. Tack on another $28 for a 10-32 rivnut
> installation tool from Aircraft Spruce... ouch. But, these rivnuts can
> definitely take a load better than the Harbor Freight ones. You can
> really crank down on these and not have them strip.
>
> With all that out of the way, I mounted the rail onto the window frame
> using just the two outside edge screws, redrilled all the holes so they
> were big enough to take the new 10-32 bolts, and then removed the rail
> and drilled the window frame holes large enough to accept the rivnuts.
> Next I installed the first series of rivnets. With that done, I
> reinstalled the rail and drilled even more holes, plus drilled out the two
> outer edge holes I skipped in the first round. In order to compensate for
> the additional metal added to the window frame by the rivnuts, I lightly
> tapped the installed rivnuts with a hammer to sink them down just enough
> to make everything flush. In cases where the frame was cracked and
> wouldn't properly handle this, I created a divot in the rail that would
> clear the collar on the rivnut using a hammer and an open vise as a
> backing against the rail. Worked pretty well overall, though it did take
> some slight tuning to get everything properly flush once it was entirely
> installed. No big deal though.
>
> The end result looks like this if anyone wants to see:
>
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-1.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-2.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-3.jpg
>
> There's not much to see, really, but I must admit I do like seeing those
> cadmium plated aircraft bolts holding the rail down. It certainly looks
> like it's not coming off any time soon, but it can still be removed if
> necessary.
>
> Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions, it looks like this is a
> repair that should even be able to survive my brother's mechanical curse!
#40
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Soft top mounting problems - end results
Nice, and thanks for the tip on Harbor Freight. I can't even believe that
somebody uses 10-24 thread for this application.
Earle
"The Hurdy Gurdy Man" <bryan@linux.webicommerce.com> wrote in message
news:H0jyb.5786$n4.3170@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...
>
> Ok, so I finally found the time and collected all the parts required to
> repair the front roof rail for my brother's '94 YJ. After many good
> suggestions, I decided to go for the installation of rivnuts in place of
> the factory screws, plus drilling a bunch of new holes for rivnuts in an
> attempt to compensate for the cracks in the old holes. This seemed the
> fastest and most economical option, since time was a factor in it as well.
>
> To start out, I went down to Harbor Freight to pick up a rivnut kit
> figuring that even if the rivnuts themselves weren't suitable I'd at least
> need the installer either way. As a test I selected a 10-24 rivnut,
> drilled a hole in a scrap piece of 18 gauge steel sheet, inserted the
> rivnut, squeezed down on the handle of the tool... and promptly ripped the
> threads clean out of the rivnut. And that wasn't with much force applied,
> either, which said to me that Harbor Freight's rivnut offerings simply
> would not suffice for this repair. Not surprising, I know, but it was
> worth a try.
>
> So, I figured I'd go with the more rugged option, and headed down to
> Aircraft Spruce to pick up some REAL Rivnuts, as in the name brand
> version. Additionally I purchased a bunch of aircraft grade bolts and
> washers to thread into them since I didn't want to skimp on anything.
> Keeping in line with my normal bad luck, Aircraft Spruce doesn't carry
> 10-24 rivnuts... I had to buy 10-32, which meant my tool from Harbor
> Freight was also now useless. Tack on another $28 for a 10-32 rivnut
> installation tool from Aircraft Spruce... ouch. But, these rivnuts can
> definitely take a load better than the Harbor Freight ones. You can
> really crank down on these and not have them strip.
>
> With all that out of the way, I mounted the rail onto the window frame
> using just the two outside edge screws, redrilled all the holes so they
> were big enough to take the new 10-32 bolts, and then removed the rail
> and drilled the window frame holes large enough to accept the rivnuts.
> Next I installed the first series of rivnets. With that done, I
> reinstalled the rail and drilled even more holes, plus drilled out the two
> outer edge holes I skipped in the first round. In order to compensate for
> the additional metal added to the window frame by the rivnuts, I lightly
> tapped the installed rivnuts with a hammer to sink them down just enough
> to make everything flush. In cases where the frame was cracked and
> wouldn't properly handle this, I created a divot in the rail that would
> clear the collar on the rivnut using a hammer and an open vise as a
> backing against the rail. Worked pretty well overall, though it did take
> some slight tuning to get everything properly flush once it was entirely
> installed. No big deal though.
>
> The end result looks like this if anyone wants to see:
>
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-1.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-2.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-3.jpg
>
> There's not much to see, really, but I must admit I do like seeing those
> cadmium plated aircraft bolts holding the rail down. It certainly looks
> like it's not coming off any time soon, but it can still be removed if
> necessary.
>
> Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions, it looks like this is a
> repair that should even be able to survive my brother's mechanical curse!
somebody uses 10-24 thread for this application.
Earle
"The Hurdy Gurdy Man" <bryan@linux.webicommerce.com> wrote in message
news:H0jyb.5786$n4.3170@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...
>
> Ok, so I finally found the time and collected all the parts required to
> repair the front roof rail for my brother's '94 YJ. After many good
> suggestions, I decided to go for the installation of rivnuts in place of
> the factory screws, plus drilling a bunch of new holes for rivnuts in an
> attempt to compensate for the cracks in the old holes. This seemed the
> fastest and most economical option, since time was a factor in it as well.
>
> To start out, I went down to Harbor Freight to pick up a rivnut kit
> figuring that even if the rivnuts themselves weren't suitable I'd at least
> need the installer either way. As a test I selected a 10-24 rivnut,
> drilled a hole in a scrap piece of 18 gauge steel sheet, inserted the
> rivnut, squeezed down on the handle of the tool... and promptly ripped the
> threads clean out of the rivnut. And that wasn't with much force applied,
> either, which said to me that Harbor Freight's rivnut offerings simply
> would not suffice for this repair. Not surprising, I know, but it was
> worth a try.
>
> So, I figured I'd go with the more rugged option, and headed down to
> Aircraft Spruce to pick up some REAL Rivnuts, as in the name brand
> version. Additionally I purchased a bunch of aircraft grade bolts and
> washers to thread into them since I didn't want to skimp on anything.
> Keeping in line with my normal bad luck, Aircraft Spruce doesn't carry
> 10-24 rivnuts... I had to buy 10-32, which meant my tool from Harbor
> Freight was also now useless. Tack on another $28 for a 10-32 rivnut
> installation tool from Aircraft Spruce... ouch. But, these rivnuts can
> definitely take a load better than the Harbor Freight ones. You can
> really crank down on these and not have them strip.
>
> With all that out of the way, I mounted the rail onto the window frame
> using just the two outside edge screws, redrilled all the holes so they
> were big enough to take the new 10-32 bolts, and then removed the rail
> and drilled the window frame holes large enough to accept the rivnuts.
> Next I installed the first series of rivnets. With that done, I
> reinstalled the rail and drilled even more holes, plus drilled out the two
> outer edge holes I skipped in the first round. In order to compensate for
> the additional metal added to the window frame by the rivnuts, I lightly
> tapped the installed rivnuts with a hammer to sink them down just enough
> to make everything flush. In cases where the frame was cracked and
> wouldn't properly handle this, I created a divot in the rail that would
> clear the collar on the rivnut using a hammer and an open vise as a
> backing against the rail. Worked pretty well overall, though it did take
> some slight tuning to get everything properly flush once it was entirely
> installed. No big deal though.
>
> The end result looks like this if anyone wants to see:
>
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-1.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-2.jpg
> http://www.aernovo.com/newspics/roofrail-3.jpg
>
> There's not much to see, really, but I must admit I do like seeing those
> cadmium plated aircraft bolts holding the rail down. It certainly looks
> like it's not coming off any time soon, but it can still be removed if
> necessary.
>
> Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions, it looks like this is a
> repair that should even be able to survive my brother's mechanical curse!
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