[usmc1488]

Good Morning all, another night preparing for my build equals another question. I appreciate all of your patience. Last night I was removing the old rivets that secure the trunnion to the side plates, all came out easily except the one long skinny one that goes through the pintle pads, I can not get it to budge. How have you gents been able to get these buggers out?

 

[Outdoordave]

The pintle pad rivets are pressed into chamfered holes and ground flush. You should be able to drill the rivet head out of the left pintle pad and use a punch to push the rivet through the other side and out the trunnion.

 

[usmc1488]

The pintle pad rivets are pressed into chamfered holes and ground flush. You should be able to drill the rivet head out of the left pintle pad and use a punch to push the rivet through the other side and out the trunnion.

Thank you bud, that is exactly what I tried, didn't budge. I'm going to try to add heat to it via a torch and see if that will get it out.

 

[ScottD]

Thank you bud, that is exactly what I tried, didn't budge. I'm going to try to add heat to it via a torch and see if that will get it out.

Do not heat it.

Continue to drill through it in successive steps. You may actually have to take it right to the trunnion. Rivets of any kind generally have to be drilled through and then punched out. Remember, they have been pounded into that trunnion hole and smashed with a few tonnes of pressure. "Grind it flush and pop it out' rarely works. "Drill, drill, drill, swear, drill, hammer, punch....".thats what usually works.

 

[usmc1488]

Do not heat it.

Continue to drill through it in successive steps. You may actually have to take it right to the trunnion. Rivets of any kind generally have to be drilled through and then punched out. Remember, they have been pounded into that trunnion hole and smashed with a few tonnes of pressure. "Grind it flush and pop it out' rarely works. "Drill, drill, drill, swear, drill, hammer, punch....".thats what usually works.

Darn that is the response I was hoping I wouldn't get but is what I expected. Thank you! The other two came out nice and easy, of course not the last one!

 

[nirvana]

Use a flat tipped punch that is the right size. If you use a pointed one, it just swells the rivet as you hit it, making it harder to get out. Just my experience.

 

[ScottD]

Darn that is the response I was hoping I wouldn't get but is what I expected. Thank you! The other two came out nice and easy, of course not the last one!

It will make sense when you reassemble your 1919. Once you get that trunnion rivet in place, you will start beating it with a 5lb sledge. And beating it, and beating it, and smashing it, and hammering, and after 30 minutes you will just have started to spread the rivet enough to fill the countersink. I set all my sideplate rivets with an air gun, but my trunnion rivets were done by hand, and they came out wonderful. This is going to be a fun build for you, I promise. The rivets are the worst part. Make sure you devise some sort of bucking bar, and check that its still seated correctly often.

 

[brassmagnet]

If you know anyone with a hydraulic press it would make that a 45 second +/- job

 

[wangchung]

If you know anyone with a hydraulic press it would make that a 45 second +/- job

+/- 10,seconds!