Alternative to Rivets?

[Chally392]

Hi all,
I'm having a bit of trouble with a sunroof repair on my car. I drilled the old rivets out that hold the back piece together and now I can't get another one to fit. It looks like the hole is no 5/16", which I understand does not exist. Due to the nature of the motor spinning the whole assembly, I believe that a nut and bolt will simply spin themselves loose. Is there any other alternative that I can use in place of the rivets that will not work loose with a sideways work being applied to them?

In the pictures attached, the plastic piece on the right mates to the metal on the left. Because of the nature of the motor pulling forward and back, I was told nuts and bolts are likely not going to hold. Just wondering if there's an alternative fastener that I can use to hold these together in a 5/16" that will not spin themselves loose.



In short; what I need is a fastener that will fit a 5/16" hole, fastens from either end, and will not fatigue or loosen from having side-to-side force applied.

 

[APEowner]

If there's room and you have access to both sides I don't know why a 5/16" capscrew with a nylon insert lock nut won't work. Use a flat washer on the plastic side.

 

[vavet]

First of all, you're either smarter, braver, or stupider than I am...I wouldn't tackle such a task because I find sunroof cassettes kinda daunting. I'd rip into an engine, tranmission, or transfer case rebuild without a second though, but sunroof? Nope! Regardless, kudos for trying it!


McMaster-Carr shows 5/16 rivets available. There is a limited range of lengths available, but you can always make them shorter.
I'm not real clear how things fit together based on your pics, but there are certainly ways to secure a nut and bolt. Look into aircraft hardware that has a drilled hole in the end of the bolt that could be safety wired.
There are also castle nuts that allow a cotter pin to be inserted to hold the nut in place.
Elastic nuts might work, but my preference would be a stover nut - the nuts that look they've been squashed so that the hole in the middle is no longer circular - its more oval. BMW used to use those for the nuts that held the seats down to the studs in the car.

 

[tarbellb]

You could also use a washer on both sides and a smaller diameter rivet.

5/16" rivet will likely require a larger rivet gun?

As always, consult McMasterCarr for rivet options, both large flange, low profile, standard, etc...

 

[snorky18]

check out nutserts and see if they may work here

 

[Toxictom]

Would a *** bolt work for your application? They are also known as a "barrel bolt".

 

[Hammer1963]

There are several alternatives to solve this problem as I have been faced with similar situations. This is one that I have used with good results: take a 5/16" diameter plastic rod (PP) (HDPE) (ABS). These are common plastic types in automotive use. Cut the rod 1/4" longer than thickness of sandwiched pieces. Insert rod into hole. Using a plastic welder of modified soldering iron, heat source, melt and flatten each end of the plastic rod creating a flat head on each end. Works very well and there are no protruding heads of bolts, nuts or flanges.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Would a *** bolt work for your application? They are also known as a "barrel bolt".

A.K.A. Chicago Bolt or Binder Bolt.

If you know someone with a lathe, take a 5/16 bolt (stainless), and drill and tap a hole for a #10 machine screw in the end.

LocTite !

 

[Wrench97]

Grade 8 bolt and lock nut will work fine.

 

[tarbellb]

Grade 8 bolt and lock nut will work fine.

Read the original post ya wang

 

[mikegt4]

I have used 5/16" rivets, not something that you will find at HD. An industrial or marine supply (think sailboat masts) would be the most likely source. They do require a large rivet gun, preferably a pneumatic powered gun.

 

[darkzero]

Read the original post ya wang

That's a great quote for someone to use in their sig line!