Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I saw something about these things ('rivnuts' or 'nutserts') around somewhere, and wondered if anyone had experience with them...??

I want to attach some tabs to a tube steel snorkel and then bolt it to the A pillar on an 80 series, and short of using tech screws, I thought they might work...

Anyone know anything about them? How they work, if they are pricey, if they are effective or just cosmetic?

Thanks,

They work great for bolting stuff to thin metal like bodywork, i used 2 of em to attatch the snorkel bracket to my sierra.
The threaded rivets are cheap as chips, its the installation tool that will cost ya, its like a rivet gun except it screws onto the rivet to crush it instead of pulling the pin through.

Heres a pic

Im pretty shure I've seen these........they are used just like a rivet
to insert them in the material and they have a threaded hole in the
centre.
Neat item.........try a bolt shop or similar
They are available in different sizes and are very sturdy. Should
sort out your snorkel, no worries....

We use them all the time at work and they are 100% on tec screws in thin sheet metal such as panels. I have used them for both of my DIY snorkel and roof console and 100's of k's worth of corrugations ave not shaken them loose where other screws have shakem out in other places

They are absolutely the business.

The tool with a few nuts in each size (4, 5, 6mm) is in the $2-300 mark.

Nuts are about .30 each at a box price from memory for 6mm

I hate self tappers and tekscrews. rivnuts are the answer.

I got my kit from cost less bolts in ringwood (great guys) but any decent bolt/engineering shop should have them.

Steve.

that attach same way a rivet works? Put thru hole and squeeze handle, pulls sides up to clamp on?

bogged wrote:that attach same way a rivet works? Put thru hole and squeeze handle, pulls sides up to clamp on?

Exactly.

I've had an Avdel kit for about 10 years, and I love it. I'm still on the original supply of inserts, so I obviously don't use it THAT much, but it's been used to hold a few things onto the Paj - most recently, the front numberplate on the bullbar. (I broke the M4 mandrel in a blonde moment... one day I'll replace it. )

The M5 inserts are only rated to about 1.3mm steel, the M6 to about 3mm (from memory.) I used M5 on the bullbar, just chamfered the hole a little. From memory, some brands offer a range of inserts to suit different thicknesses of metal - although, once you get beyond 3mm plate you could probably just tap a thread?

Drill hole, dab some rust-kill paint on the bare metal and insert the thread.

Where I used to work, they were too cheap to buy the genuine insert tool - so the toolmaker butchered a pop-rivet gun to do the job.

If you are only doing one or two, you can compress them without the gun. It just takes longer, you tighten a bolt in them while keeping them from turning.

A bit too fiddly to do more than a couple this way though.

I reckon they are fantastic, drill a 9.5mm hole iirc, and put one in for a threaded 6mm hole.

I haven't actually used one for about 10 years though, everywhere I go they say, "a what??" when I ask if they have nutserts.

Spawen - some bastard nicked my nutsert tool - not happy Jan

Wooders wrote:Spawen - some bastard nicked my nutsert tool - not happy Jan

you're still here?

howdy wooders!

chimpboy wrote:If you are only doing one or two, you can compress them without the gun. It just takes longer, you tighten a bolt in them while keeping them from turning.

A bit too fiddly to do more than a couple this way though.

I reckon they are fantastic, drill a 9.5mm hole iirc, and put one in for a threaded 6mm hole.

I haven't actually used one for about 10 years though, everywhere I go they say, "a what??" when I ask if they have nutserts.

I use a nut (which I've drilled the threads out), a couple of washers and a cap screw to install them.

Works a treat. But I plan to make a centring spacer to keep them nice and concentric when they crush up.

Oh and unless you like swearing and cursing, don't install them in places where you can't get to the back of them. If they seize to the bolt and spin on you, they and the bolt inside them is there for good.

the proper tool for 4-12mm ones is about $375. i bought one a year ago and have used at least 200 of the felllas!

they are fiddely but often the only solution. the hand rivit style guns are nearly useless. i bought one and returned it the next day. they don't pull steel nutserts only aloy ones

cheers bru

try pullin stailess nutserts then

Some good info on this site.

http://www.aerobolt.com.au/Products/Ins ... erts.shtml

ouch, looks like those are off the cards then! I can afford the nuts, sadly the tool goes a fair way down the list. Still it was a nice idea I guess, and I learnt somthing new!

Unless I can borrow one in SE Melbs, its back to the old tec screws

Cheers guys,

get nuts from a bolt joint and just do it with a bolt and nut just put the nut on the the rivnut and put in to hole and undo the nut it will bring up the rivnut crushing it. i have wurth one the rachects at work its a dream also have riveter type gun you can also get them as revstud just they have a stud hanging out of them just a good.

Yeah there is a kit on egay that is based on that idea (the bolt one).

Surely someone in Melbourne has a kit you can borrow - if you come to Canberra I'll help you out!

Luxisgood wrote:Yeah there is a kit on egay that is based on that idea (the bolt one).

Surely someone in Melbourne has a kit you can borrow - if you come to Canberra I'll help you out!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BRAND-NE ... enameZWD2V

is this the one?

not the bolt kind - but that kit is indeed a nutsert/rivnut tool.

It looks the same (diff colour) to my avdel one.

It really is similar to a pop rivet gun

yeah they are great, i actually have a air operated nutsert gun. its screws the nutsert onto the end of the gun automatically, and bang with a push of the trigger it sqeezes them, also can set it for different thicknesses of material. Very expensive tho, but a great tool.

Ruggers wrote:get nuts from a bolt joint and just do it with a bolt and nut just put the nut on the the rivnut and put in to hole and undo the nut it will bring up the rivnut crushing it. i have wurth one the rachects at work its a dream also have riveter type gun you can also get them as revstud just they have a stud hanging out of them just a good.

There are plenty of ways to install them without the tool. But some people need everything to be "proper".

most of the big hire shops have them for hire i got one a couple of years ago from coates hire and i think it was about $10 for the day

Another ebay one, pretty cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Nutsert_W0QQitem ... dZViewItem