I'm putting a 3" in kit on my 89 BII. I've done it all to get the rivets out with no luck! I grinded them down, then hit them with an air hammer, then a sledge. What else can I do??? Please help :(

Drill a small hole thru them and use an air chisel on the back side of them.

Use the stock bracket for leverage. Get a big ass hammer & whack the bracket. They'll come out.

I torched mine out. Gotta have a really steady hand
:flipoff2:

I grinded mine down then used a big punch and BFH on a couple. Also tried cutting an X in and popping them off that way.

Grinding seemed to be the better option, but if you can get a good angle on it, use a cutoff wheel and get as close as you can and cut the head off--it'll save some grinding time.


When I put my lift on, it took longer to get those rivets out than it took to install the entire kit...

they make a drill bit to drill out spot welds it will take out rivets with ease i would try that, if that dont work bring it to my machine shop ill do it for free, lol

I use a cold chisel and a 2lb hammer. They break right off.

I grind them down flush, then use an old 3/8" extension tapered on the end to knock them out. If they still won't come out, I drill a 1/4" hole in the center of the rivet about 1/4" deep. They always come out with the extension and a wack then.

DK

When Ive done mine I have used 2 sizes of drill bits first a smaller one then a large one then knock the head of the rivet off with a chisel and punch out the rest...(I drill deeper through the rivet so the punch fits in the hole)

More then likely you need to grind them down further.
Can you see the air gap on the rivet?

More then likely you need to grind them down further.
Can you see the air gap on the rivet?

ditto..

are you sure you;ve ground the ALL the way flush??

When I built airplanes to get one out I would drill it and cut the head off with a chisel then punch out what was left, but they were not steel. For steel grind flush, find the center and drill up in steps till you get close to the side and then use a cold chisel on the side that is not ground and a punch of there is enough meat left to do so.
I lost my thumb nail due to a stray hammer swing last time I did any.

i used an air chistle to get my rivits out when i put a lift on

without having a mega$$ air hammer, the easiest way I found was to grind them down all the way. use a thin disc and cut the head off, much faster than a thick disc and grinding down the whole way. then i just took a big pry bar and pried the bracket off, and popped the remains out after the bracket was off. a couple of them had to be ground down flush with the frame again before they'd pop out. after a dozen or so you'll get used to it. not that big of a deal.

I agree with grinding them flush and also try spraying some PB blaster or other penetrant on them before you start bangin away...seemed to work for me.

hit them with the torch:smokin:

PB Blaster if there is any rust on them. I dont work on my truck without a can of it anymore.
~D

Angle grinder, grind 'em all the way flush (frame side), whack the bracket off with a hand sledge.

they do make a special tip for torches to get rivets out that makes it easier to not fuck up the frame. that would be the easiest.

last weekend i went around and took off every single suspension mount and bump stop, so i did a lot of this recently. most of em you can just grind the head off and hammer em through with a punch. if you really cant get it out, get an ice bag or a cold pack and tape it on the frame over the rivet. wait half an hour and then you can practically push em out with your finger.
-kit

Thanks to everybody for their help! I got then out and will post picts soon of the lift! thanks!!:)