pop rivets for a transmission hump?

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magnumdust

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nothing wrong with that , but I would use more rivets a little closer together.
 
You could also use sheet metal screws, that's what I did with the 4 speed hump in my Duster. Much easier to deal with shift linkage adjustments and transmission installs with the hump out of the car.

And you don't need all that many, all that Ma Mopar did was some spot welds and seam sealer. And there weren't that many spot welds on the originals to begin with.
 
If you use the panel glue, you don't need the rivets, just put a very heavy weight on it until cured. Modern panel adhesives are better than welds and allot neater.
 
69MOPE said:
If you use the panel glue, you don't need the rivets, just put a very heavy weight on it until cured. Modern panel adhesives are better than welds and allot neater.
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Modern panel adhesives are better than welds .[/QUOTE]
Not even close to a true statement.
 
prrc said:
Modern panel adhesives are better than welds .
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Not even close to a true statement.[/QUOTE]

I have glued two pieces of metal together and beat them with a sledge hammer and they did not fail, have you?
 
Modern panel adhesives are better than welds.

Not even close to a true statement.

You better watch your attitude, young man! Your lack of faith is disturbing.
 

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Panel adhesive is great for intended purpose. But not for a structural part of the floor. Have I ever bonded some thing together and beat it with a hammer...Nope. But I do build cars for a living every day. And I will stick with my first statement.
 
I have to agree with the panel glue being a good method if you can not weld. I have used both methods and they both have their advantages. I would have no problem putting a hump in a car with the adhesive. Put a full floor in a jeep using this method and it is still there and performing well after 7 years. But be careful what adhesive you use as they are NOT all the same. I have had good luck with 3M products. JMO
 
3M 8115

or you can run a fabo network ad and see if there is a member close to you who will help you out or anyone close by who will weld for hire.
 
Everyone can look at a pic like that and suggest something different, like building a better mouse trap.
Just to go with the flow I'm going to suggest the addition be fitted in from the bottom up. That would put the lap weather right, like roofing.
 
For a tko swap we are talking much more than a 4 speed hump to have proper clearance. Most if not all of the tunnel will have to be fabricated.
 
I didn't think I'd be showing anyone this photo. This is a fabricated floor front passenger side panel patch I installed in 2008 in a 73 Dart Custom. It is held in place with sheet metal screws but secured and sealed with some aircraft structural adhesive I had that was IIRC two years past use by date. Yes, the panel was fabricated from a yield sign. As of June when I last checked, there had been no cracking or leakage.

IMO, aircraft structural adhesives are as good as welding with the bonus that they do not rust. I figure the Dart would return to dust leaving the bond/gasket in its place. We used them to seal "wet wings" in aircraft and in the installation of Sierra Longwing kits on Cessna Citation jets. If you don't know how to weld and/or do not have access to welding equipment, aircraft structural adhesives are worth looking into. They are expensive compared to anything you'll find in an auto parts store.
 

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1968FormulaS340 said:
If I were to do this (and I wouldn't), I would use a combination of rivets and panel bond the perimeter.

http://www.lord.com/products-and-solutions/adhesives/automotive-repair-adhesives/product.xml/289

And make sure you use steel rivets, not aluminum. Aluminum and steel together cause galvanic corrosion.
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That's what I just did with my T56 swap. Have a small flux wire mig, but it doubles as a plasma on thinner stuff if you're not careful (read as: melts through in a hurry). Was sitting there, welder in hand about to try to put new tunnel pieces in place and decided there was probably a better way. I didn't trust my welding ability (or lack thereof), so I bought some panel adhesive and used rivets to help hold it in place while the adhesive cured. Thumped it several times for an "unofficial" kind of stress test and it feels good and solid.
 
I've done sheet metal screws before on my drag cars and they hold up just fine. Some pro cars use fasteners, even. I'm thinking of fabbing up a hump on my 'cuda, so I can eventually put the 4-speed back in it.
 
2 Darts said:
I didn't think I'd be showing anyone this photo. This is a fabricated floor front passenger side panel patch I installed in 2008 in a 73 Dart Custom. It is held in place with sheet metal screws but secured and sealed with some aircraft structural adhesive I had that was IIRC two years past use by date. Yes, the panel was fabricated from a yield sign. As of June when I last checked, there had been no cracking or leakage.

IMO, aircraft structural adhesives are as good as welding with the bonus that they do not rust. I figure the Dart would return to dust leaving the bond/gasket in its place. We used them to seal "wet wings" in aircraft and in the installation of Sierra Longwing kits on Cessna Citation jets. If you don't know how to weld and/or do not have access to welding equipment, aircraft structural adhesives are worth looking into. They are expensive compared to anything you'll find in an auto parts store.
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I like......
 
Cant never could do anything! LOL, You are a smart guy. Buy a welder and some scrap metal. Get some under the hood time and weld the thing yourself. Piece of cake.
 
bighammer said:
Airplanes and bridges are built with rivets.
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Not any more, Bighammer. You won't find a rivet in a new composite design structure on an airplane. Haven't heard a riveter on a highway bridge site in more years than I can count on my fingers and toes. Most I have seen are pre-stressed concrete and welded steel girders.

To tell the truth, I sort of freaked when I saw the first Longwing kit going on. I mean, who seals a pocket on the end of a wing with glue and then puts JP-4 in it. I'm here to tell you, the stuff works.
 
Just do like the magazine and be done with it. Don't let everyone scare you. It's a transmission hump, not a heart transplant.
 
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