S1 Boot box clam on early boot bag car

[Corranga]

I've made most of the modifications required to fit the later clam to my car, but due to the lack of shear panels, i'm missing 6 bolt holes.

The boot box clam seems to have 6 holes in the floor that line up with the chassis legs, what do I need for these? Rawlnuts or something?

Or am I best not drilling holes in the chassis legs and making brackets that will mount onto the sides of the boot box and use the existing holes on the sides of the chassis legs? (ie replicate the top half of the shear plates?)

Also, for future reference, if anyone is doing this, the alloy boot like doesn't fit the boot box clam without cutting down the front edge of the boot / the bit where the D shaped plastic boot cover would fit (something i've not quite finished yet...)

Chris

[Shug]

Chris,

Those chassis longerons (as they are called) have rivnuts inserted under the holes in the boot box cars. So drill and insert rivnut, then bolt on.

[Corranga]

Cheers Shug, that's what I thought. The clam does sit surprisingly steady with 6 bolts missing, but I reckon I need them to pull it into alignment as the pax door hits the clam when closing.

Would it be wrong to paint the whole car primer grey, I quite like it...

Chris

[tut]

Chris, my rear clam on N1 which had an original ali boot, was replaced by Craig with the later fibreglass one.

If he can remember he should know of any differences.

tut

[Corranga]

Just getting around to this, how thick is the metal used for the longerons - so I can get the right size of rivnuts
- they seem to be for 0.5-3mm or for 3-5.5mm - assuming I want M6 and aluminium rivnuts.

Also, do I then just get some stainless bolts and washers and duralac them on the way in?

Chris

[roadboy]

Just getting around to this, how thick is the metal used for the longerons - so I can get the right size of rivnuts
- they seem to be for 0.5-3mm or for 3-5.5mm - assuming I want M6 and aluminium rivnuts.

Also, do I then just get some stainless bolts and washers and duralac them on the way in?

Chris

You need 0.5-3mm ones.

Yup, stainless bolts and washers and plenty of duralac.

HTH

Dan

[Corranga]

Thanks Dan, it's all starting to come together now

Chris

[Rich H]

Duralac the rivnuts too

[Corranga]

even if they are aluminium rivnuts?

Chris

[Rich H]

If the riv nut is made of ali not just a rivnut for ali - but I thought they were normally steel...

[roadboy]

I use ali rivnuts 90% of the time. Steel ones are a pain in the arse and I only use them in a few heavier duty applications. Most applications where an ali rivnut is no use I don't use a rivnut at all.

HTH

Dan

[Corranga]

I bought aluminium rivnuts since they are fitting into alloy and I also with the crap cheap rivnut tool I bought figured the softer metal would maybe work - years of experience with a cheap rivet gun lead me to this conclusion...

Afterwards I found a website telling me all I needed to fit the rivnuts was a couple of spanners, a bolt, and a nut with the threads driller out

Chris