MTFCA Forum

Need some pivot pins for top iron, who has them & are they the same for touring & roadster? (size). Also how are these attached properly. Thanks

Thought this was an easy question.

Frank,

No one has posted a source yet so I will offer an option.
In the past when I needed to fix top frame rivets I had to make them.
The head shape is not anywhere I know of.
I start with a rivet as close as I could get, sadly I can't call Big Flats Rivets anymore.
McMaster and other places will sell you a rivet to start with.
Maybe possibly a supplier like Snyders or Langs has something you could work with.
Turn them to your needs on a lathe or get a member nearby to help.
Not the fastest or easiest but it gets the job done.

Years ago I needed one rivet for a job and did not have a rivet to start with.
I thought I would save shipping and make one out of a bolt.
I turned the head and moved to the shank and discovered that a lot of modern fasteners have undersized shanks and I was wasting my time.
While you can make rivets (and other things) from bolts, learn from my mistake and check the shank diameter first.
Mike

Frank looked at some I have & they look the same, one side had the rivet head & the other was punched swollen to set it. Hope that helps. Best John

If the plain shank of the rivet that goes into the receiver on the adjacent iron is 3/8", you could start with a 7/16" hex head bolt. Hold the head in a lathe and turn down the bolt shank to 3/8" towards the bolt head, leaving just enough of the thread for the thickness of the loop in the iron. Then tap the 7/16' thread in the loop and test the modified bot in the hole.
Then shape the head of the bolt to suit, fit the modified bolt to the threaded hole, with the appropriate loctite threadlocker, and cut off the plain end to length.
Job done, no hammering on rivets, no heat required. It worked for me when I was restoring my 1915 tourer.

Allan from down under.

Thank you all for your responses. Now I have something to go on. Wasn't sure of the shank diameter being 3/8, the confirmation helps. I've been looking at some rivets that might work. Will update later.

A 10mm bolt with its major diameter of 0.3937” might have a wire diameter that is close to 3/8”. It might be a good candidate for your rivet.