Ruckstell rivets loose

[Don ellis]

I’m assembling a new never installed Ruckstell. I’ve had it probably ten years or more and never assembled. All but one of the rivets holding the inner end of the tube are loose. I trued bucking and setting with an air hammer but not getting good results. Has anybody ran into this before?

[Don ellis]

What’s the best fix? Can I replace them with bolts?

[Mark Gregush]

Call Chaffins and ask. I have a Ruckstell housing that at some point I need to install a new tube, my plan is to keep it simple and make a plug that holds all the rivets in place at the same time for the bucking bar then cold rivet the new ones in place. The better plan would be to make a plug that fits the bore with a groove for each rivet because as each is peened down the inside gets flat were it rides on the bucking bar.
This is my OP and other that have done it may differ;
The only things I could see wrong just using bolts is; the bolt would need to fit tight in the hole, not just from compression but diameter too and should have no threads in the part that rides in that hole.
I am pretty sure the tube is a press fit, even stock rear ends and even then the rivets can work loose. There is a lot of force applied to the center section as is anyway.

[StanHowe]

I just wrote a response but as usual it didn't post from my phone.
Short version.
Clean it. Braze it

[Don ellis]

That sounds good