I need to remove the outer door skin, and remove the bottom rivets in the process. A couple questions:

1) What size rivets are they? Can you get them at any store?

2) Do I need a special rivet gun, or would this work?
Craftsman General Purpose Riveter

Thanks!

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1984 Fiero SE

[This message has been edited by RWDPLZ (edited 05-18-2005).]

Any suggestions appreciated

Most of the rivets in a FIero body are 1/4 inch "peel type" rivets. You can find them at your NAPA store. If I'm not mistaken, the bottom edge of the door uses special plastic rivets. You can get those from Rodney Dickman. Again they are 1/4 inch.

Yes, you will need a special rivet gun. Most don't take 1/4 in rivets. Got mine from Harbor Freight.

[This message has been edited by Gordo (edited 05-18-2005).]

That's what I was afraid of. I can't find a 1/4" riveter on the Harbor Freight site? 1/8 seems to be the standard. The Fiero Store advertises a 'plastic rivet gun' for $40, but that seems a little expensive? But I can't find one anywhere else?

Harbor Freigtht tools item 41291-1VGA - Large capacity Hand Riveter - takes 1/4" rivets . You can usually buy the plastic rivets on e-bay - do a search for fiero rivet, I believe the company that sells them is Ardel. About $20 for all the rivets you need for the entire car.

Hello,

Just to butt in, most of the rivets on the Fiero are PLASTIC!!!

Easy to get at any good autobody supply/paint house.

You will need the "special" rivet gun for these, about $15 for the gun and about $6-$7 for a box of rivets.
commonly you will need two different sizes for the whole car (sorry, don't remember the dimensions(sp))

the rivets on the bottom of the door are easy to get out, lie on your back (with the door open ) and use a small drift and a hammer to knock the center pin in to the inside of the door. Then, I use a large pair of dykes (wire cutters, keep your mind out of the gutter) to grab the head of the rivet and just pull it out.
Very easy.

Done it a few times!

Good luck

-Don

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You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.

- Robin Williams

To do my door skins I used the nut inserts . They seem to work well and if you have to take the door skin off again you just unscrew the bolts .

quote Originally posted by GODFATHER: To do my door skins I used the nut inserts . They seem to work well and if you have to take the door skin off again you just unscrew the bolts .

I did this too for the same reason. The kit I bought had dies for four different sizes, and I bought extra riv-nuts. This worked very well !

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Red 88 GT
Black 85 GT - For Sale - https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum4/HTML/026117.html

or use push-pin fastners.

J.

Just ordered it from Harbor Freight, $19.98 shipped. Thanks! +'s for all

Don't even bother with riveting the door panels back on. Use plastic 1/4 inch diam "screw rivets" instead. You can get those at most parts stores thru one of the MotorMite product lines.

The screw rivets will hold the pannel and you can remove them easily for future work. They are also reusable. They are a bigger version of the ones holding the splash skirts in your rear wheel wells.

I've been using them for several years and they hold just fine. When I want the panel off I just unscrew the cores and out they come in a couple seconds each.

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