Rivnuts (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Feb 28, 2018
Threads
13
Messages
127
Location
Japan
What is the consensus on using rivnuts for attaching a plywood platform to the bottom of a LC 78?

Are through bolts/nuts a better idea?

I'm concerned that they may pull out on rough terrain.
 
Do you mean the floor? IMO you are better off attaching it to the interior sides. Use some big washers. At the front where the doors are you can put them through the floor or just use legs sitting on the carpet, thats if you intend taking the seat out.
 
Yes, through the floor. Boxes will then be attached to the plywood (Baltic Birch) floor along with a forward facing bench seat.
 
I have used thousands of Riv-Nuts on various vehicles. They will not pull out if installed correctly.
However, there a few things to keep in mind.
They must be crimped correctly into the correct size hole. This is hard to achieve with the cheaper insert tools.
I prefer to use a hole that is slightly tight, never too loose.
Aluminum nuts are easier to crimp, but will produce galvanic corrosion if used in steel and the raw edges not coated to keep the 2 metals from interacting. They are also easier to pull the threads out of when crimping. However, they are easier to crimp. So, it's a trade off that just needs considered for each situation.
If you use them, put anti seize on your bolt, that will keep the insert from spinning free next time you take the bolt out. That's a hassle in the best circumstances and a nightmare in a blind hole you can't get to the back of. Try to use a bolt that just bottoms in the insert. The extra thread out the back isn't doing anything for you and can rust causing it to bind and spin your insert when you try to take it out.
 
Yes, through the floor. Boxes will then be attached to the plywood (Baltic Birch) floor along with a forward facing bench seat.
I would NOT attach a seat for passengers into plywood bolted to the floor. Seat mounts are nothing to screw around with and in my opinion should be mounted directly to the metal floor. Disclaimer: I'm not an engineer.
 
I have used thousands of Riv-Nuts on various vehicles. They will not pull out if installed correctly.
However, there a few things to keep in mind.
They must be crimped correctly into the correct size hole. This is hard to achieve with the cheaper insert tools.
I prefer to use a hole that is slightly tight, never too loose.
Aluminum nuts are easier to crimp, but will produce galvanic corrosion if used in steel and the raw edges not coated to keep the 2 metals from interacting. They are also easier to pull the threads out of when crimping. However, they are easier to crimp. So, it's a trade off that just needs considered for each situation.
If you use them, put anti seize on your bolt, that will keep the insert from spinning free next time you take the bolt out. That's a hassle in the best circumstances and a nightmare in a blind hole you can't get to the back of. Try to use a bolt that just bottoms in the insert. The extra thread out the back isn't doing anything for you and can rust causing it to bind and spin your insert when you try to take it out.
I would greatly appreciate your input on a quality Rivnut tool then. I have a cheap one with aluminum inserts
I used for the interior side panels. But as far as good steel rivnut tool and rivnuts I’d sure like to know what
you would suggest and where to get one.
 
I would NOT attach a seat for passengers into plywood bolted to the floor. Seat mounts are nothing to screw around with and in my opinion should be mounted directly to the metal floor. Disclaimer: I'm not an engineer.

I have actually had a homemade wood platform come loose in a roll over.

Cheers
 
Like any tool that is a loaded question.
This is a great tool :

But somewhat pricey for minimal use if you aren't planning to use it for years.
I also have one of these:

I would say it's a good medium quality tool. Has some hokey features. Like the insert threading knob. I think it's cheesy how it works.
But, I have had it for years and for aluminum inserts it works great. Struggles a bit with steel, but I think it's fine. I probably wouldn't trust it to not break doing a ton of them.
 
I used the Astro Pneumatic rivet tool shown above to install the steel rivnuts I used for my side-facing rear seats in the Troopy. Worked great, but did require some extra effort when using steel rivnuts. Critical to get the hole size correct, and drill it cleanly.

That said, I DO NOT use the rear seats in my Troopy for carrying passengers when driving. I didn't even install seatbelts, since the seats are strictly for hanging out inside the car in bad weather and/or for use as sleeping cots when camping. (Honestly, I wouldn't let anyone ride back there even with the factory Troopy side-facing seat set up from Toyota, seat belts and all. Side impact collision would be horrible. )

Agreed with other posters. Don't dick around with seat or seatbelt mounts. Go factory engineered. Rivnuts would maybe be OK for a platform with some boxes/sliders on it, but not seats (or at least, not seats with people on them).
 
Like any tool that is a loaded question.
This is a great tool :

But somewhat pricey for minimal use if you aren't planning to use it for years.
I also have one of these:

I would say it's a good medium quality tool. Has some hokey features. Like the insert threading knob. I think it's cheesy how it works.
But, I have had it for years and for aluminum inserts it works great. Struggles a bit with steel, but I think it's fine. I probably wouldn't trust it to not break doing a ton of them.
Thanks. Those seem to need a lot of space. Gonna have to do some more research.
 
My build out is based on Expeditions7 VDJ78 and it matches it fairly well. The only thing that I changed was to add two drawers instead of one and they both extend to the rear doors. I'm waiting on Raptor-liner tint; hope to have it this month.

The seat is strictly for the kids and when the time comes it will be removed as it would just be a waste of storage space. The truck came with side-facing seats, but they are illegal in Japan, i.e., my truck would not pass inspection if they were in the truck and they take up too much valuable cargo space.

As for attaching it, I'm using 6 #10 t-nuts, which is think is strong enough. If it does come loose in time then I will simply remove it. I wanted to go with the factory seat but couldn't find one. However, I found a used one from a 76 series and after a lot of thought I was able to make it work. But it still has to come out for inspection and that's why I should to go with t-nuts. I can simply unscrew and easily remove the entire seat. I'll take photos as soon as I can get the platform attached to the floor.

I have a professional ratcheting tool on order. I also have a squeeze type that I used for the side panels, but it's not strong enough for anything larger than an M8 or I'm just to weak to make it work. I'll practice on something before I start drilling any holes into my floor.

There are two rails (?) that span the entire length of the cargo area and I'm thinking of attaching the rivnuts through these. I think ribbed #10 may be large enough, but I also have #12s just in case. 6 or possibly 8 M10 counter-sunk bolts through the plywood should be sufficient. The boxes that I built also attach via t-nuts on the underside of the platform.

Trying to find anything in Japan is like finding a needle in a haystack, they have their own terms/words so I've have to source some things from overseas. It's raining at the moment - this truck is WanderLibre's as an example.

Build_54_Land_Cruiser_Troop-Carrier.jpg
 
Yes, that is an issue with the HD RivNut tools. They tend to need a decent amount of space. Pneumatic is another option, but gets cost prohibitive for the casual user.
 
Thanks for everyone's comments/suggestions. I've decided to go with through bolts/nuts.
 
I’m happy to see your doing bolts and washers.

I highly recommend using steel sleeves in the wood to prevent it from crushing the wood. Use washers or plate to distribute the force across as much surface as possible.

I pulled some pictures from a storage I did for my dive truck before I got my 70 series.

A5C61ACF-066B-4034-9FCF-F481E0346D88.jpeg


ADDA4524-4021-4BC7-BA8C-BBECC2A7186A.jpeg


B80472B2-B47E-4FD1-9DF9-5CEC3ECED229.jpeg


14AB4668-8C57-4CF6-B8D4-10DA8E6C374A.jpeg


989D6804-D77E-4B0C-B79A-6BB7FAF43D95.jpeg
 
Thanks, I was thinking the same thing on the steel sleeve inserts.
 
You could look at Macs Tiedowns for track. They have a base plate for their track.
I’m not affiliated, just seen their stuff and it’s quality!
 

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