Fisher Body Sill Plate Rivets

[wthirty1]

The NOS set of sill plates I used for my '70 don't have the rivet on each side of the Fisher Body tag like the factory sill plates. What has this group done to replicate the rivet? Thanks

[SS427]

You can buy the correct size rivets from a hobby shop made for HO trains. Drill, insert the rivet and peen over on the backside. (package shown is a sample only, confirm your needed size)

Another trick is to use a finish nail punch with the concave recessed head and lightly tap it in the exact location that a rivet will be. It will be a correct size and shaped head on the Fisher tag and once a small dab of silver is added it looks very legit.

[wthirty1]

Thanks, Rick! I was hoping you'd have a solution.

[William]

Like so

[Unreal]

I salvaged rivets from old worthless sill plates by grinding them from the back side, and drilled and glued them in place. As I recall, I had later NOS sill plates (ones in a shrink pack) that did not have the rivets. Note that most of the rivets I have seen have tool marks that are not concentric with the rivet.

[XXXGoldL34M20]

I salvaged rivets from old worthless sill plates by grinding them from the back side

x2

Always pick up junky beat up sill plates to get these as well ! I re use the original rivets by just glueing them on the back side with super glue !

[wthirty1]

x2

Always pick up junky beat up sill plates to get these as well ! I re use the original rivets by just glueing them on the back side with super glue !

How were you able to get the original rivets out?

[Unreal]

I just hit the rolled part of the rivet on the underside of the sill plate with a grinder, and popped the rivets out. As I recall, my newer NOS sill plates already had the Fisher tags glued on, so I just drilled holes in the correct spots, and glued the salvaged rivets in place.

I also salvaged a few pretty nice Fisher Body tags from the junky sill plates, but never used them. I haven't seen them in years, so they may be gone forever. I don't know.

Again, in the event you install rivets as Rick does, the tool mark "dimple" on the top of the rivet was almost almost always a bit off center.

[68camaroz28]

I wonder when GM stopped the rivet process as the NOS sill plates I placed in our 68 were purchased in 1979 (have receipts) and had rivets.

[Unreal]

Mine were in shrink wrap packaging, and they were among the NOS parts when I bought the car in '93. I don't know if there were dates on the packaging.

[Kurt S]

I remember having it figured out for production, but I don't remember. 72 or 73? I had it down to the month too!