Tomorrow is Nuts day !

Speaking of which, does anyone have good or bad hands-on experience with stainless Rivnuts and U clip nuts with threaded barrels to attach inner car rust repair patches?

I don't want to weld in rust-prone areas where the back side will be inaccessible to clean or spray with rust inhibitor, which I can apply while the space is open but welding would burn off. I have the body repair manual that specifies the number and placement of spot welds, and I hope 1/4-20 stainless nuts and screws will adequately substitute for them. I bought a well-reviewed Hardell rivet nut setter which seems fine.

The car and truck suffered from road salt when I was working and had to drive in it, but now that I don't I think LPS-3 coated repairs will last. Welded fender patches have.

I have samples of Woolwax, Waxoyl, Fluid Film and NHOU to compare to LPS-3 when I come up with a good plan for accelerated ageing on test coupons. The last time I left the sample coupon under the gutter downspout, exposed to acidic oak leaf debris, and LPS-3 easily beat the other rust inhibitors then available.

My 1991 and 2000 vehicles have features no longer offered, a 7' bed on the Ranger and full sized spare tires on both. I do not want to drive 100+ miles to and from family in Maine in a blizzard on a donut spare that stresses the AWD and brakes unevenly. Dodging other drivers' spinouts is hard enough. After brake work I do the hands-off-the-wheel hard braking test that was required to pass German inspection. Do modern parking brakes even allow it?

"If you suffer a blowout on the interstate, use a donut tire only to get you to the next exit and the nearest tire shop."

Sure, in a rural area on Thanksgiving or Christmas day. I last found and patched a leak the day before the Thanksgiving 2025 trip. I needed compressed air and soapy water to roughly locate and circle the area, the shop found the thin wire (poster staple?) only by demounting the tire, it left no external mark. I carry a small compressor but a roadside patch kit wouldn't have helped.

My first experience with stainless rivnuts was trying to set an M6 one with an Avdel or Avdel clone setting tool, the tool collapsed as the M6 stainless rivnut was harder to set than the normal steel version. I bought a better setting tool which also did a wider range M3 to M12.

My first experience with stainless rivnuts was trying to set an M6 one with an Avdel or Avdel clone setting tool, the tool collapsed as the M6 stainless rivnut was harder to set than the normal steel version. I bought a better setting tool which also did a wider range M3 to M12.

---------------------------- Thanks. I considered buying or making a simpler tool with a Grade 8 bolt to start the bulge. Reviews of several tools agreed with you, the Hardell seems OK so far and plain and stainless samples needed similar reasonable effort. It came with several metric and inch mandrels. I use both as appropriate, inch hardware is available with more material and head type choices here. My lathe can cut threads in either. My US-made 1991 Ford is almost entirely metric.

Looking at tool and hardware options on Amazon burned through most of my monthly cellular data allotment, so video reviews are out.

A quick search for Hardell rivnut tool and that appears to be what I have in a long handled version and with a different brand and colour scheme like so many thing out of China. The brand I have is Sealey which in the UK is generally a good brand. I also have one I bought which uses

I have used rivet nuts only a handful of times hope i'm getting ready to use some in one of my boat projects right now. I thought about your post for a little while, and then I thought I might mention this.

Have you considered using a stainless steel counter sunk rivet nut. Obviously you would need to dimple the hole so that the counter sunk head or rim would sit flush. But I don't think that would be a complex dimple die to make. .

I have used rivet nuts only a handful of times hope i'm getting ready to use some in one of my boat projects right now. I thought about your post for a little while, and then I thought I might mention this.

Have you considered using a stainless steel counter sunk rivet nut. Obviously you would need to dimple the hole so that the counter sunk head or rim would sit flush. But I don't think that would be a complex dimple die to make. .

-- Bob La Londe CNC Molds N Stuff

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The upper front fender channel area I'm working on is open at both ends and can have water enter within from the cowl end drains and externally from splash past the fender liner. Rust may have started along the box channel's lower edge under trapped oak tree debris that entered from the cowl drain. Those trees are gone now. Much of the area is still intact and retains the LPS-3 wax I sprayed on accessible surfaces many years (decades?) ago. They made poor decisions on water sealing and trapping in some areas, like this and the rear fender holes for the snap-on trim sealed by foam that deteriorated. The rust-through that resulted was excessively expensive to repair unless DIY. The dealer quoted me $3600.

I plan to caulk the upper edge and leave the bottom edge unsealed for drainage. It sits in a channel in the plastic fender liner, or will if I get the difficult fit correct. The 18 ga steel patch is too difficult to form to a tight flush fit to the curved surfaces, the small standoff of the rivnut heads will help.

I made a sheet metal screw and rivet head countersinking punch for my Roper Whitney No. 5 Junior hand punch (clone) that worked well but needs to be harder because the die expanded and jammed in the threads. Away from edges a two part screw together dimpler would be better. I made a similar wrench tightened grommet setting punch and die for installing them on hanging tarps.

Though the vehicle is a Honda the body is a Land Rover design from a brief joint venture.

I really like the combination of Honda reliability and Land Rover practicality, which faded as Honda stylists put their marks on later models. The built-in folding table:

I didn't mention looks or excitement, it's what Clark Kent would drive to stay invisible. The thrill is when I'm in control on ice and everyone else isn't. The only addition I've made was a backup camera mount through the spare tire center.