Jack Nuts

[jwcolby54]

Have any of our members used Jack Nuts to replace the rivets that they need to remove? I am faced with drilling out all of the rivets to remove the water heater insert. It seems that using Jack Nuts when I reinstall would make any subsequent repairs so much easier.

Thoughts?

[RRJR]

What's a JACK NUT, any pictures of same.and how do they work?

[jwcolby54]

I was told about them this AM. It appears to be a pop rivet with a nut on the back side. You pop this thing in the hole and pop the rivet and you can now screw a threaded bolt into the nut in the hole.

Obviously this makes the rivet a bolt and makes things like my water heater removable by unscrewing a set of bolts instead of drilling out a bunch of rivets.

Google Jack Nuts and a bunch of pictures appear at the top.

[RRJR]

Thanks John

[cpaharley2008]

I thought you were saying one of our moderators here on the forum was crazy!!!

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I thought you were saying one of our moderators here on the forum was crazy!!!

No, it is against the forum rules to say anything regarding moderation.

Public discussion about moderation or moderator decisions is not allowed.

[rabbit]

Say what?

jack

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Say what?

jack

Nuts!

[rabbit]

Jack nuts require large body hole diameter (7/16" dia. for 1/4" bolt). Require puller. Tendency to spin with corroded or cross threaded bolt and then you got fun. Outer flange sets proud of surface. I consider them light duty junk. The rivnuts for aircraft installation are must more reliable but we always pulled them in epoxy sealer anyway.

jack

[jwcolby54]

Good info Jack.

I am looking at drilling something like 16 rivets to get at my busted water heater tank. Sigh.

[Eddie Longest]

John
Since you will have to cut the PEX water lines for removal. Get a W/H by pass kit to see where to cut the lines and install the bypass kit when you put the H/W heater back in. What did you decide to do replace or repair?
Eddie

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Jack nuts require large body hole diameter (7/16" dia. for 1/4" bolt). Require puller. Tendency to spin with corroded or cross threaded bolt and then you got fun. Outer flange sets proud of surface. I consider them light duty junk. The rivnuts for aircraft installation are must more reliable but we always pulled them in epoxy sealer anyway.

jack

I thought of rivnuts also, never messed with jack nuts. Even rivnuts are a royal pain in the butt, though. They would also stick out either on the outside of the trailer, or on the inside.

There's really no way they would work.

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by jwcolby54

Good info Jack.

I am looking at drilling something like 16 rivets to get at my busted water heater tank. Sigh.

Bummer and you just know one or two will be in a spot hard to get the drill onto straight...

Nice thing is rivets don't have a nut to vibrate loose so once done they stay on.

[rabbit]

There are smaller sizes which require correspondingly smaller holes for insertion.
Think the smallest is for #8 or 6 machine screw. Might work out for you. There are also a couple of designs of threaded plastic inserts which also might work as the load is spread over 16 locations. The ones I've seen the machine screw is run up to pull the wings out much as the puller does with a steel jacknut. Also the long steel expansion nuts with the pronged flange (also pulled by running in a machine screw) might work if you bore both a body hole and two smaller outbd holes to seat the prongs. One of our many google divers can find the precise identifier for these hdwre store itty bits if you have trouble.


jack

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by RRJR

What's a JACK NUT, any pictures of same.and how do they work?

JACK NUT threaded insert

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

No, it is against the forum rules to say anything regarding moderation.

I was always told anything in moderation was less harmful, sometimes it could be good for you.

[Cypherian]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Jack nuts require large body hole diameter (7/16" dia. for 1/4" bolt). Require puller. Tendency to spin with corroded or cross threaded bolt and then you got fun. Outer flange sets proud of surface. I consider them light duty junk. The rivnuts for aircraft installation are must more reliable but we always pulled them in epoxy sealer anyway.

jack

Hey,

This ^ rivnuts are a much better option but they too are subject to larger hole, correct installation tool (You can get one that will do 3 sizes of rivnut) highly suggest you epoxy them same as Jack said. If they break loose and spin it is a major PITA to drill them out in fiberglass, if you can't get to the back side. We would use a dental burr on a pencil grinder to grind the head off CAREFULLY. Most of us myself included would put a thin plate of stainless with the appropriate sized hole to fit over the head down first. Then grind so if you slip you do not grind into the fiberglass 15k rpm dental burr makes short work of going through fiberglass. There is another option if you are handy you can use nut plates ( Plate w/ floating nut crimped in place) they use two tiny rivets to hold them in place
http://www.nutplates.com/capped%20info.html. The have them in sealed and open style see http://www.cherryaerospace.com/files...og/CA-1031.pdf for another style mind you using aircraft grade items gets PRICEY.

Cypher

PS Jack in another life were you Air Craft Structural Repair also ?