Rebound strap tool

[David H.]

Would anyone be interested in lending me a rebound strap rivet tool for a couple of days in exchange for a gift card to your favorite restaurant?

[Nick K.]

Re: Rebound strap tool

Hi David...I was just looking at a Corvette Central catalog (I need one as well) and they have them for $30. page 133 of the C1 catalog. By the way do you have any experience replacing rear axle bearings on a C1? I have a '59.

[Peter V.]

Re: Rebound strap tool

John Ftacek generously "loaned " me his for the cost of shipping.
Don't know what I would have done without it - but the job was still
a pain in the hind end. Thanks John!!

[Joe M.]

Re: Rebound strap tool

David, I would be glad to loan you mine if you want to pay postage. Send me a personal e-mail if you want to do this and I will provide information to make it happen. No gift card necessary; glad to help.

The tool helps, but it is still difficult to hold the strap, rivets, and the tool, and tighten the tool down on the rivets. The straps are very stiff and resist folding over. The day before I started to install the rivets, I folded over the strap and attached the tool to the strap without the rivets and tightened down the tool to flatten the strap in the area where the rivets would go for at least a day before I started on the installation. That helped some. Once I folded the straps over the metal bracket, I used narrow strips of duck tape to hold the folded end tightly against the other side of the strap. That was one less thing I had to hold onto while I was attaching the tool to the straps.

[John F.]

Re: Rebound strap tool

Mine is for loan also. Needle-nose vise grips hold them in place.

John F

[Donald H.]

Re: Rebound strap tool

Would anyone be interested in lending me a rebound strap rivet tool for a couple of days in exchange for a gift card to your favorite restaurant?

I used the CC tool, and with some slight changes it worked great (picture attached).

It will seem that the rivets are much to short to ever work, but you really need to be able to crush the strap ends.

A couple of techniques that I used were:

First, I got longer allen head bolts that hold the rivet tool together. I found it difficult to get the tool over the folded over strap ends and get it together due to shortness of the bolts that came with it.

Second, as for as putting it together, I put the strap end in place, then the I used a small bolt through the top rivet hole with some flat washers to protect the plate. I tightened this small bolt to both hold the parts together and compress the strap somewhat. Then I used the tool to partially set the bottom rivet, just enough to keep it together and the removed the tool, put the top rivet in place, put the tool back over the rivets and did final set of both rivets.

[Donald H.]

Re: Rebound strap tool

Hi David...I was just looking at a Corvette Central catalog (I need one as well) and they have them for $30. page 133 of the C1 catalog. By the way do you have any experience replacing rear axle bearings on a C1? I have a '59.

Nick, I have done the rear bearing on my 1960 restoration project. I used part number RW-607-NR from Advance Auto. This was the correct bearing per other thread.

You will need access to a hydraulic press to get the old bearing off and the new ones on. The bearing are two parts, the bearing itself and a retaining ring.

To get the old ones off, I slit the retaining ring slightly using a dremel tool with a metal cutting wheel. I then used a chisel in the slit to spread the retaining ring enough so that it would come off. I then used the press to press the old bearing off. When you put the new ones on, I pressed the bearing on by itself. Make sure you have a piece of pipe (e.g. cast iron plumbing or similar) that fits over the axle and just presses against the inner race of the bearing so that you do not damage the bearing. Then I pressed the retaining ring onto the axles.

This was my first project like this, so I got good advice and guidance from Tom Parsons from this forum.

[Stephen G.]

Re: Rebound strap tool

Unfortunately the current rivets being supplies by Corvette Central (and others ??) are too short. I was fortunate to have a friend with packages of old rivets supplied by the same vender years ago and they are longer.

The needle nose vise grips work well for holding in place but it is a pain with the body on.

[David H.]

Re: Rebound strap tool

Thanks for the offers to use the rebound strap rivet tool.
Looking at the one that CC offers, I like the looks of it and it's cheap so I think I will buy one and try it. That way if I am ever CRAZY enough to do another C1 I will have it to use or loan out.
I reserve the right to change my mind later tho!

Thanks again for the offers.