By John Hinckley, Corvette Enthusiast Magazine
Used here with permission.
Copyright John Hinckley, Corvette Enthusiast Magazine
FROM THE FACTORY: Since bolts don’t hold very well just driven into
fiberglass, your Corvette has a lot of steel tapping plates riveted all over the underbody and dash/firewall areas. These plates provide threaded holes in a steel anchor plate for attaching many different components to the fiberglass panels, and they were riveted in place in the body shop. These aluminum rivets were also used in virtually every location where a metal part is joined to a fiberglass panel, such as the steel braces on the lower spare tire tray.
Full Article is 3-page PDF attached below:
Article ID: 245
Created: July 14, 2014
Last Updated: July 14, 2014
Author: Rob Loszewski
Online URL: https://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/tech/knowledgebase/article/technical-article-riveting-experience-home-restorer-s-guide-to-installing-soft-aluminum-rivets-on-your-corvette-245.html