Rivnuts  are in my humble opinion the cats pajamas  ….. have used them for a long time a great solution.  In my lighting mfg small business we used them and Pop rivets  had power tools to insert   BUT now retired and with out all that have found a good deal on the tools and source for RN 

Just made my new roof rack for the WF to hold a “ cargo pod”   used 1x2 alum tube and Rivnuts  quick  Just make sure you drill the holes to the exact size for each Rivnut 

GoWesty sends them with a little home made insertion tool for their pop top assist 

Retired at 77 to Goleta Santa Barbara CA 

ed

Edward V Barger
edvbarger@mac.com
310 922 6251

> On Oct 13, 2018, at 9:18 AM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> In Army machinist school we were never taught that there was a right component to tighten. Captive nuts that are truly captive—welded to the material part—have to be very precisely aligned. Plus not everyone has a way of tacking down a nut without screwing it up. The other way is to make a sheet metal cage out of an X of steel that captures the nut but let’s the nut move around enough to engage a bolt entering at an imperfect angle or position. 
> 
> And then there are rivnuts. The sets with the big pliers are very expensive but lately I have seen them with small wrench operated systems. 
> 
> But another option for you is to just take the part you make to a racing shop and see what they can do for you without buying and experimenting with a bunch of stuff. 
> 
> Jim
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Oct 12, 2018, at 2:41 PM, Neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi all.
>> 
>> Since it's Friday, and there's so little list activity....    < grin >
>> 
>> Application: custom muffler bracket mounted to a VW I4 gas engine in a Vanagon.
>> 
>> From a design standpoint, for parts using nut & bolt fasteners, since
>> one tightens the nut to the bolt, are captive nuts more or less a
>> "last resort" in terms of design?
>> 
>> With captive nuts, I guess that since the nut wouldn't have a washer,
>> maybe tightening the bolt to the nut still provides a proper union?
>> 
>> I'm sure the bracket I'm making won't come loose (cracks due to design
>> not withstanding LOL) so this is more out of curiosity than anything.
>> Once again though, I'm reminded of just how much skill it takes to be
>> a real fabricator.  LOL.
>> 
>> Neil.
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Neil n
>> 
>> Blog: Vanagons, Westfalia, general <http://tubaneil.blogspot.ca>
>> 
>> 1988 Westy Images <https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/New1988Westy>
>> 
>> 1981 Westfalia "Jaco" Images, technical <http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/>
>> 
>> Vanagon-Bus VAG Gas Engine Swap Group <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay>