Front Bumper Rivet OEM Part#??

[Find me a Jalapeno85]

Hello, Looking to see if anybody has a few OEM front bumper rivets for a 1985? i am missing 4 and would like to install originals as the others still are OEM, OEM has a series of rings on top so aftermarket ones will not match. I cannot find the OEM part# so that would be helpful as well if anyone can help 586 206-3015 Chris

[KevinK]

The originals are very hard to find.They have 5 or so rings on the head. None of the new ones have that. I'm not sure if many of the MCA judges would catch it. I would. The current Ford product is the same as the aftermarket such as Avuco.

[85GTGuy]

I'm pretty sure you're not gonna find any. I know of several people that have looked for them. And I've never heard of anyone finding any of the "ringed" ones.

I believe the part number is 388664-S100.

Rivets are available under that number, and other than not having the rings, they seem to match up dimensionally and color-wise with the original ones.

Good luck with your search, and be sure to let us know if you do find any.

[massacre]

Could you try and replicate the rings somehow?

[85GTGuy]

I've thought about that.

Circular grooves could be milled into the rivet head.... you'd just need an extended, skinny end mill to work around the setting mandrel of the rivet. The grooves also could be turned into the head on a lathe.... same thing, you'd need an extended tool. Long, small diameter tools like that can be kinda fragile, but they are readily available. Both methods would require recoating the rivet black, since machining it would expose the raw aluminum substrate.

More involved, but a die could be made that would form the grooves using a press. The rivets, being aluminum, makes cold forming the grooves a little easier, although they may be work hardened some by their original manufacturing method.

Certainly doable in the machine shop at my place of employment, but just not worth it to me.

That's more like the trouble someone would go to trying to concours restore a half million dollar Duesenberg, not a twenty thousand dollar Fox Mustang, imo.

[KevinK]

There are only about 3 rings on the head. Rivets are aluminum. I'm sure they could be duplicated using a leather hand punch tool similar to a center punch.

[massacre]

There are only about 3 rings on the head. Rivets are aluminum. I'm sure they could be duplicated using a leather hand punch tool similar to a center punch.

That is what i was thinking of. I have hollow punches that i use for making gaskets

[KevinK]

I was able to track down some originals from another web page member. We meet up at a show in AZ. Now I need to get my car repaired. It's an unrestored show car so it needs to be done perfect.

As an MCA judge, I would let modified rivets pass as long as it was not unrestored or thoroughbred class.