Thread: Brake disc removal

I need to remove a BMW bike brake disc from the carrier. It is held on with 10 peened rivets.
I have two options. Mill the heads off and drift the rivets out or drill the heads off and do the same.
Anyone done this before? I guess the rivets would not be especially hard as they need to be peened when installing.

Sterob

You have pretty much answered your own question. Could use both methods you have suggested. With drilling the hardest bit would be working out where the centre of the rivet hole is as sometimes when they are peened over the "dome" might not be central to the hole. If you decide to drill them, using a drill ground as an overlap drill will help a lot.
Just in case you don't know what an over lap drill is, its a normal twist drill ground as a flat bottom but with a little point on the centre to allow centering in a centre pop mark. With a bit of care you should be able drill the head off the rivet with minimal damage to the part that's riveted.

regards
bollie7

Ok, thanks Bollie7. I'll have a go and see how it turns out.


Sterob

Sterob
I have done this before. I work from the rivet head side and machine up a piece of round bar as large a diameter that will fit over the rivet head and not foul on anything,about 35mm long.Then bore out one end to locate snugly over the rivet head and then bore a 3mm diameter hole through the piece. Then machine a conical point on a piece of 3mm diameter steel rod around 40mm long.By locating the round bar around the rivet head you can then centre punch the rivet head right on centre.You can then deciede if you wish to just drill the head off or drill right through the rivet. Good luck.
Bob

Thanks bob. Work looms tomorrow so I will tackle it next days off.


Sterob

I go the job done today.
I ended up milling the mushroom head off all the rivets, as close to the carrier as I could get, and then drifted the remains of the rivets out. Quite easy.
Thanks for the ideas.
Sterob