Re-pop versus OE sill plates
 

The re-pop sill plate have the rivets ( fake), but the Fisher tags are so incorrect.

Just pull some original sill plates off of a car in a junkyard, preferably a 4-door, and salvage the Fisher plates/tags.
Then add them to some new sill plates with the original rivets and some glue.

^ I was typing something along the same lines!

What year did the rivet go away, this is 90’s GM. For my 78,

Anybody know if the rivet heads were painted on originals?

Burd,

At least for the Nova, the sill plate rivet when away in the early 70's. Sometime after 1971. I would have to go back and check my notes. The 1971 Chevelle also had the rivets.

Greg

Hello bergy,

The rivets were painted on the originals. (Even though I left that out of my tutorial... http://chevynova.org/SillPlateRivetsInstall.html)

Greg

Thanks for the tutorial Greg - nice work! The OE sill plates for my car have contours that are quite a bit different than re-pops (not to mention that the re-pops are nearly as thin as tin foil). Also, all of the rivets that I removed are hollow in the center. So, I think I'll try polishing the originals & reattaching the rivets......... To be continued

see picture - re-pop is the sill plate that's installed.

unpainted (Factory F body) -vs- painted (Trim Parts Repop)

I wonder if they came both ways.

& the Repops are narrow on the rear pinch weld cover interfacing

I agree, original sill plates had black rivets.

Greg, thanks for posting that link. Saved me from searching for it.... ;)

169indy,

What I have found is the paint chips off easily. Only see them painted on low mile cars.

For those keeping track, the 1973 Nova did not seem to have rivets.

Greg

My 72 Nova doesn't have the rivets either and are original to my car.

How would the rivets have been painted? Just a hand touch-up like by brush after the Fisher tags were riveted to the sill plates?

cruiserofland,

Good question.

It is more likely that the rivet heads were painted before assembly. Many original rivets heads have a particular ring indentation from the tooling. The paint is embedded in the indentation. If painted later, the paint would flow into the indentation and cover it more.

Besides, if someone had to paint them later, excess paint would show up on the tag. I have not noticed any excess paint.

Many original sill plates had the paint off one or more of the rivets due to wear. Or from the paint adhesion being weak after assembly.

Greg

BTW When I first started you could purchase the Fisher Body tags with the holes in them. Later, I could only get the ones with fake raised indentation to simulate rivets. I just drilled through indentations.

IIRC The Original Parts Group sells them with holes and black rivets.