67 Frame

[pjmoreland]

Bolts are not as good as rivets. Rivets expand when they are installed. This allows them to fill the holes of the two pieces being joined. This prevents any kind of sideways shifting of the components being joined. Bolts, on the other hand, fit loosely in the holes, so they rely on friction from their clamping force to prevent sideways shifting. You would likely end up with a frame that makes creaking and popping noises as the frame flexes.

About 25 years ago I installed a front sway bar on my old '67 truck, which required me to remove two rivets from the front crossmember to attach the brackets. The 3/8" bolts I used would make a popping noise when steering. I ended up welding the bolts in place to get rid of the noise. I added a sway bar to my current truck, but this time I drilled out the holes to have a snug fit with 7/16" bolts that are long enough to have an unthreaded section under the head. No creaks or pops so far...