Rear shock mount removal question

[Mike-M]

Im replacing my right rear upper shock mount. Got a replacement from Doorman, happy to see it uses bolts. So I cut the heads off the old bolts or rivets (I cant tell, rust) on the outside of the frame with a wheel, and grind it flat. Then I was expecting to force the bolts/rivets through using a hammer and 1/4" punch. Well, im using a 5 lb hammer and none of the 3 are moving one bit. Im hitting them as hard as I can with a 1 hand hammer, horizontally.
Is there some trick to this? Please tell me the factory mounts arent welded on there. All I can see on the inside of the frame is a big triangular chunk of rust.

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[riotwarrior]

Rivets only...however they do require some effort to get out...BIG AIR hammer best....

 

[crewd]

Yes, doable with sledge. A few hard hits usually gets them out. Just protect your fingers, use a vise grip to hold the punch.

 

[Mike-M]

My air hammer didnt do anything, i have a cheapo one since i rarely use it.
I ended up using the new mount as a template, and made a jig to hold a long punch in place, and tack welded it to my frame. Then I was able to hit it real hard with a 16 lb hammer. Each one only took 3-4 good shots.

 

[riotwarrior]

My air hammer didnt do anything, i have a cheapo one since i rarely use it.
I ended up using the new mount as a template, and made a jig to hold a long punch in place, and tack welded it to my frame. Then I was able to hit it real hard with a 16 lb hammer. Each one only took 3-4 good shots.

All this and not one pic...***?

 

[laserjock]

I have found the grinding them flat doesn't work all that well. It's hard to get all the mushroomed part of the rivet. I've had much better luck grinding a flat spot on the head, center punching and drilling with like a 5/16 or 3/8 bit till it's below the surface a little bit. The hole gives that mushroomed metal (which is now really thin after drilling) a place to go. The trick for me has been to remove some metal deeper than just flush to get them go let loose.

On edit: and then the air hammer saves a lot of wear and tear on the hands.

 

[Mike-M]

All this and not one pic...***?

just picture some idiot swinging a sledgehammer into his wheel well