Hi, when i built my Ulster in 1981-86 i just used tha ex-scrapyard '29 chassis as it came (+some paint), it seemed straight and solid, and was riveted (probably the originals), It was fine, for 10s of thousands of miles, and then one day Isabel had a monumental accident, opening lap of A7 race at Mallory. As part of the rebuild after the crash i got Julian Ghosh to straighten it all out, fit a new front crossmember (this had been previously damaged on a Land's End Trial) and re rivet (hot) the whole chassis back together properly. When i recieved the frame back it had a stiffness that was never there before, like a tuning fork. The car was transformed, it felt alive on the road, had better handling and rode better. I think the tight springy chassis puts the handling emphasis back on the suspension.
Since then the Ulser has trialled, raced, holidayed and became a saloon for a while, when as a trials car it still had a certain litheness. Then it snogged a Nissan Navarra front bumper. The car was stripped and rebuilt, evolving my ulster bits out of it (bent again) and was rebuilt onto a partially bolted chassis. It now feels floppy in comparison, it has little torsional rigidity. When jacked up on one side the doors jam and it twists a great deal. The Ulster chassis is with Julian again!
Hot riveting is not difficult, especially if you have a helper. If bolting was the answer Austin would have bolted it. An alternative to traditional hot riveting may be to cold rivet it using a hydraulic press. Make a pair of steel 'snaps' and manhandle it about......
Good luck, W

Thank you all for your replies, it gives me some feedback from realists not theorists.

Location: Deepest darkest Kent.

It is remarkable that a difference between bolts and rivets is detectable, esp if no obvious fretting of the bolts.

Fitted bolts in reamed holes very different from basic clamping.

I guess hot rivets accommodated slight offset of holes. Presumably in small diameter an interference lateral fit remains after cooling, or were they finally finished cold?

Location: Auckland, NZ