TTB pivot bracket removal question

[hondakillah]

I am midway through installing a skyjacker lift on my 88 B2, and I have come to the point where I am to drop the passenger side pivot bracket for the front axle. I ground the rivets flat, then drilled them. Due to the size of my drill and the inability to get a good approach angle to the rivets, I wasn't able to drill them dead center with a small bit at first, and only one of them I could drill with a larger bit without drilling into the cross member.
So, I'm sitting here stuck, and asking for help if you can give me some advice on how to proceed. I've got one rivet pretty much fully drilled, and three that I can't really attack again with a larger bit. I have bent my pry bar trying to pry the pivot bracket off and still don't have a good approach angke to get a hammer in there. No air tools are available.

 

[RangerX]

How about an angle grinder? Grind off the rivet head, punch out the center.

 

[Bruces expo]

Sounds like the rivets are wedged or even Mushroomed in between the frame and brackets , heard of this before , I've heard use a small propane torch to heat up and then try to get something in there to pound it out , I helped my friend do his 4" lift on an 88 bII and after i left he heated it up and then was able to pound it out after we did the same , grind drill and dead blow , Good luck and updates with Pics are great !

 

[hondakillah]

Went and bought a bigger hammer (4 lb) and a much bigger punch, advertised as a pry bar, heated the rivet and popped that sucker right out! Thanks for the help.

Pics by request:

Putting in a Dana 35

 

[Bruces expo]

Nice im glad the heat helped , like the d35 upgrade as well , throw in a newer disc 8.8 and thing should drive like new !

 

[Maniak]

Before you lift that d-35 up there, do yourself a favor and do the c-clip eliminator mod. That way if you ever have to pull the axles (like to pull the diff) it is really easy to do.

~Mark

Edit: This mod. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=256302

 

[wood1]

And the c-clip mod (and new u-joints)

http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/May06/dana35_ujoint_snapring.htm