Trunk Sill Paneling In the wide world of fasteners, few have been as instrumental at reducing the complexity and cost of a nut and bolt as a rivet. They don’t require you to have access to the other side of a surface you are fastening, like you would if you had to put a nut on the end of a bolt. This makes them very effective for fastening together fender liners, body panels, carpet, insulation etc. There are many types of rivets, but at least they all share this simple principle.