Pimp My Dog Trolley/crate

[Edenishy]

G'day everyone..

I have bought one of those nifty Dog trolleys, the type with the Blue matting on top and inside.

Commonly seen at Dog shows etc (the reason why I bought one)

Now I have this urge (and lots of time) to pimp it up.

I have found myself some new matting....I really REALLY dislike the blue.

Although I have worked with pop rivets before...theres something I hope someone can help me with.

Hopefully someone will know what im talking about as I don't know the technical names of these little bits and pieces.

On the top platform (as well as the bottom) there are two hinges that allow you to open the top so the trolley can be folded etc.

Holding the hinges in place are these little metal things, a little like pop rivets but not. It goes from one side of the board to the other.

One side of the fitting that holds the hinge in place is smooth and sorta looks a little like a drawing pin. The other side is the same but looks like a screw as it has the flat head screwdriver groove in it. (It wont unscrew though it seems)

Does anyone know what these little pieces are so that I can remove the hinges to recover and then put back or replace?

I was trying to explain them to someone at bunnings however I was getting nowhere.

Also, how does one go about removing these pieces so the hinge can be removed? If I knew how to remove without damaging them or the trolley, I could

take them to the store to find the right replacements.

I know how to remove pop rivets however these dont have the little hole to drill into.

I want to replace one of the hinges also as one is corroded a little, even though the unit is brand new.

I know theres a few people out there that have had to recover the trolley's matting..how did you go about it?

Remove the old first? Remove hinges or glue matting over the top?

Ive already replaced the wheels to include locks. Im going to paint the wooden side of the platform to further seal it from the elements and to add some color.

I wanted to replace the blue matting with red however couldnt find any for the life of me. I think I rang just about every possible local store possible.

Im told there is red pyramid matting out there somewhere but its not coming out to play with me thats for sure!

Anyone know how to make a grooming arm?

Anyone else have any cool ideas on pimping a dog trolley?

I am even thinking of installing some sort of solar light into it! Just trying to figure out how to do such where my puppy/dog wouldnt be able to access it etc but where it can still look professional in a way...as opposed to some tacky job.

Like I mentioned, I have too much time on my hands.

Am very interested in hearing peoples ideas etc!