11-16-2021, 06:13 PM | #1 |
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Body Shims
While messing with adjusting the body on my coupe this week I discovered an assortment of zinc coated, horseshoe shaped shims for just this purpose at Harbor Freight. Ten bucks gets you an array of 148 shims from 1/64 to 1/8 inches in size that are the right fit for Model A body bolts. These should be much easier to use than the limited sizes of rubber shims that I have struggled to place in the narrow space under the body.
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11-16-2021, 10:39 PM | #2 |
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Re: Body Shims
1970s gm trucks used a ton of them for shimming their body panels, the model A may reject the transplant.
let us know how you made out.
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11-16-2021, 11:05 PM | #3 |
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Re: Body Shims
If the body bolts holding these horseshoe shaped shims loosen with time and road vibration, won't the shims fall out one by one? If they go in easy, they could also fall out easy. Wooden body blocks are fairly large and cushion the body to a degree, but these little horseshoe washers won't offer that protection. Ford could have done the same thing a hundred years ago , but they didn't.
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11-17-2021, 06:16 AM | #4 |
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Re: Body Shims
Those shims are for leveling stationary equipment, like lathes or milling machines. I think Mike Peters has a good point. If you do use them, maybe you could bend the ends over so that they are captured.
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11-17-2021, 06:38 PM | #5 |
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Re: Body Shims
I make checking the tightness of body bolts - and other chassis fasteners - part of my annual maintenance. The shims I cited are labeled as 'Body Shims' with further text describing them as used for adjusting camber, caster, and toe-in on front and rear suspensions.
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11-17-2021, 06:52 PM | #6 |
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Re: Body Shims
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11-18-2021, 08:18 AM | #7 |
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Re: Body Shims
My experience is with 70's cars not A's, these shims are quite common. Used to align sheet metal. Once the bolt is tight I have yet seen one work loose and the shims fall out. Dont know about using them on a Model A but perfectly acceptable for late model stuff.
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11-18-2021, 11:56 AM | #8 |
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Re: Body Shims
What size opening in the HF shims?
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11-18-2021, 03:49 PM | #9 |
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Re: Body Shims
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11-18-2021, 04:26 PM | #10 |
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Re: Body Shims
Here they are. They look quite useful.
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11-19-2021, 09:03 AM | #11 |
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Re: Body Shims
Ford used frame welt, wood body blocks, and various sizes of rubber pads to prevent fretting and associated noise between the body, aprons, and frame. Putting metal shims in there will work for alignment but I think I would want then to be at least the same size as the rubber pad or a person could just use more rubber pads.
If it takes a lot of shims to correct things then the frame or body is likely bent somewhere. |
11-19-2021, 11:19 AM | #12 |
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Re: Body Shims
Thanks
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