mrg

I checked the AIM but didn't find:
Is there a 'middle' washer that goes in between the gap between the rear exhaust panel and the lower body side that the 1/4-20 bolt goes through? Seems there should be 'something'? . .

wombvette

---No---

vark_wso

Yes; a U-shaped shim, (p/n 3762962) is shown on sheet F3, UPC 1 assembly in the AIM. This reference is for '66 model year.

JohnZ

Engineering released a shim to be placed between the lower quarter panel and the lower attachment of the exhaust panel to avoid cracking either panel while tightening the bolt if the gap was excessive, but I've never seen a car built with them ('64 Assembly Manual, UPC 1-Assembly, sheet C3.00, item #12).

wombvette

I haven't seen one either and I have worked on hundreds. In theory the bonding strip should have been placed so the gap was set with the fiberglass of the panel bolted together solid. I am sure sometimes theory and practice didn't meet.

mrg

Found it. .. Thanks vark and John for pointing out the page in the AIM.

Though shown in the AIM assembly drawing it's interesting that this particular shim appears to have been a 'no show' on many cars (or installed on very few).

On my car the left side lower body bonding strip had come partially unbonded in the bolt-through hole area. Don't know for sure if this was caused by the 1/4-20 bolt squeezing/stressing together the body and exhaust panel mounting flanges to close up an excessive gap, or otherwise. Thinking of going with a shim on both sides.