C1 body to frame mounting / shimming
10-16-2014, 09:07 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
C1 body to frame mounting / shimming
Previous owner of the 58 I'm fighting with had the body off the frame. Body work is all done gaps are good except at the top of the drivers side door. Figured I would either take a shim or two out of the dr side rear or add a shim or two to the mount directly below the door.
Turns out with the exception of the two forward mounts, all of the others are just the cardboard spacers with no metal shims.
I have a few questions, looking at the ST-12 it looks like there should be at least one metal shim at each location between the frame and the cardboard. Then for additional adjustment, shims are added between the top of the card board and the body..........right?
Should I add metal shims where they are supposed to be according to the ST-12 and start adjusting from there?
I don't want to open Pandora's box here, I can live with the door gap as it is not really that bad, but if the body mount shims / spacers are not installed properly to start with, I want to correct that.
Tom
Turns out with the exception of the two forward mounts, all of the others are just the cardboard spacers with no metal shims.
I have a few questions, looking at the ST-12 it looks like there should be at least one metal shim at each location between the frame and the cardboard. Then for additional adjustment, shims are added between the top of the card board and the body..........right?
Should I add metal shims where they are supposed to be according to the ST-12 and start adjusting from there?
I don't want to open Pandora's box here, I can live with the door gap as it is not really that bad, but if the body mount shims / spacers are not installed properly to start with, I want to correct that.
Tom
10-16-2014, 09:43 PM
#2
Safety Car
Tom, Most cars I've seen and done always have the cardboard shim pad, and at least one metal shim at each spot. Mostly 2 or 3 metal shims.
I would add shims to help that door gap. Ironically I had that issue on a '60 body-off recently, and in fact the '61 I'm doing now has the same issue. I add shims at the rear or the front floor locations to compensate. Sometimes you need to do the same at the rear mounts.
On important, often overlooked area is the front radiator support shim area. A important test is the fan shroud fitment. Test fit it to make sure the radiator bolts fit into the 3 holes at each location, ie the bolts fit through the shroud, then the radiator support extensions, and finally into the captive nuts on the radiator vertical side frames. Make sure that the shroud properly mates with the frame horns at the bottom too. this will tell you which way the body goes, up or down. Test fit the radiator and the shroud to verify. It's a PITA to get these lined up, and if the body is too high or low it will be impossible to get it right.
Quite often, you may need to add or remove shims at the front floor areas to get the nose/rad support to mate with the frame, via the fan shroud.
I would add shims to help that door gap. Ironically I had that issue on a '60 body-off recently, and in fact the '61 I'm doing now has the same issue. I add shims at the rear or the front floor locations to compensate. Sometimes you need to do the same at the rear mounts.
On important, often overlooked area is the front radiator support shim area. A important test is the fan shroud fitment. Test fit it to make sure the radiator bolts fit into the 3 holes at each location, ie the bolts fit through the shroud, then the radiator support extensions, and finally into the captive nuts on the radiator vertical side frames. Make sure that the shroud properly mates with the frame horns at the bottom too. this will tell you which way the body goes, up or down. Test fit the radiator and the shroud to verify. It's a PITA to get these lined up, and if the body is too high or low it will be impossible to get it right.
Quite often, you may need to add or remove shims at the front floor areas to get the nose/rad support to mate with the frame, via the fan shroud.
10-17-2014, 01:16 PM
#3
Drifting
Thread Starter
Tom, Most cars I've seen and done always have the cardboard shim pad, and at least one metal shim at each spot. Mostly 2 or 3 metal shims.
I would add shims to help that door gap. Ironically I had that issue on a '60 body-off recently, and in fact the '61 I'm doing now has the same issue. I add shims at the rear or the front floor locations to compensate. Sometimes you need to do the same at the rear mounts.
On important, often overlooked area is the front radiator support shim area. A important test is the fan shroud fitment. Test fit it to make sure the radiator bolts fit into the 3 holes at each location, ie the bolts fit through the shroud, then the radiator support extensions, and finally into the captive nuts on the radiator vertical side frames. Make sure that the shroud properly mates with the frame horns at the bottom too. this will tell you which way the body goes, up or down. Test fit the radiator and the shroud to verify. It's a PITA to get these lined up, and if the body is too high or low it will be impossible to get it right.
Quite often, you may need to add or remove shims at the front floor areas to get the nose/rad support to mate with the frame, via the fan shroud.
I would add shims to help that door gap. Ironically I had that issue on a '60 body-off recently, and in fact the '61 I'm doing now has the same issue. I add shims at the rear or the front floor locations to compensate. Sometimes you need to do the same at the rear mounts.
On important, often overlooked area is the front radiator support shim area. A important test is the fan shroud fitment. Test fit it to make sure the radiator bolts fit into the 3 holes at each location, ie the bolts fit through the shroud, then the radiator support extensions, and finally into the captive nuts on the radiator vertical side frames. Make sure that the shroud properly mates with the frame horns at the bottom too. this will tell you which way the body goes, up or down. Test fit the radiator and the shroud to verify. It's a PITA to get these lined up, and if the body is too high or low it will be impossible to get it right.
Quite often, you may need to add or remove shims at the front floor areas to get the nose/rad support to mate with the frame, via the fan shroud.
The entire drivetrain was in the car when I got it. Never been run, but assembled. I took it all out as there were many issues with how bubba put it together. The rad and rad support were aligned well, so the front seems to be shimmed properly. Right now everything is out, rad, engine, trans.
I understand I may have to revisit the front shimming once I start tinkering with the rest of the body mounts. At a minimum I'm going to get at least one metal shim in all of the spots and go from there.
I'm trying to increase the gap at the top of the dr side door above the door handle. It is about 1/8" whereas the rest of the door gap is probably 3/16 or a bit more. Thought the easiest thing would have been to remove a shim or two from the dr side rear which would open that gap a bit. When I got under there only saw the cardboard spacer. Then I looked at the rest and said to myself, well here we go again...... Something else that is either wrong or incorrect on this car!
Thanks for the info
Tom
10-17-2014, 01:51 PM
#4
Safety Car
Tom, That's not a bad gap, but if you want to get closer....
It's a little more tricky to open that rear door gap. You'll have to remove shims at the rear corner crossmember mount.
Now if you don't have enough shims there to remove to open the gap a bit, you're going to have to ADD shims in the the rear floor corner and inner rear floor. But then you may have to add some on the other side to match it all up. You have a good front vertical door gap so you can't add there, plus that will affect your "good" front rad support mount.
You need to be careful you don't bend the rear quarter latch pillar too much while experimenting. It's a trial and error process to get these set up because like a door hinge adjustment, one move makes something else move.
Rich
It's a little more tricky to open that rear door gap. You'll have to remove shims at the rear corner crossmember mount.
Now if you don't have enough shims there to remove to open the gap a bit, you're going to have to ADD shims in the the rear floor corner and inner rear floor. But then you may have to add some on the other side to match it all up. You have a good front vertical door gap so you can't add there, plus that will affect your "good" front rad support mount.
You need to be careful you don't bend the rear quarter latch pillar too much while experimenting. It's a trial and error process to get these set up because like a door hinge adjustment, one move makes something else move.
Rich
Last edited by rich5962; 10-17-2014 at 01:57 PM.
Pilot Dan