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I had all 4 A-Frames, bushings, and control arm shafts replaced and a front end alignment done in November 2021 by a very reputable local Corvette Repair shop. The car has only been driven 1200 pampered miles since the work was completed and after driving the vehicle today I noticed the shims for the A-frame to Control arm shaft are missing on the drivers side. There does not appear to be anything wrong with the front suspension that I see upon inspection, the control arm shaft nuts are tight. The passenger side has all the shims but it appears they have shifted a bit, as they are not all aligned. I've parked the car for now, but will need to get another alignment at some point. Is the car safe to drive with the shims missing? Has anyone had or heard about this happening, if so what was the cause of the shims coming loose and falling out?
Are you saying that you know for sure that there were shims there? And now the shims are gone?
Or are you questioning if it is possible that there were no shims there and you observe the bolts are tight and there is not a gap for shims?
When you say “upon inspection the control arm bolts are tight”, did you put a wrench on those bolts to check? Or was this a visual inspection.
On the other side it is possible the shim stack was never neatly stacked. Put a wrench on those nuts and see if those arms are tight.
Seems very odd no shims on the drivers side at all and the bolts are still tight? I'm wondering if the a-arm is jammed against nut pretending to be tight? Can you get a pry bar in there and move the a-arm away from the mount?
Are you saying that you know for sure that there were shims there? And now the shims are gone?
Or are you questioning if it is possible that there were no shims there and you observe the bolts are tight and there is not a gap for shims?
When you say “upon inspection the control arm bolts are tight”, did you put a wrench on those bolts to check? Or was this a visual inspection.
On the other side it is possible the shim stack was never neatly stacked. Put a wrench on those nuts and see if those arms are tight.
I Know for a fact that there were shims there, plus the gap where the shims were between the nut and shaft is still there. I did not put a wrench on the nut but did attempt to turn the nut by hand and it would not budge.
You need to use a wrench. And now that there are no shims it is going to turn and tighten up. I have seen shims zip tied together to keep them all neat and tidy and to keep one from working loose. Once one goes the gap gets bigger then another goes. Maybe your guy had one in there crooked and didn’t have the nuts tight enough. You now know what to look for the next time
If the shim fell out apparently the bolts were not tighten enough. I won't drive the car like that. Those are self-locking nuts so they don't move and they're probably right where you need them to be. So if you want to save yourself the trouble of getting the car aligned again I would get a assortment of shims from RockAuto, loosening nuts about an eighth of a turn, and fill the area with shims for the best tight fit and tighten the bolts. Then never use that shop again.
If the shim fell out apparently the bolts were not tighten enough. I won't drive the car like that. Those are self-locking nuts so they don't move and they're probably right where you need them to be. So if you want to save yourself the trouble of getting the car aligned again I would get a assortment of shims from RockAuto, loosening nuts about an eighth of a turn, and fill the area with shims for the best tight fit and tighten the bolts. Then never use that shop again.
What he said and the shims may take some slight tapping with a brass hammer to slide into the gap (slight tapping not hammering) . And again, those are self locking nuts that you cannot turn by hand - use a wrench to tighten them.
got pic? when i used my front shims i modified the new ones to look more like old ones as they fit much better and less chance to slip out. I think the new ones fit a couple of sizes universal.
It took 3+ years to notice? How many miles? There's quality/correct shims available - none in post#8 are to even be considered! Hard to believe someone would even consider posting them. Wire tied is a very good idea, prevailing torque nuts should've been new and requested or supplied by the OP when the alignment was done.
I don't believe it's valid to blame the shop as implied by poster #6.
I took two packs of the Stainless Shims for the Corvette and gave them to the mechanic doing the alignment. The mechanic was very happy to have the new shims instead of having to break apart the old shims.
If you find the right alignment mechanic then ask them to "reset" your suspension and let them go. I suggested that a "good tip" would be coming after the right job and the guy spent hours doing my 4 wheel alignment. He took the shims out and put the differential back in the middle as it was pushed too much to one side by someone. Then he shimmed the front and back suspension and locked it down. It was awesome to drive afterwards as the suspension was rebuilt with new bushings and many VB&P suspension improvement parts. The car was just so different to drive after the alignment was done properly. This alignment tech earned his money doing my C3 so I tipped him more than the cost of the 4 wheel alignment.
Even with aggressive driving, none of my shims have ever come loose on their own since I have owned this C3
Front End Alignment Shims
