body alignment
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
From: Elmer NJ
body alignment
ok, have a ' 75 that has been worked on previously. got on the cheap, and always wanted one. question is, not happy with door alignment so figured would have to fix, body mounts are rotted to hell. From previous posts, seems like you need to check how may shims you have. I will be pulling body, but without trusting shim count, what do I do? I'm assuming i just put in what I think should be right, and fix gaps from there right? Any help would be good at this point, since I really don't want to do this twice
Last edited by ford4play; Dec 10, 2006 at 11:01 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
I am in the same position here. What I am going to do is install the rocker channel repair section I got from Caladonia, it goes in under the existing channel and subtract 1 shim from each of the #2 and #3 mounts. Before doing this of course I am sand blasting the mount pockets, welding in a patch on the top on #2 and POR15 the whole damn thing. Once the body goes back on, might have to jack around with the shims to get it right, but I think if I get the bottom and back seams right it will come out ok.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Why not trust the existing shim count? Do you have reason to believe the count is not correct? A tool was used on the assembly line which measured the frame mounts and determined the correct number of shims needed at each mount. Shim number was then written on the frame beside each mount. Unless they've been fiddled with in the intervening years, the existing shim count at each location should be correct.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
The original shim count would be ok if you knew it hadn't been worked on, he says it has though. Also the shims rust as do the pockets, once the pockets are repaired and the shims cleaned up, the measurement will be different. It is still a good place to start from tho.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
From: Elmer NJ
Thanks for the replies guys. i know someone has really worked on this car before, but i really don't know how far they went. seeing lots of things that are not quite right, or even all out wrong. very hard to tell if body mounts were messed with, since car sat in field for a few years.
Very hard to tell in aim book, but in a perfect world, would i have same shim count at all points? What i'm getting at is, can I level frame on jack stands, use 1(or none) shim at a mount point, then measure off floor to make all others even, or is this not the case? will I naturally have more shims at say #4 then #1? thanks for any help again
Very hard to tell in aim book, but in a perfect world, would i have same shim count at all points? What i'm getting at is, can I level frame on jack stands, use 1(or none) shim at a mount point, then measure off floor to make all others even, or is this not the case? will I naturally have more shims at say #4 then #1? thanks for any help again
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,943
Likes: 3
From: Wildwood IL
Takes time
Eddie
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
