I am in the process of restoring a 79 Corvette..While examining the body lines I noticed that the right front tire was forward more than the left..I then measured from rear axle to front spindle and find that I'm off by about 3/8th"..The right front tire is forward more than the left by about 3/8th"...Upon further inspection I found that all the A-arms had 2 shims except for the left A-arm rear had 6-shims...Is this normal???..Also Am I correct in believing if I remove some of the 6-shims from the rear of the left A-arm it would move the wheel forward???..I don't believe the car has ever been in an accident,,( I checked it on a lift and there were no signs showing it ever was hit(Kinks or bends) except for a reweld on the crossmember right rear about 3" which the owner stated was a repair to the crosmember because the weld cracked at the rear were it met the frame.(Was told it is a comon problem on 3rd gen)..Well guys any ideas..is this something major..It is going in to the paint booth Saturday..So no chance to take it to the aligment shop untill after..just looking for some peace of mind if you guys think this a major problem or is this comon on 3rd gen vetts..And what do you guys think If I were to remove some of the shims off the left rear of the A-Arm would that move the wheel forward???Any help would be appreciated Thank you..

Also I never drove the car except for around the block..My bodyman drove it to the shop for me on the highway..And he tells me the car tracked straight and tight at 75-80mph

 

I don't have any cracks in my 79 frame. Our 79 C-3's have the heaviest frame made.

I would have an optical alignment done. So your wheels are correct to the road. Things sag and shift with time or they weren't straight out of the factory. I'm also a big believer in street performance alignment settings.

If the car is stock you need to get familiar with Vette Brakes and products to get more road performance.

Before you paint it consider rear flares because your going to need 17 inch wheels for the power of a hot 383

 

Short sidewalls+big power= :U

 

I did not mean the frame as cracked...I meant to say that were the front crossmember ties into the frame on the right side I can see that the seam had been rewelded,,(I have been told that this is a common problem on the c3..Due to the stresses transfered to the crossmember by the lower control arm)....

As for rear tires...Was actually thinking about tubbing the rear and a set of 33 MT like my 55...But not very practical...as for the 383...I have a friend willing to donate a 6-71 polished blower....But again not very practical I guess..Want to be able to drive this without having to stop every 10 miles for gas...


Back to the question at hand...has anyone seen Alignment shims that vary as much???