control arm (upper?) shims - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

sactoC10 · 09-09-2003, 03:06 PM

So I am scraping and cleaning and scraping and cleaning my 71 these days and occasionally a peculiar item shows up that looks as if it needs to go somewhere.

Last week I found a shim, sort of a square U shaped deal, not sure which side it came from. Was this probably a control arm shim...and might it (and others) be the reason why my truck was only rubbing on one side when lowered last week?

What's the deal with these. Are they known to come loose and fall out over time?

Hotrod70C10 · 09-09-2003, 05:39 PM

could be.... I was about to reply for you to check your shims in your other post.

CoryM · 09-09-2003, 10:29 PM

Well one thing is for sure, its time for an alignment anyhow. Sounds like a camber shim. They *can* come out, but when one comes out usually all of them do. More likely someone just dropped it. Another thing it could be is a fender shim for aligning body panels. Did you remover the cross shaft (the one in the A-Arm) when you lowered the truck?

kxmotox247 · 09-10-2003, 09:55 AM

Body shim at the fender to cowl area?

sactoC10 · 09-10-2003, 10:09 AM

...and man, there was a ****load of them on the driver side!

No kidding, there were two washers, and SEVEN (7) shims on the bolt to the front of the upper arm. All different shapes, sizes and thicknesses. On the rear bolt there were two washers and three thick shims.

I removed one from the rear bolt and four from the front, leaving the three thicker ones and when I dropped the truck, all was well. Each side looked pretty darn equal, which was not the case before. This was a rewarding bit of work in the garage.

The camber shims did look more like a square "Y" than the other shim I recently found. Still not sure where it cam from...maybe more details about the cross shaft CoryM? Fender shims?

No more tire rub!
Thanks much for the input.

jamis · 09-10-2003, 10:59 AM

I never have extra parts left over

I do always have a pile of WEIGHT REDUCTION PARTS mostly composed of bolts, washers, pins, springs etc. Sometimes its fun to sneak it into my buddys garage and throw it in his pile and let him figure out what it is..... lol.....drives him crazy....he's still tring to figure out where that extra bearing goes in his diff....lol

CoryM · 09-10-2003, 11:15 AM

If you like your tires take it to an alignment shop. The shims are probably there for a reason. You cannot just pull shim out like that. Usually the camber shims have little tabs on top. THe shim you found the other day is probably a little larger and from a body panel somewhere. You shim the fenders to make them line up with the cab.
CoryM

sactoC10 · 09-10-2003, 11:25 AM

Well, if you saw how badly the driver side tire was sticking out on top, as opposed to the LHS, I think you'd agree that removing a few of them was not a bad idea. I didn't remove all of them, not even half!

Since the person I got the truck from never paid much attention to any details or put much care into it, I know he did not get it aligned in the last five years. All of the work that was done to it was done by his dad.

This truck had heavy duty helper leaf springs and used to have a camper shell (the reason my bed looks so great) and occasionally towed a small boat in the 70's and early 80's. The auxiliary tanks were used too. It did some work, but it was well cared for.

Now that the HUGE rear bumper, auxiliary tanks, helper leafs, stock tires/wheels and suspension are no longer in place, I am certain that the abundance of shims are not necessary on this one side that cleary stuck out more that the other.

I'll keep you posted once the alignment is done.

68LSS1 · 09-10-2003, 11:43 AM

Quote:

I do always have a pile of WEIGHT REDUCTION PARTS mostly composed of bolts, washers, pins, springs etc. Sometimes its fun to sneak it into my buddys garage and throw it in his pile and let him figure out what it is..... lol.....drives him crazy....he's still tring to figure out where that extra bearing goes in his diff....lol

Dang near fell off my chair. That's funny.

phantom dually · 09-10-2003, 09:24 PM

Does anyone know of a book or guide on HOW to align a front end yourself??

CoryM · 09-11-2003, 01:19 AM

Phantom dually, Its pretty hard to do an alignment at home on a street driver car. However, there are a few pretty neat systems guys have figured out for their (low dollar) racecars. Start looking at roadrace and oval track books. With race tires you can adjust, do a few laps, then come in and adjust more. ON a street car its usually worth the $30-50 to get it done. BTW not all alignments are the same. If you drive hard look for the guys who do the local racers alignments. They will know how to set the car up for better handling while still maintaining good tire wear.
CoryM

09-09-2003, 03:06 PM	#1
sactoC10 71 DELUX Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Northern CA / Sac Posts: 1,055	control arm (upper?) shims So I am scraping and cleaning and scraping and cleaning my 71 these days and occasionally a peculiar item shows up that looks as if it needs to go somewhere. Last week I found a shim, sort of a square U shaped deal, not sure which side it came from. Was this probably a control arm shim...and might it (and others) be the reason why my truck was only rubbing on one side when lowered last week? What's the deal with these. Are they known to come loose and fall out over time?

09-09-2003, 05:39 PM	#2
Hotrod70C10 Low & Slow Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 1,047	could be.... I was about to reply for you to check your shims in your other post. __________________ 70' C-10 LWB Fleetside 4.5/6 drop

09-09-2003, 10:29 PM	#3
CoryM Registered User Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Surrey, B.C. , Canada Posts: 874	Well one thing is for sure, its time for an alignment anyhow. Sounds like a camber shim. They can come out, but when one comes out usually all of them do. More likely someone just dropped it. Another thing it could be is a fender shim for aligning body panels. Did you remover the cross shaft (the one in the A-Arm) when you lowered the truck? __________________ 1970 heavy duty C-10 fleetside sport truck. Vancouver B.C. Canada http://www.geocities.com/chevroletc1070 "Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high." Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, Canadian Army

09-10-2003, 09:55 AM	#4
kxmotox247 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 1,397	Body shim at the fender to cowl area? __________________ Baby Blue's Build Thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=652776 Project 68's Build Thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...17#post8442117 www.stonecolumnclassics.com Email: Josh@stonecolumnclassics.com

09-10-2003, 10:09 AM	#5
sactoC10 71 DELUX Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Northern CA / Sac Posts: 1,055	found them !!! ...and man, there was a ****load of them on the driver side! No kidding, there were two washers, and SEVEN (7) shims on the bolt to the front of the upper arm. All different shapes, sizes and thicknesses. On the rear bolt there were two washers and three thick shims. I removed one from the rear bolt and four from the front, leaving the three thicker ones and when I dropped the truck, all was well. Each side looked pretty darn equal, which was not the case before. This was a rewarding bit of work in the garage. The camber shims did look more like a square "Y" than the other shim I recently found. Still not sure where it cam from...maybe more details about the cross shaft CoryM? Fender shims? No more tire rub! Thanks much for the input.

09-10-2003, 10:59 AM	#6
jamis F.A.S.T. president Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 1,883	I never have extra parts left over I do always have a pile of WEIGHT REDUCTION PARTS mostly composed of bolts, washers, pins, springs etc. Sometimes its fun to sneak it into my buddys garage and throw it in his pile and let him figure out what it is..... lol.....drives him crazy....he's still tring to figure out where that extra bearing goes in his diff....lol

09-10-2003, 11:15 AM	#7
CoryM Registered User Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Surrey, B.C. , Canada Posts: 874	If you like your tires take it to an alignment shop. The shims are probably there for a reason. You cannot just pull shim out like that. Usually the camber shims have little tabs on top. THe shim you found the other day is probably a little larger and from a body panel somewhere. You shim the fenders to make them line up with the cab. CoryM __________________ 1970 heavy duty C-10 fleetside sport truck. Vancouver B.C. Canada http://www.geocities.com/chevroletc1070 "Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high." Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, Canadian Army

09-10-2003, 11:25 AM	#8
sactoC10 71 DELUX Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Northern CA / Sac Posts: 1,055	Well, if you saw how badly the driver side tire was sticking out on top, as opposed to the LHS, I think you'd agree that removing a few of them was not a bad idea. I didn't remove all of them, not even half! Since the person I got the truck from never paid much attention to any details or put much care into it, I know he did not get it aligned in the last five years. All of the work that was done to it was done by his dad. This truck had heavy duty helper leaf springs and used to have a camper shell (the reason my bed looks so great) and occasionally towed a small boat in the 70's and early 80's. The auxiliary tanks were used too. It did some work, but it was well cared for. Now that the HUGE rear bumper, auxiliary tanks, helper leafs, stock tires/wheels and suspension are no longer in place, I am certain that the abundance of shims are not necessary on this one side that cleary stuck out more that the other. I'll keep you posted once the alignment is done.

09-10-2003, 09:24 PM	#10
phantom dually Project92 SWB stepside Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 4,792	Does anyone know of a book or guide on HOW to align a front end yourself?? __________________ 92 C1500 stepside 496 Stroker Competiton Engineering Ladder bars/QA1 coilovers. Dana 60 rear with 4.10 gear and posi. Bonspeed Palisade 20x12 in rear w/335/30/20 and 20x8.5 front w/245/40/20. 5/8 drop with Belltech springs/DJM spindles/drop shocks. WWS Progress thread http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=140448

09-11-2003, 01:19 AM	#11
CoryM Registered User Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Surrey, B.C. , Canada Posts: 874	Phantom dually, Its pretty hard to do an alignment at home on a street driver car. However, there are a few pretty neat systems guys have figured out for their (low dollar) racecars. Start looking at roadrace and oval track books. With race tires you can adjust, do a few laps, then come in and adjust more. ON a street car its usually worth the $30-50 to get it done. BTW not all alignments are the same. If you drive hard look for the guys who do the local racers alignments. They will know how to set the car up for better handling while still maintaining good tire wear. CoryM __________________ 1970 heavy duty C-10 fleetside sport truck. Vancouver B.C. Canada http://www.geocities.com/chevroletc1070 "Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high." Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, Canadian Army



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