Body shim question, 1957 Corvette - NCRS Discussion Boards

Body shim question, 1957 Corvette

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Bruce B.
    Extremely Frequent Poster
    • May 31, 1996
    • 2930

    Body shim question, 1957 Corvette

    My current 57 gasser project has had the body off the frame (now back on) and when the body was put back on the shims were not put back.
    My question is how should I approach shimming the body?
    I thought if I put 2 shims at each body mount I could add or subtract as needed.

    Any suggestions.
  • John H.
    Beyond Control Poster
    • December 1, 1997
    • 16513

    #2
    Re: Body shim question, 1957 Corvette

    Originally posted by Bruce Bursten (27670)
    My current 57 gasser project has had the body off the frame (now back on) and when the body was put back on the shims were not put back.
    My question is how should I approach shimming the body?
    I thought if I put 2 shims at each body mount I could add or subtract as needed.

    Any suggestions.
    Bruce -

    When I did my 57's (many years ago), some mounts had one shim, some had two; the '57 body is pretty stiff. The one that mattered for me was the single front mount under the radiator support, to avoid any "droop" at the front end, which can introduce a "bulge" over the front wheel openings.

    Comment

    • Bruce B.
      Extremely Frequent Poster
      • May 31, 1996
      • 2930

      #3
      Re: Body shim question, 1957 Corvette

      John,
      Thanks for the advice, I'll pay specific attention to core support mount.
      It will be interesting since the car has a fabricated front crossmember and a dropped straight axle but still utilizes the third arm and tie rods..
      Bruce B

      Comment

      • Bruce B.
        Extremely Frequent Poster
        • May 31, 1996
        • 2930

        #4
        Re: Body shim question, 1957 Corvette

        John,
        Here are a few pictures of the straight axle in my 57 "gasser" project.
        Different from most straight axles that use a single tie rod from steering arm to steering arm.
        The original owner did a nice job and it Looks like it should work OK, I hope.




        MVC-001S.JPGMVC-002S.JPGMVC-003S.JPGMVC-004S.JPG

        Comment

        • John H.
          Beyond Control Poster
          • December 1, 1997
          • 16513

          #5
          Re: Body shim question, 1957 Corvette

          Originally posted by Bruce Bursten (27670)
          John,
          Here are a few pictures of the straight axle in my 57 "gasser" project.
          Different from most straight axles that use a single tie rod from steering arm to steering arm.
          The original owner did a nice job and it Looks like it should work OK, I hope.

          Bruce -

          Looks very sanitary! What calipers are those?

          Comment

          • Bruce B.
            Extremely Frequent Poster
            • May 31, 1996
            • 2930

            #6
            Re: Body shim question, 1957 Corvette

            John,

            The calipers were made by Airheart and are around 1967 vintage according to the brake guys.
            They are 4 puck and made of magnesium.
            They never had brake fluid in them until I lubricated them with dot 4 and disassembled them.
            The bores and pistons are perfect and the o-rings and scrapers are available from Speedway Motors.
            I have reassembled them and did a test fit and everything looks good so far.
            The only problem is that the bleeders are at the base of each caliper, but I think (I will) they can be bench bled then installed.
            They are mirror images so switching them from side to side won't change anything.

            Any thoughts on the bleeding situation?

            The car has some very nice vintage parts and work, and will be a nice period gasser when assembled.
            Thanks,
            Bruce B

            Comment

            • John H.
              Beyond Control Poster
              • December 1, 1997
              • 16513

              #7
              Re: Body shim question, 1957 Corvette

              Originally posted by Bruce Bursten (27670)

              Any thoughts on the bleeding situation?
              Bruce -

              I'd try connecting the flex hoses to the calipers so everything is tight, then hang the calipers with the bleeders at the top (and a piece of wood substituting for the width of the rotor), bleed them, then bolt the calipers back on the spindles.

              Comment

              Working...
              Searching...Please wait.
              An unexpected error was returned: 'Your submission could not be processed because you have logged in since the previous page was loaded.

              Please push the back button and reload the previous window.'
              An unexpected error was returned: 'Your submission could not be processed because the token has expired.

              Please push the back button and reload the previous window.'
              An internal error has occurred and the module cannot be displayed.
              There are no results that meet this criteria.
              Search Result for "|||"