c2 radiator support shimming

[joe gushen]

I'm putting on my radiator support after putting my body back on. I had to get my frame strightened,(TORQUE TWIST) most of the other shims on the car had to be changed.

Is there a basic way to figure how to shim the front end? I was told to shim the sides as they lay but the passenger side gets five shims and the passenger side gets 4 the way it lies now as well as what I took off.

As far as the shims at the bottom of the support, one side had 4 the other had none. It seems to be level now but I figure I would pick a spot on each side of the front end and measure to the floor and make them even.

Am I on the right track? At what point does the hood come into play in this process if any?

Anyone?

Thanks
Joe Gushen

[mike cobine]

Re: c2 radiator support shimming

I would park it on a flat level surface, then jack the frame up to get it on a solid mounting rather than on the tires. Then measure ground to frame and ground to body.

It helps if you can get the frame equal to the ground all around, i.e., radiator mounts equal distance to ground, such as 21 inches, rather than having the frame uneven and one side 21-1/2" and the other 19-3/4" or something.

If the frame can be shimmed on the jackstands to be even, then your measurements to the body are simplified.

In my case, I'm putting on a front end, so I'll stick in so many shims on each side, then mount the nose to match. Hopefully, I won't be nose high.

[Mike McKown]

Re: c2 radiator support shimming

Quote, "As far as the shims at the bottom of the support, one side had 4 the other had none. It seems to be level now but I figure I would pick a spot on each side of the front end and measure to the floor and make them even."

"The floor" has nothing to do with it except it should be level when you're doing the shimming. That radiator support is just that, a support. Part of the purpose is to support the front body panels to prevent them from sagging but just as important, not to be exerting too much upward pressure either.

Ignore the dimension from the floor to the frame. The radiator support only sees the frame in it's normal ride height resting on four wheels. Install the side bolts. Then shim out the visual gap at the bottom plus one 1/8" shim. If there is no gap without shims, check for hard grounding of the rad support to the frame. This condition would be obvious when you are installing the side bolts.

Shims are processed to compensate for variation in the build of the assembled components so it's very likely you'll see a stack on one side and none on the other.

This operation shouldn't affect your hood fit. Four shims on one side and five on the other seems strange but hey, if that's what it takes............

[mike cobine]

Re: c2 radiator support shimming

If you measure the body to the floor you have to know the chassis frame to the floor measurement.

I doubt he has the precision beams to bolt to the chassis frame to use to measure body to chassis frame. He was checking the rest of the body, too. He had the frame straightened and so the body is off everywhere from what it was. So he really needs to check the body and frame everywhere.

It works just to put shims in until the gaps are closed, but he could end up with the body being 1/4" high to the frame on one side and 1/4" low on the other.

If the radiator support frame is hitting the chassis frame without shims, then he needs to go look at all the other body shims again. There may be too many in back forcing the nose down or too few up front letting the nose hang too low.