Simple question. What are convertable body wedges and shims used for?

69 RS SS Convert

Those are to keep the doors tight. Convertibles actually "bend" slightly on different road conditions like dips since there is not roof for support..The wedges keep the door gaps fairly constant.

Paul, cavemate is correct and they do need them to maintain some body rigidity!
Every Camaro (including coupes) had the dimples in the door for the shim locations and maybe the qtrs too. There is a brass one that goes on the door at the top between the int door panel and the weatherstrip and the the plastic side went on the qtr.

Kevin

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69' SS-350 Convert, M20, 3.55 posi. Totally Disassembled & in boxes (I'm working on it!)
69'(Hugger Orange -originally, Burgundy now) Z-21 Convert 327/PG, Driver (http://www.fototime.com/BD198A2E7BF669A/standard.jpg)

Thanks,I just looked at my car and it figures,I don't have them. I see the dimples in the doors and holes in the quaters.

69 SS RS Convert.

Anyone have pics of them installed? My 67 convert. is missing them also.

I will be able to post some pics tonight, but since 69s are my thing, I'm not positive about if 67s had them. Anyone have a 67 convert that can answer that questions?

Kevin

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69' SS-350 Convert, M20, 3.55 posi. Totally Disassembled & in boxes (I'm working on it!)
69'(Hugger Orange -originally, Burgundy now) Z-21 Convert 327/PG, Driver (http://www.fototime.com/BD198A2E7BF669A/standard.jpg)

Same thing, same place, all three years.67,8,9

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Geezer

Here are the pics....

Door shim:
http://www.fototime.com/9E0AAFAC6F6729A/standard.jpg

QTR shim:
http://www.fototime.com/81443D6E4BF8D0A/standard.jpg

Paul, you have seen the ebay auction of a set of shims, right?

Kevin

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69' SS-350 Convert, M20, 3.55 posi. Totally Disassembled & in boxes (I'm working on it!)
69'(Hugger Orange -originally, Burgundy now) Z-21 Convert 327/PG, Driver (http://www.fototime.com/BD198A2E7BF669A/standard.jpg)

[This message has been edited by KevinW (edited 10-31-2001).]

Make sure you have them shimmed properly so there is slight contact. Otherwise, they're just taking up space. I have seen so many cars with them that aren't doing a thing including a 69 I saw at Carlisle that had over $80K into the restoration.

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Rick Dorion
69 RS Conv,355,M20,4.10's and I don't worry about stone chips.

I bought the Trim Parts ones and went to polish them but they were not really brass and I wore through them with Mothers to a grey metal FYI..I polished up my old ones and used the Trim Parts plastic side and shims..Mine don't touch, I shimmed them so that there is a little space..If they touch i'll know it because I polished the brass side and it will lightly scratch..many hole shots, no scratches yet!

My science experiment aside..I agree, they should slightly touch but may hurt something? The car may need a little give..Maybe the Fisher body manual has the spacing specs? Maybe touching would adversely affect the brass bushings in the door hinge pins and crack them?

Page 6-69 of the 68 Fisher Manual has the following: "The plates should contact each other to the extent of a 1/32" interference when the door is closed." Then they show a drawing of that interference. (Does that mean they each try to occupy the same 1/32 when they meet so they force the door over 1/32?)

When I first bought my 68 (Firebird conv.)in 69. I took it, under warrentee, into Pontiac to complain that the doors rattled. I remember that they told me the factory always put in too many shims. They took one/some out on both sides and it stopped rattling.

When I installed my wedges, I did so that they 'just' make contact. If they don't touch at all, its hardly worth having them there. I dabbed a little magic marker on the body side piece, and closed and opened the door and adjusted shims until I saw just a little black mark on the door piece. Thats where I left it, and it seems to be just fine.

Can anyone tell me where I might find these wedges.

Can anyone tell me where I might find these wedges.
any repo parts place www.groundup.com (http://www.groundup.com) or www.firstgen.com (http://www.firstgen.com)