Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shurrey

[Trevor Jessie]

I replaced the springs on my car, and discovered that one of my kingpin/trunnions has excessive up/down play. I think I can shim it and get some more miles out of it, but I didn't have any calipers to measure for the shim. Does any one know the inner and outer dimensions for that shim. I'd like to stop by the shop today and see if they have some that will work.

PS... sorry for the thread title... I've had too much coffee!

 

[ChrisS]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

I don't have a washer in front of me, but I do have a trunnion. It measures 1-1/4" for the ID of the large recess and 5/8" for the small recess.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

Thanks Chris, is that 1.250 and .625 exact or an approximation?

 

[ChrisS]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

By caliper it is 1.259" and 0.628"

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

Thanks Again!
Jack is right... this forum(and the people here) can be a real time saver.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

Called the shop... they wanted to know what type of material. I assumed steel... but what was there originally?

 

[ChrisS]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

The thrust washer is listed as phosphor-bronze Oilite in the Bentley manual. I think that technically phospor-bronze is actually a different material than Oilite. Steel may wear the spindle and trunion if you use it long term.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

They said they have bronze, oilite in 1/16" and steel and stainless in 1/32" and 1/16". I think I can get it close. The car is no longer my daily driver, so I should be OK for quite awhile.

 

[PeterC]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

Wait a minute.... Trevor, I sent you a private email. The bronze thrust washer is an inch in diameter or so and is the bearings surface for the stub axle to kingpin. The SHIMS are the little thin washers that set the free-play of the trunion to the kingpin which if there are none, allows the trunion to clamp the stub axle solidly (bad). Adding shims allows the stub to rotate for steering. Too many, and the stub axle can move up and down. (also bad)

Trevor, if the bronze thrust washer hasn't perished, you'll probably need to remove shims. It actually sounds like the thrust washer died. Examine stuff carefully. Peter C.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

OK Thanks Peter, I got your email. The guys at the shop have a big bunch of bins, and I don't want to call and pester them again. I'll just stop by there and look myself. They are pretty good about letting me rummage (as long as I don't touch any shiney knobs on the machines!). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

I do not have a diagram handy, but you are saying that the thrust washer is most likely worn, busted and gone? Or, some bonehead (my father) used too thick of shim(s).

Trying to remember back three years... I built the drivers side and my dad built the passenger side suspension. But I think I remember that both sides were correct and felt about the same in term of freeplay.

 

[ChrisS]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

Item 17 is the thrust washer and item 18 is the clearance adjustment shim. If you have too much play then the clearance adjustment shims need to be removed and / or the thrust washer replaced. From your original post I assumed that the clearance adjustment shims were removed and you wanted to "shim it" by temporarily putting in a thicker thrust washer. Sorry if I misunderstood.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

I had it in my mind that the trunnion/kingpin freeplay was set by shims on top of the thrust washer, but after Peter's post I realized that didn't make much sense. Thanks to both of you I should be able to get something sorted.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Re: Shim, Shiminey, Shim, Shiminey, Shim Shim, Shu

OK, after a few emails from Peter, a short vacation to Colorado Springs, and a bunch of shims... I finally sorted things out.

First I removed ALL of the shims (at first I missed some that were hammered in very hard in the trunnion). After doing this one side was too tight, but the other still had vertical free play. I measured the thrust washer thickness and found one to be thinner than the other. So I switched sides. Then one side was fine without shims and the other required only one (after several trial fittings). I finished up with a couple of fresh nyloc nuts and everything seems good. Thanks for the help.