Where can I get a pair of shims?

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Luegolover
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2015 10:02 pm

Where can I get a pair of shims?

#1 Post by Luegolover » Wed Nov 11, 2015 6:02 am

I have drawn a blank on a pair of shims that I need for my early Austin Healey 100 BN1 differential. The diff is fitted with two shims, one .003" and one .005" to set the correct pre-load on the front bearing and the normal Healey parts suppliers don't stock them. From about 1954 on the diff, that derived from the Austin Westminster I believe, changed in dimensions and the required parts dimensions altered somewhat.

Any idea where I can get two shims with the approximate dimensions of: 36mm O/D and 26mm I/D and thickness of .003" and .005"

All help appreciated
Steve

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JPB
Posts: 10319
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:24 pm

Re: Where can I get a pair of shims?

#2 Post by JPB » Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:49 am

Luegolover wrote:36mm O/D and 26mm I/D and thickness of .003" and .005"
Any competent, properly equipped engineering outfit should be able to stamp a pair of these out for you, but please, don't give them the numbers mixed; imperial or metric, not both. ;)

There's a manufacturer of steam locomotives, their boilers and sundries not that far from my place that can definitely make thin stuff as well as industrial gear. They made my bespoke set of (imperial) "middle finger" :oops: feeler gauges from a template that my colleagues supplied (these were a 50th birthday box from work last year). I'm down there regularly as they also do the compulsory checks for the LPG kit in a couple of my HMOs as well as making comedy measuring equipment, so if you draw a blank elsewhere, let me know and I'll ask. I'm picking up a new boiler for a student's project next February, it might be even sooner if anything else crops up.
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

sierra3dr
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Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 10:20 am

Re: Where can I get a pair of shims?

#3 Post by sierra3dr » Wed Nov 11, 2015 9:31 am


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Minxy
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Location: West Northamptonshire

Re: Where can I get a pair of shims?

#4 Post by Minxy » Wed Nov 11, 2015 5:47 pm

When I used to build gearboxes and diff's with LSD's they quite often required very thin shims beyond what was available by Audi. As said above I would cut them myself from sheet material - often so thin that I could use kitchen scissors to cut them. Perfectly adequate especially baring in mind these were rally cars and took an awful lot of punishment - certainly cannot remember a failure due to home made shims.
Never play chess with a pigeon. It will knock all the pieces over, S*#t on the board and then strut around pretending it won.

History
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Re: Where can I get a pair of shims?

#5 Post by History » Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:57 pm

The stuff is called shim stock. Brass or steel is available and it comes in a roll in a tin. Various gauges available. Engineers supplies sell it.

As said a sharp pair of scissors will cut it.

By coincidence today I made a shim today from 3 mm steel. 6" dia with a 3" hole. It's for a road spring. On top of that goes a plastic spacer then the spring. Tomorrow I will make the spacer from polypropylene. The shim is £10 and the plastic spacer ( or isolator) is £50. ( Rolls - Royce). The isolator won't take long because polypropylene machines fast, super sharp tools otherwise it starts to melt.

Making bits pleases me not to mention the huge amount of money saved over the years. Mind you sometimes I am working for a quid an hour saved. Thats the restoration game for you.

Bob.

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