Accurately measuring thickness of shim

[feelergaugephil]

You know you can actually put the shim in question in the bucket under the camshaft and measure it with a feelergauge, if too tight you know it's higher than the shim you took out, or if its way loose its lower than the shim you took out.
Eventually you'll work out exactly what size it is and put in a safe place with a piece of paper with it's size.........
just my 2cents worth..............

(I used to use this method years ago when I couldn't afford all those fancy tools)

 

[gggGary]

VXB bearings sells a cheapie digital caliper for $7.77 and has lots of wheel bearings in stock, the caliper helps make freight.
http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/CTGY/MotorcycleBearings
The site is a pain to navigate but they keep working on it.

 

[posplayr]

Dude, please dont take the fun out of a bunch of geeks talking tools. Geez


Personally am a micrometer fan. Olde school vernier, not digital. I have both, just like the olde school way.

Yea, shim whats a shim ; never heard of em? Now did I ever explain the little rest buttom on the digital caliper and what you can do with it.....?

 

[Johnny K]

I have the digital caliper and have measured each shim and extras, but I guess i am just a little finicky and want to know the exact size but it varies with a light squeeze and and firm squeeze of the caliper and just wanted other opinions.

 

[Redman]

...
....My question is when I am measuring the thickness of the shim with my caliper, should i make a real good snug fit or just a light fit on the shim. ....
....

I am not a machinest, nor a big gearhead. But I do work with various instrumentation.

My answer as to "real good snug fit or just a light fit" would be : how ever hard you "fit it" when you zeroed it.

... Or run it back to where the calipers are almost close to being closed together with nothing in it, then operate it with the little thumbwheel and see how hard you have to "fit it" to get it to read zero. Then when measuring something "fit it" that same amount.

... Or rezero it, and notice how tight you did that.

Actaully, you dont want to "fit it" too hard because that might wear on the calliper tips surfaces.

.

 

[posplayr]

I have the digital caliper and have measured each shim and extras, but I guess i am just a little finicky and want to know the exact size but it varies with a light squeeze and and firm squeeze of the caliper and just wanted other opinions.

The only answer was already given. You have to calibrate your own feel using a standard such as a feeler guage. Nobody can more accurately describe to you what you will feel by measuring a calibrated standard.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=1149982&postcount=5

 

[Johnny K]

Okay, thanks for clearing things up. I have a better understanding now.

 

[Detroit Diesel Man]

I agree with Posplyr...its all in the feel...when we do overheads at work..setting valves/injectors and jake brakes we always make a point to have 1 person set everything..everyone has a different feel for using feeler gauges and calipers or micrometers too..books say a "slight drag" well what i consider a slight drag is diff than what you might...select a shim or set one valve and use that as a base for how everything else should feel..once you do it a few times it comes naturally.


John

 

[posplayr]

I agree with Posplyr...its all in the feel...when we do overheads at work..setting valves/injectors and jake brakes we always make a point to have 1 person set everything..everyone has a different feel for using feeler gauges and calipers or micrometers too..books say a "slight drag" well what i consider a slight drag is diff than what you might...select a shim or set one valve and use that as a base for how everything else should feel..once you do it a few times it comes naturally.


John

With some limited success we can describe sounds; " it went Knock Knock ClankClankBunk". Difficult I know

I might get hot and bothered trying to describe how it "feeeeelsss"