What is this?

[opethmike]

This fell out of my car while I was removing the passenger side quarter panel. What the heck is it?

[Jonathan]

What sort of size perspective are we talking here? Approximate dimensions? It's almost like what I envision is behind the striker pin for the door and what is holding in the captive nut. It's fairly thick though too? Otherwise it's sort of the shape of a TAB shim.

[Michael]

I'm going with TAB shim.

[opethmike]

Thanks to Sarah Heasty, it turns out it is a fender shim found only in early cars such as mine.

[David T]

While it is possible it was a shim to adjust a panel it is also possible it is from one of the Trailing Arm Bolts. In any case it is a very good idea to inspect them anyway. Pull the trailing arm shields and see if either bolt is loose or bent and if any shims are missing. Even if it is not a shim from one of the TAB's it can't hurt to check on them regularly.
David Teitelbaum

[Nicholas R]

While it is possible it was a shim to adjust a panel it is also possible it is from one of the Trailing Arm Bolts. In any case it is a very good idea to inspect them anyway. Pull the trailing arm shields and see if either bolt is loose or bent and if any shims are missing. Even if it is not a shim from one of the TAB's it can't hurt to check on them regularly.
David Teitelbaum

It is not possible that this is a trailing arm shim. That looks nothing like a trailing arm shim. The slot in a shim is just barely 12mm. That is far bigger than that. This is definitely a panel adjustment shim.

This is a trailing arm shim:
http://store.delorean.com/images/Product/medium/106680.JPG

[Jimmyvonviggle]

To me it looks like its some sort of spacer that is located underneath the rubber bumper for the bonnet. When I removed my bonnet bumper (or bonnet stopper for a better word) to replace it it sort of popped out.

[DMC5180]

It is a Fender shim. My car had several of those running the length of each fender (TOP). Mine were very rusty too.

[David T]

There was no way to see the actual size of that shim from the OP's picture. It could have been modified to be a Tab shim too. I am not arguing that it is NOT a fender shim, I am only saying it can't hurt to check the Tabs just for safety reasons even if you KNOW it is a fender shim and it fell out while you were undoing the fender.
David Teitelbaum

[dmc6960]

Sure would hate to have someone use one of these as a TAB shim and thus have major problems with it. Lets not cause confusion. It is NOT a TAB shim. It IS a fender shim.

[LEVY]

Every time you check your tires, make sure check your TAB's too, you know, for safety reasons.

Regarding your "Delorean Guru" title, Was it acquired by popular vote or it is a Self Proclaimed. title?

LEVY


There was no way to see the actual size of that shim from the OP's picture. It could have been modified to be a Tab shim too. I am not arguing that it is NOT a fender shim, I am only saying it can't hurt to check the Tabs just for safety reasons even if you KNOW it is a fender shim and it fell out while you were undoing the fender.
David Teitelbaum

[thirdmanj]

Sure would hate to have someone use one of these as a TAB shim and thus have major problems with it. Lets not cause confusion. It is NOT a TAB shim. It IS a fender shim.

A TAB? You can't have a TAB, unless you order something!

[Nicholas R]

Look just give me something without any sugar alright?

EDIT: :offtopic: lol

[thirdmanj]

Look just give me something without any sugar alright?

EDIT: :offtopic: lol

Oh wait wait.

"A TAB? You can't have a TAB unless you order something."
-Ed Bernstein

[SamHill]

Every time you check your tires, make sure check your TAB's too, you know, for safety reasons.

Regarding your "Delorean Guru" title, Was it acquired by popular vote or it is a Self Proclaimed. title?

LEVY

That was rather undeserved. Mr. T goes way back.

[Shep]

Maybe I'm wrong, but would a TAB shim really come out when removing the quarter panel? I don't see why part of the suspension would suddenly fall out when the stainless is removed. Somehow I don't think the suspension is linked to the exterior panels, and I have yet to see any car that is designed this way without the body being structural. Panel shim makes perfect sense.

See here:

This fell out of my car while I was removing the passenger side quarter panel.

[Jonathan]

Your hindsight is amazing. Go ahead and post all your brilliant answers to people's questions right off the bat. God only knows you wouldn't want the group to brainstorm a bit to spawn off new ideas if all the geniuses know all the answers right away. Of course it isn't a TAB shim. It was just a thought. Give some of the guys a break with all your after the fact reasoning of why certain answers weren't it. Dipshit.

[Shep]

Your hindsight is amazing. Go ahead and post all your brilliant answers to people's questions right off the bat. God only knows you wouldn't want the group to brainstorm a bit to spawn off new ideas if all the geniuses know all the answers right away. Of course it isn't a TAB shim. It was just a thought. Give some of the guys a break with all your after the fact reasoning of why certain answers weren't it. Dipshit.That kind of attitude was wildly uncalled for, and frankly quite offensive. This is a community forum for helping one another, not for being a complete douchebag whenever someone offers input that differs from your own. It's just a comment. Lighten up :eek7:

[Jonathan]

That kind of attitude was wildly uncalled for, and frankly quite offensive. This is a community forum for helping one another, not for being a complete douchebag whenever someone offers input that differs from your own. It's just a comment. Lighten up :eek7:

See, that's ironic, because when I read the one you posted above, it came out sounding like "of course it's not a TAB shim, don't be such a dumbass"... with all your italics and quotes pointing out why that couldn't be it. It came off to me like you were trying to show someone up, after they offered an idea up, only to be met with your after the fact analysis.

[Shep]

See, that's ironic, because when I read the one you posted above, it came out sounding like "of course it's not a TAB shim, don't be such a dumbass"... with all your italics and quotes pointing out why that couldn't be it. It came off to me like you were trying to show someone up, after they offered an idea up, only to be met with your after the fact analysis.That's certainly not the way I intended it to sound. So what if I'm a wee bit late? No need to take it personally...

[DMCMW Dave]

Maybe I'm wrong, but would a TAB shim really come out when removing the quarter panel? I don't see why part of the suspension would suddenly fall out when the stainless is removed.:

Acutally it's not all that unusual for oddball seemingly unrelated parts to fall out when taking off a quarter panel. People set small parts, or even wrenches, on the pontoon, and they fall down under the glass and lodge on the body tub seam. And stay there until the panel is removed for whatever reason.

[Dangermouse]

Interesting.

Is there supposed to be an empty gap between the pontoon and glass? Mine is filled with what looks like clear silicone.

[sdg3205]

Interesting.

Is there supposed to be an empty gap between the pontoon and glass? Mine is filled with what looks like clear silicone.

Ive got some silicone in various places around 2510, but 3205 doesnt have it.

[Shep]

Is there supposed to be an empty gap between the pontoon and glass? Mine is filled with what looks like clear silicone.Where is this, exactly? I thought the rear quarter panel glass was about an inch away from the pontoon since it's affixed from the inside. Or do you mean the rear windshield?

[Dangermouse]

I mean between the pontoon and the rear quarter panel.

Maybe it is to stop tools and shims from falling down.

[Shep]

Maybe it is to stop tools and shims from falling down.Either that, or it has something to do with rain, although I can't quite say why that would be the case.

I don't suppose you've ever taken the panel off, have you? Your VIN is fairly early, and I know the earliest VIN's had an air relief hole in the underbody that vented through the quarter panel, to allow the pressure to escape and enter when using the doors. I'm wondering if yours may have that hole. Could be that the previous owner had some issue with it (condensation, frost, temperature, etc.) and opted to seal it up the easiest way he could.

[Dangermouse]

Well I had assumed that it was water related, though I am not sure what the path would be from there to the interior.

Never had any of the panels off.

Yet.

[Shep]

I am not sure what the path would be from there to the interior.The vent leads to the rear speakers. See this thread (dmctalk.org/showthread.php?4743-Rear-quarter) for more information. The last post links to another thread with some pictures, but I do recall VIN 573's restoration thread having pictures of the bare underbody with the hole exposed (search the thread for dry ice blasting, there's a rear right 3/4 shot that shows it quite well if I recall correctly).