D'oh, Who says there's no such thing as a dumb question! I dismantled a 122 wagon, and now, when I am ready to re-assemble it, I forget how many, and where the metal shims go under the front crossmember (between the x-member and the frame rails). These are the ones which affect the front end caster. I know that a final adjustment will be required, but I just need a basic "get it to the alignment shop" setting. (I DID manage to get the upper "A" arms shims in correctly)

Bye the bye, last March someone posted a really fine COLOR wiring diagram for a 122 wagon. I downloaded it, but can't find it now. Anyone have a copy they can Email me. or maybe a link that works? Thanx

Affirmative; the shims were there when I originally removed the cross member.
I have the official workshop manual with the specs, but it gives the amount in degrees (0 to +1 degrees), and then states that two adjustment shims are required (0.07" and 0.12"). Where they are needed is missing. Shall I assume that they BOTH should be in the AFT position, i.e. rear? Now that I challenge my memory, I seem to remember two on each side, one thick and one thin. Does this sound logical?
Any insight on the wiring diagram?

I repectfully suggest you go back and re-read the manual... it doesn't say that .07 and .12 shims are required, it says that shims in those two sizes are available.

Now... if the car has never been pranged heavily, and if the last guy that put the shims in knew what he was doing, the left and right sides (at the front of the crossmember) should have had an equal thickness of shims. So if you have several shims for those two spots, best bet is to divvy them up equally, right & left.

Note - the manual states that if caster is unequal (left wheel vs right wheel) with equal shimming at both sides of the crossmember, you then shim at the upper wishbone shaft (Vclassics article notwithstanding). If the car hasn't been bent, any uneven shimming required at the wishbone will be very minimal.

Gary L
--
1971 142E ITB racer, 1973 1800ES, 2002 S60 T5

Required vs. available makes sense, although I don't think I've ever seen a 122 without the shims. The vehicle hasn't been "pranged" (great word) to the point where any obvious deformations are visible. In the Comprehensive Service Manual 1959-68 (pub. 1991)I found an illustration of what looks like an 1800 front end (horizontal bolts, as well as the vertical ones?). This picture has the shims at the FRONT of the cross member.

Every renewable bushing or joint on the front end has been replaced, so I knew I had to have it properly realigned after it was back on its wheels. I think I'm going to install 2 shims (1 thin +1 thick) at the FRONT (both sides), and get it to the alignment shop that way.

I guess the moral of the story is to do more research before I post, but maybe someone else has learned something from this one. I do seem to have just about every green book ever published, but Brickboard input just confirms what I may,
or may not have understood! Thanks all, and happy new year.

Unless you are sure that there were shims under there, I'd put it together
without shims for a start.
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

...but then be sure to take it to an alignment shop that KNOWS the caster should be set with these rather than an uneven amount, fore and aft, on the upper control arms.
See the exclamation points here: http://www.vclassics.com/archive/align.htm
Happy Holidays,
Shayne.