Kadee Shims

Kadee makes a o scale coupler height gauge part number 812.

http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page812.htm

 Micro mark has shims http://www.micromark.com/o-sca...-pkg-of-60,9822.html

I use the shims from Micro Mark when I can, but they are thin and usually require a few per coupler which can get expensive. I cut my own shims out of sheet/strip styrene mostly. I did a bunch of cars at a time so I spent spent an hour or 2 cutting shims and drilling them out. You'll sometimes find that the same car, requires a different thicknees shim on each end.

Has anybody considered the possibility that the reason one might need shims to lower the coupler box night be due to the car riding too high?

1) Use Evergreen styrene in widths of .500" and thickness from .015" to over .100".

 

2) Go to the Kadee site and order their O-Scale coupler height gauge.

 

3) Try lowering the car first prior to "lowering" the Kadee mounting.

I never thought to lower the car its self! that would be a good idea and it would make it look a lot better! Whats the easiest way to do that? I have never lowered one before.

I grind the truck bolster down with a belt sander on Atlas cars. You have to disassemble the truck to do it. If you grind off .060 of an inch it should work out close.

Any caveats regarding truck clearance re: intersection of trucks with underbody details, etc?

None that I have found

Cool beans!