For what it's worth to help remove the body shell, here's a photo that shows where the Life-Like chassis nubs are -- just inside the outer axles at each end. It was a struggle, but I finally got the shells off. The plastic fuel tank cover is also seen that Sharky mentions.
For really tight shells, once I get them off, I LIGHTLY file down the nubs. And I mean LIGHTLY as you can always take more off but you can't put it back on!
Exactly !!! A few swipes with a jewelers file to just knock off the ends of the nubs...the part that goes too deep into the shell....
I found these old Unimates in my coupler parts pile. Did you use the Unimates in the package to the left? As for spacers, I need to look around here. I'm thinkin' that M-T packages sometimes had spacers? [PS: The Trainmaster of Montgomery was a great hobby shop that I still miss. It closed up many years ago. ]
You have to love those old prices and sometimes those store names on price stickers bring back some fond memories.
You do, in fact, use the couplers on the left with the clips and the springy piece. If you need wide spacing for sharp curves, use them as they are and use the hole at the end. If you want closer spacing, trim the shank by cutting between the holes but do take care lest you cut too much and have too thin a space on the remaining hole. Use a fres eXacto blade and magnifying devices. MT 1015/1016 packages (as well as other MT coupler packages) do, in fact, have shims. If you use more than a few of the MT couplers, your parts box will contain many of these shims. In addition, you will find many of these shims when you go looking for launched parts on the floor. You might even find an occasional shim trackside.
