Baja shocks

[str8jailbird]

OK, the rear shocks came today. Yeah, I know they are a tad long for the ramp but I think the extra "spring" is going to be fine for bashing. After the fronts arrive I will post pics. I didn't make plastic spacers to raise the spring retainer. I used spare pistons from the HPI shocks (12 hole pistons from the rear) to act as spring retainer spacers. They are a perfect fit. Right now I'm running 40wt in the rears.

 

[mooman007uk]

pics please.

 

[str8jailbird]

I'll post pics Saturday, getting ready for work at the moment for a 16 and a 16 tomorrow.

 

[str8jailbird]

OK, here are the pics. I used the spare (high traction/less damping) pistons as the shock spring retainer stop. Here is an assembled front shock. I still used a piece of the roll cage and widened it to fit over the shaft for the retainer to ride on and the piston gives the correct height for the retainer to not rub the a arms.





/monthly_2009_04/shock.jpg.fd259e09a066707025651de8def15922.jpg

/monthly_2009_04/shock2.jpg.5e812e26d12c7e5bec9cc543a9e2017e.jpg

 

[AlvaSpeed]

Can you just cut the shaft to the correct lenght, have it machinned (threads) and reinstalled?

 

[str8jailbird]

I'm sure you could but why go to the trouble of machining it when a spacer works? Plus the cost. The shocks come with 2 sets of pistons and it's hardly noticable.

 

[pup1970]

Can't really see the pic very well, but is there enough of the retainer going down over the piston to keep it from slipping off the shaft? That would be my only concern with your setup.

 

[str8jailbird]

That's why I used the piston. The retainer can't go past the piston, it's (the piston) is about 1.5mm wider than the retainer .

 

[str8jailbird]

You can clearly see that in the second photo. The piston is the part under the retainer with the groove, it's also black vs the gray retainer.

 

[pup1970]

I caan see that the piston won;t let the retainer go lower than it, but can you push on the side of the retainer and slip it off the shaft?

 

[str8jailbird]

Nope. The retainer has a bushing I made from part of the roll cage that is no longer used since I installed the Sprint77 rear dom. It is a very tight fit on the bushing and the spring retainer cannot expand anymore so there is no way for it to go over the shock piston. Have you ever assembled a set of HPI shocks for a Baja 5B SS??? The shafts themselves are 6mm, the spring retainer fits sungly over the shock bottom which is 9mm, the piston diameter is 17mm so I HIGHLY doubt that the spring retainer is going to expand that far to slide over the piston being used as a stop. The bushings are 6mm interior diameter with a 9.2mm outer shich is a tighter fit than the retainer sliding over the shock bottom so it won't pop off the bushing either. I assembled the shock shafts so that the piston stop goes on then the bushing then the spring retainer that slides over the bushing and is stopped by the piston to give it the correct height so it doesn't rub the lower A arm when the suspension is at full droop.

 

[pup1970]

OK, I just couldn't see the cage piece in there. I will have to remember this if I switch to baja shocks,. Thanks