The last time I attempted to proceed with the doripake shock build, I quickly discovered that I had the incorrectly sized shock piston rods. Sure, I could have pressed onward with the stock Yokomo rods, but why would I do that when I could have fancy Kazama Auto ones? So I placed my order with Banzai Hobby, and sure enough it was delivered within 5 days directly from Kanagawa in typical EMS fashion. While I was at it, I also picked up some D-LINK Adjustable Shock Cap Ends for chassis height adjustability independent of spring pre-load. So here's a sweet shot of everything all laid out, OCD style and awaiting fitting.
The D-LINK caps are super cool, and a nice shiny silver in comparison to the almost gunmetal colored Yokomo caps.
O-Rings, diaphragms and seals!
Arigato gozaimashita, Kimura-san!
The stock Yokomo piston rods, pistons and E-Clips. Those rods were about to get ditched, but I just love that everything comes separated in its own cute, little packaging!
Arigato gozaimashita, Suwa-san!
Here we go - The Kazama WPC-Treated piston rods up front, versus the stock Yokomo rods in the back. This really shows the textural and aesthetic differences between the two. Despite the fact that the Yokomo rods appear shinier, the Kazama Auto rods will actually perform better due to the WPC Treatment.
Developed in Japan, WPC treating is a metal improvement process similar to shot-peening, and is actually so extensively used in high levels of Motorsport, that WPC will not release their full process. All I know is that if it's good enough for the clutch discs in my Tomei 2-Way in the Z, then it's certainly good enough for my 1/10th sized shock rods! The process leaves a slight textured surface to the metal which will help in oil lubrication when the shocks are compressed and decompressed to keep the rods sliding smooth - and who wouldn't want that?!
Woohoo - the pistons fit onto the rods the way they should this time. It probably helps when I purchase the correct sized piston rods for the shocks I'm building. . .
E-Clips in place, these baddies are ready to drop into the shock bodies!
But first, I had the frustrating task of seating the O-Rings inside of the adjustment nuts.
Coming together. . .the adjustment nuts screwed into place on the shock bodies, and the piston rods slipped through.
With the seals in place and lower shock caps screwed down, the pistons and rods were resting nice and snug in their new home. Time to screw on the ball end caps and add the oil!
Fill 'er up!
This is such an obnoxious process. Every time I'd get to almost a comfortable spot with having those microscopic bubbles removed, I'd cycle the piston just a few more times for 100% certainty and then new bubbles would form. I eventually got there though!
Starting to get tingly feelings inside! The diaphragms were dropped into place, and then sealed down with the stock Yokomo caps paired with D-LINK adjustable shock ends.
Next up was slipping the Kazama springs into place, and making sure they would stay there with the stock Yokomo spring perches. The blue, silver and white combo almost brings a tear to the eye.
All done! I could not be happier with the outcome of these pieces! Aside from the hiccup with the piston rods, my first full-on shock build went really smooth and was a great relaxing way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon. The shocks are now fitted up to the chassis and they seem to be functioning fantastically. I can't wait to get the car actually rolling and running to see how these guys handle. The chassis of the car is pretty much all set now, with just mostly wiring and electronics stuff left to knock-out, so keep posted in the next couple weeks for those posts. The light at the end of the tunnel is promising!
武士道 - B U S H I D O!
Here's a parts list for fun as well:
-Yokomo Gradeup Conversion for Drift Package - Ver.2 (#D-015A)
-Kazama Auto Damper Piston Rods WPC Processing (#01032502)
-Kazama Auto D-LINK 31mm Spring Set (#01031129)
(I'm using the white [Soft] setting springs)
-Kazama Auto D-LINK Adjustable Shock Cap Ends (#01032301)
-Overdose Heavy Duty Ball End Cap Set White (#OD1585)
Kazama Auto has the shit you are looking for!!!
(If you get it, you get it)
No comments:
Post a Comment