How to Build RC Buggy Shocks: A Building Tutorial

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How to Build RC Buggy Shocks: A Building Tutorial

Are your damper units’ performances not up to par after the last few races? You might need to check them out then; perhaps they even need a rebuild. Luckily for you, one of our RC specialists, Brett, shared with us his own special way of building trusty shocks for his buggies! He also shared some tips and tricks on how to build high-performance damper units that will not let you down in a race. Here is Brett’s step-by-step guide to RC buggy shock building, hope it helps!

Summary 

  1. A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Build RC Buggy Shocks
  2. Watch and learn!

A Step-by-Step Guide on Building RC Buggy Shocks

Building your shocks properly will make the distinction between just having a shock package and having a GOOD shock package. The secret lies in the build, so if you want nice and consistent shocks that will last you a good day or two when racing, then this is the guide for you.

Materials you will need:

Tip: Clicking on the material will automatically redirect you to the shop where you can purchase each product directly. How convenient, right?

How to Build RC Buggy Shocks

Step One: Get the shocks off the buggy

There are two ways you can do this: you can either get all the shocks off the buggy all at once OR only get them off when you are ready to work on them. If you are going to be working on the project over a couple of nights, the latter will be better than the former; however, if you plan on finishing them all in one go, then it is best to remove them all at once. Ultimately,  it will depend on what you find easier to do.

Tip: Put the screws back loosely on the buggy after removing the shocks so you will know exactly where they came from to avoid losing or misplacing them.

Step Two: Prepare a clean workspace

Because we will be dismantling the shocks completely and replacing the oil, it is important to have a clean working area to avoid introducing any contaminants into the shock body. Give the shocks a good wipe as well before taking them apart.

Step Three: Take the springs off

Retract the spring and get the spring retainer off the shock body. The front and rear springs are usually at different lengths, so you do not need to worry about getting them confused with one another. However,  you need to take note of which spring retainer is used to lock the front or the rear spring because they often look identical.

Step Four: Measure the length of the shock

Now that your springs are out of the way, measure the length of the shock with the vernier caliper and take note of the measurements. This step is essential when assembling the shock again and is done to avoid altering the droop settings on the suspension arms, which can change the RC’s handling characteristics.

Step Five: Remove the lower mount and the shock boots

Using soft-jaw pliers, take the lower shock mount off. Make sure that you are using specialized RC shock pliers instead of regular ones in order to avoid damaging the shock shaft, which in turn can affect the burrs and the O-rings, which can potentially cause a leak.

Then, pry the shock boots off the shock using soft-jaw pliers. After removing it, give it a wipe and set it aside. We do not need to take note of the ride height. Now, you can take the preloader off the O-rings and loosen it up in order to run the threaded section through.

Step Six: Empty the bladder

Open the shock cap carefully in order to expose the bladder. Then, after opening, empty the oil into a small container and set it aside. After the bladder is emptied, examine the shock body closely and see if there is any wear in the ball from the piston or if there is anything loose inside.

Tip: You can keep a small amount of the oil and run it through the threads to keep them nice and lubricated. Dispose of the oil responsibly!

Step Seven: Take out the O-rings

Using a plastic gizmo tool, a thin blunt stick, or anything soft that you know will not scratch or damage the cartridge, take it apart. After taking it apart, you will be greeted with a familiar setup: a bush, a guide, an O-ring, another guide, and an O-ring. Take note of this order for reassembly.

Step Eight: Coat the O-rings

After removing the O-rings, wipe it with a clean cloth before coating it with grease again. Now, using O-ring grease, pack the cartridge. Coat the grease all over the O-ring. You can put the O-ring in the grease and mix it around in there to make sure that it is fully coated. The last thing we want is for the O-ring to absorb the silicon oil and cause undue friction over time.

Step Nine: Reassemble

After ensuring that the O-ring is liberally coated, reassemble the cartridge. When putting back the lower cap, do not put it back tightly; leave it as loose as possible for when the shock shaft is put through with its rough thread. Wipe over the shock shaft and check the piston to make sure that it is at the right tightness—just tight enough that there is no movement. Put a little bit of grease on the thread and push the piston all the way down. Then, put the shock boot back on and tighten up the lower shock mount. Lastly, preload the lower cartridge and make sure that it is nice and firm with no binding.

Step Ten: Measure and adjust the length

Measure and adjust to get the shock to the same length it was prior to being dismantled. Using the measurement that we took earlier and armed with a vernier caliper, measure the shocks and adjust accordingly until they are the same length as before.

Step Eleven: Prepare for bleeding

Compress the shock shaft halfway in order to make room for the oil. After this, fill the bladder with silicon oil, with the majority of the oil sitting above the piston. Pull down the piston in one smooth motion all the way down to the bottom, and then fill it again with oil up to the top. Move it up once or twice to ensure that there is no air trapped under the piston.

Step Twelve: Bleed the shocks

Put the spring retainer on the bottom, the bladder on top, and slide it to the side. Put your finger at the top of the shock body and push it in all the way. Continue pushing in until you feel the piston hit your finger. You have to squeeze it tight while holding the bladder and giving it a wipe. Now, as you are holding it compressed with one hand, let go and just let the bladder sit there. Finally, tighten the cap until you hear it click.

Tip: This step is going to be a bit messy since the excess oil will bleed out. At this point, you can use a rag or a cloth to hold the shock and absorb the oil to prevent it from getting everywhere.

Step Thirteen: Check for rebound

To check for rebound, inspect if your shock is sucking back in when moved. If it is, then your unit has rebounded and you have to rebleed. Repeat step twelve until you get satisfactory results. The ideal shock should be completely void of air with no rebounds on the piston. If you have achieved that, you can now go ahead and put the spring on, and that is one rear shock unit done!

Step Fourteen: Put the shocks back

With the damper units being freshly built, you can now put them back on the buggy. Enjoy a higher level of performance on the track with the results of your hard work!

Watch and learn! 

Still a bit confused? Watch Brett as he walks you through the process on how to build RC buggy shocks in our video down below.

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