Team C TM4 Buggy Build – Part 9 – Shocks

Tony Phalen January 12, 2015 RC Build Blog - Team C TM4 Build 245 Views

The Build – Part 9
The Team C TM4 comes with a great set of threaded aluminum shocks. They feature a bottom load cartridge, multiple pistons and bleeder caps for easy building.

Build Notes:
We’ll be using shock fluid in this step so it’s a good idea to have some paper towels or rags handy. Also, you might want to put something down on your workspace before building. You don’t want your mom/girlfriend/wife pissed when you get shock fluid all over her nice table.

Let’s first identify all the parts we’ll be using. On the left are shorter shock bodies, used for the front. The longer shocks bodies on the right are for the rear. The cartridges and spring adjusters are the same for both.

Like the shock bodies, the two shorter shock shafts are for the front, the longer ones for the rear.

There are also a bunch of o-rings included. From the bottom left (and rotating clockwise), the red o-rings go inside the shock cartridge, the thin larger o-rings go on the outside of the top of the shock bodies (cap side), the smaller o-rings go on the outside of the lower cartridge and the thick, larger o-rings go inside the spring adjusters. Separating them will make it easier when the steps call for them.

Grab the 4 thick, large o-rings and carefully insert them into the groove in the spring adjuster. We want to do this step up front; if you get oil on your fingers (and then on the o-rings) they become a major pain to install.

Take the 8 smaller o-rings and loop them over the cartridges. 2 will go on each cartridge.

Finally, take the thin, larger o-rings and loop them over the cap-side of the shock bodies.

Next is the shock cartridge. I’ve laid out the parts in the order they will be installed. Everything goes together easily, however the snap ring might cause you a little grief. There really is no ‘best’ way to do it; just slide an end in and carefully force the other side in. Just make sure it snaps completely into the grooves in the cartridge.

Screw the cartridges on the shocks. Be careful not to ‘pinch’ the o-ring outside the shock body. If you apply a small amount of oil to the outer o-ring, it will help it seat better.

Assemble the 4 shock shafts. The front shafts get the black pistons, the rears get the white.

Put a light drop of oil onto the threads of the shaft and slide it into the shock body assembly. Press SLOWLY through the cartridge so you don’t tear the internal o-rings. Once through, screw the shock eyelet onto each shaft.

Slide the shaft up and down a few times to coat it with oil. Pop a bushing into each shock eyelet.

Fill your shocks to the top with oil. Plunge the shaft a few times, slowly, until all the bubbles rise to the top (the oil level will probably go down a bit as well). Place the shocks in a shock stand (I’ve listed a few at the bottom of this page) and fill them back up with fluid. Let them site for a few minutes while the oil rise.

Screw the top onto the shock. Slowly compress the shock; you should see some oil come out of the bleeder hole in the cap. Once compressed, screw the bleeder screw into the cap. Clean up any excess oil that has leaked out.

Thread the spring adjusters onto the shocks followed by the springs (shorter ones up front, longer in the rear) and lower spring retainers (key the opening in the retainer to the nub on the eyelet). Make sure the front spring adjusters are set equal, then set the rear spring adjusters equal. You can fine tune these when you set the ride height at the end of the build.