Axial EXO Terra Build – Part 10 – The Shocks

The Build – Part 10
The shocks on the EXO are the same tried-and-true units that come with most of Axial’s crawler line-up. They’re durable and are pretty smooth, so they’re a great addition to the EXO.

Build Notes:
In this step you will be dealing with shocks oils. Things could get messy so it’s advised to have some clean towels handy.

The front shock bodies and shafts are short, the rears are longer. Pay close attention that you put the shorter shock shaft with the short shock body.

During the building process, you will need to remove all of the air bubbles out of the shocks. I recommend a high-quality shock building stand like the one from Team Fast Eddy. While this one might be a bit overkill (there are cheaper plastic ones available, I prefer this on because it accepts all different types of shocks…from 1/10th up through 1/5th.

To make the entire shock-building process a little smoother, start off by removing all of the plastic shock parts from the parts trees. Don’t forget to remove any burrs or flashing prior to assembly.

Assemble the 4 shocks shafts as shown. Don’t forget to include the washer on top and below the piston.

Build the bottom shock cartridges.

Slide the larger, clear o-ring over the cartridge. This will help seal the bottom of the shocks.

SLOWLY thread the cartridge into the bottom of the shock body until you are 100% sure the cartridge is going in straight; then tighten down.

Put a drop of shock oil onto the threads of the shock shaft…

…and carefully slide it into the shock body and through the cartridge. Make sure the short front shafts go into the short front shock bodies and the longer shock shafts into the longer rear shock bodies.

Once through, slide the shaft up and down a few times to lubricate it. Then install the rubber up-stop (note the direction) and the shaft eyelet. Once completed, measure the distance from the bottom of the shock body to the top of the shaft eyelet. The two front measurements should be the same. Tighten or loosen the eyelets until they are. Do the same for the rear shocks.

Thread the ride height adjustment screw onto the body. I like to thread mine to the bottom to help keep it away from any shock oil that might pour over in the next couple of steps.

Fill the shock to the top with oil. Slide the shock shaft SLOWLY up and down to help fill the shock below the piston. You should notice the oil level drop.

Fill to the point shown in the picture (more is better than not enough) and place your shocks into your shock stand. Here is where you’ll wait about 5 minutes for any bubbles to disperse. Go get a cold drink or some cookies.

Ok, snack time over? Good. Let’s get back to it. Insert the clear bladder up into the shock cap as shown. It might take a little pursuading but you’ll want it to seat as far up in the cap as possible. DO NOT puncture the bladder!

Place the cap on the shock, tilt the shock to about a 45 degree angle and start slowing screwing the cap on. Oil might/should drip out a bit. This is expected.

When the cap is about 1/4 of the way on, push the shaft up into the body. More oil might drip out (depends on how full you filled it). Screw the cap all the way on at this point. Pull the shaft out all the way and press it back to the top. You should have about 5-10mm of rebound. Follow the same steps for the other front (or rear) shock. You want the rebound to be about the same. If it’s less, you can add a tiny bit of oil to the ‘less-rebound’ shock or re-bleed the ‘more-rebound’ shock. Get them as close as possible. Follow the same steps with the rear (or front) shocks.

Insert the short springs on the front shocks and the long springs on the rear shocks. Capture the spring with the spring cup as shown.

Press the eyelet balls into the shock caps and shaft eyelets as shown.

Set the front shocks aside (those will be attached in the next chapter). Take one of your rear shocks and slide the cap in between the EXO cage and the aluminum shock mount bracket. Slide one of the 3x18mm screws through the assembly and secure it with the locknut. Follow theses step for the other side.

Part 11 – Body, wheels and tires.
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