What tips are recommended for building new shocks?
Here are a few tips, some of which are reminders of what is already included in the FK05 instruction manual:
Composite parts preparation:
• Use a hobby knife or small wire cutters to remove the composite parts from the nylon frame. This will prevent small chunks of material from being removed if you twist the pieces off of the frame.
• Carefully use a hobby knife (at a perpendicular angle) or a fine file to gently scrape off the excess composite material that connected the composite parts to the nylon frame. This is a critical step for the shock pistons and they must be smooth and properly rounded on the sides. Too much extra material remaining will not let the piston slide through the body free. Too much material being removed will allow the shock oil to flow through the new crevice and change the dampening characteristics of the piston.
Lower shock ball joint installation:
1. Install a metal ball into the lower shock ball joint before you pre-thread or mount it. This will allow you to use pliers to grip the lower ball joint and screw it on without having fingers like the Hulk.
2. Pre-thread the lower shock ball joint using an M3x8 button head screw. Once you have the button head screw threaded in straight for a few turns, use your left hand to hold the ball joint with pliers clamped onto the metal ball and your right hand to tighten the screw in with a hex wrench. As you tighten the screw into the ball joint, be careful to leave approximately 1 to 2 millimeters of thread showing between the button head and the ball joint. You should be able to feel the screw getting harder to tighten as it pushes against the bottom of the hole in the ball joint. DO NOT over tighten or you will strip the inside of the ball joint.
3. Use a small pair of wire cutters to clamp onto the shock rod in the first groove just below where the top of the thread starts, while you tighten the lower shock ball joint onto the rod. Make sure the flat side of the wire cutters is facing towards the bottom end of the rod where the rest of the threads are (as seen in the manual). This will allow you to tighten the ball joint all the way against the flat side of the wire cutters which will leave the ball joint approximately 1 millimeter below the start of the threads on the rod.
4. Use a pair of vice grips to clamp onto the end of the wire cutters and provide more force to keep the rod from turning and slipping free from the wire cutters grasp. This will also alleviate the need for you to hold the wire cutters in place with your hand (ala Hulk
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
) and further prevent slipping.
5. While holding the rod with the wire cutters and vice grips, screw the ball joint on a few turns until there is too much resistance to screw it on with a light hold from your fingers. Then use the pliers to clamp onto the metal ball inside the ball joint and tighten the ball joint all the way until it is tightly pressed against the flat side of the wire cutters.
6. Remove the vice grips and wire cutters. You may have to use your hobby knife to remove a little bit of composite material on the top side of the ball joint near the rod, where it has been lightly shaved off of the inside lip by the wire cutters. This is normal since the pressure of the rod being threaded into the ball joint flares the composite material up and out at the top. It is critical that you remove these shavings so they do not change the height of the lower spring retaining collar as it sits on top of the lower ball joint.
Shock filling and bleeding:
• You can use procedures #3 through #14 in the of this thread.