My TR-SC10E Project - Part 14 - Aluminum Shocks

Other than high quality tires, well built shocks make some of the biggest improvement to a vehicle's handling characteristics.  That is why I decided to upgrade my TR-SC10E to the aluminum shocks.

The stock shocks work well and I've never had a problem with them but these aluminum bodied shocks look great and have threaded collars that will allow me to fine tune my truck's ride hight.

Here's what I'll be using:

• TMS-13RC Aluminum Front Shocks
• TMS-14RC Aluminum Rear Shocks
• Team Associated 35wt Shock Oil (Front)
• Team Associated 40wt Shock Oil (Rear)
• Team Associated Black Grease
• Team Associated Green Slime Shock Lube

​Let's get started...

I started the build with the front shocks.  The instructions included with the shocks are great so this should be relatively straight forward.

I like to start my shock builds by soaking the o-rings in shock oil for a while.  This helps to lubricate and swell the o-rings in preparation for installation in the shock bodies.  The picture above shows the o-rings soaking in a small amount of shock oil

The next step was to install the o-rings inside the shock collars.  They were a little fiddly but it only took a minute or so to get them nicely seated within the groove inside the shock collars

I like to add a small amount of black grease to the shock collar o-rings when installing them on the shock bodies.  This helps them go on smoothly and also avoids accidentally loosening the shock cap when making ride height adjustments

Next up, I built the shock cartridges.  This is where the Green Slime comes in.  I like to add some of the green slide to the inside of the lower shock body and then add some to the o-rings.  The plastic collars were a snug fit so I used a Tamiya box wrench to push them into place then used my fingernail to install the snap rings

The pistons where next.  It's been a long time since I've built shocks that used e-clips...they suck!  Thankfully Redcat includes an extra e-clip as one of them shot across the room when I was trying to install it.  I heard it ting off of the wall but couldn't find it anywhere after that. 

I chose to use the 2-hole pistons for the front shock build.  The stock shock setup has 1-hole pistons.  By assembling these ones with the 2-hole pistons, I can easily swap between 1-hole and 2-hole pistons by changing the entire shock shaft assembly or even the entire shock itself.  Did I mention that I hate e-clips?

I like to put some shock oil on the shock shaft threads and add a small amount of oil in the shock body before inserting the shafts.  This helps protect the o-rings for leak causing damage

Although the instructions do not call for this, I added the plastic caps to the bottom of the shock bodies at this point.  These caps don't fit perfectly but, without them, I feel the shock o-rings are too exposed to dirt and I just don't see that small snap ring being enough to keep everything in place

​Unfortunately, that's all I have time for today...I'll try to continue with this project later in the week...

By the way, you can do me a HUGE favor by purchasing your TR-SC10E parts and hop-ups from me and also by using my Amazon link if you make any purchases at Amazon (they'll pay me a small commission)

You can also check out some of my other TR-SC10E project posts here:

Part 1 - New Body
Part 2 - ESC Mount
Part 3 - Front Bumper
Part 4 - Wheel Nuts
Part 5 - Aluminum Rear Hubs and Aluminum Steering Knuckles
​Part 6 - Rear End Upgrades
Part 7 - Front End Upgrades
​Part 8 - Ball Cups
​Part 9 - Battery Tray
Part 10 - Tires
Part 11 - Savox Servo
​Part 12 - Transmitter Upgrade
​Part 13 - T-Bone Racing Front Bumper
​
'till next time

Rob