Custom Shock Mounts

The stock screw-type shock mounting setup always annoyed me. For the shocks on the outside of the shock tower it created no problem. However if you ever needed to remove a shock mounting on the inside of the shock towers, you would often have to remove the motor or the fuel tank. Furthermore, when you use the RPM suspension arms, you should back the lower shock mounting screw with a nut. This makes removing and reinstalling a shock even more time consuming.

There's an easily solution to this dilemma, and it makes the shocks much easier to remove for maintenance and spring changes. The walkthrough below will fully explain the modifications needed to accomplish this.

The first thing you'll need is some music wire, which is available at most hobby stores. While you can use music wire that is the same diameter as the screws, which is 3/32 inch, I chose to use K&S Music Wire wire with a diameter of 1/8 inch. The thicker wire will be stronger than the 3/32 inch diameter wire, but it does require some additional work which will be explained later in the walkthrough. K&S also offers the 3/32 inch music wire mentioned above, if you would still prefer to go that route instead.

Once you have your music wire, you'll want to cut it into sections measuring roughly 2-1/4 inches. The exact measurement can differ slightly depending upon the shocks you use on your truck. Keep in mind that music wire is very tough stuff. You'll want to cut it with a high-speed cutting wheel, or something similar. Music wire will quickly dull a hacksaw, or band saw blade, before the music wire even gets much more than a scratch.

Next, you'll need to drill a hole straight through the shock tower. I used a 1/8 in. bit since I was using 1/8 in. diameter wire.

Once your hole is drilled through the shock tower, you'll need to slide a section of wire into it. If you're using a drill bit that matches your wire diameter, which you should be, it will be a tight fit. Drop a few drops of bearing or after-run oil into the hole, and push the wire into it. It will not go very far, and you'll probably need to use a hammer to finish getting the wire through the shock tower. Position the wire so that the same amount of wire is exposed on both sides of the shock tower as shown below.

Next you'll focus on the shock itself. Most shocks use shoulder bolts, or screws placed inside a bushing. This is necessary because the hole in the shock cap is much larger than the screw used to mount the shock. I used some Traxxas shock bushings, which can be found in this package. The Traxxas bushings should work well in most applications.

Since I was using the larger 1/8 inch wire, I used my 1/8 inch drill bit and ran it through the bushing to enlarge the middle out slightly before I installed it in the shock. A pair of needle-nose pliers, or channel locks, can be used to help hold the bushing while drilling.

Slide the bushing into the shock cap.

This step is optional, but I chose to remove the extra plastic that doesn't fit inside the shock cap's hole. If you plan on not trimming the shock bushing, make sure you account for the additional length when cutting your music wire.

Now we'll focus on the lower end of the shock. To make removal easier on this end I chose to change the mounts from screws and pivots to a ball end and cup assembly. Since the lower end of the shock will be a high stress area, I picked up a pack of RPM Rod Ends. The RPM ends are much beefier than other standard ball cups, and would be better suited for this purpose than standard ends.

You will need to trim the rod end slightly so that it fits in the lower spring retainer. All that should be required, is to trim down the edges of the hex-shape so that threaded end of the RPM part looks rounded.

Once you've completed the trimming, remove the stock pivot end and replace it with the one from RPM.

The last area for the conversion, is installing the pivot balls into the suspension arms. I chose to use Associated Pivot Balls for this, although there are several other options that could be used. Since I'm using RPM arms, and I back the lower shock mounting screw with a nut, I also picked up some Dubro lock nuts. I could have used the nuts that came with the Associated pivot balls, but I wanted the security of a locking nut.

You simply install the pivot ball in place of the stock screw on the suspension arm, and use a nut to hold the pivot ball in place if necessary.

To mount the shock to your truck, you'll simply push the shock into place on the shock tower. Keep in mind that the bushing may be tight the first few times you install it. A drop of oil inside the bushing will help it slide into place easier.

Once the shock is in position you'll need to secure it. To handle that function, I used some Dubro Dura-Collars. I used the 1/8 inch size collars, to match the 1/8 inch music wire. If you used the smaller 3/32 inch music wire, you'll want to use some 3/32 inch Dubro Dura-Collars instead.

All you need to do is simply slide them into place and tighten the grub screw down using the supplied hex wrench. I would recommend that you use thread lock such as this thread lock by Devcon, on the grub screw. The threadlock will prevent the screw from loosening up over time.

Finally snap the rod end onto the pivot ball at the lower end of the shock, and the conversion is complete.