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Jason1145

Fast Attack Vehicle - Upgrading to Oil Shocks

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The FAV comes with pogo stick shocks with an unusual mounting method on the front, anyone upgraded to oil shocks and what did you use, which ones did you buy?

Thanks in advance.

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Mine has Tamiya's own shock set on it, part #84258, which includes new shock towers for the front, and really nice black aluminum shocks. Unfortunately, it's discontinued, but if you poke around, you might find a set. Otherwise, you can look at the Wild One manual and try to determine which parts bags have the shock parts. They're similar, but silver instead of black.

As far as aftermarket goes, you will probably need a set of Wild One shock towers in the front, and then four fairly skinny (small diameter) shocks around 75mm in length.

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I think there's an aftermarket kit on Ebay that has the front towers and 4 shocks. Incidentally, the original Wild One used smooth bodied versions of Frog rear shocks on the rear and Hornet rear type shocks on the front. I know re-re Frog shocks will do the trick for the rear as I have them on my FAV now.

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I also used the Tamiya kit for my FAV - I think its just a black version of the Wild One setup - to be honest it doesn't work that well but it does look good :)

 

 

DSC_0016_zps59ad9f6c.JPG

DSC_0013_zps82d2786d.JPG

DSC_0007_zpsd4dd1a58.JPG

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Thanks for the replies guys some very helpful info there.

I think I'll look into the bay option with the front supports, they aren't cheap at £37.00 but they look good and are a one stop guaranteed fit.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/new-aluminum-option-parts-Truck-tires-for-TAMIYA-WILD-ONE-FAST-ATTACK-/131938032850?var=&hash=item1eb81e9cd2:m:msit2f4J7TSnOKqu8eO8SVQ

I'm surprised of the weight of the FAV in hand, much heftier than a Hornet or a DT02/DT03

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Yep, that's the kit I saw. Curious to know how nice it is. The FAV does have a nice heft to it. That, and the low CG, keep the buggy well planted. I always found it more stable and predictable than a stock Frog for instance.

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Once I get some electrics into my FAV I'll see how the handling is on the stock pogo's and decide from there, will keep updates coming though. 

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After running with the undampened shock  you're going to want oil filled dampers. Easiest route is the wild one set up. I bought a clapped out wild one with complete dampers and used them for my FAV. 

5105D1DD-492A-4AD8-AA49-E15857DEE450_zps

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20 minutes ago, Shodog said:

After running with the undampened shock  you're going to want oil filled dampers.

I second that! Not only because of the handling, but also because it both sounds and looks stupid ("click-clacking" and bobbing) when run over uneven surfaces with the original suspension.

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Thanks Shen I did think about soundproofing the clicking sound as Mokei mentioned, it was a bit annoying.

 

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43 minutes ago, Jason1145 said:

Thanks Shen I did think about soundproofing the clicking sound as Mokei mentioned, it was a bit annoying.

 

Yep about the only annoying thing about the FAV! :D 

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On 3/1/2017 at 12:15 PM, Jason1145 said:

Thanks for the replies guys some very helpful info there.

I think I'll look into the bay option with the front supports, they aren't cheap at £37.00 but they look good and are a one stop guaranteed fit.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/new-aluminum-option-parts-Truck-tires-for-TAMIYA-WILD-ONE-FAST-ATTACK-/131938032850?var=&hash=item1eb81e9cd2:m:msit2f4J7TSnOKqu8eO8SVQ

I'm surprised of the weight of the FAV in hand, much heftier than a Hornet or a DT02/DT03

Jason, did you get this damper kit for the FAV after ? Is it any good ? Looking to get oil dampers for my FAV and this seems to be the cost effective solution at the moment.

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1 hour ago, MadInventor said:

Jason, did you get this damper kit for the FAV after ? Is it any good ? Looking to get oil dampers for my FAV and this seems to be the cost effective solution at the moment.

No I sold the FAV on in favour of some touring cars :(

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3 hours ago, MadInventor said:

Jason, did you get this damper kit for the FAV after ? Is it any good ? Looking to get oil dampers for my FAV and this seems to be the cost effective solution at the moment.

I got a pair of 85mm shocks for about $10.  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Alum-F103004-85mm-Shock-Absorber-For-RC-1-10-Car-HSP-HPI-Axial/172446428326?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=471288502994&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

These are actually decent shocks.  Obviously not top of the line, but I think it's better than 80's Wild One shocks.  Spring rate can be a adjusted softer, or stiffer.  It's in good range.  Not way out of the ball park like some springs.  You can get them in all different colors too.  There is no problem up on top.  The bottom eyelet binds a bit on vintage arms. But it's such a soft material, it doesn't have much trouble fitting. (Note that the vintage swing arm is different.)  

dyDT4Wf.jpg

Re-released version has suspension mounting holes bulging out of the swing arm (mine go in).  

z9OIjvA.jpg

 

While there might be no problem mounting, the springs would be about 5mm closer to the tires in re-re.  I don't know about the clearance because I have different tires.  

For the front, 70mm shocks designed for 1/16 buggies might fit.  I haven't fit them because I can't find FAV front shock towers.  I have taller Wild One shock towers (70mm is definitely too short for Wild One). 

I thought about mounting them upside down like below.  The silver one in the photo is an old Tamiya shock.  These cheap Chinese shocks are definitely better than that silver thing.  

slvWQrP.jpg

But if you want to risk these for front shocks, they are less than $7 a pair.   

https://www.ebay.com/itm/70mm-Shock-Absorber-A285004-For-RC-HSP-1-16-Buggy-Truck-HSP-HPI-Axial-Alum/172443810356?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=471286210608&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

7p1CRc3.jpg

 

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On 5/1/2019 at 1:09 AM, Juggular said:

I got a pair of 85mm shocks for about $10.  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Alum-F103004-85mm-Shock-Absorber-For-RC-1-10-Car-HSP-HPI-Axial/172446428326?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=471288502994&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

These are actually decent shocks.  Obviously not top of the line, but I think it's better than 80's Wild One shocks.  Spring rate can be a adjusted softer, or stiffer.  It's in good range.  Not way out of the ball park like some springs.  You can get them in all different colors too.  There is no problem up on top.  The bottom eyelet binds a bit on vintage arms. But it's such a soft material, it doesn't have much trouble fitting. (Note that the vintage swing arm is different.)  

dyDT4Wf.jpg

Re-released version has suspension mounting holes bulging out of the swing arm (mine go in).  

z9OIjvA.jpg

 

While there might be no problem mounting, the springs would be about 5mm closer to the tires in re-re.  I don't know about the clearance because I have different tires.  

For the front, 70mm shocks designed for 1/16 buggies might fit.  I haven't fit them because I can't find FAV front shock towers.  I have taller Wild One shock towers (70mm is definitely too short for Wild One). 

I thought about mounting them upside down like below.  The silver one in the photo is an old Tamiya shock.  These cheap Chinese shocks are definitely better than that silver thing.  

slvWQrP.jpg

But if you want to risk these for front shocks, they are less than $7 a pair.   

https://www.ebay.com/itm/70mm-Shock-Absorber-A285004-For-RC-HSP-1-16-Buggy-Truck-HSP-HPI-Axial-Alum/172443810356?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=471286210608&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

7p1CRc3.jpg

 

Thanks for the info. I'm sort of familiar with the shocks as I bought 8 of the 1/16 items for the rear suspension for the war rig. As you say, they're pretty good quality for the price. The 1/16 shocks have 2.5mm diameter eyelets though, which makes them awkward to mount. I'm assuming that the 1/10 shocks have 3mm eyelets. I like the look of those 1/10 shocks better, as the spring goes over the damper body, which gives room for adjustment that the Tamiya oil shocks don't have (And they're impossible to find now). I did like the kit that Jason posted the link to as it comes with mountings for the front oil shocks, however I think the diameter of the front shocks is too large and will foul on the track at full lock (Already seeing this problem on my wild one). Can you tell me what the widest diameter of the rear shocks is, as I may have wheel clearance issues as I'm running TLT-1 wheels and tires on the rear of my FAV (Which is a re-re).

 

Thanks.

 

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8 hours ago, MadInventor said:

Can you tell me what the widest diameter of the rear shocks is

I think it is 17mm.  

The photo looks like 15.5mm, but that's because it was taken close up. Silly me.  

This is why a caliper should be used, but I haven't been able to find it for 2 years.  

At arms length, looking at it with left eye and right eye, it reads a hair shy of 17mm.  

N3erdpf.jpg

 

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On 5/2/2019 at 6:11 PM, Juggular said:

I think it is 17mm.  

The photo looks like 15.5mm, but that's because it was taken close up. Silly me.  

This is why a caliper should be used, but I haven't been able to find it for 2 years.  

At arms length, looking at it with left eye and right eye, it reads a hair shy of 17mm.  

N3erdpf.jpg

 

Thanks for that, I've ordered up a pair, just waiting for them to come from China now. I'm also going to have a go at fitting a left over pair of 1/16 shocks from the War Rig build on the front, but need to copy the wild one top front shock mounts to fit them. I'll post up a picture when I'm done. 

 

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The shocks turned up from China last week. 

SAM_1348.jpg

They fitted easy enough, and had enough clearance for my TLT-1 wheels and tyres

SAM_1349.jpg

As you said, they are pretty good quality for the money. Mine still needed work before use though. Both the shocks had less oil than should have been in them, and looking at the design it looks like there should be 3 O-rings sealing the damper shaft, but there were only 2 in each of the shocks I received. 

Also, the track rod end screwed onto the end of the damper shaft was extremely tight, I took them off and tapped them with an M3 tap so that they could be easily removed with fingers.

Finally, there didn't seem to be much in the way of damping, so I had a look at the piston top. The damper body is drilled to 10mm diameter, but the piston top is around 9.5mm. I had a quick look at the pile of old Tamiya yellow CVA piston heads, and they were all 9.8mm, so I replaced the standard piston heads with Tamiya items with 2 holes in. Refilled them with Tamiya soft damper oil and they were ok to fit.

Once I got them on I then found that even with max preload set on the springs, the springs did not have enough power to lift the car with my shorty 3S LiPo installed. So I decided to remove some of the Mad Max add ons. 

SAM_1350.jpg

I also got rid of the old battery box lid and replaced it with a bit of perforated stainless steel.

SAM_1351.jpg

I noticed that when I removed the air intake tubes and the weapons dispenser that they were very heavy, like the same weight as the LiPo (I finally remember it was all made from copper and brass.) I also removed the lightbar as it was getting trashed from rollovers. With all this weight removed the shocks are fine for the rear of the car.

I did keep the rear guard after chopping a bit more metal off the underside.

SAM_1356.jpg

At the same time I also tried out fitting the 1/16 shocks I had left over. I didn't have wild one front shock mounts to spare, and as they are ridiculously overpriced on Ebay I machined out 2 from a block of aluminium:

SAM_1352.jpg

SAM_1354.jpg

SAM_1355.jpg

I'm still using the original FAV lower shock mounts on the suspension arms, so with the shocks fitted the front end it higher than with the original setup. I haven't driven it yet, but it the springs seem a bit on the stiff side, and the shocks are also bent slightly inboard, even with minimal clearance between the shock tower and the top of the shock. I'll update this again when I've had a chance to try it out and see what front shocks perform like.

 

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