Turbo Optima mid SE

[coxbros1]

Lol....i guess not

[coxbros1]

Slazzaro my apologies....i screwed up two of your replies....u aint mad are u?

[slazzaro]

Slazzaro my apologies....i screwed up two of your replies....u aint mad are u?

Mad??
Why should I be? No worries my friend!

[radioactivity]

I noticed a torn shock diaphragm (rubber cap) when rebuilding the platinums.
Haven't ordered replacement yet but when reading from the Mid SE manual

rubbercao.jpg (13.02 KiB) Viewed 1348 times

rubbercao.jpg (13.02 KiB) Viewed 1348 times

The first 2 lines show the larger caps in the smaller shocks and the smaller caps in the larger shocks???
I know there are numerous misprints in the manual, is this just an other?
Seems as if the thicker ( taller/larger) should go in larger shocks or am I missing something here?

Chuck

[coxbros1]

The Diamond One should be able to help here....he is a Platinum genius!

[TheDiamondOne]

Just keep em bone stock.

[radioactivity]

A little more research and...
This looks more like the intended set up than the assembly manual's description.

This pic is what I assumed to be correct, just can't believe every thing you read.

Chuck

[Coelacanth]

Man, every time I see pics of those outside-threaded ball-ends, I want to barf. Arguably the part most likely to wear out with offroad shocks is the very part Kyosho decided to produce differently from everyone else. Good luck finding replacements...

[radioactivity]

The ends on the car were really beat up, worn badly and very tight on the pillow balls.
I did find some but they are pretty spendy. So I made my own with a metric tap and die

Chuck

[radioactivity]

First attempt with a power supply and not the battery charger I had been using with mixed results.
This power supply allows constant current ( CC ) output as well as constant voltage ( CV ) modes.
CC is what is needed for anodizing aluminum.
So far it is seeming to work OK.
The aluminum being anodized was not perfectly polished, just a quick job to see possible results.

More to follow.


Chuck

[corvetteboy6988]

Love the use of those clamp rubber pieces to replace the oe rubber belt cover, great ingenuity!
Very close in appearance, and cant get much better considering there arent likely any replacements out there, unless they ever do a re-re.

Yes, my stock Optima Mid came with and still has the rubber belt cover part it, a bit hard due to age, but still intact.

1st time here, not sure how to add a pic, do I need to host somewhere else?

[corvetteboy6988]

Figured it out ,as an attachement.

[radioactivity]

First anodizing experiment did not go as well as I wanted.
Basically the test piece lost it's glossy appearance.
So I decided to change some of the basic 720 rule settings. https://caswellplating.com/720.html

Initially I thought the thickness of the anodizing would be best at 1 mil.
After a lot of research it seems a thickness of .2 - .5 mils will allow a glossier finish, yet not quite so durable.
This is what most anodizers probably shoot for. Glossy and reasonably durable.
I settled on .4 mils and a current density of 4 Amps/Sq Ft.
The lower current density decrease the peak voltage but increases the anodizing time.
Somewhere I think I read higher voltages can lead to a less glossy finish. But that was my reasoning.

The prep work is everything.

After sanding and polishing, cleaning all remaining residue is key.
Starting with my "go-to" cleaner warm Simple Green in an ultrasonic cleaner I found it had discolored the polished aluminum.
After repolishing and cleaning again with Simple Green the part would not pass the water break test. Water break testing is a simple test to check for the parts cleanliness.
Successful cleaning was accomplished with Dawn dishwashing liquid and a soft tooth brush. No staining and passing the water break test.

Results are pretty good so far with the new settings.
It just takes a lot of time, patience and a watchful eye.

Chuck

[Coelacanth]

First anodizing experiment did not go as well as I wanted.
Basically the test piece lost it's glossy appearance.

The prep work is everything.

After sanding and polishing, cleaning all remaining residue is key.

When I had parts anodized by 2 different guys (Pargu in Korea and someone in USA who did the anodizing for the Barney Optima, this was indeed the case. Any issues you may have with your aluminum parts, the tiniest slightest scuffs and scratches, will show clearly through the anodizing...so if you want a nice, glossy anodized finish, it's essential to do a buttload of polishing elbow-grease before anodizing.

[radioactivity]

The alloy that most of the pieces on the car is Duralumin.
Only the upper deck posts and knuckle arms appear not to be Duralumin. The knuckle arms do look to be cast so that may be challenge as well.

"Duralumin is an alloy, a trademark name given to the earliest types of the age hardenable aluminum alloys.
It is an alloy made up of 90% to 94% aluminum,4% copper, 1% magnesium and 0.5% to 1% manganese. It is a very hard alloy"

This alloy is also not known for allowing a bright finish and yellowing when anodized so this makes it a little bit more difficult to work with.

Chuck