Originally posted by Team CRC
Hi Gang,
We have used the Associated VCS shock in our cars for years. I believe Trinity and others do as well. In general, we have good luck with the shock. Recently, I see a few posts here and there regarding the shock popping open on not only CRC cars, but Associated and others as well.
Here are a few suggestions;
Make sure the shock is long enough for the application. On a t-bar car, you want the length of the shock to exceed the length needed when the t-bar is parallel to the chassis. On a link car, the length of the shock should be long enough allow the car to have a slight amount of rear pod droop.
Also, be sure when building the VCS, that there is not too much oil in the shock. Push the shaft all the way down before snapping the star washer into place. This should displace the most amount of oil and therefore allow the shock to build in an "unpressurized" state. If you see the star washer bulging out of it's groove when you fully compress the shock, you have too much oil in it.
Star washers are directional (not by design). The sharper side of the star washer should face toward the shaft end of the shock as you push it in the body. The "sharp" side of the washer is shiny and smoother than the rounded edge side.
Try not to re-use a star washer when rebuilding the shock. Never re-use the washer for a large important race meeting. Get a new rebuild kit and use a fresh, sharp star washer to secure the o-ring package.
Hope this helps with the VCS issue some are having.
You the Man Frank.