TOPIC:

Couple of questions concerning KZ rear shocks of the seventies.

My main query is: What is the purpose of the "insulation paper", usually orange in colour, that is present on most shocks. It is sandwiched between the top steel-chrome (or plastic) cap and a nylon collar and held in position by the tension on the shock spring. It virtually provide a cover for the inside of the cap and the top of the spring. I can post a photo if anyone does mnot understand or I haven't described it well enough.

My second query (and it is secondary)is: I have heard that chroming the shock spring sometimes causes the loss of hardness or temper of the spring and they can just lose their set and collapse to be a much shorter ineffective spring. (T or F?)

RegardZ

I know Wiregeorge will call me impatient. However, what I have found, at this popular forum, is that if I don't get an answer in 24 hrs, the question enters a "black hole" never to see the light of day, unless some astute Z-nut find it a week or so later and submits an answer.

I even addressed the title to cover all KZ's, not just my personal favourite Z1's.

Someone must know the answers. I hope someone brave, will have a go or agree they don't know either!

RegardZ.

Garn:

I wasn't ignoring you, I just can't answer your question. I assume that you are 'rebuilding' or refurbishing stock Z shocks? I posted a similar query on this site about a year ago and, like you, received not a single response. I wanted to know if the original Z shocks were 'rebuildable' in any form. I'm pretty well convinced that few people actually mess with rear shocks and the solution to shock troubles is to merely replace them. IF you can rebuild older Z shocks, let me know, I'm interested.

chrome plating does cause parts to be slightly more brittle theres a techno reason for it but i cant explain it without confusing myself.you can bake parts in oven to stress relieve them,check with plating shop on how to do it for sure.

Hydrogen imbrittlement is the term I have heard used in relation to chrome plating making stuff brittle.

Many stock shock springs are chromed though, so either it's not a problem in that use, or there is some way of dealing with it.

I'm not aware of anyone rebuilding stock shocks, or of there being and discussion of it here, might be why you don't get any informed opinions

Someone always has to be first, maybe it's your turn

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/06/03 15:10

Mcdroid, thanks for your reply.
Regarding overhauling the rear shocks, I don't believe many do overhaul these shocks, as they are a single acting sealed unit, however, some places have been known to unburnish them for overhaul and some have them converted into double-acting, then the bodies and shafts are re-chromed. It does start to get expen$ive.

My objective is to retain the bodies, re-chrome the springs and the adjusting collar, re-gal the thin spring support and, provided the shock body worked reasonably well, you had a good looking rear shock! You can usually use any shock of the same size (340-355mm eye-to-eye) around that era, particularly the Z900A4 or Z1000 as a replacement for the Z1 series body. A small slot needs to be filed in the top eye mount to locate the plastic reflector type cap.

Thanks to Steell and Wireman, I'll shall add more to hydrogen-embrittlement tomorrow and how I was told to deal with it. I may want to revive this query regarding the "insulating paper" inside the rear-shock cap, so that one of the lone guys who has the answers sees this. (I think I made a mistake in submitting a two-fold query).

When you don't get your question answered, it's a little like writing a big speel for selling an item on E-bay and not getting a bidder or even, a watcher! No offence to anyone, 'cause, as Mcdroid explained, we are all in (or have been in) the same situation.

RegardZ.

Steell & Wireman, I have also heard about this brittleness of springs after electro-plating. As Steell says it is caused through hydrogen embrittlement (which causes the metal to become brittle thru hydrogen being entrapped in the metal... See Google). This gives me a clue as to why my friend spring lost all of its "spring" and just collapsed. Some try to temper the springs after plating... the case I mentioned, the springs must have been over-tempered ie. annealed (softened).

RegardZ.

This is a picture of the paper shroud that is in most KZ's rear shocks of the seventies and no one knows what purpose they serve, or why they were necessary?

RegardZ

Post edited by: Garn, at: 2006/06/16 07:09

So, you have probably had enough time to think about the above question...
What is the paper in the rear shock for?
I'll accept anything even a guess!
Regardz.
Ps I've pased this around many guys and many forums.... Nobody knows!

ummmm..anti-squeek thing maybe? I dunno..