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Kelly Opfar
New User
Username: kelly_opfar

Post Number: 4
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Friday, 22 September, 2006 - 10:04:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

I've recently removed the rear bumper and bumper shocks on my '76 Shadow (SRE24700) for refurbishment. I'd like to powdercoat the shocks but an oil-filled internal reservoir and a 400 degree oven would probably be a less-than-optimal combination. I can't see why they would have anything more than a stiff spring inside. Anyone have any idea?
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David Gore
Moderator
Username: david_gore

Post Number: 647
Registered: 4-2003
Posted on Saturday, 23 September, 2006 - 12:33:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

Hi Kelly,

I will be very surprised if anyone has ever cut one of these up out of curiosity but Murphy's Law will probably apply and one of our contributors enlighten us.

Rather than powder coating this component with the attendant risks from the baking process, why not just paint it matt/satin black using pressure pack cans? If you are worried about corrosion, apply inorganic zinc paint as a primer first.
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Kelly Opfar
New User
Username: kelly_opfar

Post Number: 5
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Friday, 08 June, 2007 - 00:01:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

Curiosity got the better of me and I took apart an extra bumper shock that I had laying around. Much to my surprise, they do not have a spring inside at all but are filled with a viscous fluid and a seal/valve arrangement like an ordinary shock absorber. This seems to me to be overkill, even by Rolls Royce standards. The only way to take one apart is to use a lathe and a press and it does not go back together again. Without writing a novel, suffice it to say that I took all due safety precautions to make sure that I did not set off a loaded cannon. Powder-coating an assembled unit would not be a good idea, not only because of the fluid inside, but because of the myriad plastic and rubber seals. Regular paint does indeed seems to be the best option.