Subject:
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Re: Broken pieces in 8448 Supercar?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.technic
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Date:
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Wed, 1 Mar 2000 19:40:44 GMT
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Viewed:
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1605 times
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In lugnet.technic, Tony Priestman writes:
> On Tue, 29 Feb 2000, Scott A (<Fqp9pA.4CE@lugnet.com>) wrote at 16:27:07
>
> > I suppose it all depends on who you get at the other end of the line.
>
> Extremely so. I had to sent away the parts before they'd replace them.
As is well known by now, some of the early production runs of the
damped shock absorbers for the Technic line, as used in the new 8448 SuperCarII
have been prone to early failure. This is due to weak plastic at the point of
contact of the spring with the black endcaps. If you find yourself stuck with
a sample of these early failures, you may be able to get a free replacement
from Lego...or like I you may not. It seems to depend upon the phase of the
moon.
Stuck with a failed sample, I have been able to repair one with a little
epoxy and a small washer. I disavow all warranty in what follows; you're on
your own and be aware that I make no claims that these instructions will
work for everyone and for all times.
The first step is to use a sharp blade to work the black stop plug
from the clear cylinder. The plug is a friction fit, with two tabs and you
have to pull the clear cylinder away from the plug and slowly work the
plug up and out of the cylinder, a fraction of a millimeter at a time.
Work first one side of the cylinder, then the other until you can work
your way around the rim of the cylinder and free the piston assembly..
or what's left of it. You'll find a lot of plastic particles so clean the
inside of the cylinder and place it aside for later reassembly.
Pull the rubber piston off the shaft of the shock absorber. It's
held on by slipping over a small knob on the end of the shaft. This will
free the shaft and spring. You now have completed disassembly and will
work on repairing the black plug.
Clear any plastic particles remaining on the plug. You'll have to
check your junk box or a local hardware store for a washer that is exactly
1/2 inch in outside diameter and has a hole that can be easily worked out
to allow it to fit over the shaft that you removed earlier. I found a
fiber washer made that turned out to be strong and at the same time easily
worked with common household drill bits. You'll also need some epoxy glue.
Epoxy works well when the parts being glued are rough and porous. Fit
the washer into the inside of the black plug and seat it all the way to
the base. This will replace the broken portion of the assembly. When
you know you have a good fit, remove the washer, apply a bit of epoxy and
reinsert. I use a small toothpick to apply the glue. Put a littly around the
outside where the parts mate just for good measure and place aside overnight.
After the glue has hardened, use sharp drills bits and/or a reamer on
low speed to ream out the washer to where the shaft just fits through.
Reassemble first the spring over the shaft, then shaft through the black
plug and finally push the rubber piston over on the nub so the whole thing
holds together. Check the working of the spring assembly. Finally, press
the plug back into the clear cylinder. Voila'. You're finished.
You are now permitted to curse the engineers who designed the part
wrongly in the first place.
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