WARNING: XJ1100 Rear Shock Rebuild Warning

[lsippell]

I just receintly rebuilt my shocks on my XJ following the great repair tip posted by 0011mixam.

Anyone else who wishes to do this, be aware not, repeat, NOT to have the tubes chrome plated. They are stainless steel and the chrome will sooner or later chip and peel and ruin your seals!

I rebuilt mine in Dec and put about 50 miles on it when I notice shock oil on the floor under one of the shocks. Upon tear down I discovered a U shaped crack in the chrome with a small piece missing. The next day I had the tube sitting on my desk, and while on the phone to the Co. that plated them, I happened to pick up the tube an about a 1 sq. in piece flaked off a different spot from rubbing against the shop rag it was sitting on.

The plating shop called me today and told me that they thought they were carbon steel when they first plated them since they looked like they were chrome plated. They have now polished them and applied a non chrome plating that will not chip or flake.

Louis

[0011mixam]

be aware not, repeat, NOT to have the tubes chrome plated

Isippell:

Thanks for pointing this out. I don't have my XJ1100 on the road yet since I rebuilt my shocks (hopefully this spring!), so time will tell whether mine will have a problem or not.

For what it's worth, I work for an aerospace company that routinely chrome plates stainless steels, and I've been told that it should not be a problem as long as the base metal is prepared properly first. The local plating shop where I had my work done is very reputable, so I guess I'll wait and see how my shock tubes hold up before stripping them and re-plating them.

For the record, what is the "non-chrome" plating that your shop has applied now? Please keep us posted on how well that one works out. That's the beauty of this site. We all keep sharing information until we get it right.

Perry

[lsippell]

Perry,

I’m not sure what the coating is as I was talking to him on a cell phone and I was in an area of poor reception.

The shop that did them is Atlas Plating in Houston TX. I found them by doing a search for chrome plating in Google, but have since seen them highly recommended on various motorcycle sites.

The thing that really gripes me is having to buy new seals, again.

Louis

[fredintoon]

But why would you?

" be aware not, repeat, NOT to have the tubes chrome plated. They are stainless steel "
chrome plats a stainless steel component, that is. Even if the part was covered in road dirt when you dismantled it the merest rub with a cloth would show the part ain't rusted and thus in no need of re-plating even if you didn't think to see if a magnet would stick to it.

[trbig]

the merest rub with a cloth would show the part ain't rusted and thus in no need of re-plating even if you didn't think to see if a magnet would stick to it.

Unless you simply wanted to make it look better. And don't kid yourself, stainless steel will eventually rust, just not to the degree that regular steel does.


Tod

[fredintoon]

It's what stands up best that counts

" Unless you simply wanted to make it look better. And don't kid yourself, stainless steel will eventually rust, just not to the degree that regular steel does."

Hi Tod,
yes, I have seen stainless steel rust but you really gotta work to make it happen; carefully using a 400 series s/st in an anaerobic location will do it. But normal cooking stainless used as a working surface ain't gonna rust. Does polished chrome look better than polished stainless? Chrome has a blueish colour while stainless has the same yellowish tinge as nickel, it's true but no way does chrome plate peeling off in scabs look better than polished stainless.

[0011mixam]

Not Just for Looks

Guys:

The plating on the XJ shock tubes we've been discussing is not cosmetic. The original shock tubes are too soft and every set of XJ air shocks I've seen to date have deep score marks running down the length of the tubes, which in turn cause oil leaks regardless of how good the seals are. The score marks are deep enough that it would take a lot of work to polish them out, and this would probably result in too loose of a clearance between the tube and the bushing in the shock housing. Hence the attempt at plating them to restore a good seal surface. I originally wanted to hard chrome them, which is done routinely on hydraulic cylinder shafts, but that requires grinding after plating, and I was quoted $400 Cdn per tube to set-up and grind them, due to their thin wall. So I decided to take a chance on decorative chrome, which is still relatively hard but quite thin.

I should have my XJ on the road this spring, and once I get some miles on it I'll update the forum how my shocks hold up. Meanwhile, if anybody else tries a different coating or plating with good success, I hope they'll share the information as well.

[fredintoon]

if anybody else tries a different coating or plating with good success, I hope they'

Hi Perry,
I disremember the details and it was 20 years ago but there was a Winnipeg outfit that teflon coated shafts etc. Perhaps that'd work for you?

[0011mixam]

Fred:

I might be wrong, but I think that Teflon would be too soft as well. Ideally you would want a shaft (or in this case tube) material that is harder than the sleeve bearing, which is kind of like a babbitt bearing. That way if any dust, dirt, etc makes it's way past the seal it won't score the sealing surface.

Look at fork tubes. I'm not sure if they have some kind of plating on them or if they are some kind of polished stainless steel, but they are plenty hard and you don't usually see any scoring on them, despite the fact that the only thing that keeps dust and debris out of most forks is the dust seal on top.

[planedick]

Magnetic...

Not all stainless steel is non magnetic.

[Guy_b_g]

"not all stainless steel is non magnetic"

I was just about to mention that...

[Sandy H]

forks

I had a rust problem.
All I did was order a set oh nnew ones from Franks in Illinois.
268 a pair .Well worth it

[Drichey]

air shocks?

Are you guys talking about the air shocks on the 1982 xj1100?
where can I get parts and information about rebuilding them?
thanks
David

[0011mixam]

Hi David:

Welcome aboard. Here's a link to explain how to rebuild the XJ1100 rear air shocks:

XJ1100 Rear Shock Rebuild

The jury's still out on what's the best way to repair scoring on the shock tubes, as you've read previously in this thread. Feel free to weigh in if you have anything to offer.

[0011mixam]

Update on shock rebuild

For the record, I've now put more than 1300 km (about 800 miles) on my XJ1100 and so far (touch wood!) I do not have any oil leaks on my rear shocks and they are still holding air pressure. Lots of rough pavement in my neck of the woods, so I can safely say they're getting a good workout. Not to say there aren't better options, but for me, at least, the chrome plating seems to be holding up on the shock tubes. If I run into a problem in the future, I'll be the first to admit I'm wrong and let everone know they should look for something else.