Latest Project: Custom MIlled Surf-Rodz

[Hubbell]

After buying 200mm Surf-Rodz roughly a year ago I noticed shortly after that I really didn't like the bushing seat. I found it restrictive and it made bushings feel just plain weird. I also hated 210mm wide hangars (Thats right 210mm, 200 + axles conversion kits = 210mm trucks... ). For a while the trucks sat on my shelf not being used, so after trying and failing to sell them a couple times for the price I wanted I decided to take things into my own hands and mill out the bushing seat, and bring in the axles.

The most important part of this process for me was the ability for the trucks to fit Stim style bushings. I found out a while back that soft Elims are AWESOME but, as many of you may know, Surfrodz just dont allow that.


GRRRRRRR


First I traced out the general shape I wanted the bushing seat to look like, which is shown below:



The plan is to have it flat and open, similar to a Radikal bushing seat (Which is RAD, for those that dont know. 60 bucks a hangar and Randal compatible, seriously buy them, I LOVE MINE).

But, I dont have access to a CNC machine, so I used what I had at my disposal; a drill press and a crapload of router bits. I used a 1/2 inch square bit, which is used normally for cutting channels in wood, or what I use for routing out wheel wells. I lined up the area I wished to open up, drilled down, and moved on.





Heres the beginning of the milling:



And done:



A little bit of of Dremel work to clean up the rough-ness, and one side is done:



IT FITS!!



I should finish up the other bushing seats tomorrow, or in the next few days at least
Stay tuned for more!

[DIDboarding]

DAMN DUDE! thats great! no truck left behind! ;D

[NickKerahs]

ive never been prouder. now let me borrow them

[waaaagh]

Folks, this is what happens in New Hampshire.


Consider yourselves warned.

Love you Harry <333

[cawlin]

Raaaaaaaaaaad

[Petary791]

If only you didn't have to do this yourself.

[Hubbell]

DAMN DUDE! thats great! no truck left behind! ;D

Thanks, thats pretty much the plan!

ive never been prouder. now let me borrow them

Buy my mids

Folks, this is what happens in New Hampshire.
Consider yourselves warned.
Love you Harry <333

<3

Raaaaaaaaaaad

Thank you, hopefully it gets better

If only you didn't have to do this yourself.

hmm, not sure how to take this... Do you mean work with a professional/send in the hangars to be milled at a machine shop? or did you simply want to help

If you mean sending them to a machine shop, well, the reasoning is simple: I dont NEED to mill these hangars. It's not something that I have to spend money on, nor would I want to. It's not exactly cost effective, especially when I could just ride the other trucks I own (Too many trucks at that). So this is more of a learning experience for me and its something I've always wanted to try!


The next step after the bushing seats is to trim down the hangars, most likely very narrow, at around 110mm... thoughts? Im thinking about putting them on a slalom setup, but am unsure about how two RKP's will feel on it... maybe one of you slalom guys who have dared venture away from the slalom forum can chime in?

[Luneth]

I think Peter wishes the hangers were available like that from the manufacturer. He wishes the results without doing the work.

[Ricks]

I think he meant they should have come this way from the factory.
Doh! Luneth beat me to it.

[Chainmaillekid]

At first I though "man, that's such a sloppy mill job" but then I realized it was a drill press and not a mill drill.
and then I was like :o

[Petary791]

My bad if it came off negative towards you. I think it's totally kick ass and you did a sweet job!

[Moo]

The next step after the bushing seats is to trim down the hangars, most likely very narrow, at around 110mm... thoughts?

How would you trim it? I don't know how far in you could trim it... wouldn't you have to re-thread the inside of the hanger for the axles? I don't know. That bushing seat looks super sick on those trucks though!

[ctrdownhill]

using a tap and die to rethread the hangers wouldn't be that difficult. You can always buy the helicoil kits at bike shops and probably find one that fits.

[Hubbell]

My bad if it came off negative towards you. I think it's totally kick ass and you did a sweet job!

Haha thank you! sometimes I totally miss the connotation of responses over the internet

How would you trim it? I don't know how far in you could trim it... wouldn't you have to re-thread the inside of the hanger for the axles? I don't know. That bushing seat looks super sick on those trucks though!

Pretty much take a bandsaw and cut the hangars down to the desired size, then as mentioned below rethread it using a tap and die.

using a tap and die to rethread the hangers wouldn't be that difficult. You can always buy the helicoil kits at bike shops and probably find one that fits.

This is exactly what I was planning on doing

[Fooser]

I know this is late, but you wanna be careful about the bushing seats... I believe (correct me if wrong) that the bushing seat is what centers the truck around the kingpin. I suppose a tight pivot cup could do the same thing, but not as well... The reason Radikals can have such a flat, open bushing seat is because they have a spherical in the hangar, which centers it.

If your planning to put a spherical bearing in the hangar, then what I just said doesn't matter.

[Luneth]

Radikals aren't always ran with spherical bearings to my knowledge.

[waaaagh]

Radikals aren't always ran with spherical bearings to my knowledge.

This, pretty sure Harry doesn't have any in his.

The next step after the bushing seats is to trim down the hangars, most likely very narrow, at around 110mm... thoughts? Im thinking about putting them on a slalom setup, but am unsure about how two RKP's will feel on it... maybe one of you slalom guys who have dared venture away from the slalom forum can chime in?

1. Trim to ~110mm
2. Put them on your Skin Deep
3. Grip Quabbin

[Hubbell]

I know this is late, but you wanna be careful about the bushing seats... I believe (correct me if wrong) that the bushing seat is what centers the truck around the kingpin. I suppose a tight pivot cup could do the same thing, but not as well... The reason Radikals can have such a flat, open bushing seat is because they have a spherical in the hangar, which centers it.

If your planning to put a spherical bearing in the hangar, then what I just said doesn't matter.

There is some truth to this, but, Rads can also be run with a urethane insert (which I am currently using). IF there is a lack of "center" I can use a surf key to act as that insert.

[Will DS]

This is awesome.

[gettinghurtispartofit]

Are surf rods all solid aluminum? It seems that in the picture... I got them and I was just wondering and hoping they were solid