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So my Edinger has the early style narrow shock cap gaskets that have shrunk (I assuming) from age as no matter how tight the caps are, oil leaks at the gasket when I cycle the shock in my hand a few times. I know the gaskets are expensive when found, my questions are do the newer style o-ring gaskets ever "squeeze" out when tighten the cap and this will be a shelf queen, should I even bother putting oil in the shocks? I know it won't make a difference except in my head (which is a huge difference). What do you guys do with your shelfers, oil or not?

Any opinions?

Early car with bottom load shocks there is always a chance of leakage. So if you don't mind tearing the car down oil them up

Top loaders seem to do better.

Tough call but I like to play it safe

I put new silicone oil in all of my shelfers. I have noticed in my own racers (now shelfers) from over 16 years ago that had silicone oil in them still had lubrication for the seals and o-rings and still hold their oil as if they were new.

I have also bought some cars where the previous owner did not have oil in the shocks and the seals did in fact shrink and harden a bit. These shocks required a rebuild as they would not hold oil for much time.

I think it is smarter in the long run based soley upon my own findings and experience to use the newer silicone oils (any weight if for a shelfer) and not the "dinosaur" oil (old petroleum based oils) in your shocks for your shelfers. In the long run I feel it is better on preserving the seals as my own cars have sat for a long time in a dark closet and I was able to just pull out two old Worlds RC10's and a B3 and go run them with nothing done to them since the shocks felt great and smooth.

The other nice thing I forgot to mention is when you pull them out to show them, the 1st thing people do is feel the suspension on the tabletop, so it eliminates that empty-bouncing-spring-only reaction the shocks have making it feel like an early old Tamiya car.

i just use o-ring grease to coat the internals of shelf cars, id need a fair bit of oil otherwise and feel it's a waste just sitting there.

I like the different opinions, thanks.

The plastic shock cap gaskets never sealed very well in my experience. I always use a little teflon tape on the threads and that takes care of any sealing issues and allows you to keep using the correct plastic gaskets for display.

I agree with Ruffy; even for a shelfer I would keep silicone oil in the shocks. If the shocks are built correctly and the bottom o-rings are new, they will not leak for decades. I haven't changed the shock oil in my oldest goldpan RC10 runner for 20 years and the shocks don't leak. That 20 years includes 15 years in storage.

I just use some green slime on the shock shaft and leave it at that.

Ruffy wrote: The other nice thing I forgot to mention is when you pull them out to show them, the 1st thing people do is feel the suspension on the tabletop, so it eliminates that empty-bouncing-spring-only reaction the shocks have making it feel like an early old Tamiya car.

I echo this sentiment... for me owning these cars is about picking them up & holding them... having a quick 'squidge' on the suspension etc, not just stare at it as it sits on the shelf. Therefore the car feels somehow wrong if its all bouncy etc.

When I build up any of my cars, I build it as if I was going to race it - replacing seals, lubricating everything correctly, re-building the diffs with new parts... & re-fill the shocks etc etc. I'm not happy with a car i've built if i'm not confident that I could just add electrics, set the slipper & go & race!

Same here Derby Dan!

Heck when I show them off with or without the battery in them, at the track or at home with friends, first thing I do or allow people to do is the drop test about 2 ft off the table or floor.People are really in awe at how the 20+ old cars suspension is as good at absorbing the impact as current cars!