TOPIC:

Progress! I've reassembled the front gearbox...
Take it all apart again first :



The new parts (forgot the hardened dogbones in the picture) :



Then a sequence of steps I've shown in detail before... and the result :





Changes made :

- new gearbox
- vintage FRP shock tower with the original mounts
- shiny new dogbones
- 50529 gears en cupules (is that the right word?) for the shafts
- 53141 silver lightweight king pins instead of blue
- 53968 black hard hex ball head connectors for the steering knuckles
- new U-shaped shaft (TF press parts bag)

Next is the rear...

I've finished the rear too... that only had to be disassembled up to this point :



New plastic idler gear installed and a GPM alloy motor mount...
And while the gearbox is open, it's a good opportunity to line up the pinion with the spur :



The spur is a 69T speed tuned and the pinion a 21T so I looked at this for the right hole in the motor mount :



Then some familiar steps and a final result :





Very cool to be able to adjust the rear wing in several directions with the new Top Force support.

Okay, I've discovered something weird when researching the lengths of the shocks on the Manta Ray and Top Force.
According to the TB database they should be 82mm for the front and rear - in the "B" configuration :

CVA short shock unit 50305

But that's not actually the case... the rear dampers are always 92mm - both with the CVAs as with the hi-cap dampers :


This length wouldn't be a possible option either :

Hi Cap damper, Short 53037

Measuring the CVAs I come to lengths of 92mm and 87mm.
Guess the hop up gives the car a more forward stance.

But what's going on here?
Would be nice to get a more definite answer. Googling the subject doesn't produce much more clarity...

the front springs look like they have a tighter coil on them so the initial sag may be not as much as the rears, so balancing out the ride height?

Good point but not exactly what the confusion is about...
The shocks are measured before they're fitted and I don't see the longer settings anywhere.
Thanks for the brainstorm though.

What I also noticed is that the shocks on the picture in the database have different shafts from what is originally installed.
The kit comes with a one piece :




So that's a difference at least...

The newer CVAs (50520) can be set to 80, 87 and 94mm.

buy me a set for my hopper and i will do a stringent road test evaluation for you

I'll take it into consideration.

a little hint, D15. (guess whoever did the DB used them in the rear too )

those look like plastic meccano spacers

I think Waterbok has the heart of the matter there.
The clue is in the spacers. A very generic looking part (like zephyrin mentioned) that makes a lot of difference.
Looks like they're made out of metal in the 50305 picture...

Still - going over that low res pic, I only see one pair of spacers there.
Which would lead two only two possible lengths.
Makes me wonder how long that damper shaft is...

Edit (maybe Eureka!) : I see a second pair of shafts already inside the shocks on the picture...
Quite sure now it comes with two sets that are 10mm different in length.