I built some shocks for one of my cars and thought I would put a tutorial together while I was making them. As long as it helps one person I will be happy.
You will need 3/32" dia. and .060" dia. tube along with some 24 ga. wire to complete these shocks.
First, mark and cut two pieces of the 3/32" dia. tube to the desired length. For my model, I thought I would use 3/8". These will be used as the bodies of the shocks.
Next, mark and cut two pieces of the .060" tube. This time, add 1/16" to your previous lengths from step one. These will be used as the shock "rods".
Now, mark and cut four pieces of 3/32" dia. tube at 1/16" of an inch. These will become the shock mouting pieces.
So far you should have eight pieces. Two shock bodies, two shock "rods", and four mounting pieces.
Glue one of the mounting pieces to the to of one of the shock bodies. Glue another mounting piece to the top of the shock "rods". Repeat for the remaining pieces.
Now, cut a length of wire and wind it around a spare piece of 3/32" tubing. Don't wrap it too tightly, otherwise after you paint the shock body, you won't be able to slide the spring in place without scratching the paint.
Cut the springs to the desired length.
Paint you shocks your desired colors. For this tutorial, I painted the bodies black and the rods aluminum. All that is left to do is to slide the spring over the body. Then, insert the shock rod into the shock body.
There you go. Simple shocks in under an hour.