yeah when they break I'm gettin em'. my bulkheads where perfectly fine i jus got them for free and my buddy needed on so i swapped these on mine and putt my 3.3 bulks on his 2.5. The 3.3 bulks are a little more beefy than the 2.5 ones i noticed so now as i upgrade he wants my stock parts. I already broke one steering knuckle so i put knuckles from some traxxas vehicle (i think slayer or slasher maybe?) that were the same other than the outter bearing was a little larger. and I'm really starting to hate these shocks(stock) i put 55wt in them but that didnt really do what i was hoping.
Try those progressive rate springs that are all over ebay, I ordered a set for 10 bucks shipped and they work really well without any preload spacers. I using 50wt oil i think.
what does progressive rate do compared to what i got? i put 55wt in all mine and though it doesn't ride "smooth", it does handel jumpin' a few feet high, and works good for me for now.
They are supposed to be softer at the top to soak up small bumps and get firmer as the shock compresses to keep from bottoming out. While I haven't actually been able to feel this, they do work pretty well for me.