Kyosho Ultima find.

The place for all things Kyosho.

Moderators: scr8p, klavy69

User avatar
yellowdatsun
Approved Member
Posts: 844
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:15 pm
Location: Phx, AZ

Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by yellowdatsun »

So I was at the track, and some guy saw I was racing my early 90;'s B stamp RC10T buggy conversion. He asked if I would be interested in an old Ultima. I said maybe, so he went and grabbed it from his trunk. He returned with this:

Image


Hardly a complete car, but being the sucker I am for vintage RC, a price was negotiated and it went home with me. Then plan is to do a semi stock rebuild. The body will remain stock. The non-stock shock towers will remain, and I've always hated the "1984 Corvette" wheels. So stock, with some changes.

The goal is a non-runner, although complete, shelf queen.

User avatar
yellowdatsun
Approved Member
Posts: 844
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:15 pm
Location: Phx, AZ

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by yellowdatsun »

Here's what it looks like with the Borrego wheels I'm going with. Turns out the RC10 hex is the same size as the Kyosho hex, so the rears will bolt right on. The fronts, were a bit trickier, I had to use a tube shim around the front axle to make the RC29 bearings work. On a show car, it works just fine. It also has a vintage 2 cell NiCd battery in it now.


Image


I have the (minimal) body/driver and wing ordered for it, along with the stickers. I'm going to paint the body black, or dark grey, and then apply the decals.


It will likely never get the love, admiration, and attention that the RC10 does, but I'm OK with that. I just love 80's RC cars and trucks.

Image

Image


The one thing that I REALLY love about the Ultima, is the real roll cage. Gives the car a very scale appearance, that is missing in the vast majority of RC cars.

User avatar
GoMachV
Approved Member
Posts: 11158
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:31 pm
Location: Twin Falls, ID
Has thanked: 744 times
Been thanked: 2148 times

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by GoMachV »

This is the second time I've seen that roll bar mount. Very cool setup! Surely someone out there has info on it?
It's time to stand up to the bully. Support the companies that support the industry, not the ones that tear it down. Say no to Traxxas
Factory Works website

User avatar
yellowdatsun
Approved Member
Posts: 844
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:15 pm
Location: Phx, AZ

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by yellowdatsun »

Which part exactly are you referring to?

User avatar
yellowdatsun
Approved Member
Posts: 844
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:15 pm
Location: Phx, AZ

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by yellowdatsun »

Here's a couple closer shots, to help you see what the roll bar/cage looks like:


Image

Image



I'm assuming those are RC10 gold shocks on the front, but I don't know what the rears are from.

User avatar
GoMachV
Approved Member
Posts: 11158
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:31 pm
Location: Twin Falls, ID
Has thanked: 744 times
Been thanked: 2148 times

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by GoMachV »

Fronts are kyosho golds, rears are kyosho platinums. You want the golds, sell off the platinums.

The roll bar mount in the front and on the sides is aftermarket. I assumed they were hand made but this is the second one I've seen now, making me think it was a produced part by an aftermarket company. It's not stock, the cage was mounted to the body and rotated up with the body for access.
It's time to stand up to the bully. Support the companies that support the industry, not the ones that tear it down. Say no to Traxxas
Factory Works website

User avatar
yellowdatsun
Approved Member
Posts: 844
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:15 pm
Location: Phx, AZ

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by yellowdatsun »

Interesting. I've seen these cars since new, but have never owned one, so this is a learning experience for me. Thanks for the tip on the shocks. I'll see if I can locate the correct golds for the rear.

Isn't the rear shock tower higher than stock though? Most I see are definitely shorter. Soo how do I know which rear gold shocks to buy?

Would be nice to find a stock motor for this, even if it doesn't run, just to complete the look.

User avatar
GoMachV
Approved Member
Posts: 11158
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:31 pm
Location: Twin Falls, ID
Has thanked: 744 times
Been thanked: 2148 times

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by GoMachV »

rear shock tower is the optional tower that came with the Turbo Ultima, which is also likely where the Platinum shocks came from. Just get Kyosho Long Golds and you'll be fine.
It's time to stand up to the bully. Support the companies that support the industry, not the ones that tear it down. Say no to Traxxas
Factory Works website

User avatar
DennisM
Approved Member
Posts: 2403
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2012 7:07 am
Location: Denmark
Has thanked: 30 times
Been thanked: 64 times

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by DennisM »

Yes the optional (turbo) shocktower is higher.
The Ultima is born with red 10mm shocks (8mm bore :wink: )

You really should keep the proline front rims and find a matching set of rears.

Stock motor would be mabuchi 540 black endbell IIRC. Perhaps the Lemans 05 but that would be for late run kits.
Gone fishing

User avatar
Phin
Approved Member
Posts: 2714
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2012 5:17 pm
Location: NY²
Has thanked: 59 times
Been thanked: 162 times

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by Phin »

DennisM wrote:The Ultima is born with red 10mm shocks (8mm bore :wink: )

:D

User avatar
yellowdatsun
Approved Member
Posts: 844
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:15 pm
Location: Phx, AZ

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by yellowdatsun »

I'll try to find a matching set of Prolines for the front. Those front tires are rock hard. The PO had a matching set for the rear, but they had a crack, so he pitched them, AArrgh! For the time being the car will sit with some more modern tires/wheels, just so it doesn't look so sad with no rear wheels.

As for the shocks, I'm guessing that may be pricey. If it is, I have extra gold RC10 shocks that would at least match the fronts. Only people like you guys would notice the difference :-)

I have ordered a repop of the body/driver, which should be here soon.

User avatar
Coelacanth
Approved Member
Posts: 7348
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 6:20 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada
Has thanked: 16 times
Been thanked: 270 times

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by Coelacanth »

DennisM wrote:You really should keep the proline front rims and find a matching set of rears.
I'm with Dennis on this one. I don't dig the Borrego wheel style; the bigger 2.2" diameter plus the 4WD front tires really look too big and throw off the scale proportions. If you're gonna go 2.2", maybe consider going with 2WD front tires instead.
Completed projects: CYANide Onroad Optima | Zebra Gold Optima | Barney Optima | OptiMutt RWD Mid
Gallery - Coel's Stalls: Marui Galaxy & Shogun Resto-Mods | FrankenBuff AYK Buffalo | 1987 Buick GNX RC12L3

User avatar
yellowdatsun
Approved Member
Posts: 844
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:15 pm
Location: Phx, AZ

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by yellowdatsun »

I'm all for going with the old Prolines, I really like them, but finding a set has been an effort in futility so far. I can find fronts no problem, but not rears. I just don't want the 84 Corvette wheels, I've hated those since this model was new.

As for the the Borregos, I have a ton of RC10 stuff around here, and those are from one of my RC1O projects. Being as they were free, I threw them on.

User avatar
DennisM
Approved Member
Posts: 2403
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2012 7:07 am
Location: Denmark
Has thanked: 30 times
Been thanked: 64 times

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by DennisM »

Yep, new long Kyosho golds are pricey, but if You have a rc10 in good shape, it shouldn´t be a problem to trade it for a set of shocks :mrgreen:
Gone fishing

User avatar
yellowdatsun
Approved Member
Posts: 844
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:15 pm
Location: Phx, AZ

Re: Kyosho Ultima find.

Post by yellowdatsun »

Stopped into a longtime hobby shop here locally, known the guys for decades, seriously. He said the wheels are in fact CRP, and not Prolines. He said you could tell the difference because the color of the CRP's, as they were meant to be dyed, the Prolines are more bright white. At least now I know what to search for.

He was a diehard Kyosho guy for eons, and said he's check "in his box of stuff" to see if he has anything that would work for me. He knows he doesn't have a matching set of rear wheels, but he wasn't sure what else was in that mystery box. I can't wait to check back in a week!

Post Reply

Create an account or sign in to join the discussion

You need to be a member in order to post a reply

Create an account

Not a member? register to join our community
Members can start their own topics & subscribe to topics
It’s free and only takes a minute

Register

Sign in

  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post
  • Kyosho Turbo Ultima Garage Find
    by joshua27 » » in Kyosho Forum
    11 Replies
    2211 Views
    Last post by Sparbolt
  • kyosho vanning find
    by JOESGARAGE » » in Kyosho Forum
    16 Replies
    1871 Views
    Last post by cooltoys
  • Kyosho Optima Mid Shed Find
    by Carknowledge101 » » in Kyosho Forum
    35 Replies
    5123 Views
    Last post by EvolutionRevolution
  • kyosho optima mid my $40 craigs find
    by rcdave2260 » » in Kyosho Forum
    6 Replies
    918 Views
    Last post by rcdave2260
  • Kyosho Nitro Brute barn find
    by hugger19 » » in Kyosho Forum
    3 Replies
    166 Views
    Last post by hugger19
  • Interesting find on Kyosho's Facebook page.
    by yellowdatsun » » in RC10 Buggy Forum
    1 Replies
    579 Views
    Last post by Phin
  • Kyosho Ultima II
    by DePingus » » in Kyosho Forum
    41 Replies
    10505 Views
    Last post by Diezel
  • kyosho Ultima's
    by bdrmbully » » in Kyosho Forum
    13 Replies
    1834 Views
    Last post by karnivool

Return to “Kyosho Forum”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests