need some help: did any of the early optimas have belts?

[perry]

I bought a vintage lot that had a hotshot, ultima and optima in it. I bought it to have the optima, but I don't know which one it is since it has a belt drive and has been modified (it was set up for carpet racing).

can you guys help me with this? :











and just for kicks, here's that Ultima I got also. I really dig this little guy, and may keep it instead since it seems like parts are cheaper (except for the upper deck which the PO had made out of kydex :0

[GoMachV]

Some at the very end included the optional belt drive kit but it was just an added piece not a different version or anything. That's just a regular optima with belt conversion and a motor guard

[perry]

Some at the very end included the optional belt drive kit but it was just an added piece not a different version or anything. That's just a regular optima with belt conversion and a motor guard

ok cool, thanks. I'm trying to talk myself in to only keeping one of them, but I don't think it's working. the little ultima is really growing on me after seeing what's been done with them on here.

having a regular optima is close to what I've always wanted, the javelin.


Now to put the belt and front assembly back on the optima.

[GoMachV]

The ultima will be pretty cheap to fix and get going if you decide to keep it. Parts are easy to find

[perry]

The ultima will be pretty cheap to fix and get going if you decide to keep it. Parts are easy to find

The other plus with that is cutting into it isn't quite so dramatic as it would be cutting into an optima. I'm not a box art car kinda guy.

[Coelacanth]

The ultima will be pretty cheap to fix and get going if you decide to keep it. Parts are easy to find

The other plus with that is cutting into it isn't quite so dramatic as it would be cutting into an optima. I'm not a box art car kinda guy.

If you're not a box-art kinda guy, you're the kinda guy I respect more. Both of those cars can be made into pretty special cars, whether you decide to go resto or resto-mod. I'd keep both.

[perry]

thanks!

I'm kind of wondering how hard it would be to adapt the ultima to a rail chassis style like the optima.

[Coelacanth]

I'm not sure how you'd benefit much, going that route. Ultimas were typically upgraded with graphite chassis plates, doing away with the aluminum frame assembly entirely. You *could* adapt Optima frame rails but you'd need to bolt those rails to partial plates anyway, especially to implement the steering assembly...the Optima's steering system was functional but rather sloppy and not too precise. Hop-up ball-bearing bellcrank steering for the Ultima was 10 times better and simply bolted onto the chassis plate. Check out my OptiMutt thread for ideas on how to hop up the Ultima. I believe many of the hop-ups I used would work for the Ultima too, because the Ultima rear-end was very similar to the regular Optima.

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=30216

[perry]

I'm not sure how you'd benefit much, going that route. Ultimas were typically upgraded with graphite chassis plates, doing away with the aluminum frame assembly entirely. You *could* adapt Optima frame rails but you'd need to bolt those rails to partial plates anyway, especially to implement the steering assembly...the Optima's steering system was functional but rather sloppy and not too precise. Hop-up ball-bearing bellcrank steering for the Ultima was 10 times better and simply bolted onto the chassis plate. Check out my OptiMutt thread for ideas on how to hop up the Ultima. I believe many of the hop-ups I used would work for the Ultima too, because the Ultima rear-end was very similar to the regular Optima.

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=30216

Oh, I wouldn't want to do it to increase the performance, I'd want to do it to make it a sandrail-type buggy for fun and longer travel

[Coelacanth]

I guess just look at the Scorpion chassis to see how you'd implement that design. At both front & rear, you'd need some kind of plates bolted on there to give you mounting points for the steering & suspension arms & components, and gearbox. The frame rails would simply be acting as the bridge connecting front & rear halves of the car.

[tamiyadan]

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[Coelacanth]

The turbo optima and Salute were the top tier models before the optima mid came out. Chain drive as well.

Edited for completeness.

[tamiyadan]

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[tamiyadan]

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[Coelacanth]

Another thing that the Turbo Optima/Salute had that was probably "designed for 8.4V" was a limiter gear assembly with reverse-threaded brass lock-nut, with either a beefy single spring or several thin spring washers, instead of the solid-shaft counter gear used with the regular Optima/Javelin. The gear wasn't a slipper gear, but helped protect the gears from the shocks when landing jumps.

I also have seen some front chin skidplates and shock towers noticeably thicker than others I have, I imagine this was either an Option House part, or perhaps included with the Turbo Optima/Salute...but I could be wrong. I just know thicker shock towers and front skidplate were available, I have both kinds in my builds and parts bags.