Turbo Optima mid SE

[radioactivity]

Hung a few more pieces on the chassis to check alignment, adjust tie rods and check for anything that I've missed so far.
And I put the rear shock tower on correctly

The springs look a lot better after their tint job.
The car still needs to come back apart for bearings and C-hubs.
And I need to make up my mind on the chassis color. Kind of been liking the polished clear look but maybe electric blue??
Then maybe on to the body.

Chuck

[Coelacanth]

That looks BLOO-tiful, Chuck.

[blast]

I'm voting for a blue chassis Anyway the car is wonderful !

[radioactivity]

I didn't really like the rear plate in black glass.
Going to try and trim up some aluminum to replace it.
Just a rough cut right now, plenty of sanding/polishing ahead.
Then try to match the anodizing.

Chuck

[radioactivity]

Well it's pretty well trimmed.

Sanded 320, 400, 800, 1000. 1500 and 3000.
A quick buff on the wheel and ...
From 6-12" inches away it looked like a mirror finish.

Back to wet sanding.
I can never really tell the final finish unless I polish the piece then either take a pic or look under my lighted magnifying lens.

Chuck

[Coelacanth]

Looks decent Chuck, but it looks like there are some earlier heavier sanding marks in there. Maybe skipping 600 grit and going from 400 to 800 grit might've caused that, or the scoring was in the original aluminum and not completely smoothed down with the 320 or 400 grit? I think those early grits can be the most important to get a nice consistent hazy surface before proceeding to the next finer grit.

[radioactivity]

Two more attempts...

The second polishing is virtually flawless to the eye. Even the previous pic looked extremely good.
Things I must keep in mind, aluminum is one of the most reflective metals, I am exaggerating the ever so slight imperfection with a bright led light , the image on my monitor is about 10X and perfection is not an option.
So, I'm done polishing. From now to anodizing it will only a touch well worn soft cotton. A paper towel will scratch the finish, ask me how I know...

I achieved this level starting with the piece in the previous post.
Wet sanded with 1000 grit then wet sanded with 3000 grit (ran out of 1500).
Took an old soft T-shirt and laid out a 10 X 10 piece on a counter top. Added a liberal amount of Turtle Wax rubbing compound to the T-shirt piece locking it down to the countertop and proceeded to polish one side then the other.
Then on to a freshly cleaned and "loaded" cotton polishing wheel. Whew!

Chuck

[Coelacanth]

That would look great in anyone's books, Chuck...the lengths we go to to polish these parts is insane. All that elbow grease to make a couple-inches piece of aluminum look great...most people would think it's silly, but anyone who's ever done aluminum polishing understands the effort and appreciates the results. Polished aluminum has a classy look that you just don't get with raw or satin-finish aluminum or chrome.

[XLR8]

Hey Chuck, everything is looking great so far.
Any updates??

[XLR8]

I didn't really like the rear plate in black glass.
Going to try and trim up some aluminum to replace it.
Just a rough cut right now, plenty of sanding/polishing ahead.
Then try to match the anodizing.



optima33.JPG

optima34.JPG



Chuck

Your metal working skills are impressive Chuck. You were wise to leave yourself a handle for this small part. I was building a gauge cluster for the dash in my Bronco interior (styrene) but after all the parts were cut-out, I had no way to handle them for assembly and I got very frustrated. It's been sitting in a box for months now and I'm reluctant to go back to it.

[radioactivity]

Hi Doug

I haven't given up on the Mid yet

I just needed to take a break and go back to my roots. The tedious nature of sanding, polishing and anodizing was getting old and I wanted a change.
So I've been working a couple of other projects that have been just sitting around and were looking pretty sad before cleaning, repair and replacement parts.

Chuck

[XLR8]

I hear ya. I can't remain on one project more than a couple months before it's time to move to something else. So the list of incomplete projects just continues to grow.
I tend to cycle between buggies, trail trucks, on-road and eventually land back at buggies again. Buggies are what initially drew me to the hobby so it's like going home.
Lately, for some unknown reason, I've felt the need to start adding stadium trucks to the RC collection so I got that going on as well.
There's always something new and different to draw one's attention, isn't there. It never ends and it never gets boring.

[radioactivity]

Just a quick update...

Thought I'd try to at least temporarily salvage the front bumper as a place keeper till I get my hands on a reasonably priced new bumper.
Still needs work but looking wayyyy better than when I got it.

optima orig bumper.JPG (43.9 KiB) Viewed 1581 times

optima orig bumper.JPG (43.9 KiB) Viewed 1581 times

Probably too glossy...

Or satin/flat finish

And broke down and bought a NIP OT SG-25 Sprocket Set.

OT25.JPG (43.14 KiB) Viewed 1581 times

OT25.JPG (43.14 KiB) Viewed 1581 times

Chuck

[XLR8]

The salvaged bumper looks great Chuck.
New ones rarely appear on ebay and they're always pricey. I seem to recall the last one I saw listed was maybe $35 or more. Anyway, if I see one listed, I'll send you a PM.

This project deserves a new bumper - no matter the cost. This car is too nice for anything less than a pristine new bumper but the one you've restored should do just fine until a new one arrives. Thanks for the update.

[radioactivity]

Need some help with a couple questions, and I know there are far more experienced Kyosho owners than me....

1st question
Front ball diff with no instructions Not the easiest instructions to find in English.
I think maybe I've got an ??early?? front ball diff.
Does it look like I may have all the parts?

What has me confused is the lack of diff rings. I don't know if the two darker metal "presser plates" on the card in the lower right of the first pic eliminate the rings?

Chuck