Russ' "New" old goldpan

[Russ Winn]

I just picked up my "new" project. It's an A stamp 6 gear that needs a lot of work. Based on slotcarrod's "25 years" article, the car is a cadillac version (like the one I originally bought in 1986). There's no slop in the suspension hinges, very little wear on the outdrives and dogbones, and the tranny feels pretty good.
My intention is to make it a runner using modern wheels, body and electronics (I still use brushed motors and AM radio), while keeping the car otherwise original. I'll update my post as I move along on the project.

Also, I've noticed several people powder coat their chassis, instead of anodizing. Is powder coating a preferred method of refinishing? Or, is anodizing no longer cost-effective? If anyone has any experience with this, I'd like some feedback. Thanks in advance.

[Jay Dub]

Looks like a good start. As far as the ano vs. Powder debate, I prefer anodizing. Where I live, anodising is readily available @ reasonable costs ($20-$30 per car). I believe most powder runs do end up cheaper overall, but its a personal preference issue. One thing to note however is the work involved with the two finishes. For an anodizing job to look good, it generally requires more work in the initial finishing of the aluminum parts than with the powder coating, which is basically a painting process. -Jeff

[Russ Winn]

Thanks for the info, Jeff... It'll be a while before I'm ready to refinish the chassis. Only the underside has some minor scratches, so I'll be able to live with it for a while.
After disassembling the car, I did find some minor parts that I need to replace. So now I'm off on the great ebay hunt.

[Russ Winn]

Here's the diff rebuild using the "Jammin Jay" kit. The original bearing was shot. Thanks to "templeofspeed" for posting the pic on another thread, since the kit had no instructions and was vastly different from stock. There's no spring on the diff nut, but it uses another thrust bearing, like the one on the shaft. Also, I'm planning on running a modern (48 pitch) spur gear when I get the car running.

[jwscab]

looks good.

another thing to consider with anodizing vs powdercoating is that if the powdercoater uses a high temp, what would be considered 'normal', around 400 degrees F, you can affect the properties of the hardened aluminum. Anodizing is a 'cold' process and won't do that.

[Russ Winn]

Thanks for the extra info. As long as the process doesn't warp anything, I think I'd be good. I don't care to race it, so strength integrity shouldn't be an issue.

On a different note, I just got some steering blocks/axles/c-hubs from ebay, and they are inline axles (as opposed to the original offset type). Were those previously offered as an aftermarket option, or are they from the TQ10 version?

[scr8p]

the inline axles were used with the wide front arms.

[Russ Winn]

Thanks. I originally got them for the kingpins and extra parts, but I was debating on using the inline setup instead.

[Russ Winn]

I've managed to put a little work into the car....dye job, rebuilt shocks, diff, and hardware. I picked up a spur gear (48p/81t) from RJSpeed that's a direct bolt on for the 6gear (part #5581). I've also found some black 2.2" front and rear rims for the 1/4" axles (just waiting for the mail). Here's a few update pics as it goes along:

[Ruffy]

Looking Good!
She cleaned up nicely!

[drbelleville]

Nice car, came out looking good. I just wanted to say if you want some black servo posts, so you do not have to use the on-road ones, RPM still offers their sturdy ones in black.

[Russ Winn]

Thanks for the tip on the posts... The ones I got are from Associated. I'm not sure which car they're made for, as the package didn't specify. They're different from my TC4, and were the only servo blocks I could find at the LHS...I think they'll work fine for now.

[Soncho Ponza]

What dye did you use to get that fiberglass so dark and even, and how long did you dye it for...nice build

[jwscab]

that came out awesome! I love the black and gold combo (one of mine is exactly that).

[Ruffy]

Just use the same standard black RIT dye for the fiberglass as well. The glass needs to stay into the dye a long time, as do the parts, to get them a deep black. Just put all the parts, including shock towers, in the same hot to very warm dye solution and keep reheating as needed. You can use the microwave, I used to just fish my parts out, nuke in the microwave, then add the parts back in until the black I got was very deep with no "purple" hues visible.

I used to dye my parts back in the 80's but stopped soon after. It is pretty easy to do!