Turbo Optima mid SE

[juicedcoupe]

Pretty soon I've got to decide on electrics...

Obviously, a 480S would look awesome in there.

[radioactivity]

Probably should have bid on the Ebay lot that had the 480s but I got a really nice 240st slated for the motor most probably.
I got a 610rv for an ESC, age appropriate, but it's big.
I just don't know yet...


Chuck

[radioactivity]

Thanks Derek

Not the easiest car I've built but it is growing on me.
Pretty soon I've got to decide on electrics...


Chuck

...and another Kyosho!...u sold us the Turbo Ultima, so u got decisions to make!...possibly a Maxum FF?

I got a couple more Kyoshos I still haven't finished yet so no more new cars for me for a while.
Don't seem to be able to finish the ones I've got.

Chuck

[juicedcoupe]

Probably should have bid on the Ebay lot that had the 480s but I got a really nice 240st slated for the motor most probably.

I'm assuming that this car will never be seriously ran, so it wouldn't matter if it was slower. A Tamiya Lightly Tuned motor has a light blue endbell and black can. You could even put a 480S decal on it.

[radioactivity]

Yeah it won't be a race car.
How bout a nice old stock AE motor, the blue on the decal almost matches the chassis.
Wouldn't that just burn someone's bacon


Chuck

[coxbros1]

I really think an original 480s is the only option for this car...u can get one and restore it and put a new decal on it...will look awesome in there!

[TheDiamondOne]

480s only Chico!

[Frankentruck]

Motors that could be good options...
.

[XLR8]

Thanks Derek

Not the easiest car I've built but it is growing on me.
Pretty soon I've got to decide on electrics...


Chuck

The car looks fantastic!

Build yourself a Schumacher CAT, Chuck, and you'll think the Mid was easy to assemble.

[radioactivity]

Thanks Derek

Not the easiest car I've built but it is growing on me.
Pretty soon I've got to decide on electrics...


Chuck

The car looks fantastic!

Build yourself a Schumacher CAT, Chuck, and you'll think the Mid was easy to assemble.

Not sure if I'm up to building a cat after this ordeal.
Maybe time to go back to AE for a while


Chuck

[radioactivity]

Still raining outside...

So a few more items added to the car.
Suspension and front CVs mostly.
Still need a few small items before thinking about motor, esc, receiver and wiring.

Chuck

[TheDiamondOne]

U dont need to think about the motor. Decision is crystal clear. 480s or bust.

[radioactivity]

Started to test fit the upper belt covers.
Ran into a difficulty trying to get the nuts on the screws that hold down the front of the top cover.
My fat fingers just can't hold the nuts in place while screwing the screw down, particularly the four front screws.
Probably brought this on myself by using stainless hardware.

While off the car, I installed the small lexan cover that goes on the bottom front of the upper deck with servo tape.
I screwed the four front screws and nuts down snug against the lexan cover and heated the nuts with a solder tip.
This melted the nuts into the lexan leaving a nice hexagonal recess to keep the nuts from spinning while tightening.
A bit of CA glue locks them in place.

Overall it doesn't seem like much but for me it makes installing the cover waaaay easier.

Chuck

[XLR8]

Looks great Chuck.
For me, the lexan belt covers are the worst parts on a vintage Mid. They're a hassle during assembly and difficult to create a dust-proof seal against the chassis plates.
The gasketed hard plastic covers on the re-re are an improvement.

[radioactivity]

Thanks Doug

I got to agree on the covers but I think I can do a reasonable job with at least the top cover now.
I had looked at going the re-re path on the top deck and upper cover. The top deck is somewhat different and to match the lower cover...
Not much room on the lower cover to be stuck down with double sided tape and I won't be drilling the chassis for the clamps.

I'm still trying to maintain a fairly "true to 1990" style with a few twists.
There still may be changes down the road, not finished yet.



Chuck