My First Nitro... RC10GT Project

[AtItAgain]

Hi Everyone,

After being away from RC for about 25yrs, I am returning to the addiction I recently purchased a RC10GT that I have always wanted as a kid, but could never afford one. I have no experience with nitro, but I am fairly up to date with modern electronics and vehicles. There will be tons of questions about the rebuild process, so I am hoping I can tap into some of the knowledge around here for some help. I will try to get some pictures up shortly of what I am starting out with. Any information about the truck will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[AtItAgain]

Pictures of what I am working with. From what I can tell, this was a FT RC10GT. I've read up on the tubbed chassis and the blue chassis. I am assuming this was a blue chassis that was sanded down?

[AtItAgain]

A NIP Proline Crowd Pleazer body and an AE starter box were included in the purchase.

[AtItAgain]

The goal of this build is to take everything apart and clean, rebuild and/or replace. I plan to use this to run up and down open streets. I have two Savox 1258 servos that I was planning on using for both the throttle and steering. My main concern is the motor. I have no knowledge of what I am working with besides surfing the internet. I know it is a Sirio .12 engine, but that's about it. I am pretty handy, so if I can take this engine apart to clean and rebuild, that would be great. Any information on where I should start would be appreciated.

Thanks

[RC10th]

That looks like a great base to start with, lots of good parts there. Should be a fun truck to tear around with.

I suspect that is a Hardcore Racing titanium chassis.

Does the engine turn over nicely by hand or is it gummy?

[AtItAgain]

The motor seems to turn over pretty nice. Besides the normal dust and grime that the car caked on after sitting in someone’s garage for a very long time, everything seems to look in good shape. Thanks for the information on the chassis. I will look up more information on it.

[romulus22]

I'm rusty on chassis makers but I believe rc10th is correct. I know for sure it's not an Associated chassis.

[RC10th]

If it turns over nice and smooth without being notchy or sticky you likely don't need to rebuild it. Checking the rear bearing is always a good idea though.

[NomadRacer]

Great day! I'm envious of your project, going to be a lot of fun.

[AtItAgain]

So I finally got a chance to put in some work on the project last night. I was able to take apart the entire front end and check all of the pieces. Besides the gunk, I am glad to say that everything was in great shape and I am hopeful that things will work like new after a little TLC Simple Green followed by a warm soapy wash should bring everything back to life. I purchased the shock rebuild kit along with new rod ends just as a refresher.

[AtItAgain]

I had some questions regarding the front suspension:

1. I had some extra RC10T4 parts and after doing some internet searching, I saw that several people use the T4 caster blocks, front axles and steering blocks for a wider stance. It seems like everything fits together nicely except for the hinge pins that come with the GT. These seem a little wider than what the T4 uses. What are people doing to make these fit?... drilling wider holes in the steering and caster blocks?... using T4 pins??? Any info would be appreciated.
2. What has been the experience with people that have made this conversion? Does the truck perform better or is it just the cool factor with the wider stance?
3. Any other upgrades that can be done to the GT using T4 parts? I ask because I have several parts available.

Thanks again, guys.

[RC10th]

Personally I wouldn't do the whole T4 thing unless you were converting to run hex wheels. The stock parts are more than good enough, and stronger if anything. If you still want to use the T4 parts you'll need to drill out the hinge pin hole with a 1/8" drill bit.

Not much else transfers over from the T4. Just the ball diff, top shaft, slipper, stub axles, shocks, bearings, ball studs/cups

[AtItAgain]

Thanks for the info, 10th

[AtItAgain]

So I finally made some headway this weekend with the tear down and build up. I was very happy to see that all pieces were in great shape, but in desperate need of a detail cleaning (what a mess nitro, dirt and sitting for a few years causes ). After cleaning all of the plastics, I turned to polishing the tie rods, hinge pins and servo saver screws before installing new ball cups. I also was able to rebuild the shocks and installed a new set of springs. Just because I had the extra parts, I converted the truck to the T4 caster, trailing arm and axle. Going to see how this works as I can always resort back to the stock parts. No issues going into the GT parts after I drilled out the hinge pin holes with the recommended 1/8th bit.

[AtItAgain]

Next order was to tear down the rear end and build back up using the same process. Nothing out of the ordinary except for the amount of gunk built up. It was almost impossible to remove the hinge pins because they were covered in old crud. After everything was cleaned, polished and rebuilt, I was able to build back up with zero issues... even the shiny CVD's cleaned up nicely

I was happy to find the truck came with an RPM rear bulkhead. Looks to be bulletproof. Out came the transmission and a full clean and rebuild of the ball diff were completed. It was nice to find that all bearings were in good shape. Blasted them with motor spray followed by RC Tears and they felt smooth again.