Questions about my ancient, hodgepodge RC10 graphite

[Flargen]

First, here's the dirty ol' girl:



A good friend recently got bitten by the RC bug, and has been begging me to get my crap together to race with him tomorrow. Knowing how fleeting these hobbies of mine can be, I'm trying to minimize investment, although I'll likely drop some money on a multi-charger and a couple LiPo battery packs to extend the fun beyond the 5 minutes I'm getting with my decrepit 1500 mAh NiCd packs.

My questions are thus:

• What are the factory shock lengths, in terms of stroke (as the parts are sold)? I have *no* clue what kind of shocks the rears are, but the local shop suspects they're some ancient Losis (solid aluminum mainbodies, hex plastic cap/seal around the shaft). I'm fairly certain the fronts are 0.71" and the rears are 1.32", but confirmation would be awesome. To further this question - can one run the 1.02" body shocks up front?
• Does *anyone* still make/sell 2" tires? Seems like everything on earth shifted to the 2.2" standard.
• Does anyone make/sell 2.2" wheels with the proper offset and hub diameter to work on the RC10 without modification?
• Are there any recommended axle/shaft/spindle upgrades that would allow me to use more current wheels? I know that some degree of retrofitting is possible with later-model RC10B* parts, but am not 100% sure.

Thanks in advance guys. And I've gotta say - it's damn nice to see so many of these things still alive!

[Russ Winn]

First...Welcome to the site. There's a gold mine of knowledge here.
This thread is a great place to start:
http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=24904

From what I can tell in the pic, the bell crank looks like a Losi aftermarket for the RC10. The front and rear arms look like either Andy's or RPM.
I can't see what gearbox or axles you have, but there are multiple wheels you can get, as well as modern gears (check the reference thread).

As far as shock lengths, you'll need verification from one of the historical experts here. I do know that modern Associated shafts will fit in older shocks.

Looks like you've got a nice start, but post some more detailed pics. I'm sure you can get some specific answers.

Again, welcome to the addiction.

[Phin]

The bellcranks aren't Losi but the rear shocks are. It should say right on the bellcranks who made them.

You can get modern 2.0" tires with similar treads to what you've got now from Custom Works (front) and Imex (rear).

Here's another thread you should read:
http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=8848

[klavy69]

[*]Does anyone make/sell 2.2" wheels with the proper offset and hub diameter to work on the RC10 without modification?

to keep investment to a minimum JC wheels from the UK are 100% drop in, 2.2 direct replacements.

Todd

[cochecito]

You can use GT rear hubs with proper bearings and B44 cvd, so you could fit current wheels

[Flargen]

Thanks for all the input guys. I spent about $20 piecing together B4 rear hub assemblies but hit a snag when I accidentally used T3 stub shafts, whose pin hole is slightly more inboard than needed (preventing me from seating the crosspins). A friend ordered me the proper B4 stubs, along with the dogbones just to be safe (as I think the B4 stubs sit a bit wider)... The carriers fit in my Andy's rear arms perfectly, but will this conversion even work?

With regard to using GT parts, I'd honestly rather go this route because you can still buy aluminum A-arms for both front and rear. Are the mount points similar to the standard RC10s, or would re-drilling the chassis be necessary?

[jwscab]

rear arm mounts are not the same between gold pan and rc10gt.

you may or may not have those b4 hubs and b44 cvds work for you with stock arms. it will all bolt up but you may see some binding at the bottom of the suspension travel with the bone pushed in too far.

[Flargen]

rear arm mounts are not the same between gold pan and rc10gt.

you may or may not have those b4 hubs and b44 cvds work for you with stock arms. it will all bolt up but you may see some binding at the bottom of the suspension travel with the bone pushed in too far.

That's what I'm afraid of - doesn't seem to be a middle ground in terms of dogbone length. I'm going to use the regular dogbones - no CVDs.

[Phin]

...
With regard to using GT parts, I'd honestly rather go this route because you can still buy aluminum A-arms for both front and rear. Are the mount points similar to the standard RC10s, or would re-drilling the chassis be necessary?

Don't know if you're aware of it but GT arms are much longer than the buggy arms and IMO wouldn't be a good choice for your graphite chassis. Your car would have a shorter wheelbase than a RC10T or GT and end up much too wide in the front since the buggy's nose is wider than a truck's. Second, the buggy front arm mounts you've got are narrower than the front bulkhead of a GT meaning you'll need spacers at the insides of the arms.

Lastly re-drilling the chassis to use GT arm mounts would drastically weaken the rear end of the car as the new holes would be too close to the existing arm mount holes, and eventually a jump landing will rip the screw through the chassis. If you're using aluminum arms and mounts eventually would happen sooner rather than later as the chassis would be the weakest point in the link and break first.


What transmission is mounted on your car? Is it a stealth, 6 gear or something aftermarket?

[jwscab]

I would go with Klavy's suggestion of JC racing wheels out of the UK, NOT JConcepts. 2.2", 1/4" axle, drop in and go. I have some and they are nice. The only real complaint is that the fronts are like the old school wheels and the narrow version, some modern fronts are about the same as a narrow 4wd, or wide front so tire selection could be hit or miss.

[Flargen]

Gotcha - definitely a good tip. Honestly though, my goal is to retrofit this thing *just* enough to be able to readily find replacement parts for likely breakage points (transmission, A-arms, etc).

Got a few more questions:

• Are there any drop-in A-arm replacements (both arms and chassis mounts) that will bolt directly to the RC10 graphite chassis? Team Associated parts are ideal. I noticed that the front left chassis side mount is cracked around one of the screw holes, so I'd like to address this... Aluminum all the way around ideally. I read rumors of an eBay seller "kuongkm" selling custom aluminum arms a few years ago, but it appears he no longer has anything for sale.
• I understand that the RC10 Stealth transmission (what I have) is the same as the B2/B3 transmission, but in looking at pics of the B2/B3 tranny, I'm noticing that the housing mold was a bit different - namely lacking in the rearward 2 top holes for the upper reinforcement plate. This is of concern as I've seemingly stripped the bottom rear 2 holes, which are part of the transmission housing itself.

[scr8p]

the trans in your car is not the same as the b2/b3.

[jwscab]

you can still get associated front arms and arm mounts new. the rear arms and rear arm mounts are discontinued. you can get rpm front and rear arms new. you should have a very tough time breaking the rpm arms.

occasionally you can find aluminum rear arm mounts, but once you strengthen those, the damage moves further in, such as ovaling the holes in the chassis. find yourself a few spare associated pairs on ebay(used) and you should be set for a long time.

for the stripped trans holes, add a drop of thick CA to the hole, and use a philips head screw with a touch of oil on the threads. should form threads well, while not completely sticking to the screw. the philips head is easier to get out than the undersize allen head.

[Flargen]

the trans in your car is not the same as the b2/b3.

Thanks for clarifying this - not sure why I've seen so much info indicating otherwise, but examination of B2/B3 transmission pics and my own transmission confirm this truth. The B2/B3 transmissions only seem to have 2 bottom screws, whereas the B1 Stealth has 4 on the bottom, 2 on top (for the reinforcement plate to tie to the rear bulkhead or shock tower, whatever it is).

you can still get associated front arms and arm mounts new. the rear arms and rear arm mounts are discontinued. you can get rpm front and rear arms new. you should have a very tough time breaking the rpm arms.

occasionally you can find aluminum rear arm mounts, but once you strengthen those, the damage moves further in, such as ovaling the holes in the chassis. find yourself a few spare associated pairs on ebay(used) and you should be set for a long time.

for the stripped trans holes, add a drop of thick CA to the hole, and use a philips head screw with a touch of oil on the threads. should form threads well, while not completely sticking to the screw. the philips head is easier to get out than the undersize allen head.

I have *NO* clue how I overlooked RPM given how huge their name was back in the day, but thanks for the tip! Their arms are by far the best NIB options I've seen yet. Your suggestion to use the arms as a fuse/sacrificial pieces makes perfect sense now that you mention it.

I was thinking about doing something similar (I was even looking at RTV since I have tons of it), but clarify something for me - what do you mean by CA?

I did also find this gem:

http://www.rcsoup.com/2013/01/aluminum-original-rc10-stealth-transmission-case/

I'm honestly willing to put a bit of money into this car, so this might be a permanent solution to the stripped hole problem.

Does anyone still sell the gold pan motor plates and braces new, in-box? Mine are scuffed and bent to hell and back, and the only Stealth plate I found on eBay is going for $50 (with the $6 original price tag clearly marked). I've seen some beautiful restorations here and am wanting to do my own now.

[scr8p]

no one makes motor plates. if you want new associated pieces, you will pay a premium for them.