PROJECT: RC10 Cardinal

[joeyskates]

Haha, you can see the dirt still stuck on the tires. It also had some tricks done to it to separate it from the rest of the "birds" like custom nerf wings since one of the problems with all the speed of the Checkpoint motor was getting back up to speed when the car would either rub the side of the track wall or bump into another car. The Zeta speed control itself was very trick with different accleration and braking curves that you could program, I mounted it so the optional heat sinks came through the top scoop of the mirage body for cooling and the body ended at the front of the rear shock tower not covering the tranny and motor. In the pic you can see the rear body mount just behind the speed control. Also, a lot of the nylon parts were lightened by drilling or trimming them like the rear bulkhead tie-rod mounts. As for Checkpoint motors, they were just a world apart from anything else at the time, you couldn't beat them, at least on the short dirt oval. The hardest part though was with the batteries of the time, getting your gearing right to balance between accleration/speed and getting them to last a 4 minute run.

I gotta say, I'm really enjoying this board. I've been looking for a board like this for some time and was always in disbelief that with the popularity of these cars, one didn't exist!

[Asso_man!]

nice ride dude, you really should clean that buggy in order to honor it, that's what it deserves, even if the mud is vintage too

[joeyskates]

Yeah that's what I've been up to with this car. I just screwed the front end on to take the pics as you can see from the front turnbuckles being disconnected. Also, you really can't tell but the MIP tranny is out of it and is being rebuilt as we speak, I'll have it back up to speed in no time and then I'll repost some pics.

The real problem I have is that I have everything new in package to build a new one but don't know if I should actually build it or keep everything NIP. What do you guys think, build it or not?

[Asso_man!]

build it, definitely

[Eau Rouge]

This is just me...

NIP parts aren't good for anything except for building perfect replicas of old cars. I think their only value would be to sell to someone who would want to build with them. I could be completely wrong though.

A new, in the shrink wrap car, on the other hand, might have a lot of value if you plan on reselling it someday. However, I'd be enormously tempted to build that, too.

I think when you are talking about the "value" of anything old, R/C car parts or otherwise, you imply that you eventually will want to sell it for cash. I still think that if the items are not used, the buyer for them in this case will still pay top dollar. Even when we're talking about big bucks for bodies and chassis and stuff, we don't necessarily care if it's still in the bag or good as new, if that's what we want.

Just one guy's opinion.


doug

[Eau Rouge]

Yeah, build it. And take pictures while you do!

[Asso_man!]

I totally agree with your opinion Apex...

[badhoopty]

for four or five years i just hoarded rc10 stuff. only within the last year or so have i been brave enough to build rigs and actually enjoy the hobby instead of just admiring something because hands hadnt touched it yet. i still have some stuff that i'll keep nib, but its ALOT of fun actually building.

so yea, like build it.

[justinspeed79]

BUILD IT! Thats what it was meant for, that is it's destiny!!!!

[Asso_man!]

yea but be careful, it's like some kind of drug or illness, once you begin restoring or building one, it always ends somewhere and you suddenly realize that it is finished and you have nothing more to do with your hands, only your eyes now give you some pleasure. Then you will wish to build another and another... at least that drug is only harmfull for your wallet that is going to be reducing like an empty stomach... conclusion: build it, it's meant for that and above all enjoy the building every minute, it's not going to last. I guess it's a phylosophy you can apply to life in general, I'll stop there, I'm becoming pathetic

[joeyskates]

Yeah, I think I'm going to build it with some inspiration from Doug's book. If I do, I'm going to document everything and try to make a website out of it or at the very least, post it all on here.

But hey, as for building, I know exactly what you guys are talking about, I LOVE building them. The problem I had about building or not building was the particular replica of my own racer since I'm currently building a couple of variations with some new twists. A lot of the parts for the replica build were replacement parts for my old car that I just never used since the car was just about bulletproof so I felt as if they were part of the original in some way and was there a point to having an exact copy of something I had already?

Here are a couple of pics...
In the first pic, I'm building a car that is absolutely mechanically perfect and a little more modern meaning everything is aligned and smooth and all the go fast parts being either some kind of composite, titanium, aluminum etc.

The second pic, I tried something I had an idea for as a kid. I used a wide front end "sandwich" chassis and I milled out the foam between the outer carbon sheets and put the A&L mounts for the trailing arms between them. This is as opposed to the mounts being bolted to the top of the chassis as in the first pic.

So I'll keep you guys posted on my projects and progress and again, it's a pleasure having somewhere to showcase this stuff with people who can relate and actually appreciate it.

Joe

[Asso_man!]

you're in the right way with your future ride Joey, but just try to post some more "clean" pics, the last ones are a little "foggy" to see exactly the condition and every detail

[joeyskates]

Sorry about that, I just snapped them real quick to illustrate that I definitely am a builder, I'll be taking some nice detail pics to show you some of the finer details. For now, this is the difference between putting the A&L mounts the way they are supposed to be and the way I mounted them between the carbon sheets of the chassis.

[Asso_man!]

pretty good job, but now they are no more bolted to the chassis, how do you plan to fix that

[joeyskates]

You'll get a better idea from these pics. I put a replacement mount on the right so you can see just how much of it is inside the chassis. It is still bolted where the A-arms used to bolt on but it has become an integral part of the chassis between the two carbon sheets where the foam used to be and not just something bolted to the top of it. I'm always trying to find new ways to do things, to give them my "touch" and distinguish my cars a little from simply "bolt on" stuff.




I'll give you another example on the other car, look at the front, I use a shorter inner titanium hinge pin and use a set scrwew instead of the usual e-clips.




I promise I'll get better at taking pics though