Caught the fever

[ALRC10]

Broke down and watched a local RC race and caught the fever again. After about 22 years of doing without, I went straight to my closet and pulled out the ol' RC10 and started dreaming. I've read alot already that you guys have posted and i'm like a massive yet low quality sponge. I'll catch up quickly to you but I have a tremendous amount to learn. Things ain't what they used to be. I snapped a couple of pics here and as most newbies on here I need advice. First thing i noticed is that all of your chassis builds are ALOT cleaner than mine. A local shop built my car for my father who gave it to me for christmas in probably 1987. Obviously the shop had no care for build quality. I know I will now have to completely disassemble and start over. However, before I do that, I want to drive it like this once more before the work begins. Look closely at the broken steering piece which I have now learned to be either a "servo saver" or "bellcrank"; please elaborate as to which it is. Looks like I have a couple of options to replace it/them but they require some machine work. No BIG deal but I have limited tools right now so I PRAY I can find some originals somewhere or find bolt in aftermarket replacements.
Next 2 problems! BOTH battery packs have leaked horribly! The 8 pack in the Futaba Magnum Jr. which corroded the contacts AND the Parma pack in the body. Unfortunately it ate the gold paint/anodizing off the body. I'm definitely going to upgrade to LiPo with a new charger. I'm in my idea gathering stage so don't worry, motor, electronics, etc. are all going thru my head. I AM hoping to race the car so something medium quality on the battery front is needed. The rest I will upgrade after the rebuild begins.
While looking at the pics, notice that the battery pack is sideways. I noticed most everyone on here has the pack running the length of the body which is SO much more efficient I would think as pertaining to handling. I guess I need to think about redesigning everything about this car. Thanks for looking and bring on the suggestions and flaming for having such a dirty example. hhhaha

[CamplinP]

Hello and welcome. I have just gotten back into RC cars a couple of years ago since the 80's. A lot has changed but I must say brushless motors and Lipo batteries are awesome. You can find a runner steering setup fairly easily on Ebay. I have heard that the Hobby King or Fly Sky 2.4ghz radios are not bad for around $20. Just make sure the esc you get has a Lipo cutoff function of there are add on cutoffs to add to older esc's.

[slotcarrod]

Welcome to rc10talk! You have a very nice car, just needs a little cleaning and the broken part can be found on eBay for now! Later, after a few posts, you can get into the buy/sell section and get one there!

[RC104ever]

Welcome! This place is a treasure trove of information and you only need to have lots of $$ and patience to rebuild that car.

The broken part is a bellcrank - there was a kit for sale in the Buy / Sell section but that will have to wait until you get access.

As mentioned, ebay is your friend. There are some parts available on Tower Hobbies as well - like the front body mounts, axles, rear hubs, battery cups and other various things. Some parts from newer cars can be adapted to make it fit your car.

One of the best things to do is upgrade to a set of 2.2" wheels and tires. JC Racing (ebay) sells wheels which fit the original axles front and back, which is one way you can go and probably the easiest to start off.

Good luck, post pics when its done!

[mrhemi1971]

Welcome to the forum! you definitely came to the right place! Whichever route you plan to take with the rebuild (Stock w/modern electrics, or full on new old race build) the knowledgebase here is priceless. Keep the questions coming too, they'll get answered!

[ALRC10]

Thanks for the welcome and responses guys. I just bought the Duratrax DTXP4235 Onyx 235 charger and now i'm shopping for LiPo batteries while taking advice from a few other threads. Bring on the suggestions. First things first though. CAN I run a LiPo battery with my ALL ORIGINAL running gear which includes the old school green manual speed control, motor, etc...??? I think I have to run an alarm so I know when to stop before damaging the battery correct?? an EZRun?

[slotcarrod]

Correct! You can run lipo's without it, but, risk running it below 6 volts and could cause damage to the cells!

[ALRC10]

Should I attempt to build and race this chassis or should I shelf it and buy another roller chassis to work on? There is "some" sentimental value but I raced it back in the day and it seems exciting to think about resurrecting it. I'm sure some of you have had this dilemma. Lets face it, that car is not in pristine shape and I can always save to original parts.

[badattitude]

I'd say if the chassis is already scratched on the bottom, run it.

[slotcarrod]

I'd say if the chassis is already scratched on the bottom, run it.

X2

[RC104ever]

I had a similar issue and decided to run mine. It's been so much fun, go get another one to be a shelf queen.

[seth556]

You used to run it, run it again and enjoy it. I think it'd be much more sentimental to tear up the track with the same thing you used to use instead of building something new and just looking at what you used to use.

If you're going to put it on a shelf it better be perfect or else you're wasting it, imo anyway. I guess I'm just looking for some racing pictures now!

[ALRC10]

MAN! You guys said EXACTLY what I was hoping. I now begin my adventure of tuning this little beast. I have so much to learn but I'm excited about it.
It is definetely scratched and gouged on the bottom of the pan hhahaha. One of the front arms is slightly cracked and I just discovered one of my original front wheel spokes is cracked in half. I just bought some new 2.2' wheels and nibber tires from traxxas for it. I'll go trade in the new NiMh battery for the LiPo and grab that new"take off" Losi ESC someone posted about. Or either something comparable. I'm keeping the old original motor and tranny in it for now until I can get the handling under control. Car is not running just yet. We put power to it with a 7cell last week and she was blazing fire from the motor and spinning the wheels WAY faster than I had ever seen in 88' with the rotten battery u see in the pics. I'm waiting on front steering components now. I bought B2 components hoping i can make something happen. I have another chassis on the way that I might be able to scavenge parts from also.

[ALRC10]

Ok I'm getting a little frustrated. I've purchased a new GT and the B2 steering setup and neither looks like they will work because the bolt diameter is way larger and the servo rod mount is in line with the bellcrank instead of being at a 90 degrees angle to it. Am I going to have to spend 20 bucks on ebay for the original USED weak bellcranks? I don't see how to make what I have work. HELP!

[nvxwax]

Ok I'm getting a little frustrated. I've purchased a new GT and the B2 steering setup and neither looks like they will work because the bolt diameter is way larger and the servo rod mount is in line with the bellcrank instead of being at a 90 degrees angle to it. Am I going to have to spend 20 bucks on ebay for the original USED weak bellcranks? I don't see how to make what I have work. HELP!

You can get a new A&L setup for it, way better then original, contact Daryl Lane on the forum

http://vintageteamaandl.com/

Its the same setup i used on my Old/New build, I replaced the original CF cross brace with a Fiberglass one to match the car)