Newbie (kid found a rc10 at his grandpa's)

[Setser1991]

Hey everyone thanks for the add. Kinda new to the rc world. My 7 yo son found a old rc at his grandpa's. Mostly intact. Battery will for sure need replaced. Just wanted a little help figuring out exactly what he has. He is very interested in fixing it up some. Just wondering what would be the best direction to go and what to look for on what needs replaced. I was able to connect an old battery to it and it will go and will steer.

[romulus22]

IMO I’d throw a budget 2.4 radio in there, a cheap ESC and get a couple budget NiMH batteries. Keep it moderately slow and controllable. Add a body and let him go have fun. It’s an old car and parts will break. Not as cheap and easy to fix as a modern car so there’s that to be aware of.

[juicedcoupe]

Modern NIMH batteries won't fit the transverse mounts. A short lipo can be used but you will need a aftermarket buzzer to serve in place of the cutoff.

"A" stamp chassis don't have the correct holes for using in-line mounted packs. You can find 3D printed mounts that allows in-line mounting without drilling new holes.



The first thing that I would do is disassemble and clean everything, and determine what needs to be rebuilt or replaced.

Original manual: http://oldrc.com/AssociatedFiles/rc10_manual.pdf


Re-Re manual: https://img2.associatedelectrics.com/pdf/cars_and_trucks/RC10_Classic/RC10_Classic_Kit/manual_RC10Classic_2013.pdf


There are also several articles here about rebuilding and modifying these cars.



Jconcepts tires and wheels for RC10's are back in stock at many places right now and there are several body options available.

[threesheds]

First question: how much you willing to spend . 2nd how much time you got

[juicedcoupe]

Just to be clear, I wouldn't expect to be be able to spend a few dollars on it and turn the kid loose with it. Just to get it up and running good will probably cost close to what some RTR's cost.

I'm sure that the tires are dry rotted. New JConcepts tires and wheels are likely cheaper than finding ones that fit the original wheels.

Even if it has bearings, they are likely in bad condition by now.

Depending on where and how it was stored, all the nylon is likely dried out. There are some ways to rehydrate it and make it less brittle.

Even if the electronics work, the servo gears are likely brittle by now. IIRC, old KO radio equipment used non-standard pin layouts. While you can work around it, you will have to be mindful of it. Wire it wrong, and the servo is toast.

[threesheds]

Modern NIMH batteries won't fit the transverse mounts. A short lipo can be used but you will need a aftermarket buzzer to serve in place of the cutoff.

"A" stamp chassis don't have the correct holes for using in-line mounted packs. You can find 3D printed mounts that allows in-line mounting without drilling new holes.



The first thing that I would do is disassemble and clean everything, and determine what needs to be rebuilt or replaced.

Original manual: http://oldrc.com/AssociatedFiles/rc10_manual.pdf


Re-Re manual: https://img2.associatedelectrics.com/pdf/cars_and_trucks/RC10_Classic/RC10_Classic_Kit/manual_RC10Classic_2013.pdf


There are also several articles here about rebuilding and modifying these cars.



Jconcepts tires and wheels for RC10's are back in stock at many places right now and there are several body options available.

Hi, I don't get the NiMH issue, surely they are in the same size as nicads, also produced in different formats , hump back etc. Also possible to construct from cells in , for example, 4/5subC. I just salvaged cells from a drill battery pack after the motor burnt out. Nicad so less volatile than lipo.
But juice's point valid, it could be a hole to throw money into. Good for a kid to learn some engineering on though.

[juicedcoupe]

Modern stick packs will not fit transverse in a RC10 chassis. In this picture, it doesn't even fit without the mounting cups.

You might be able to remove the caps and reconfigure the wire attachments, but that's probably going a little out of the way.

If you want to use modern stick packs, convert to in-line mounting. It will require an esc.

[juicedcoupe]

But juice's point valid, it could be a hole to throw money into. Good for a kid to learn some engineering on though.

Its not that I don't think that its worthy of repair. I'd rebuild the car in a heartbeat.

But, I'd never consider turning a seven year old loose with it.


If it was his grandfather's car, fix it. Absolutely. He will appreciate it when he's older.

But let him thrash and break something else. Something that parts are cheap and readily available for. Let's face it, RC10 parts aren't cheap and some are getting harder to come by.

[threesheds]

Modern stick packs will not fit transverse in a RC10 chassis. In this picture, it doesn't even fit without the mounting cups.

You might be able to remove the caps and reconfigure the wire attachments, but that's probably going a little out of the way.

If you want to use modern stick packs, convert to in-line mounting. It will require an esc.

out of curiosity, what size were rc10 nicads? I just ripped some 4/5SC sized batteries out of a dead drill, 6 of them are now powering a boat 'wot I built' and work ok with 2.4ghz and an Esc. The drill was 1200 or 1400 ma. So I'll see how long they run. but the 18v drill had 2 packs, about 30 cells. I had the boat running with a 6xAA nimh pack rated at 1400ma. so I'm thinking plenty of options to make up a suitable sized pack for a car like this if any of the off the shelf options wont fit.
I get all the points about 'collectable item' and rebuilding but it can be an expensive hobby and this guy would be better off selling the collectable and buying a toy for the boy. but it could be a father/son project. My old dad was into record players and I remember him using a soldering iron which had to be heated on the gas cooker back in the days of valves.
I guess some (me) would rip out all the old electrics in this car and put in 2.4 and some would restore to original condition. But I guess youre looking at £50/$80 before you start with even cheap kit, let alone the cost of original parts.
so long as they both know what they might be getting into. I just started by getting an old zerda to run, now I'm selling my house and all its contents to buy more stuff