Turbo Optima mid SE

[radioactivity]

Resurrecting what may be the worst, drug through the mud, rode hard put up wet, beaten, thrashed, trashed, bent and broken mid ever sold on the internet.
Caked with what looks to be sugared clay baked into every nook and cranny that an rc car has.
Broken parts were probably replaced but it looks as though it probably never had any maintenance, ever!
Except for stupid amounts of grease to help weld the clay/sugar to every "moveable" part of the car.
Nearly every hinge pin and tie rod end is a friction fit.
The transmission needs lots of help to put it mildly.


Going to try and not spend stupid money rebuilding.

Chuck

[Coelacanth]

Your chassis plate looks to be an SE as the screw holes are countersunk. I believe the Platinum shocks were also an SE option (not an upgrade though, IMO...the Gold shocks were the best). Condition? I've seen FAR worse than that. Looking forward to the resto.

[XLR8]

Wow, a challenge to rebuild perhaps, but what a great car it will be when it's finished.
If the belt covers haven't been sealed well, the transmission could hold some very ugly surprises so be prepared.
Is this your first Kyosho buggy Chuck? If so then welcome to the club. They make great cars.
Very much looking forward to this. Based upon the quality of your past builds, I predict that one's going to be epic.

[radioactivity]

Thanks so much for the encouragement Doug!

This will be my first Kyosho build, so a complete noob to the "club".
Looks like parts prices and availability are going to be major hurdles.
Initially, just getting all the parts together will be the objective.

A better pic with body off.

Chuck

[XLR8]

Actually, that doesn't look too bad.

I got a derelict Ultima once that was held together with giant sheet metal screws - and they weren't even philips head. What a mess!

I'm betting that the only replacement parts you might need are gears.

[coxbros1]

Its a Mid SE Chuck....a true holy grail!

.Going to try and not spend stupid money rebuilding.

Lol, u need to smell watchu shovel''n!

[radioactivity]

Your chassis plate looks to be an SE as the screw holes are countersunk. I believe the Platinum shocks were also an SE option (not an upgrade though, IMO...the Gold shocks were the best). Condition? I've seen FAR worse than that. Looking forward to the resto.

Chassis, shocks and chrome wheels say SE but aluminum towers and gear diffs seem to say mid. I really am not sure of all the parts origins.
I ran Platinums for a few years back in 80s-90s on my Houge RC10. Honestly never could get them dialed. Always questioned their having more damping on the down stroke.
I have since sold them, but now kind of wish I hadn't because they were in nearly pristine condition.
Hoping to get feedback and possible ideas/direction from some of the others that have way more knowledge of these cars than I do.

Chuck

[coxbros1]

IMO...the Gold shocks were the best

not to discredit anyone, cause 99.999999% agree but Me and "the diamond one" feel the Platinums are the best in the business.
Although Chuck, those shocks have special tiny o-rings on the shaft as part of the variable dampening system, plus other stuff. If they are leaking, thats gonna be your biggest hurdle on that car, getn the shocks perfect again. Once thats done, the rest will smoother than a babys ass. Also, this build will also lead you down a path u have deliberately resisted forever!....the Le Mans motor path Please Please pick a cool one....doesn't have to a be 240ST (but could be)but that was the common one for that car....great motors...but with its closed black plastic endbell and bushings, you might not ever feel the "flame" of the Le Mans motor bug without possibly trying one of the others. I love em all, period!.... but a 480Gold would set that build on its ass!

Can't wait to see this build as me and David were in the preparation stages of finding and restoring one...but were sidelined (possibly indefinitely from anymore expensive restorastions) to some past physical back problems that have re-crept up recently. Basically your now our biggest fan. And i hate telling u what do do cause your slight elder, but gonna need u to enter it in a BOTM when its done.....you will dominate!

[XLR8]

IMO...the Gold shocks were the best

not to discredit anyone, cause 99.999999% agree but Me and "the diamond one" feel the Platinums are the best in the business.
Although Chuck, those shocks have special tiny o-rings on the shaft as part of the variable dampening system, plus other stuff. If they are leaking, thats gonna be your biggest hurdle on that car, getn the shocks perfect again. Once thats done, the rest will smoother than a babys ass. Also, this build will also lead you down a path u have deliberately resisted forever!....the Le Mans motor path Please Please pick a cool one....doesn't have to a be 240ST (but could be)but that was the common one for that car....great motors...but with its closed black plastic endbell and bushings, you might not ever feel the "flame" of the Le Mans motor bug without possibly trying one of the others. I love em all, period!.... but a 480Gold would set that build on its ass!

Can't wait to see this build as me and David were in the preparation stages of finding and restoring one...but were sidelined (possibly indefinitely from anymore expensive restorastions) to some past physical back problems that have re-crept up recently. Basically your now our biggest fan. And i hate telling u what do do cause your slight elder, but gonna need u to enter it in a BOTM when its done.....you will dominate!

hahaha... I just knew if Derek chimes in, he will mention LeMans motors and BOTM.

Very sorry to hear about the back problems. My older brother has been dealing with that nearly his entire life. Not fun!

[XLR8]

Your chassis plate looks to be an SE as the screw holes are countersunk. I believe the Platinum shocks were also an SE option (not an upgrade though, IMO...the Gold shocks were the best). Condition? I've seen FAR worse than that. Looking forward to the resto.

Chassis, shocks and chrome wheels say SE but aluminum towers and gear diffs seem to say mid. I really am not sure of all the parts origins.
I ran Platinums for a few years back in 80s-90s on my Houge RC10. Honestly never could get them dialed. Always questioned their having more damping on the down stroke.
I have since sold them, but now kind of wish I hadn't because they were in nearly pristine condition.
Hoping to get feedback and possible ideas/direction from some of the others that have way more knowledge of these cars than I do.

Chuck

That's easy Chuck. Build a nice runner and go out and have some fun!!

The Mid is tremendously entertaining and very durable. I seem to recall that suspension parts (arms, uprights, axles, dog bones, etc.) are shared with the Optima line so new (re-re) parts should be readily available. It's the parts down the center of the car that are unique to the Mid.

[radioactivity]

Think I'm going to fall more in with Doug's camp on this one for now.
Upgrades in the future, who knows? LeMans motors, probably not now either, but to stay somewhat true I do have a Kyosho Mega Motor that will do for now
(believe it or not I do have a Kyosho motor ).
The diffs and the shocks are more priorities. Probably a full day of cleaning just to see what's what.
Most of the screw heads are trashed.

And I too feel for you and back pain Derek, got sidelined a few years ago for 6 weeks, still not right yet.
Can't complain too much though, still got all the parts I was born with, so far.

Chuck

[XLR8]

FWIW, I've owned 3 or 4 Mids and all of them were missing part OPM-9. You can see it here on page 13 of the manual.

OPM-9.JPG (37.3 KiB) Viewed 4098 times

OPM-9.JPG (37.3 KiB) Viewed 4098 times

I've never actually seen one but I think it's rubber. It's meant to seal the underside of the belt cover where the belt exits the rear gearbox - directly above the motor. This part never comes up on ebay so I think it's rare.
I've made a rather poor substitute by forming a piece of lexan but it really doesn't work very well.
I'd reckon this part would be a perfect candidate for 3d printing if anyone has access to one they could replicate.

[adam lancia]

FWIW, I've owned 3 or 4 Mids and all of them were missing part OPM-9. You can see it here on page 13 of the manual.


OPM-9.JPG



I've never actually seen one but I think it's rubber. It's meant to seal the underside of the belt cover where the belt exits the rear gearbox - directly above the motor. This part never comes up on ebay so I think it's rare.
I've made a rather poor substitute by forming a piece of lexan but it really doesn't work very well.
I'd reckon this part would be a perfect candidate for 3d printing if anyone has access to one they could replicate.

I've never even noticed that in the manual. You're right that it never comes up in auctions, it's gotta be a hens teeth sort of part. And you know, when I went to university in Urbana-Champaign, I spent a lot of time at an LHS that got all the scratch and dent pallet loads from Tower Hobbies. Those got sorted into huge Rubbermaid tubs of parts, almost half of them Kyosho, and I have never seen that part, ever.

[TheDiamondOne]

Yep Chuck, cant wait to see progress on this one. PLEEEAASSE go box art when you do the body. And you will need the sway bars if u go SE paint. The turbo mid se was definelty one of my all time favorite cars. The platinums are the best shocks ever also, so classic. That mega motor will work for now, but be on lookout for a lemans. Good look and keep the updates coming.
PS, i cannont believe u raced in 80s in southern illinois snd never had a kyosho! Thats just crazy. Kyosho rules!

[XLR8]

Yep Chuck, cant wait to see progress on this one. PLEEEAASSE go box art when you do the body. And you will need the sway bars if u go SE paint. The turbo mid se was definelty one of my all time favorite cars. The platinums are the best shocks ever also, so classic. That mega motor will work for now, but be on lookout for a lemans. Good look and keep the updates coming.
PS, i cannont believe u raced in 80s in southern illinois snd never had a kyosho! Thats just crazy. Kyosho rules!

Hey David, by chance have you found a source for repair parts for the Platinums? I have a couple leakers but I don't want to open them until I've found parts. I think the tiny o-ring for the inner rod is the culprit but I've not been able to find these anywhere.

Also, it appears that there are a lot of us here who reside, have resided, or at least spent some time in Illinois. I spent my first 36 years living near Springfield.