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ok guys, yesterday the Le Mans 480 T engine finally arrived, kindly given to me by an old model aircraft friend from Bologna ...
obviously disassembled, passed with light paper on the manifold, brushes replaced, and 3 V running-in immersed in water with a few drops of dishwashing liquid, 10 minutes in one direction and 10 in the other.
reassembled ... dried pretty well with the hair dryer, two drops of WD40 on the bearings and reassembled.
Attention, he will not run anywhere, not even in the driveway but the fun of doing it and completing the Turbo Optima Mid, it's fantastic ..... next step find the super selected yellow Sanyo cells ..... but calmly not there is a hurry ....
Bye from Tuscany

There's one issue with your reassembly, Paolo...WD40 is *not* a lubricant. It's fantastic for CLEANING your motor and bearings of the old dirt, grease and dirty oils, but you need to relubricate with a proper oil after you've finished the cleaning and blown out the WD40 to dry out the bearings. Any 3-in-1 oil is fine, better oils exist but don't consider WD40 a lubricant. It actually functions quite the opposite--as a dirt, grease & water remover. The WD40 residue will actually attract dust and dirt particles and cause unwanted wear of the bearings.

That's a beautiful motor! I don't have that one in my modest collection yet...it's nice to see one with an endbell that hasn't been nicked, hacked up or melted with ham-handed soldering jobs.

thanks for the advice, I was wrong to use the WD40, thanks again, I will clean the bearings and use a suitable lubricate, thanks again my friend
Bye from Tuscany

Looking forward to the final build. Nice acquisition on that 480T.

Paolino70 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:31 pm thanks for the advice, I was wrong to use the WD40, thanks again, I will clean the bearings and use a suitable lubricate, thanks again my friend
Bye from Tuscany

Well, use it as a cleaner & degreaser, that's exactly what I use. WD40 and a toothbrush does a fantastic job of cleaning. But when you're done, blow it dry and lube with oil, not WD40. Then, lube your throat with a robust Chianti.

Ahh the robbe version.. that’s the one I need for my Robbe Jeep

Hi guys, I need your experience ...... to reassemble the 480 T on my Optima Mid Turbo I have two pinions available, 18 T and 20 T, which one do you recommend?
Thank you very much

Coelacanth wrote: ↑Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:41 pm

Paolino70 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:31 pm thanks for the advice, I was wrong to use the WD40, thanks again, I will clean the bearings and use a suitable lubricate, thanks again my friend
Bye from Tuscany

Well, use it as a cleaner & degreaser, that's exactly what I use. WD40 and a toothbrush does a fantastic job of cleaning. But when you're done, blow it dry and lube with oil, not WD40. Then, lube your throat with a robust Chianti.

Chianti end Chianina Steak!!!!! on barbecue.

Paolino70 wrote: ↑Sat May 01, 2021 6:35 am Hi guys, I need your experience ...... to reassemble the 480 T on my Optima Mid Turbo I have two pinions available, 18 T and 20 T, which one do you recommend?
Thank you very much

If you're still using the stock 74T spur gear, either an 18T or 19T would be optimal, with 17T and 20T still being within the theoretically optimal 1" +/- 10%; i.e. 0.90 - 1.10" rollout ratio. Try an 18T or 19T and decrease or increase a tooth or two for more punchy acceleration or better top speed, respectively, to your preference.