RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

In 1984 Team Associated released the RC500 as their newest 1:8th scale nitro car. Constructed from a double deck fiberglass plate chassis the RC500 was revolutionary compared to its Associated predecessors with its adoption of four-wheel independent suspension. Featuring molded nylon upper and lower a-arms with oil filled coil over aluminum shocks at each corner it allowed for infinitely adjustable damping to suit the racers needs. Nylon bulkheads front and rear attached the suspension to the chassis with an aluminum motor plate at the rear machined for a K&B 3.5 (.21) engine. The drive system was no longer direct as with previous generations but instead used a pinion and spur to relay power to a chain driven ball differential. Braking was handled by a rear axle mounted twin disk system. Available as a 2WD model and a 4WD, the latter was equipped with a chain driven ball differential up front which was available as a conversion that could be purchased separately or as part of the two box RC500 4WD kit. New lightweight wheels with mounted and trued foam tires were included and the adjustable tie rod/spring-loaded servo saver steering system from the RC300 was carried over. Motor, body and electronics were not included with the kit:






For the fun of it... I made a color version of the RePete Fusco ad: