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Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 12:59 am
by cartmen34
I'm just getting my feet wet in vintage R/C restoration. I managed to find an old Trinity ev10ss LSD on ebay that needs plenty of TLC and I'm looking for a little advice on a problem I encountered tonight.
I started taking the rear end apart and discovered the left-rear bearing has seized onto the graphite axle. I'm fairly certain I'll never find another LSD rear axle so I need to be extremely careful how I get the bearing off. I've got the rear pod apart and the bearing out of the plastic carrier so the seized bearing is separated from everything but the axle.
I first considered heating the bearing with a soldering iron, but I'm not sure if the graphite axle will expand faster than the metal bearing and making things worse than they already are. I also considered just cutting the bearing off, but I'm worried about cutting the inner ring off without damaging the axle.
Replacing the bearing shouldn't be a problem, so I'm not concerned about saving it. My primary concern is not damaging the axle.
If anyone has any suggestions I'd appreciate the input. Thanks in advance!
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 2:04 am
by TRX-1-3
cartmen34 wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 12:59 am
I'm just getting my feet wet in vintage R/C restoration. I managed to find an old Trinity ev10ss LSD on ebay that needs plenty of TLC and I'm looking for a little advice on a problem I encountered tonight.
I started taking the rear end apart and discovered the left-rear bearing has seized onto the graphite axle. I'm fairly certain I'll never find another LSD rear axle so I need to be extremely careful how I get the bearing off. I've got the rear pod apart and the bearing out of the plastic carrier so the seized bearing is separated from everything but the axle.
I first considered heating the bearing with a soldering iron, but I'm not sure if the graphite axle will expand faster than the metal bearing and making things worse than they already are. I also considered just cutting the bearing off, but I'm worried about cutting the inner ring off without damaging the axle.
Replacing the bearing shouldn't be a problem, so I'm not concerned about saving it. My primary concern is not damaging the axle.
If anyone has any suggestions I'd appreciate the input. Thanks in advance!
If you go with cutting it off, you could masking tape the hell out the entire axle and super-tickle the cutting when you get close, then ultra-tickle as far as you are comfortable with, then put a flathead screw driver in the cut and twist it a bit and see what happens. Cut that inner race in two places (maybe 180° of each other), one cut will can be the hinge cut, and the other the release cut. Definitely a surgery level type operation. One of those you gotta sneak up on, instead of starting with hammer and a blowtorch.
If you aren't sweating and taking breaks to stay on your game while doing it, you are doing it wrong.
You'd also have to mitigate the heat build up in the inner race.
You'd obviously need to come up with a non-marring, non-crushing way to hold the axle.
OR
What about supporting the bearing and just lightly tapping the axle? Maybe a tube, or just "hanging" between vise jaws and use a plastic or rawhide hammer?
Man, I hope somebody that's done it before chimes in here...
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 2:45 am
by RC10th
It's probably a bit of loctite or stuck where the grub screw bites onto the axle. I would do the tap the bearing off method, but take notice of how much force is being applied and if you feel like it's too much resort to plan B. It wouldn't hurt to wrap the end of the axle in tape to protect it.
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 7:10 am
by Charlie don't surf
I may still have some LSD parts from my build to help you, but the graphite is a great heat nsulator, and isn't prone to as much thermal expansion as metals. A nice penetrating oil might also help. Look forward to seeing some results and a restored car!
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 8:29 am
by DSaw78
Nice, I look every day on Ebay for Trinity cars and other pan cars so I must've missed this one. I have one myself that I'm trying to restore even though it was already like new almost. I think I discovered lately though that it has the wrong axle in it but I don't see me finding a LSD axle either.
I'm ultimately trying to replicate either one of these, and these are the only photos of each anywhere.
Sorry for the hijack, and good luck with yours. Post some pics of it!
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 9:42 am
by Charlie don't surf
Also, I don't recall the axle being specifically different (but I could be wrong) I thought it was a hub difference-
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 9:47 am
by DSaw78
I just found an axle on Ebay actually, the left side is shorter than a typical axle. The rear pod is wider on the LSD than a standard oval rear pod.
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 8:37 pm
by cartmen34
DSaw78 wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 8:29 am
Nice, I look every day on Ebay for Trinity cars and other pan cars so I must've missed this one. I have one myself that I'm trying to restore even though it was already like new almost. I think I discovered lately though that it has the wrong axle in it but I don't see me finding a LSD axle either.
I'm ultimately trying to replicate either one of these, and these are the only photos of each anywhere.
Sorry for the hijack, and good luck with yours. Post some pics of it!
Wow! That thing looks AMAZING just as it is! Mine is in extremely poor shape compared to yours!
I had the same goal. I wanted to try and replicate exactly the car in those images. I spent hours as a kid just staring at that magazine article. Good luck to you as well!
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 8:38 pm
by cartmen34
DSaw78 wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 9:47 am
I just found an axle on Ebay actually, the left side is shorter than a typical axle. The rear pod is wider on the LSD than a standard oval rear pod.
Correct, I think the section of the axle from the diff out to the tension nut is a lot shorter.
Now that I have a close look at mine I might have the wrong axle as well... the rear width looks off... crap.
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 8:42 pm
by cartmen34
RC10th wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 2:45 am
It's probably a bit of loctite or stuck where the grub screw bites onto the axle. I would do the tap the bearing off method, but take notice of how much force is being applied and if you feel like it's too much resort to plan B. It wouldn't hurt to wrap the end of the axle in tape to protect it.
Yeah I think I'm going to try this first. Carefully set the bearing on two surfaces and try and tap it loose. If that doesn't work I'm going to resort to the cut/sweat/cut/sweat method TRX-1-3 suggests.
Thank you everyone for your advice! I'll let you know how it goes.
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 8:50 pm
by cartmen34
Charlie don't surf wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 7:10 am
I may still have some LSD parts from my build to help you, but the graphite is a great heat nsulator, and isn't prone to as much thermal expansion as metals. A nice penetrating oil might also help. Look forward to seeing some results and a restored car!
I can't seem to send you a direct message (maybe I haven't posted enough yet?), but I'm interested in just about anything ev10ss related. Let me know what you have and maybe we can work something out. Thanks for the offer!
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 8:56 pm
by cartmen34
DSaw78 wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 9:47 am
I just found an axle on Ebay actually, the left side is shorter than a typical axle. The rear pod is wider on the LSD than a standard oval rear pod.
Just found the axle and snagged it. It'll be so much easier to fix this with a backup! Thanks for the heads up!
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 9:24 pm
by DSaw78
cartmen34 wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 8:37 pm
DSaw78 wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 8:29 am
Nice, I look every day on Ebay for Trinity cars and other pan cars so I must've missed this one. I have one myself that I'm trying to restore even though it was already like new almost. I think I discovered lately though that it has the wrong axle in it but I don't see me finding a LSD axle either.
I'm ultimately trying to replicate either one of these, and these are the only photos of each anywhere.
Sorry for the hijack, and good luck with yours. Post some pics of it!
Wow! That thing looks AMAZING just as it is! Mine is in extremely poor shape compared to yours!
I had the same goal. I wanted to try and replicate exactly the car in those images. I spent hours as a kid just staring at that magazine article. Good luck to you as well!
Thank you, it will be a challenge. Mine isn't too far off, other than some detail stuff the LSD sway bar kit seems incredibly impossible to find. I have two Trinity catalogs with every part number for these cars, and I've searched and searched. His later #51 car has a section of the chassis cut out on the RH side too, not sure I want to cut up this new chassis plate
I meant to post the link to the axle on Ebay but got busy at work and forgot. I ordered one too so we both got one.
Here's how it sits now:
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Fri May 23, 2025 7:46 am
by Charlie don't surf
DSaw78 wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 9:24 pm
cartmen34 wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 8:37 pm
DSaw78 wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 8:29 am
Nice, I look every day on Ebay for Trinity cars and other pan cars so I must've missed this one. I have one myself that I'm trying to restore even though it was already like new almost. I think I discovered lately though that it has the wrong axle in it but I don't see me finding a LSD axle either.
I'm ultimately trying to replicate either one of these, and these are the only photos of each anywhere.
Sorry for the hijack, and good luck with yours. Post some pics of it!
Wow! That thing looks AMAZING just as it is! Mine is in extremely poor shape compared to yours!
I had the same goal. I wanted to try and replicate exactly the car in those images. I spent hours as a kid just staring at that magazine article. Good luck to you as well!
Thank you, it will be a challenge. Mine isn't too far off, other than some detail stuff the LSD sway bar kit seems incredibly impossible to find. I have two Trinity catalogs with every part number for these cars, and I've searched and searched. His later #51 car has a section of the chassis cut out on the RH side too, not sure I want to cut up this new chassis plate
I meant to post the link to the axle on Ebay but got busy at work and forgot. I ordered one too so we both got one.
Here's how it sits now:
That car looks like a great start! I'll try to dig mine (and some parts) out
Re: Restoration help on Trinity ev10ss LSD
Posted: Fri May 23, 2025 8:03 am
by Charlie don't surf
I think i stalled out waiting to find some other purple parts...haven't looked at it in al looooong time.
I ran one of these for almost a month on indoor paperclip shaped carpet oval. The lack of RR weighting in the corner was it's demise for me, the car got into the corner like a rocker but never had the drive off the corner since all the weight was on the LR it would just hint the outside wall coming off and never square up.no matter what I did. Went back to my standard EV10SS and it was good