used car restos

[scr8p]

i've been taking notice with some of the nicest used cars i've purchased that they, in some way shape or form, has been built incorrectly. obviously causing an ill handling/working car. which i believe is the main reason they're in such nice shape. the owners get fed up, and stop using them.

has anyone else noticed this too?

[Eau Rouge]

I've bought three that way in the last year. My JRX2 was a find because the original owner didn't build the diff correctly and never got it to work properly. He lost interest and the car sat in a closet for 20 years.

I bought a 1/10th pan car once with no diff balls in the diff. The guy couldn't make the car drive easy enough and gave up. I bet THAT car steered really well.


I love finds like that because you know the car can be fixed with relative ease and simple parts, and be (like the JRX2) as good as it was if it were brand new.








Stupid people are my favorite kind.

[templeofspeed]

Yeah. My current 12e project looks like one of those scenarios. My thought is that it got completely assembled and when the radio was powered up the steering wouldn't center (or probably move...) because the kingpins were so tight. OR they just never got around to charging the battery with the "suicide cord"... I'll never know. I do know that it's NICE... The "tape" car just suffered from being put away dirty and broken... most of my others are just carefully used.

[Brandon G]

On your assembled shelf cars, do you guys leave oil in the shocks, or do you empty them to prevent seepage? Just curious.

[Tadracket]

My last car had very little run time on it. Everything seemed OK but you never know with some people. They get into a hobby and because it is a hobby, loose interest quickly if things don't go their way.

My #1 shelfer Queen No Name, http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2459
was a failed assembly. The guy started building it and his boy lost a few pieces. Enter the closet for the next 16-18 years then FleaBay it. I nabbed it under $150 shipped.

[Tadracket]

On your assembled shelf cars, do you guys leave oil in the shocks, or do you empty them to prevent seepage? Just curious.

This was a topic once I believe. I remember someone saying something about green slime or something like that. You may try searching the threads. I personally use a thick silicon based oil. This may be the wrong thing to do though. I don't know.

[Eau Rouge]

On your assembled shelf cars, do you guys leave oil in the shocks, or do you empty them to prevent seepage? Just curious.

Way off topic here, but I have a good tip for you. Silicone oils attack silicone O-rings, which for some reason is what everyone uses. If you want oil in your shocks (I do), use 10w30-wt. Mobil1 motor oil in the shocks, and lube the seal/o-ring areas with Associated green slime. The Slime will keep the seals soft and will help keep leaks from developing. The Mobil1 synth motor oil actually is better to use in shocks that still use the red silicone o-rings, and will function exactly like the crappy silicone oils that are sold over the counter. Plus, a quart will last a lifetime, and it's as cheap as a 2 oz. bottle of "race" stuff.

If you have a chance to buy some, the very best shock oils ever made and sold were Robinson synthetics. They were sold many years ago and went from 5wt to 140wt, and never attacked shock seals. They didn't foam and were cheap. I was lucky enough to find a complete new set a few years ago, and still have them on the shelf, almost as display oils.



doug

[RichieRich]

Every used car I've purchased has had assembly problems or bumbling repairs. For example, the last car I got, a Turbo Optima Mid SE, looked ok upon first inspection but after disassembling it, it had problems. The original owner mixed up the left and right suspension as they were on the wrong sides. Totally backwards. Also, they assembled the diffs with only one diff washer and over greased like crazy.

I got a used Frog once and it had "Buddy L" tires from a toy on the rear. Plus, every machine screw was over-tightened so much, I had to cut them off with a dremel. They used the red threadlock.

[Tadracket]

....They used the red threadlock.

Nothing wrong with that (if you want it to NEVER come apart )