Rediscovering my old RC10

[Zipity]

Thanks! The rear wheel nuts are #8-32 (same thread as those large aluminum green/gold screws). The cheaper steel ones appear to be out of stock on AE's website but you can also find them at Fastenal and many well-stocked hardware stores.

Great, I was able to pick some up from Amazon.

I've been amassing parts over the past few weeks while I've been traveling. Looking forward to making some actual progress in the shop this weekend

[Zipity]

I've not had any luck with activepowersports.com. They list things they don't have. One time I got a quick refund, net time I had to ask, not very politely to get my money back. Both times for the Stealth out drive. Good luck!

Well, I'm having the same poor experience with Active Power Sports. I ordered a number of parts from them, including a stealth outdrive. They charged my credit card in full the moment I placed my order but didn't actually ship anything (which, while not against the law, I believe is blatantly against credit card polices). A couple weeks went by and nothing. I had to send an email asking what was going on. No reply, but then they sent a shipment confirmation email that listed all the parts, so thought things might be all good. But when I opened the package it didn't include the stealth outdrive. So now I've had to send them another email asking them to either ship me the part or refund my credit card. Haven't heard back yet.

They did have good prices on the parts I ordered, but I'd rather pay a little more and deal with a business that's reputable and well run.

I did order the machined outdrive set from ebay, so at least I'm all set with new stealth transmission parts.

[GoMachV]

Active powersports is a drop shipper. That’s why they “have” the items when everyone else is backordered or discontinuted. They are a known problem. Lots of people have had to fight to get their money back

[NomadRacer]

Yes, it's a problem. If you hold them to the fire, you'll get you money back. Did you use PayPal?

[Zipity]

Just saw the credit come through now, so all done with Activepowersports.

Got some time in the shop this weekend. Figured out how to wire up the old Futaba ESC and servo to the new Futaba receiver. Thanks for the tips here! Everything seems to be working fine. Now I need to do some cleaning/rebuilding before I really take it out for a spin.

[Zipity]

Ok, I disassembled everything and gave all the parts a nice bath.

I've read a few places about how great Simple Green is, but I didn't find it particularly powerful at cutting through old grease and grim. Perhaps I didn't soak it long enough. I did find Krud Kutter quite effective:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MRHQG7K

I assembled and installed the new Stealth Transmission. I was able to drill the holes in the pan for the Stealth Transmission, but I decided to buy a new WC motor mount for the 4th hole that needs to be well aligned and tapped.

I also picked up some nice new turnbuckles to make adjusting the wheels easier.

Here's where I am right now:



I'm currently planing out where I"m going to put the ESC and how to wire everything up. I have some xt60 connectors I plan to use for the battery. I think I'd also like some kind of connector(s) for the three motor wires so I can easily take it out, switch things around, etc. Can anyone recommend a good 3 wire connector for this? Or should I just use bullet connectors?

[BMXDad]

Glad to have stumbled across this thread (as well as this forum).

I too have a similar story. Back in the early 90s, I raced dirt oval. Had a TQ10 (RC10 Graphite) that was set up for oval.....lower shock towers, short shocks on all four corners, a Stealth Transmission, all Titanium hinge pins/turnbuckles, etc etc etc. Due to having kids of my own, as well as moving to an area where the closest track was 80 miles away, my RC racing took a back seat. Everything was boxed up and sat for a few years, until I finally decided to just give it ALL to a family that had a couple of boys in the 10-12 yr old range.

A couple of months ago, I discovered an indoor oval track just a few miles from my house. Got to talking with the family I had donated all of my stuff do, only to find out that "That junk is all sitting in a box up in the attic"......so 20 yrs after giving it away, I got it back !!

Well, what I got back is NOT what I gave them (no surprise there). No wheels, no receivers, no batteries (they were all Ni-Cads anyway)....but the biggest "missing" item?? No chassis. For whatever the reason, the kids decided to take everything off of the chassis. I got the shock towers/bulkheads/control arms, and all of the major suspension components, but No Chassis !!

Does anybody know of a chassis I could use in place of the original? I would prefer to avoid the pan chassis, as I had actually reversed the transmission so I could run mid mount. Is there an Associated (or aftermarket) chassis that has all of the holes already pre-drilled, in the correct places??

My plan is to put this thing back into racing form, and use it in the street stock class. I think it would be cool to be the old guy running the nearly 25 year old car !!

[jwscab]

these guys make a chassis that I think can be mid motor:
https://www.teamsscrc.com/rc10.html?p=3&store=

otherwise, Brian Conklin made this sweet mid motor that fits a tub chassis:
https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=42395&p=478856&hilit=conklin#p478856

not sure if you are running stealth or 6 gear. you can also find flat plate graphite chassis and redrill for the right orientation.

[Zipity]

Ok, I'm up and running!

I've had a ball getting back into this hobby. Some vintage only folks may be disappointed in the upgrades I've added, but I wanted to learn about the new electronics

One mistake I made is not realizing batteries have gotten bigger over the years. I had to replace the rear bulkhead in order to accommodate the size of NiMH batteries.

I like how things have turned out. It's a fast little car!









Feel free to ask me any questions.


For fun I recently purchased a 1/8th scale buggy. The engineering is pretty impressive, and I'm really enjoying building it. But, it feels like everything is already laid out. I've had the opportunity to be more creative with my RC10, and there's just something about this car.

[XLR8]

Hey Zipity, the car turned out great!
I reckon it's no accident that AE's RC10 is credited with launching the golden age of RC buggies, it's simply a great design and a heck of a lot of fun to drive! I guess Roger and the guys at AE got it right and they did it on their first try.
Oh, and there's no need to apologize for your choice of upgrades - imho. I've replaced the vintage electronics in all my runners and don't feel any guilt for having done so. The added performance and reliability brushless-lipo power offers just makes the car even more fun - and equally important, it still looks and drives like a vintage RC10.

[Jeep-Power]

great writeup -- enjoyed reading this