RCSoup RC10 Project - Opinions wanted.

[kevin107]

Hey guys,

Was recommended your forum by a couple people and glad I finally joined. Let me first introduce myself, I'm Kevin, I am one of the co-founders of RCSoup.com. This year we are doing a couple restoration (well, rebuild) articles on the site, and hopefully heading to VONats in CT. While I've owned a couple RC10's as a kid, and used to race them on oval.. I am far from an expert. I would like your guys' opinions on what I should leave/keep on this buggy below. It is the start of my personal rebuild.

I'm not dead set on keeping any of it the way it is.. so.. if I should swap out the MIP tranny for a Stealth, or the Hot Trick chassis for a graphite or tub, or the arms to RPM.. I'm all ears.

Here's what I want to accomplish. I want to revitalize this buggy, or at least parts of it. I'm not keen on keeping the tiny front arms or the white parts on it.. I think I would rather run the rc10 worlds sized RPM arms front and rear. I am also thinking I would like to run different shock towers.

This will be a runner at the VONats, hopefully for more than 1 year. I don't want anything crazy fragile or rare on it that I could ruin.

I plan to strip and either polish, reanodize, or powdercoat the nose plate, motor plate, and the shock bodies to a coordinating color.

One of my biggest concerns is the chassis. It flexes, a LOT. I can taco this thing in my hand. I don't imagine it will make a very good runner. It isn't mint, or stock tho.. so I doubt it's worth much to a collector. I thought about cutting it to the width of where a previous owner hacked it up, and then run aluminum bracing up the entire chassis. This should stiffen it up immensely. Or, I could run the RC10GT nose tubes with the separate mounts? or both? I like the color.. and it does make this build more unique. I don't want to end up replacing EVERY part on this.. lol

Anyways, below are a few pics. You can find more on the site. Let me know your thoughts!

http://www.rcsoup.com/2013/01/road-to-vonats-rc10-restoration-part-1/

[kaiser]

go with a gold or black gold chassis. it's the go to. the hot trick chassis was awful.

you can get most everything on ebay.
look in our tech forum and read the "whats old is new" thread for idea's, you don't have to go all out like cars in that thread. in fact if you replicate a standard rc10ce you'll have a very capable race car.

welcome to the forum, i have enjoyed rcsoup's reviews in the past, this one should be great!

[jwscab]

that is quite a hodge podge of parts for sure. I'm tempted to say that if you want to get something reliable and upgradable and repairable for the vonats, you may end up replacing quite a bit of that buggy.

for the rc10, as far as a repairable vehicle, almost all pieces can be replaced with somewhat modern, or still available parts. three parts are the hard to find parts: the rear bulkhead, the rear arm mounts, and (for stealth trans) the outdrives. For those, ebay is your best bet.

At a minimum, I would probably look for a gold or black pan, or even a carbon/graphite one. while the hot trick parts look 'hot' the 'trick' is that they don't really work. That's a quote from someone on here and it's true and funny.

so stock chassis. I would be a little cautious on running the MIP trans due to obsolete issues. very difficult to source parts. that said, they are durable and good maintenance will help tremendously. the only problem is that there are no diff rings(if it's a ball diff) so you will eventually wear out the diff halves. So possibly think about picking up a stealth trans, or if you are not going crazy with the motor, even a 6 gear, though they are starting to get hard to find replacement parts for as well.

arms, you can either source stock arms, or go with rpm arms.

everything else on the buggy is probably fine to clean up, rebuild and run with no issues.

[kaiser]

some good threads to read:

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=8848

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=10403

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=27135

start with these 3 threads and you'll have a great idea of where and how far you may want to go. you may just want to pick up a used rc10ce off ebay and start with a better base then what you have.

[Charlie don't surf]

Couple of really neat things going on with that buggy, home made esc? Orton/Tekin motor,
Front shocks and collars, (custom)? Front and rear wheels and a MIP SP1...neat

[kevin107]

Tell me more about what makes the front shocks unique?

Is that motor hard to find?

The ESC is ridiculous.. lol. I made it's own thread in the electronics forum before I posted this. I had no idea it was home made?

[Phin]

Besides the aluminum shock collars, they appear to be a size (.71" stroke?) you don't typically find anodized blue.


What's going on behind the spur gear? Usually there's a couple of screws holding the spur onto the SP-1 top shaft.

[kevin107]

Good point. I will have to remove the spur and take a look. That is weird indeed.

I couldn't tell if the shocks were anodized or painted. They do look anodized, but I didn't think AE made blue shocks this early.

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

The shocks look painted to me. I wouldn't expect ano'd ones to be quite that scratched up. The spur must have a pin behind it, but I'm not very familiar with those transmissions(or anything for that matter ).

[Phin]

Certainly could be painted shocks.

The SP-1 typically has a white hub adapter on the shaft that spur gears screw on to. The hubs has a notch for the shaft's drive pin.

Since I don't see any screws holding the spur gear in, that spur must have it's own notch in the back for the drive pin otherwise I don't see how it would work. Never seen a spur gear like that.


Plus if the SP-1 doesn't have an adapter Kevin's going to either have to find one, or buy an A&L power clutch if he wants to use that trans. Well even if does have the adapter a slipper would be a good idea.

[scr8p]

Since I don't see any screws holding the spur gear in, that spur must have it's own notch in the back for the drive pin otherwise I don't see how it would work. Never seen a spur gear like that.

it's a losi spur. they're pin drive like the back side of a wheel. no need for the hub to mount a spur.

[kevin107]

Since I don't see any screws holding the spur gear in, that spur must have it's own notch in the back for the drive pin otherwise I don't see how it would work. Never seen a spur gear like that.

it's a losi spur. they're pin drive like the back side of a wheel. no need for the hub to mount a spur.

This is correct. I just took it off and checked. Pin is right in the spur itself.

[kevin107]

Well guys, I think I have chosen a direction.. Looks like I will replacing most of this buggy. I plan on doing that old is new style build. Not the wide, dynotech arm one.. but one that just uses RPM arms front and rear I think, but uses modern B4 wheels. I still have to do some more reading on exactly what I will need.. but so far I have a tub chassis and a stealth transmission lined up. I MIGHT do something different with the chassis if I have enough time, but for now a tub is planned.

[Phin]

By RPM arms do you mean you have an old set of World length arms or are you planning to buy the RPM arms that are still sold new? The RPM arms still being sold are refereed to as Team arms and are the same length as the stock AE rear arms and wide front arms. Using those will leave you short at the front and back with B4 wheels. The old RPM World arms are the same length as the Dynotechs and will leave you short at the front, and require new CVDs, and carrier hubs in the rear. The front will have to be stretched with either GT axles or B4 caster blocks and knuckles....both of which can cause handling issues.

The team arms are a better choice IMO as you'll only need to use a set of JC Racing wheels, or a combo of Thunder Tiger Phoenix BX rears with Duratrax Evader fronts. It's a much simpler solution than fiddling with B4 wheels.

Also the wide AE arms are still in stock at many etailers, so you could keep your rear arms and just buy new fronts.

My shopping list would be:
-a tub chassis
-wide AE front arms
-B4 shocks
-RC Carbon Works towers for B4 shocks
-ball bearing steering
-a slipper for the MIP SP-1
-JC Racing wheels
-tires
-ball cups
-turnbuckles
-nose tubes


Though if you are going to re-ano the shocks you can skip the B4 shocks and RCCW towers and just pick up a AE front shock strut....which are still sold.

[justinspeed79]

I thought this car looked familiar, just figured out why, it was, actually still is, listed on Houston craigslist. Did you get the CRC car too?