New owner - some pics and questions

[azcactus]

Hi everyone. I'm glad to have found your forum. I've been cruising around it for the past few days absorbing some info.

I'm 36 and grew up with a Galaxy car. I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with it, but it was similar in quality I guess you would say to a Hornet or something along those lines. My Dad was a pilot for Flying Tigers growing up, so whenever I would ask for anything for Birthdays or Christmas, he would pick up something similar on one of his trips over to Korea, Japan, China etc... In this case I wanted a Hornet, but ended up with a Galaxy I still had a great time with that car though bashing with my buddies out in the backyard or street.

Anyway, I bought a little Toys R Us car or similar for my 18 month old son a few months ago and he loves it. A few nights ago I started thinking that if he liked that car so much, he would probably love a hobby quality car when were playing in the back yard, or take a trip to the park. So, I started doing a little research on the net and in the end decided that I would get a lot of enjoyment out of getting the car I always wanted growing up, sprucing it up a bit, and giving it to my son for Christmas. Ok, the car is as much for me as it is for him but it's a good excuse right?

I started looking through Ebay to see what's available and it turns out there was a local guy with an original gold pan just a few miles from me in Scotttsdale. I cruised down today and picked it up. I'm sure I overpaid, but don't really care.

Here's some pictures and was hoping some of you might be able to answer a few questions for me.

1. When you press down on the rear of the car, should the suspension make the car pop right back up? The suspension is really mushy in the back.
2. Any recommendations for batteries and charger setup. Something basic will be fine as this will just be for backyard fun or at the park. I plan on running nimh batteries to keep it simple.
3. The previous owner modded the wheels to the newer style 2.2's I guess they're called. Does this open the door to a ton of wheel options for me? I'm a purist at heart and eventually will bring it back to a real stock type of look, but was just curious.
4. Previous owner says the pinion gear is a 52 tooth. I was running it tonight for a few minutes and the car is very fast but doesn't have much torque. Can someone suggest a more suitable gear?
5. If there's anything else you see in the pictures that needs immediate attention feel free to let me know.

By the way, I guess it has a Reedy 17t motor. Any good?

Thanks for any comments, or info you would like to give me. I appreciate it. Here's some pictures.

[RC10resto]

Welcome!
First thing you need to do is get some nose tubes on that chassis to support the front end.
Second you may want to move the rear shock top mounting position back out to the original outer hole or drill in a couple new holes to lessen the angle of the shocks.
Third thing may be an illusion but check to make sure your rear arms are both mounted correctly - left side may be more forward than the right - they do not look even in the photos?
Continue looking at builds on this site and if your car did not come with a manual go to http://www.RC10.com and download one.
Good luck
Brian

[aeiou]

Welcome to the board – and back to the hobby!

My return to the hobby had a lot to do with having my son, too. He started driving when he was about 3 with a 10T truck I cobbled together. It’s been a great bonding opportunity for us.

The rear suspension shouldn’t bounce, but it should return quickly and smoothly. Download the manual for the RC10 and rebuild the shocks. That, combined with RCresto’s note about the shock mounts should go a long way to improving the suspension. You'll need shock oil and a rebuild kit (at least the o-rings) Check for bent shafts and make sure the shocks pivot easily at both mounts. You'll also want to make sure the suspension is not binding at all.

There are a bunch of choices when it comes to inexpensive (~$25) NiMH batteries. Keep in mind, the newer NiMH cells are a bigger around than the old NiCd cells, so if you get side-by-side packs, you’ll have to relocate the battery to run lengthwise or run a hump-style pack. A simple AC/DC peak charger should work fine for playing around. I’ve collected a few chargers over time from buying lots – I’ll look around and see if any of them handle NiMH. If I find one, you can have it.

Fitting the 2.2” conversion allows you to run RC10B4 tires and wheels you can find at your hobby shop.

The 17t motor may bit too much (too few winds) for that speed control. I can’t tell which ESC that is, but check here to find the minimum turns allowed for your model:
http://www.futaba-rc.com/radioaccys/old-speed-controls.html

Good luck!