6 Gear rebuild question - Idler Gears

[fleetwood472]

Hey Guys,
I dug out my RC10 from storage and have been in the process of bringing it back. Besides it missing the wheels the trans is pretty noisy. The idlers are stripped out. This is an original first production run RC10 with no stamp on the chassis. I modified it for a stealth back in the day but want to put the 6-gear back into it. I've been trying to hunt down some derlin idlers for it since the originals are the white nylon and are completely shot. I was wondering if you guys knew if any aftermarket companies actually reproduced any of the idler gears in derlin or metal? Thanks - Justin

[Phin]

No modern reproduction of the idlers for the 6 gear but back in the day Race Master made them out of steel. I think another company made the idlers out of delrin but I can't remember the name. You can also make your own metal idlers by cutting the cups off of worn out 6-gear out drives.

There's a set of Race Masters idlers on eBay at the moment but TBH it's probably more economical to buy another 6-gear for donor spares.

[fleetwood472]

Thanks for the heads up. I might try that since it would be pretty much bulletproof. Do you just grease the gears once and a while since they would be all metal? Also does anyone know the size of the washer that goes between the pivot shaft and e-clip that the idler gears spin on? The previous guy I bought it from back in the day must have left that washer out so the shaft basically wables on the metal center plate of the transmission. If anyone could measure one for reference that would really help me out. Thanks - Justin

[85Edinger]

I got a pair of hardened steel idlers from RW Racing. They were NOS. He made them about 20 years ago and still had a bunch left. I paid something like $18. Just note that when you use metal idlers, de-burring the top drives and outdrives goes from something you should do to something you need to do.

[rraeford]

Can you provide contact info for RM?

[askbob]

Having a project with metal idler gears in mind, what is the best method for de-burring the gears for proper mesh?

[85Edinger]

http://www.rwracing.co.uk/
De burring the gears involves grinding away at the edges to remove the lumps on the edges. It's outlined in the Jay Halsey transmission guide.