Newbie with Race Motor and AE RC10

[XLR8]

Yeah, the RC10's wheel diameter, axle diameter and pin drive makes its wheels unique.
The 10th scale RC buggy industry has pretty much settled on 2.2" wheel size as the standard. I have that wheel size on all my runners - it makes it much easier to find tires.
It's not impossible to find tires to fit your wheels but the selection will be rather limited.
Oh, I forgot to mention, the RC10 wheels are designed as 3-piece internal bead lock so that can complicate tire selection even further. Modern wheels and tires are meant to be glued on using CA glue.

[XLR8]

I've had a set of these Tamiya tires in my tire box since the late '80's. The ID and width match RC10 wheels and I'm confident that I had them mounted on RC10 wheels at one time (this would pre-date 2.2" wheels).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-TAMIYA-Part-Sand-Blaster-4-Tire-Set-for-SUBARU-BRAT-Also-for-Vintage-F150/223715025947?epid=1921002967&hash=item341674641b:m:mmyV_A9Chf-MyoN7UWtjU3g

Anyway, maybe you could search for 1.7" rears and 1.9" fronts and see what's available.

[JTSpeedDemon]

ARGH!!!
I just realized that the adapter I ordered is Tamiya female to mini Tamiya male!
So, gotta wait to get to correct Tamiya male connector for the car side of things. Unless I could track down two AE Molex plugs for the battery and charger.
Any suggestions? I really want this thing going ASAP.

[GoMachV]

If you have a Frys (or other electronics place like what radio shack used to be) local you can usually find the molex 2 pin “amps” connectors there.

[JTSpeedDemon]

Cool, thanks for the tip! We do have a Fry's nearby, so I'll check their site.

[JTSpeedDemon]

That is the STRANGEST THING!!
So I found out the mini Tamiya connector has the same pin spacing, so I soldered it up and plugged it in. Flipped the on switch, put 4 AAs and the antenna in the transmitter, turned it all on AND:
No response.
The little guage on the transmitter wasn't moving at all, EVERYTHING ON THE CAR AND TRANSMITTER WAS ON.
Is my transmitter dead? Or is my receiver dead or what?
I checked the fuse, it looks ok, if a little dirty on the terminals. I'll swap it out.
The strangest thing of all is that when I wiggled the battery connection just the right way, the motor would jolt for a split second and try to take off, and the steering servo would twitch.
HELP!!!

[XLR8]

Futaba Magnum Jr transmitter requires 8 AA batteries. Also, the battery holder can be a little fiddly - sometimes you'll need to reach in and bend the metal connections out a little so they'll make full contact with the battery holder terminals. If the batteries are making contact, the power meter will let you know.
Also, always turn the transmitter on before the car. Then when your done, turn the car off before the transmitter.

[JTSpeedDemon]

WAHOO! I got it to drive!
I put the other 4 batteries in the transmitter, switched it on, and this thing is FAST!!
It wants to turn right a lot more than left, but my dad says I just need to adjust the servo. He's very sure about that.
It was doing donuts on the wet driveway!! I didn't go too crazy so I don't ruin the tires, but it's awesome!
Once I brought it back inside, I managed to drop the transmitter.
I was extremely worried since the meter wasn't responding anymore, but I put it back together, and miraculously, it works! Just minus the meter, which is dead.
Phew.
I'll iron out the steering kinks and stuff and post a video.

[XLR8]

WAHOO! I got it to drive!
I put the other 4 batteries in the transmitter, switched it on, and this thing is FAST!!
It wants to turn right a lot more than left, but my dad says I just need to adjust the servo. He's very sure about that.
It was doing donuts on the wet driveway!! I didn't go too crazy so I don't ruin the tires, but it's awesome!
Once I brought it back inside, I managed to drop the transmitter.
I was extremely worried since the meter wasn't responding anymore, but I put it back together, and miraculously, it works! Just minus the meter, which is dead.
Phew.
I'll iron out the steering kinks and stuff and post a video.

Congrats JT!
Does the car track straight when you release the steering wheel? If not, there is a steering trim adjuster located above the wheel

If it's tracking straight but the wheels steer right more than left then you might take a look at where the steering rod connects to the servo

It appears that it's in the 1 or 2 o'clock position with the front wheels pointed forward when it really should be in the 12 o'clock position. This may be causing the steering rod to "throw" more rearward (right) than forward (left). Hope that makes sense.
Just move the ball stud to the upper center hole on the servo saver and lengthen the turnbuckle to compensate and point the front wheels forward.

[JTSpeedDemon]

Ok I was fiddling with the steering rare adjuster, not that knob, so thanks for that diagram!
And yeah, I figured I might need to move the servo rod back a hole or two.

[JTSpeedDemon]

Found the problem!
See that screw behind the steering arm? It was protruding, keeping the steering from turning to the left all the way. I backed it out a bit, and now it has full steering throw.
And since the weather cleared up, I got a chance to take it flat out! It's FAST!

[XLR8]

You have an S132H servo! That's my all-time favorite vintage servo - no metal gears or bearings but it's fast, light and small.
The disadvantage to not having a power meter on the transmitter is that you won't know when the batteries are going flat and the car could run away from you if it looses signal.
We're in for an entire day of rain here so no running RC's for me today. Guess I'll stay in and build today.

[JTSpeedDemon]

Cool! Didn't know I had an aftermarket servo!
It makes a vibrating sound, is that normal?

[XLR8]

If the servo is at rest, it should not be making noise. Often times, if the steering system is bound (doesn't move freely) and creating resistance, this can cause the servo to make noise as it attempts unsuccessfully to center itself and if it continues, this could shorten the life of the servo.

[JTSpeedDemon]

It doesn't fully recenter when I let off the steering, and the sound stops once it's "just right" centered-wise.
Sometimes the servo seems a little weak.
So I take it I should lube up the whole steering system(I use WD-40), and loosen all the fasteners a bit to see if that helps.
Otherwise I guess I just have a worn out servo?