RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

Hello everyone,

RC10talk.com is one of the best sites I've found in my search of like minded people who appreciate vintage RC cars. However, I've not seen one thread devoted to restoration techniques anywhere here. Correct me if I’m wrong. With that said, I thought I would be start a thread that would delve into the art of restoration techniques.

I've been sitting on a YZ10 for some time now just waiting for the right time to begin restoring it. New Parts are hard to come by as many of you know, and the used parts out there for sale are many times in need of some serious TLC to get them looking proper. So, I'm beginning this thread as a documented beginning to end restoration resource not only for myself, but to share with all of you the same questions and techniques that we all encounter on our journeys for the restorations we all want to have.


To begin with, I will start with one part made from a certain material and give a before, during (if applicable), and after pic with a detailed procedure on how the part (material) was restored. Please feel free to join in on that particular topic at anytime with comments, suggestions of what to. Pictures are always welcomed. I'm hoping this will also be a great resource on what not to do, as you will all see soon!

In order for this tread to be successful I strongly urge visitors to contribute in a similar manner to develop this into something everyone can use.

So, with no further delay here is my first restore tip:

TIP 001:
Kydex bumper: covered in CA.
Tip (what not to do) DO NOT SOAK IN ACETONE. I did this thinking it would remove the glue like it does on wheels. Wrong! Do you remember as a kid those little tiny dinosaurs that you could dip in water and they would grow to 5/6 times their original size. That's what happened to the bumper. Sorry no pics necessary, throwing away an almost perfect bumper was punishment enough ( I accidentally threw it away before I started this thread). What every you do, don’t use Acetone on Kydex. Done deal. Now I have to get a new bumper. Bummer….



TIP 002:
Yokomo YZ-10 white wheels (item #ZC801 and ZC805):
Everyone who raced and still races glues the tire to the Wheel. To remove the glue from the wheel it IS SAFE to soak the wheels in Acetone for 24 hours. You don't need anymore time than that but I've gone 2 days with soaking them and this didn't seem to adversely affect them. It removes the glue completely. All you have to do is peel off the left over rubber that is around the bead of the wheel.

TIP 003:

Magnesium Hubs and Bulkheads.
This is a tough one. This metal oxidizes/tarnishes and stains easily with dirt and mud below is a Left and Right upright (see pic 001). I’m not sure how to transform it to a showroom luster, but to clean it I use a tooth brush, tube brush and some warm water with dish soap (pic 002). The left hub in Pic 003 is the result of about 3 minutes of scrubbing. Much cleaner, but not sparkling. I have no solution for a factory finish that will not harm the metal or affect the shape of the design. Everyone, please feel free to chime in with suggestions (pics would be nice too).
Pic 001


Pic 002


Pic 003


That’s it for tonight. Be sure to check back often to see my YZ-10’s progress and learn restoration tips and tricks from everyone that would like to share info.
Bye.

This was covered a while back in scr8p's 870c restoration thread, just might be the finish your are looking for after glass bead blasting.
http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=7956
Never used sand as a blasting medium as it is to destructive but the glass bead gives the desired effect, imo. Hope this helps.

yes, glass bead works fantastically. I would say that afterwards, either an oily/waxy coating, or a clear coat to keep the mag from oxidizing.

Thank you A01butal and JWScab for bringing the solution to the thread. Glass bead is definitely the way to go. And many Thanks to Scr8p for the discovery and the great before and after pics of the YZ10 Magnesium parts. Again here is the link for the beautiful glass bead blast of the YZ10 Magnesium parts done by Scra8p: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=7956

unfortunately, not everyone has access to a glass bead cabinet. but if anyone would want their magnesium parts cleaned up, just get in touch with me.

hows this for clean well parts of it anyway


did this just for this topic on an old one i had and left some so you could see the difference 10 seconds makes
good old dremel and a cup wire brush gets them nice and shiney like new
i use 3 types of wire brush , cup, flat and thin straight for corners

heres one i have done


hard to get a good pic as it shines so much

MAGNESIUM:

For all of the magnesium parts, I use a wire wheel on a bench grinder. Start with the hard to reach places, then give the whole part a light brushing. After doing this, you may have some residue...it's very tempting, but do not use any liquid on the part (no water, no moter spray, no acetone, nothing). Magnesium oxidizes so quickly...and all of your efforts will be ruined.

Wipe it down with a dry rag and then give it a light coat of clear paint. This will keep everything looking nice and clean.

BULKHEADS:

The white bulkheads have a tendency to turn yellow. I've has a lot of sucess using very fine sand paper and soap to lightly wet sand the surface. You don't have to take too much off...just the yellowing. If done correctly, you won't have any deep scratches and the part will not require a clear coat.

Hope this helps...

Regards,
highwayracer

I sometimes use toothpaste before if I want some really fine cleaning and scrubbing on plastic parts. Works a treat and your parts smell minty fresh as well!

just thought i would add that if shelving your rebuilt yoke to lightly oil all the blacked metal to prevent from rusting. As i didnt and have to redo one of mine

And the bulkhead covers and centre shaft covers that most people assume are white and try to get them white again were never really white when new. They are more of an off white. wierd i know when compaired to yokomo's perfectly white wheel rims Ive never had to try clean these up myself as ive been able to get new but have found a lil t-cut and buff makes them shine very nicely.

TIP 004:

Hello everyone,

Ok, it has been a while since I last posted a tip/trick. So without further delay here is the next one:

We all want our nylon parts to be sparkly white, so here's what ya have to do. Yes, I know, many of you already know this trick, but it is worth posting to help anyone that doesn't know:

Below is a pic of a nylon tie rod end that has yellowed and been covered in dirt. We have all seen this at one time or another.



Here are the tools of the trade for getting this part looking as good as new:



I first start with a good scrubbing with a tooth brush, sponge and tube brush to remove as much dirt and dicoloration as possible (see pics below). This can take some time but it is worth it if you want it perfect.





Scrub everywhere, even where the threads of the tie rod go into, I used a dremel with a soft brush (see pic below) that I think is used for pap smears...haha!(Thanks Kaiser hospital). Rinse. Repeat if necessary.



I then drop the piece in a container of bleach and close the lid. This particular part I let soak in bleach for 2 days. I'm not sure how long you can leave it in pure bleach, but I have gone as long as 5 days with great results. After it has soaked in bleach be sure to give it an additional scrub down (this will help remove deep stains).


Below is a pic (looking from left to right) of how the rod end look before brush scrubbing with warm soap and water (far left), After a good solid scrub down (middle), and after a 2 day soak in bleach (Far right). As you can see, it looks pretty nice. A longer soak in bleach probably would get things even whiter.



The next installment will be a good one, I promise. Til next time. Keep those Yoks looking Great!

TIP #05:

Hello finally everyone: Family has been occupying me the past couple weeks, so my projects had to slip to the side a bit. But now I'm back with another installment for Restorations tips and tricks for the YZ10. This time however, I'm going to need a little help from all you guru's who's talents far exceed my own.

Topic: chassis restoration. As you can see in the pics below I have two YZ10 chassis that have seen better days. The undersides of both chassis are fine due to the fact a under pan was used, but the top of the chassis where all the money is double sided taped will make any yokomo lover wince. I'm sure many of you have experienced the glue on chassis and the wear and tear of the finish of a once new and beautiful chassis. This part of the car restore is going to be a little more complicated.

I think the first issue I need to deal with is getting the CA off the chassis without causing further damage. I've heard rumors of people using heat guns, and other methods involving sand paper, but the details and steps are missing so I don't want to attempt something without a very clear understanding of these or other method. I've seen many before and after pics of nice restores but can never get a clear explaination of how it is done. I would very much appreciate any detailed methods. And since I have two chassis I will at least try two different methods to show the most effective one.

The second step is finishing the surface so it looks nice and pretty like it did when it was new.

This is a good weekend to get down and dirty with some restoration!

obsidian wrote:This is a good weekend to get down and dirty with some restoration!

It always a good weekend when we get our hands dirty! Keep up the good job, thumbs up!

Acetone for CA. I would make some attempt first where it is not visible the car assembled. Also, be patient. Hardened CA is a real pain to get rid of (not talking about tires here). I am sure you know it but RTF direction of acetone use. Inside, a protective mask will not protect anything and if you smoke, well, you might smoke the house too. Outside is always best for acetone use.

If it does not work to your taste, I have seen some guys water sand the chassis and spray some black mate paint. The result on pictures was quite impressive. Your call now.

acetone indeed: just a bit in a closed container or sealed bag. Let it sit for a couple hours and be quick to wipe the softend glue as it will harden very quick again when the chassis is taken out in fresh air again.

i personally place a little piece of old bath towel over the ca on the chassis, then i poor the acetone on the fabric and double it over so it doesnt evaporate to quickly, 1/2 hour later it is very soft and tacky and is just wiped away.

marui hunter 73

Hello once again.

Finally found some time to attempt the CA removal method suggested my Marui Hunter 73 (see post directly above). All I can say is "wow!" this works like a charm (see pic below). I let the acetone soaked cloth sit on the chassis for about an hour inside of a plastic shopping bag. I then had another acetone soaked rag in hand (please wear plastic gloves) ready to wipe the chassis immediately after removing from the plastic bags. There is absolutely no CA left on the chassis. However, there will be a slight discoloration down the center of the chassis caused by the back bone. Take a close look at the previously posted pics of the chassis and look between the cell cut outs. There is plenty of CA to be found. Now look at the cell cut out in the pic below...it's as if the crazy person that put CA there never existed. There is no evidence of CA anywhere. This is the Absolute method for removing CA from any type of Carbon fiber or fiberglass. Thanks again to everyone for their input. Hope this is helpful to all.

The next step will be staightening out those unsightly strap slots cut in the chassis to the right using a dremel. I will use a milling machine to clean it up.

'til next time,

Cheerz