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I've recently got back into the hobby and have had this Optima Pro sitting in the attic for about 20 years. I've never done a rebuild so I'm seeking the best place to start. Should I keep it original or just hunt down any new parts that will work? I don't have any part supply on hand so what's the best way to match other brand parts that will fit should I go that route? The motor on it works, but its off a Tamiya 959 that the previous owner was stripping to get this one going. I have the original box, stickers, and parts bag. Any recommendations on what I should do first? I do want to run it, not a shelf queen.

Thanks,
smthin

Welkom to RC10Talk

Tear it down, get a set of ball bearings and repro body from Teambluegroove. If you need any other parts, you will probably find them on eBay.

What a great find. 20 years hidden away and today you have a classic buggy ready to see more action.

I think you could leave this car standard. Make certain it is fuly ball raced and check the dampers for oil. If you wanted to do a few things I'd suggest replacing the dampers for better reliabilty. You can even run the kit wheels and tyres. There is a seller on eBay who usually sells these very tyres at reasonable prices. Look up 'MARWAN' as he reproduces this exact tyres and they are a very good copy.

That Tamiya motor is a great place to start. Sure, it aint brushless but it was a good little motor in it's day and if you want to enjoy some fun out on the street/track this will propel the car around at a respectable pace.

Good luck with this project.

Nice attic find there! If you're planning to run the car, you'd want to get at both gearboxes and make sure the gears are still decent and re-lubricate them. That would be the time to install bearings if it previously had bushings. You could replace all the existing screws with a stainless steel, hex-headed screw set from RCScrewz.com if desired:

http://www.rcscrewz.com/product_info.php/stainless-screw-kits-cars-trucks/kyosho-vintage-screw-kits/p/kyo006-kyosho-optima-series-vintage-stainless-steel-screw-kit/cPath/1_110/products_id/482

Those red shocks are more pain in the a$$ than they're worth, honestly...I wouldn't use them for a runner. I bet nearly every one of those red spring collars is cracked, and they're probably all leaked dry. I'd be on the lookout for a set of Option House Gold shocks, or a set of 3Racing Lazer dampers will work with some minor modifications, and the price is right.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/3Racing-Aluminum-Front-Rear-Damper-Kyosho-Lazer-ZX-5-ZX5-01-BU-/200695277039?pt=US_Character_Radio_Control_Toys&hash=item2eba5ee5ef

Make sure the chain tension is adjusted correctly. Keep us updated with your resto progress, and good luck. If you need help, just ask us.

Awesome thanks! Yes, the red collars are all cracked. I also have the Tamiya 959 that the motor came from so I was thinking of saving it for that project. What spec do you recommend for a brushless motor on the chaindrive or beltdrive if I convert it? I'll be ordering the dampers and screwkit here pretty quick and keep you posted.

Thanks!
smthin

I would think a 13.5T or so brushless setup would be fine. If you added the torque limiter gear & belt-drive conversion, you could probably use down to a 10T setup, but you might have to adjust the amount of punch so it's a bit more reasonable. The EZRun brushless motor & ESC combos have been very reliable and the price is right. Here's an example for around $100 shipped:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/eZrun-RC-1-10-12-CAR-13-5-T-brushless-motor-60A-ESC-/260785303540?pt=US_Character_Radio_Control_Toys&hash=item3cb803eff4

I chose a 17.5T Speedpassion motor/Castle Sidewinder ESC for my onroad-converted CYANide Optima, and went all-in with a Tacon 11T 3200kV motor for my (hopefully) bulletproof Barney project. You can check out those build threads in my signature, I have lots of info on upgrades to the Optima chassis that you might find useful.

Your shocks seems to be in a good condition apart from the broken collars. If they are without too many scratches, You might be able to trade them for a decent set of quality shocks.

A small hickup regarding the stainless screws, they are soft in the head

Meaning, they´re are easier to wreck, both slot and threads.

Looking forward to further pictures.

DennisM wrote:A small hickup regarding the stainless screws, they are soft in the head

Meaning, they´re are easier to wreck, both slot and threads.

I've used those sets for 2 builds and haven't had any issues with durability. As long as you use correct-size decent hex drivers, as I did, you won't have any issues stripping out the heads. You're far more likely to strip the aged black steel Philips heads of the original screws, if some of them haven't already been. Practically every Optima parts car I disassembled has had some Philips screw-heads that were stripped out or almost stripped, or I ended up stripping them out trying to remove then from thread-locked parts.

Personally I use high tensile screws on my cars where they screw into metal. Reason being, you really want to use some lock tite glue to stop them rattling out. Stainless screws are soft in comparison and I tend to stay away from them in this case.

J.M. wrote:Personally I use high tensile screws on my cars where they screw into metal. Reason being, you really want to use some lock tite glue to stop them rattling out. Stainless screws are soft in comparison and I tend to stay away from them in this case.

I guess you have to decide which you prefer: the benefits of SS screws never rusting or the extra tensile strength of black steel screws. If using L-shaped Allen keys instead of decent-quality hex drivers, one might have issues with the hex heads stripping out on SS screws. It's not an issue I've experienced, however. 2 cars with *countless* assemblies & disassemblies, considering all the trial-and-error fitments I had to do, and haven't had an RCScrewz hex-head strip out yet...YMMV, of course.

I guess I'll knock...on SS.

Yeah SS have their place but I don't drive my cars in the wet so rust is not an issue. I have never had a problem with HT steel screws but have had some real dramas getting SS out once they are stuck in place. I have a high quality driver set and these weren't enough .

You've never had an issue with a black Philips screw-head stripped out? Wow, you're way luckier than I!

Sorry, my meaning was that when I replace the kit standard screws it is with HT steel 'hex' drive screws.