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I have a Cadillac circa 1984 that I used to race back in the day while my dad raced an Optima Mid.
We raced for a few years and collected some trophies and had a lot of fun.
It was well used as can be seen in the pics.
I finally got it running again and now it's time to decide what to do with it.

To get it running again here is what i did.
Complete dis-assembly and cleaning (maybe not as clean as it should be)
Rebuilt shocks
Rebuilt tranny
New aluminum shock towers
New speedgems ruby motor (19t I think?)
new 4600 mah NIMH batteries
JC Racing wheels with JConcepts bar codes
2.4ghz transmitter/receiver

I really can't gauge how competitive this setup would be today. I am considering going to a brushless setup but I am very confused as to what I need to do to get there. For every post that says I can use the 6 gear tranny there is another one that says no. I am also having a hard time figuring out what speed motor to get...9T, 10T, 13T...3000kv, 3900kv, 4300kv and on and on.
I'm not sure yet what the classes are at the track I'll be going to. It seems like you pick either buggy or short course truck and start racing. It is an indoor hard packed clay surface with some pretty big jumps. One is a double where you better clear the second or slow down for the first.
Given the condition of the car I don't mind making modifications, although I'm not into machining parts to get them to work. They must be bolt on and at the very worst simply drilling holes in the chassis.
I would appreciate any help i can get.
Thanks,
Bill

I've decided I want to do the brushless conversion. But first I will tackle the transmission. I think to be safe I will upgrade to the stealth. However, I am still very confused on what I need for the conversion. It sounds like there are 3 versions of the stealth, maybe more? How do I know which one I would be getting? Or will they all work?
Here's one option...
http://www.xeusa.net/ae9574a.aspx

And another...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Team-Associated-RC10-B4-1-Brushless-Buggy-Metal-Gear-Stealth-Transmission-Trans-/140902838496?pt=US_Character_Radio_Control_Toys&hash=item20ce76b0e0
These could be the same, I can't tell by looking at them.

It also looks like I could piece one together from all the various parts but I have no idea what all the parts are.

for an *almost* bolt on affair, you need an rc10 stealth trans, 2.25:1 ratio. Not the B2/T2/B3/T3/B4/T4 trans. You will need to drill holes in the chassis to mount it, which is what the factory did, they offered a template to drill for a retrofit.

If you prefer to use something more modern, a B4 stealth will go on if you either:

cut a square hole in the chassis and THEN drill holes. You will have to make modifications to the rear bulkhead, and possibly the arm mounts.

OR make a small plate to raise the trans up above the chassis to *not make a square hole. You will still need to drill holes and make modifications to the rear bulkhead, and possibly the arm mounts. You may also need to modify the rear kickup.

those are your easiest options.

As luck would have it, a vintage stealth came up for sale while i was researching the B4.1 stealth conversion. So it looks like I'll be going the easier route.

Now I need a little help with the final drive gearing.
I picked up a brushless combo with a 9t 4300kv motor.
What would a good starting point be? And what spares should I pick up to test with?
The original stealth spur gear is 87t right?
Would I go somewhere between 20t and 24t on the pinion?
Am I shooting for a 9.5 FDR?

What would a 81-20 give u?? Before u go out and buy gears, a b4.1 top shaft, slipper will fit in that old stealth,then u can buy newer style gears.

May be too late but I just did a BL conversion to an old 6 gear car, I went with a 13.5T (3300KV) motor and it has a good 100 minutes plus on it and so far so good....no ugly sounds or any indications of distress even after running some 3S packs through it. I totally disassembled the 6 gear, cleaned and replaced any shaft that showed wear and reassembled with the original white idler gear (I did pick up a set of black idlers just incase) and installed bearings on everything. The tranny and dif are super smooth and quiet. 2S seems like a nice happy medium and 3S is pretty bonkers.

Cheers,
Jim