Traxxas Hawk 2- Project Black Hawk

[85Edinger]

Hello all,
I just got a Traxxas Hawk 2 off of ebay.
I can't post links, but I'll post up pictures when I get it.
I wasn't planning on it, but it was just too good of a deal to pass up as the seller didn't know what it was.
It's missing a few parts, notably the body and front brace. I'm thinking of making a new front brace from fiberglass.
I can't wait to get it, I should have everything I need to get it running laying around.
I'm thinking I might build it up for this year's Vonats.

[vwjuice]

looking forward too some pics.

[85Edinger]

It occurred to me that I can post the ebay pictures.
The pictures speak for themselves, but I have a few questions.
I noticed that it's missing the fiberglass brace from the bulkhead to the chassis, and it's also missing the battery hold down. Could I make those parts from fiberglass?
Obviously the home-brew aluminum front bumper needs to go. I'm thinking my extra RPM one for the Rustler should fit.
The seller said that the whole car is covered in black paint. Maybe there's still white plastic under that paint?
I've heard that the plastic gets brittle with age and I'm planning to use the car as a light runner, possibly a resto mod. I'll probably boil the plastic to bring back some flexibility.

Is it just me or do the early Traxxas models all have Rc10 caster and steering blocks?
Advice and comments are welcome, thanks.

[harry697]

Judging by the missing top brace and that home made bumper/skid plate, I'm gonna take a wild guess that the chassis is broken right where the kick-up is. Typical for those trucks. Hopefully that's not the case, but it's very common.

I had and may still have the top chassis brace. Also have a good used original front bumper if you're interested.

[GoMachV]

The chassis is still available as well, under $12 at tower and comes with the braces
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJJ67

[85Edinger]

I saw the chassis, but it's out of stock on Tower and almost everywhere else. I'm not sure if it's actually coming back.
There's one left on Amazon, I might snag that one.
Alternatively, could I clean up the spot where it's broken and attach a Rustler/Stampede/Slash/etc. bulkhead?
Thanks for the offer on the bumper. I might take you up on it if the Rustler bumper doesn't fit.
I've got a broken ESC I'd like to use in the truck. If you think you can help me fix it, here's the link to the thread: http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=33484
How important is the plastic thing that goes on top of the front bulkhead, over the brace?
Again, why do the early Traxxas front hubs look so much like Associated Rc10 parts?
Thanks again for the help and support.

[GoMachV]

Traxxas caster blocks roughly fit an rc10 but I'm not sure the degree. The axles look similar but are quite different, using a screw to attach the axle and being metric.

[85Edinger]

Thanks Gomachv.
Unfortunately I won't have it until Monday, Dec. 2 since I'm going away for Thanksgiving.
Does no one have any idea how to fix the ESC I linked to in the previous post?
It has a fried transistor. The transistor's code starts with "B" and there's also an "I" and a "Q", but it's too charred for me to read anything else.
Can I just put in a similarly sized transistor?

[85Edinger]

I got the car this Sunday! USPS didn't hold the mail.
I'll post pictures soon, I've been busy with it.

There's nothing wrong with it that wasn't apparent from the pictures.
It came with a Trinity Green Machine motor. I need to decide if I want to run it or sell it.
It has a Hitec Hs-311 servo. I might use it, it looks adequate on paper. Or, I might put in my Solar D771 instead.
I opened up the transmission, everything looks good. The gears have zero wear, the two topshaft bearings seem new, and even the oillite bushings on the diff and idler seem new. I find the transmission's pristine condition bizarre considering it came out of a 1992 car with a broken chassis, several important parts missing, paint all over everything, and badly done home repairs.
I've stripped the chrome and red paint off the included HPI wheels. I'm going to dye them black and reuse them, probably with ribbed tires up front and Calibers in the back.
The chassis seems discontinued, it's out of stock virtually everywhere. I snagged the last one off Amazon.
Now I just need a front bumper and I'll be able to get it put together.

[85Edinger]

Here's the motor, a Trinity Green Machine. The truck also included a correct 1987 gear cover.

Here's the aluminum brace that was reinforcing the chassis repair, held in by self-tapping screws and no nuts.

Here's the repair itself, which was actually pretty well done. It actually might have held up with the addition of the upper fiberglass brace.
At this point, the parts are almost stripped of paint. I've been using acetone degreaser with good success. I'll post pics of the parts soon. I still need to decide if I'm doing the peroxide treatment before I boil them.
Any input or advice is appreciated.

[85Edinger]

Here's everything I currently have that I'm using, just to give an idea of the direction the project's going.
I thoroughly cleaned the motor, lubed the bushings, replaced its brushes, sanded the contact points on the springs, broke it in, used an eraser on the comm, and cleaned it again. It should run well. There's something I like about tinkering on a brushed motor, even though brushless took over before I even got into the hobby.
The beat up old body is from my Rustler. It's getting a new one.
The new chassis came in today. That was $15 well spent. Apparently the car was also missing the sheet that goes between the transmission and chassis. The package included it, along with the front brace and the chassis itself.
The shocks would be done by now, but the diaphragms are totally dry and I can't find my McMaster-Carr shock seals.

[BMKTW2]

I think these are the diaphrams for the stock hawk2 shocks:


I upgraded to the aluminum LS2 (X-Long;Rear) (Long;Front) shocks on my Hawk2. Perfect fit with no mods required.
The factory plastic shocks are (Long) shocks. The Hawk2's rear suspension loves the (X-Long) shocks.

[85Edinger]

Thanks, good to know.
I'm planning to keep the original shocks for now. I found my seals and I hope to get by Hobbytown today to buy new bladders.
Another problem I've run into is that I can't find battery posts that fit the chassis. It uses m4 screw holes for the battery posts.
I see you have battery posts. Do you know of any currently available battery posts that will fit?

[BMKTW2]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Traxxas-Part-1727-Battery-Hold-Down-Post-For-RADicator-Rad2-Hawk-H-/261347057392?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cd97f9ef0

[85Edinger]

Yes, I saw the ones on ebay. I'm looking for ones that don't cost $12. Thanks though.