My JRX-Pro SE project

[Elroy]

First off, a little introduction. My first intro into RC was a Traxxas Bullet back in the late 80's. I raced it many times and really loved it. I went from that to a Losi Junior T which I also enjoyed. In 1993 I sold everything that I owned in RC to my cousin for money for my first car. I've missed it ever since.

Fast forward to a few months ago. I was helping a friend move and he had a Losi JRX-Pro SE in his trash pile. I asked if he minded if I took it, he did not. So, now I would love to restore it. I doubt that I will race it, but I would love to play with it in the yard. As you can see it came without a radio and it obviously needs some upgrades. First is a complete tear down, clean up, and rebuild. Since I've been away from RC for so long, I plan on reading this forum on what to do to convert it to something that will run using the up to date technology. Any suggestions here would be nice too.

Thanks!

[JK Racing]

You shouldnt need any upgrades, slap some new electronics in there and give it a whirl. Doesnt look too dirty either, but a tear down clean up exercise will ensure it was build right and ready for whatever you throw at it.

[slapshot1979]

Trash pile

Ive bought worse than this!! Good score. Solid car and shouldnt need much by the looks of it.

[Elroy]

Thanks guys.

So, would you stick with the existing ESC and old motor? Of course, I don't know if they still work. Judging by the condition of the buggy, my guess is that they still function. What about battery? Would you try to find the old 6-cell NiCad or convert it to Lipo? Would you go with a new 2.4 controller or pick up a vintage Futaba off the bay?

[JK Racing]

If you are going to run it, I would just get the new stuff (2.4 radio, lipo). The old speedo/motor in there should be fine for a while, but that speedo was not designed to monitor low voltage, which hurts/damages lipo batteries. Another thing to think hard about is wheels/tires. The ones on the car look to be in pretty good shape, and are not made anymore. A set of B4 wheels/tires (current and plenty available) slap right on there without issues, maybe need a spacer on the front end at most. Then you can rip up and down the street and not destroy the stock ones on there.

If you choose to replace the motor/speedo, there are plenty of inexpensive options out there that will give you plenty of bang for the buck, and gobs of speed if you want it. Gone are the days of "team" only go fast parts. You can buy as much power and speed as you want, and easily overpower the cars to the point of ridiculousness.

Have fun its an addiction that will consume you quickly.

[Elroy]

Thanks for the great info Joey. Since this car didn't come with radio or battery, those will be the first purchase (once I do the tear down/build up). I'll also look at wheels and tires. No need to tear up these original tires just running it in the street.

Any suggestions on good sites to purchase these items? I've been away from this for so long, I know there has to be some great online places with good deals. I remember buying a lot of my stuff from local hobby shops and from Tower Hobbies (they advertised a lot in RC Car Action).

[JK Racing]

If you have an LHS, please support them. Tower is still in the game, A Main Hobbies, Stormer Hobbies are also big e-tailers as well (with regular stores if you are close to them). There is a large wave of inexpensive options out there, HobbyKing and HobbyPartz are 2 that jump out, just plan on waiting for shipping or the most popular items out of stock.

[LosiXXkid]

It will also be very easy to convert the transmission to a dual disk slipper if you are going to run a brushless/ lipo set-up.

Good job that you saved it from landfill.