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Losi JRX Pro Restoration


A Return

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Since rebuilding a Losi xxcr Kinwald, and building a new xxxcr2, i wanted to get my hands on a JRX2 of some sort and ended up finding a JRX Pro. I knew there were a fair few bits missing but expected it to be worst than it is. There is alot of scratches, chips and marks on the underside and the arms, but little slack anywhere, including the diff which seems to be pretty good. Im not planning to make it a box art restoration, more a useable smart example. Because of the visable state of the suspention arms, which are fine as far as function goes, im going to use my various restoration skills to seamlessly rebuild the arms rather than buy new ones. It seems to me that it may be a bit of a bitsa as the wheels are off a JRX2, and with other bits missing id guess its been used to restore someone elses car.

 

P1040084_zps34856311.jpgP1040086_zps3ad35fef.jpgP1040085_zps0d6ab2df.jpg Sorry the pictures are pants, ill sort out some decent ones at the weekend. From first look it needs front wheel bearings, shocks, wheels (one is chipped), rear pivot block, front bumper, new body and wing, front hub pivot pit thats been replaced with a screw, new screws just about everywhere as they are mostly rusty as sin, new gear cover, and im going to add the 5 link set up from the JRX2 when i can find it. Whilst it is possable to convert these to 2.2in wheels, im going to stick to the 2in vintage type, mainly because ive already bought the fronts in white (proper Losi ones) and am busy looking for matching rears. By the end of the weekend i hope to have it totaly stripped, and when i put it back together i will have the assistance of this....

 

P1040087_zpsd77e48cf.jpgIt is in very good condition and i love how it seems to have been produced with a photocopier, complete with some of the edges of the pages being missing! One thing that ive realised is quite handy, authough todays Losi's seem to be outdated with the use of imperial size nuts and bolts, it now means that i should have everything i need to screw this back together!

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Today the postie bought me my first lot of bits for the jrx, quite a result as they were very reasonably priced and just what i need, and the seller didnt have much else in stock for them. Bought 2 sets of front wheels as that was all they had left. Theres afew more bits I need to get but its a good start, im not going to do anything to it yet as im doing silly overtime and just havnt got the time. Next month might be different tho. I might have a go at ripping it apart tomorrow as im sure ill find things to add to the list.

 

Anyway, this is what i got today.

 

fb89f477-4e58-43af-b0eb-bca40111d8ec_zps

 

rear pivot block, (missing)

front bumper skid plate (missing)

White wheels,

some 8-32 screws (alot need replacing and some are missing)

A wing wire (slightly bent, and it was cheap)

Ball bearing rigid steering arm set ( nothing wrong with the originals, except they havnt got bearings)

Diff grease, non vintage. Boring. 

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Not much of an update but thought id do it as it happens. wheels and tyres were manky. Really manky, and I thought they were glued to the rims. I took the tyres off, gave them a clean with Autoglym vinyl and rubber shine, and they looked like new. Popped them on the rims and looked at them very smugly. All ive got to do now is go to work and make some new foams.

 

Im on the lookout for some new white logo rims for the rear if anyone has seem them. Youll find them next to the hens teeth.

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I don't see the problem with the orange wheels - fluro was very big back then! I really want some pink rear wheels for my RC10 like I had in 1990.

 

Anyway I'm impressed. I was surprised you found a Losi so easily because they were rare back in the day. Everybody and I mean everybody ran a Schumacher (Topcat, later Cougar) and I remember doing meetings of 100 people with my RC10 gold pan, a couple of Graphites and a single JRX2 as the only none Schumachers! 4wd was slightly better with a few Mids (later Lazers) mixing it in with the Procats and my lone Yokomo.

I so want another yz870c!

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Cheers si,I dont really mind the orange wheels but all my other cars have white wheels, so this must have the same, and will be painted the same as my others as these were my dads colours when he did short oval racing. When i used to do rc bangers i raced in the colours and found the car very easy to spot (its inprinted on my brain I think), when i race in other team colours the cars were almost impossable to spot amonst the carnage, so simple red white and black has stuck for me. Ive never raced buggies, i got into these after getting my 8ight, and once i bought the xx and xxx i figured i needed to complete the set, and I enjoy the restoration, which i guess goes back to my 1;1 classic days. When i posted up that id decided to get a jrx, id already spotted this on ebay, and put in a 'against all odds' bid in at the last second. It worked!

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I agree on keeping your colour scheme consistent. When I race, I always race with black and orange as the main colours. I just like it and I know it's my car.  My bashers don't follow this, though.

 

Besides, your colour scheme looks great and really suits the vintage Losi cars.

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  • 4 weeks later...

well, after looking over this car and realising quite what it needed to make it complete i figured it would just be easier to buy a decent jrx2 with the 5 link rear. Ebay com found me a half decent one in the US, so i put a bid on it. 2 days later whilst slightly worse for wear, i found a MUCH better one on a 'buy it now', so i did. I assumed there would be more bids on the first one. There wasnt. Now I have 2 of them winging their way to me. Happy days :whistling:

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that is true, im going to build the best i can out of the 3 ive got, and a second one with the best of whats left, and ill probably sell that on. The bit i enjoy in these rc's is the build, more so than actualy running them, so restoring them and selling on makes sence.

I received the first of a few bits id ordered, white vintage proline rear wheels which match my new losi 'logo' front wheels really well, and a new jrx pro rear tower with more shock mount holes, and some shorter rear links for the 5 link. Also i received a whole jrx2, the better of the 2 ive been waiting for and its a good one. No marks on the arms, very minor grazes on the chassis, what i can assume are original losi tyres front and rear, one front shock looks like it needs oil, but there are no signs of leaks, and bearings that look and roll like they are new, the whole general condition of the car looks like it has been run 2 or 3 times. im happy as a pig in poo.

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  • 3 weeks later...

had a bit of a break from it since i was waiting for the 2 cars to arrive and some parts, but now that its all here and ive got some time off work ill find the time this week to crack on. Having said that ive done a few bits towards building the first car, but its far from complete.

Ofthe 3 cars i bought, the 1st was the one shown above, which was a bitsa, problably the left overs of some elses restoration. the second one had been cleaned up and had seen very little use, but had been badly built in the first place so needed afew bits that needed sorting and some stripped threads. The third one had had a truck conversion and probably been left in someone shed (or pond) for some time. The only thing to do was strip them all down and cherry pick the best bits. I lost the charger for my camera until today so couldnt get pics of the mud encrusted cars before i started, but here an example of the pile of bits i had before i started screwing it back together.

P1040104_zpsaud2mive.jpg

 

Starting with the 5 link suspention, I discovered that there seem to be 2 different versions. The early jrx2 had 4 lower shock mount holes, later ones had 2. Early ones also had lightening holed in the rear links whereas the late ones were solid. The suspention ive built for mine is based on the later type as it was in much better condition, and ive fitted the link with the 4 mount holes, as well as some shorter upper links i found for rear toe-in.

 

P1040115_zpssvcsvgvo.jpg

 

Sorry for the rubbish pic, ill take the wheel off to get a better one during the week. The front end of the car os almost complete appart from the links which are currently undergoing chemical rust removal I think each of the cars had a link which was bent, so once the rust is off i'll be able to make a decent set up. The first car i got had what turned out to be a steering beef up kit so that will be going on. Infact each car had a selection of different upgrades on them, so they will all get thrown at it.

P1040112_zpsxoo1ny4e.jpg

 

So heres what i have so far, the front bulk head has a front mount post kit fitted, as well as a servo saver lock bracket on the orange bearing-kitted steering arms. The shocks need re-oiling and possibly new seals but are in very good condition, but the top spring retainers had been overtightened and snapped, so a set from the third car were found to be good and were fitted. For the chassis i was going to use the short wheel base jrx2, but it has no holes for the servo mounts,you just stick it on, and the very rear screw hole for the motor mount was a bit munched, so its now being built on a jrx pro long chassis which is a bit scratched up but has servo holes and the 5 link holes in it. Its also fitted with a pro front bumper. The rear motor mount will be the one ive recerved which has JRX2 etched in the back of it which is a nice touch. Ive had it in a pot of caustic soda to get the anodizing off and polished it, there are afew scratches on it which i will try again to remove without loosing the etching.

Im really enjoying this build, a proper restoration using a combination of 3 cars, and with the mods that came with the cars plus the mods ive bought i should end up with something quite decent, but what to call it? JRX2 PRO GT perhaps?

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Got a bit further with it this week, spent some time going through a box of nuts and screws to give it a bit of pointless bling.

 

P1040177_zpsa6yfnggb.jpg

 

Red nuts everywhere.

 

P1040182_zpshe0j5wmj.jpg

 

Sadly ive managed to fit some more since this pic was taken.

 

Out of the 3 motor mounts i got on the cars, only one had perfect threads, but was quite badly scratched. A bit of wet and dry and a polish got this

 

P1040188_zpsstfufb6n.jpg

 

All the links were rusty, and each car had at least 1 or 2 that were bent. I managed to sort out a full set that were ok, de-rusted them so they went from this

P1040110_zpss6jfgorr.jpg

 

To this

P1040165_zpswtziw0vb.jpg 

The 5 link suspention on the rear is a mix of early and late type with 4 shock mount adjustment holes, and a shorter front link for rear toe-in. Considering its age im amazed how little slack there is in the whole thing. 

 

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Since putting it together the chassis irritated me slightly with it being the only part that let it all down due to scratches and marks all over it. I had planned to paint it with something suitable, that was until  a mate had some vinyl arrive for his project vw. Only right that i borrowed some.

 

b8611c30-51bf-43c3-9553-a8e8467c1cfa_zps

 

So i stuck some of the carbon vinyl on the chassis. Dont know why i didnt think of it before. Also did the shock towers.

 

A servo has been fitted and steering linkage sorted.

P1040206_zpsmvin3uoj.jpg

 

f64009c4-f841-4f57-91fa-0ef732fe06de_zps Hmmmmmmm........ carbon fibre....... i mean vinyl......

 

 

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  • 4 months later...

thanks, recently I managed to finnish it. Inspired by finaly finding a pair of rear white logo wheels, i bought some paint, and painted.P1040313_zpsvbsz48ft.jpg

 

I was going too get some vintage box art style stickers, but the red came out alot darker than intended, and ive got plenty of stickers that need using up.

 

P1040319_zps65kagwv8.jpg

 

Now ive got a jrx, an xx, and ive just painted my xxx carbon today. P1040322_zpsifq5cdqx.jpg

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Thanks mate, what sort of bits do you have? id be interested in any tune up bits for the jrx2 XX and XXX.

 

Today i got the XXX almost complete. I bought a XXXcr kit about a year ago, along with an Atomic Carbon chassis kit, and have spent the last year collecting bits for it. I did just type the list on here and accidently deleted it, so ill do that later if anyones interested, but theres quite abit.P1040358_zpsxjjmks3c.jpgP1040362_zpsdloef2co.jpgP1040364_zpsijljfkh5.jpgP1040363_zpscz7dknjv.jpg

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Not really, Its a genuine losi part, and the front bulkhead has 2 holes in it to bolt the bracket too that holds the wing, but im told its a very unusual part. At the back there is a losi 22 wing which replaced a 2 part high downforce rear wing i bought, so under the rear wing sits the centre part of the highdown force wing (rare-ish) that ive hacked about to fit on 2 unused mount holes. Theres afew unusual parts on this car, infact most of the original kit is still sitting in the box!

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I've been yearning for a jrx recently, I think it's the 5 link that does it for me for some reason. And love the AC chassis set Northy would be proud of it

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