Vintage Kyosho identification

[wphilpy]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help me.

I've been given an old (early 90's?) Kyosho 2wd buggy to repair.

It's in a bad way and needs a lot of work but I have no idea what it is.

Can anyone identify it from the photos attached?

 

http://s815.photobucket.com/user/mousegunner1/media/20130926_182356_zps0c6b3cb6.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

 

http://s815.photobucket.com/user/mousegunner1/media/20130926_182346_zps05dce62e.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

 

http://s815.photobucket.com/user/mousegunner1/media/20130926_182338_zpsd3b26c23.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[Si Coe]

It an Ultima, probably the original version from the red shocks. In which case its more late 80's (88 onwards) and quite a collectable model. Spares can be found on ebay etc but expect to pay a lot!

[wphilpy]

Excellent, thanks.

 

I'll take a look and see if it's work doing.

[aspnet]

Yes - definitely the original Ultima as Si said.

 

If you want any hints / tips or pointers on where to get bits just let me know. Spent most of the last year building up 2-3 Ultima / Ultima Pro models in a fit of nostalgia as it was my first hobby grade car years ago 

[wphilpy]

Need shocks, ball joints, wheels, tyres, radio deck. It's in a bad way.

[aspnet]

Shocks: original red ones in good condition are expensive and sought after, although used ones come up occasionally on the bay. However, both red & gold shocks tended to suffer from the plastic adjustment collars breaking. I've got period Option House gold shocks on my two runners, only because they were usable from some of the donor cars.  I'll dig out the shock sizes tomorrow if it will be helpful as you should be able to find an alternative fairly easily if you aren't set on an accurate restoration

Ball joints: you mean for the transmission / drive? Which parts in particular?

 

Wheels & tyres: original were 1.9 inch diameter which you can still pick up but modern versions tend to be 2.2 which will give you more choice. Rear has a standard 12mm hex and the front uses 4mm x 8mm bearings - these can be picked up for a few quid from rcbearings.co.uk if you still have the original bushings. 

 

 

Radio deck: I hated this on the original Ultima to the point that I turned it into an Ultima Pro as soon as the different chassis & body was available back in the day. A head on smash invariably pushed the thin metal chassis up and snapped the radio plate - the broken piece I think I can see from the photos is in the same place mine would always snap.They hardly ever turn up for sale as a replacement now. Options include:

1) make up something yourself to repair the one you have / strengthen it in the front half
2) get hold of a metal or carbon fibre version or get one made
3) get a donor Turbo Ultima car, which had the same chassis, but double the thickness of the original so much stronger and not so reliant on the upper deck to keep it rigid

It's also worth fitting a full bumper if it is going to be bashed. TeamCRP still sell one version that fits fine, but you'll need slightly longer screws as it isn't countersunk like the original:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HEAVY-DUTY-NYLON-BUMPER-Kyosho-Ultima-Losi-JrX2-Car-Buggy-RC-Team-CRP-3047-/350682109315?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item51a6485583

 

Couple of other things that might be useful:

• Manual can be downloaded from http://www.competitionx.com/rc-manuals/cars-and-trucks-f-m/kyosho-manuals/
• Just download the pdf for Ultima 2wd
• The seller Vintage-kyosho on ebay has a number of NIP parts for the original. Watch the part numbers as a lot of the parts for the later models may not be a direct fit

 

 

[wphilpy]

Excellent thanks. Lots to go on there. The ball joints I need are for the steering so they should be easy enough to replace.

[aspnet]

No problem - hope you get it running well.

 

Also, the stock shocks I have are about 70mm at the rear and c.62mm at the front, but for some reason the manual doesn't mention what they should be