Drapes86 Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Hello all, firstly a confession... I have always liked the idea of RC Cars but have never really got into the hobby and I know absolutely nothing about them. However; I have recently caught the bug and pledge to become a better person and make up for all that lost time! I was clearing out the garage and found my childhood Tyco Hijacker looking up at me, along with a beaten up, dusty RC I had never given a 2nd glance since inheriting it from my step brother whilst clearing my things from my mom and step dad's loft. After spending more time than I should cleaning the HiJacker and realising it was completely shot, I turned my attention to the other car. So, I'm an engineer, and and the first thing that I had never noticed was the intricacy of the swing arm mechanism, followed by everything else that I could see... now I'm inerested! I cleaned off some dust from the body and rear wing and read "Kyosho" and "Optima Mid Custom". I typed these into everyone's favourite Internet search engine and... Well, let's just say she no longer lives in the garage and I have completed my 10,000 hail Mary's to repent for my sins! After that inexcusably long introduction, I'm going to be rebuilding her. Considering this is my first venture into RC car restoration, I will not be making any modifications to the spec - just a deep clean and replacement of parts as necessary. I'll add pictures as I go, and will no doubt be asking for lots of help from this community along the way. I really hope that I can do the old girl the justice she deserves! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James.S Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Hello mate, welcome to the forum You have an awesome looking vintage RC there. I wish you the best of luck in restoring her to her former glory. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 Thanks James! I'm looking forward to it if not somewhat daunted by the task... electrics aren't my forte, but the build I'm comfortable with. Are there any essential tools I should have before starting? Soldering iron, miniature spanners, ... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ag100 Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Drapes86 said: Hello all, firstly a confession... I have always liked the idea of RC Cars but have never really got into the hobby and I know absolutely nothing about them. However; I have recently caught the bug and pledge to become a better person and make up for all that lost time! I was clearing out the garage and found my childhood Tyco Hijacker looking up at me, along with a beaten up, dusty RC I had never given a 2nd glance since inheriting it from my step brother whilst clearing my things from my mom and step dad's loft. After spending more time than I should cleaning the HiJacker and realising it was completely shot, I turned my attention to the other car. So, I'm an engineer, and and the first thing that I had never noticed was the intricacy of the swing arm mechanism, followed by everything else that I could see... now I'm inerested! I cleaned off some dust from the body and rear wing and read "Kyosho" and "Optima Mid Custom". I typed these into everyone's favourite Internet search engine and... Well, let's just say she no longer lives in the garage and I have completed my 10,000 hail Mary's to repent for my sins! After that inexcusably long introduction, I'm going to be rebuilding her. Considering this is my first venture into RC car restoration, I will not be making any modifications to the spec - just a deep clean and replacement of parts as necessary. I'll add pictures as I go, and will no doubt be asking for lots of help from this community along the way. I really hope that I can do the old girl the justice she deserves! I had one of these, a fantastic buggy, enjoy the restoration, looking forward to some more pictures. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ag100 Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 54 minutes ago, Drapes86 said: Thanks James! I'm looking forward to it if not somewhat daunted by the task... electrics aren't my forte, but the build I'm comfortable with. Are there any essential tools I should have before starting? Soldering iron, miniature spanners, ... ? Would be worth replacing the radio gear, it’s the old Crystal type, you may find as its old it won’t work anyway. You can get some very good cheap 2.4 Transmitters now, also seeing the resistor on the top, I guess it’s running a mechanical speed control, if you are planing to run it, you could replace this with and Brushed ESC, this will be much better., loads of info on here, just ask if you need any suggestions 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James.S Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Drapes86 said: Thanks James! I'm looking forward to it if not somewhat daunted by the task... electrics aren't my forte, but the build I'm comfortable with. Are there any essential tools I should have before starting? Soldering iron, miniature spanners, ... ? You're welcome bud. I'm not the best with electrics either, just learning as i go. But if you are ever struggling with something during your restoration then just ask for guidance on here, and there will be always be someone knowledgeable who is able to help you out 👍 Now, tools that you will need. Just have a good look over the model at all the different fixings it has, I.E. crossheads, hexes, bolts and then just get the matching screwdrivers & spanners. A soldering iron is definitely a good idea too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Drapes86 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 21, 2020 Thanks for the advice and well wishing guys! My first plan is to restore completely original to see what works and what doesn't. I definitely plan to run her, so I'll investigate modern replacement parts once I've established that. Then I will bag the original motor and transmitting wigglies and store them. I've fully disassembled and cleaned the parts, they came up as clean as a whistle! She'll look great if nothing else 😂 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 One think I'm struggling to find online is the adhesive tape which is used to fit the clear plastic cover over the belt, and also one of the servos to the chassis. The original is black, super sticky and seals the cover completely to stop dust and dirt getting into the drive mechanism. Any ideas what to search for and where I can buy this from? 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 Another topic, they will be coming thick and fast im afraid. Here are all of the electrickery components that scare me! If I were to replace EVERYTHING, how do I even start with identifying gear which is all compatible?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James.S Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 (edited) 5 hours ago, Drapes86 said: One think I'm struggling to find online is the adhesive tape which is used to fit the clear plastic cover over the belt, and also one of the servos to the chassis. The original is black, super sticky and seals the cover completely to stop dust and dirt getting into the drive mechanism. Any ideas what to search for and where I can buy this from? 👍 Something like this perhaps? https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=1332623&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkuP9BRCkARIsAKGLE8XHf4zBaN5kHgWeee4WzUXnGKyGTh3dYAud-LOUAVSN5Rbw6V6tBWYaAv3OEALw_wcB EDIT: This will be good for sticking the servo to the chassis, but as it's double sided i'm not sure if it will be the right thing to use for those other bits you mentioned. Edited November 21, 2020 by James RC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 39 minutes ago, James RC said: Something like this perhaps? https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=1332623&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkuP9BRCkARIsAKGLE8XHf4zBaN5kHgWeee4WzUXnGKyGTh3dYAud-LOUAVSN5Rbw6V6tBWYaAv3OEALw_wcB EDIT: This will be good for sticking the servo to the chassis, but as it's double sided i'm not sure if it will be the right thing to use for those other bits you mentioned. That's great thanks! The belt cover was stuck with what appears to be the same kind of stuff, but a much narrower strip of it. It was a double sided tape - so that would work, but it needs to be approx. 5mm width only to stick the length of the two sides down flush with the underside of the chassis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ag100 Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 5 hours ago, Drapes86 said: Another topic, they will be coming thick and fast im afraid. Here are all of the electrickery components that scare me! If I were to replace EVERYTHING, how do I even start with identifying gear which is all compatible?? The motor looks a good one, so worth checking to see if it runs, might just need new brushes and a clean up, a brushed ESC from someone like Hobbywing https://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobbywing-quicrun-1060-brushed-waterproof-esc-sbec/rc-car-products/404964 would be good that would relplace on servo the speed control (on the right of your picture) and the resistor, and then a 2.4g radio https://www.modelsport.co.uk/carson-reflex-3-1-stick-radio-with-receiver-servo/rc-car-products/430657 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James.S Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 11 minutes ago, Drapes86 said: That's great thanks! The belt cover was stuck with what appears to be the same kind of stuff, but a much narrower strip of it. It was a double sided tape - so that would work, but it needs to be approx. 5mm width only to stick the length of the two sides down flush with the underside of the chassis... You're welcome bud. Ah okay, should be perfect for you then. When you're ready to stick the belt cover on just use a Stanley blade to to cut a 5mm strip from that roll 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 2 hours ago, Ag100 said: The motor looks a good one, so worth checking to see if it runs, might just need new brushes and a clean up, a brushed ESC from someone like Hobbywing https://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobbywing-quicrun-1060-brushed-waterproof-esc-sbec/rc-car-products/404964 would be good that would relplace on servo the speed control (on the right of your picture) and the resistor, and then a 2.4g radio https://www.modelsport.co.uk/carson-reflex-3-1-stick-radio-with-receiver-servo/rc-car-products/430657 Added to basket! I think that this car is going to play nicely into my obsessive personality... what started as a clean up and see if it still works is fast becoming a full upgraded restoration. I'm like a kid I a sweet shop at the moment, I just don't know which sweets I can and can't eat yet 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 2 hours ago, James RC said: You're welcome bud. Ah okay, should be perfect for you then. When you're ready to stick the belt cover on just use a Stanley blade to to cut a 5mm strip from that roll 👍 Perfect, I'll get a roll of that then. That's the only thing that's stopping me from fully putting it back together how it was.... although, I'm going to refrain from using any adhesives until it's rebuilt - I have a feeling I'm going to want to upgrade it as soon as I know I'm able to get it working again! 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ag100 Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Drapes86 said: Added to basket! I think that this car is going to play nicely into my obsessive personality... what started as a clean up and see if it still works is fast becoming a full upgraded restoration. I'm like a kid I a sweet shop at the moment, I just don't know which sweets I can and can't eat yet 😂 And so it begins....😀, the radio I linked is one of many, most people use the wheel type now, so you might want to look around at those, a huge amount of choice, you may well be able to reuse one of the two servos as well., battery’s will need to be replaced, probably not worth going lipo with this yet (could be wrong) Modelsprt have a good selection https://www.modelsport.co.uk/enrich-power-5000mah-7-2v-nimh-stick-tamiya/rc-car-products/396624 Edited November 21, 2020 by Ag100 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 27 minutes ago, Ag100 said: And so it begins....😀, the radio I linked is one of many, most people use the wheel type now, so you might want to look around at those, a huge amount of choice, you may well be able to reuse one of the two servos as well., battery’s will need to be replaced, probably not worth going lipo with this yet (could be wrong) Modelsprt have a good selection https://www.modelsport.co.uk/enrich-power-5000mah-7-2v-nimh-stick-tamiya/rc-car-products/396624 I've already bought a new battery and a charger, and they are in the post. I went for a NiMH Traxxas 7.2V 1800mah because it is closest matched to the specs of the original Kyosho battery. I ready that if your battery capacity is too large for the motor, it will just burn out...? The Le Mans 240st motor was designed for 4min sprints, so I didn't think getting a mahoosive battery was the right thing to do. I'm trying to preserve the original kit too, so I'll wait until I start upgrading before getting too excited 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 3 hours ago, Ag100 said: The motor looks a good one, so worth checking to see if it runs, might just need new brushes and a clean up, a brushed ESC from someone like Hobbywing https://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobbywing-quicrun-1060-brushed-waterproof-esc-sbec/rc-car-products/404964 would be good that would relplace on servo the speed control (on the right of your picture) and the resistor, and then a 2.4g radio https://www.modelsport.co.uk/carson-reflex-3-1-stick-radio-with-receiver-servo/rc-car-products/430657 I'm eyeing up this transmitter which comes with 2 x receivers. Is this a reasonable choice? https://www.modelsport.co.uk/absima-cr3p-afhds-2-4ghz-3-channel-radio-system-incl-2-receivers/rc-car-products/434779 Does that mean that with the Brushed ESC and the Receiver; all I am left with is the motor and the servo that controls the steering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ag100 Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 3 minutes ago, Drapes86 said: I'm eyeing up this transmitter which comes with 2 x receivers. Is this a reasonable choice? https://www.modelsport.co.uk/absima-cr3p-afhds-2-4ghz-3-channel-radio-system-incl-2-receivers/rc-car-products/434779 Does that mean that with the Brushed ESC and the Receiver; all I am left with is the motor and the servo that controls the steering? Yes, the brushed esc removed the need for one of the servos, so you will have: motor brushed esc steering servo receiver the link didn’t work for me, there imare a huge choice of transmitters, I actually recently got a budget one for my son from Dumbo Rc https://banggood.app.link/oEUTCG5zBbb So far seems really good, additional recovers are cheap too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 1 hour ago, Ag100 said: Yes, the brushed esc removed the need for one of the servos, so you will have: motor brushed esc steering servo receiver the link didn’t work for me, there imare a huge choice of transmitters, I actually recently got a budget one for my son from Dumbo Rc https://banggood.app.link/oEUTCG5zBbb So far seems really good, additional recovers are cheap too. That all makes sense, and I think the penny is dropping with all this. There is so much choice for all items that it's difficult to make head or tails of ot when just starting out! This is the transmitter in the link: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertberr Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Nice project you have on the go here, look forward to seeing how it progresses. Interesting car too, as it certainly looks like a Mid Custom, other than the chassis and possibly the shock towers, difficult to see in that picture, as they look to be GRP/fibreglass or possible carbon? The Mid Custom originally came with the alloy chassis and towers, but later examples could have come with the GRP parts. In period, some peeps also upgraded to the GRP parts, so its often difficult to be 100% sure what you have / what it started off as. It does have the correct wheels, shocks and body for a Custom though. Looks in very nice condition too, even accounting for the fact its been cleaned up. What shape is the idler gear in? That's the only real weak point in the whole transmission, made worse when using the low turn brushed race motors of the day, or overly powerful BL motors that some peeps throw in them now. I have a Quicrun sensored 60a esc & 13.5T in one of mine, and am planning on using either a HW 1060 or Nosram Hawk + Kyosho Krypton Krystal 14x2 in my resto car. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 3 hours ago, bertberr said: Nice project you have on the go here, look forward to seeing how it progresses. Interesting car too, as it certainly looks like a Mid Custom, other than the chassis and possibly the shock towers, difficult to see in that picture, as they look to be GRP/fibreglass or possible carbon? The Mid Custom originally came with the alloy chassis and towers, but later examples could have come with the GRP parts. In period, some peeps also upgraded to the GRP parts, so its often difficult to be 100% sure what you have / what it started off as. It does have the correct wheels, shocks and body for a Custom though. Looks in very nice condition too, even accounting for the fact its been cleaned up. What shape is the idler gear in? That's the only real weak point in the whole transmission, made worse when using the low turn brushed race motors of the day, or overly powerful BL motors that some peeps throw in them now. I have a Quicrun sensored 60a esc & 13.5T in one of mine, and am planning on using either a HW 1060 or Nosram Hawk + Kyosho Krypton Krystal 14x2 in my resto car. Hey thanks for the interest! You are right, the chassis and upper are definitely a composite material, but not sure if they are original? The rest of the kit is all original and they are in good condition, which leads me to think that they could be. I dont know what you mean by the "idler gear" sorry, I'm a complete novice at this and am not yet up to speed with the lingo! I am looking at this ESC and BM combo: https://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobbywing-ezrun-combo-max10-3652sl-4000kv-brushless-motor/rc-car-products/420923 What are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Drapes86 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 22, 2020 Here's the progress at the end of day one, and she's looking good if I do say so myself! Not everything is perfect; a bit of rust here and there, a couple of screws turn in the holes when seated all the way down, the suspension feels a little gritty, but nothing major from what I can tell... I'm still going to install the original motor, servos and receivers to see what works and what doesn't, but that's only whilst I decide on what new kit is going to go in to bring her up to the 21st century! 😀 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James.S Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 She's looking great so far mate Get all those electronics in there and lets see a test run! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drapes86 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 1 minute ago, James RC said: She's looking great so far mate Get all those electronics in there and lets see a test run! There's only a handful of bits left in the box so I can't be too far off that stage! If she does run then it will have to be a kitchen floor test drive I'm afraid (all of the belt covers protecting the drive mechanism are off until I get the adhesive tape). Have you got any thoughts on this ESC and BM combo? https://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobbywing-ezrun-combo-max10-3652sl-4000kv-brushless-motor/rc-car-products/420923 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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