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Dave the bass

58064, bit ratty! What should I do?

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Hello, I'm new here although I registered back in 2004 I haven't been playing or posting since then.

I have a 1987 Tamiya Toyota Celica (58064) that I was given in bits not working back in about 2000 by a work mate who I 'played' with during lunchtimes mucking about with RC's. He gave up on it and eventually made up a Tamiya RC Mini so the 2 of us would have lunchtime 'play' sessions racing our cars around the bandstand in the local park. It was fun.

I'm guessing due to its age the Toyota's plastic chassis was a bit brittle and coupled with my inexperience at navigating it succesfully resulted in it one day clipping the corner of a wall which caused it to roll IIRC and did some damage to the rear suspension. Back then I spent a while trying to bond it all back together using the Greek Goddess of Epoxy Resin's.... "Araldite"! It worked for a while but later other bits started letting go so it eventually got put in a box and has lived under the stairs for the last 11+ years unused.

Sound familliar?!

I had to clear out the cupboard last weekend and re-aquainted myself with it. Dispointingly it hasn't mended itself on its own! :blink:

I've looked around for parts for it on the Web but it seems they're scarce so I'm a-pondering what to do. The Technigold Motor + Ascom TX + RX + Servo's all work fine although the 7.2V battery has been lost at some point so being an electronics Tech by trade I've been testing it on a DC Bench Power Supply to prove it all still works OK. It does.

So, one train of thought is to transfer the electrics to a new car (which would be the 1st I've ever built/bought from scratch). Any recommendations for a 50 year old beginner?!

I've got a few pics of it if anyone wants to see it, OK to post pics here?

Ta,

Dave.

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First post after 11 years - blimey ! :o

Not familiar with the Celica myself but I'd be looking to fix it. Many helpful people on here who can point you at likely sources for spare parts, or maybe another damaged chassis you can cannibalise to make one good one from two.

And we all like pics on here.

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The Celica is very much a collectors item these days, with correspondingly high spares prices (if you can find them). Unless you only wish to run it very gently/rarely, it is probably best retired to shelfer status, and the gubbins transferred into something newer.

As for what that should be, recommendations would depend largely on intended use. For example, how regularly do you see yourself running the car, and on what sort of terrain? Would you be running it for fun, or would you be considering entering organised races?

Also, what are your views on the joys of building vs. running? Do you fancy something challenging to build and maintain in order to maximise bench time, or something simple and tough to maximise running time?

Finally, what is your budget?

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Keep an eye out for parts to fix it and leave all the period correct electronics in it and hold onto it for a keepsake, otherwise flick it off..

Everything nowadays is 2.4ghz, brushless and Lithium Polymer, so if you want something to run you can pick up something current that is fun, fast, reliable and efficient and has parts support.

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Many many thanks for the replies Gents, much appreciated. OK, 1st up, some pics so you can see what I'm dealing with here...

CIMG6157_zps2fsr63ay.jpg

CIMG6160_zpspahbibel.jpg

1f6cf236-a009-431d-a33b-2ed1b7751892_zps

...and underneath its poorly bruised bodice...

CIMG6161_zpsfcq5tyba.jpg

CIMG6162_zpsi90sf1hu.jpg

CIMG6165_zpspkrawnoh.jpg

The ceramic body has cracked off the resistor!

CIMG6167_zpszar6y8pw.jpg

This speed controller was covered in a horrible mucky and very perished rubber boot, I've cleaned it up to test every thing works...

CIMG6166_zpsqfquzur2.jpg

...but the real horrible damage is here at the back on the suspension...

CIMG6168_zps7gagpebc.jpg

...and...

CIMG6169_zpsejwf837l.jpg

Should look like this...

CIMG6171_zpsuoeipw4u.jpg

It's botty area looks like this with the cover removed...

CIMG6172_zpslhoi19lx.jpg

Proper busted!

CIMG6176_zpsgbgdcdvi.jpg

...but the TX'er is OK!

CIMG6178_zps7jqo6e1p.jpg

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The Celica is very much a collectors item these days, with correspondingly high spares prices (if you can find them). Unless you only wish to run it very gently/rarely, it is probably best retired to shelfer status, and the gubbins transferred into something newer.

As for what that should be, recommendations would depend largely on intended use. For example, how regularly do you see yourself running the car, and on what sort of terrain? Would you be running it for fun, or would you be considering entering organised races?

Also, what are your views on the joys of building vs. running? Do you fancy something challenging to build and maintain in order to maximise bench time, or something simple and tough to maximise running time?

Finally, what is your budget?

OK, I agree, so I think it's best for now to retire the Toyota to 'sleeping' mode until if/when the right spares come up to get it going again. I'd prefer not to sell it or get rid of it really as it was my 1st ever experience of piloting an RC. In retrospect I don't think I could've made a worse choice seeing as how brittle it was/is and hard to get bits for. Doh, live and learn.

...but... I really like the idea of using bit's of it to start again, so, to answer some of the questions...

"How often to I see myself using it"? = I think just occasionally.

"Would you be running it for fun, or would you be considering entering organised races?" = I'm not one for joining clubs and certainly can't see myself racing anything, I just really want one for the fun aspect of running and maintaining and 'tweaking' an RC Car TBH.

"how regularly do you see yourself running the car, and on what sort of terrain?" = I'm guessing terrain wise but probably, mixed parks and a bit of off road I'd imagine.

"Also, what are your views on the joys of building vs. running?" = I think I'd enjoy them equally as much. My other hobbies (Fixed Gear cycling and building DIY HiFi gear) are very 'tweaky' too so I'm very used to building/fettling/using things.

"Do you fancy something challenging to build and maintain in order to maximise bench time, or something simple and tough to maximise running time?" = Although I'm pretty much a beginner I think I'd be OK building up something reasonably challenging TBH, my job of the last 30+ yaers has been as an Electronics Tech so I'm used to repairing/maintaining/building projects so i think I'm in a good place to be confident about a build up yeah?

"Finally, what is your budget?" = I'd guesstimate up to about £120 mark as a beginner. I've started looking at different kits and this model (The Tamiya Neo Scorcher) -> http://www.tamiyaclub.com/car.asp?id=1343 seems quite sensible (IMO!) given my answers above.

I know the RF kit on the old Celica is old-hat 27Mhz stuff and Technigold motor isn't as brill as some of the stuff out there now but it really appeals to me to use what I can out of the Toyota kit in a current 'now' model. I understand I'd need to buy an ESC that works with Brushed motors though yes but they seem to come in at around £20 which'd leave me about £100 for the car.

Does that seem sensible in the panels view?

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You might not believe it, but that looks to be in pretty good nick for a Celica (IMHO). The shells are very fragile, as evidenced by the front corners on yours, but it looks like most of it is there on yours - you might be able to rebuild it to a certain extent.

Parts do come up on eBay fairly often - don't forget to include "959" in your search too.

Somebody used to do alloy suspension arms for the Celica/959 - there have also been carbon fibre replacements for lots of parts too, but that's getting very expensive.

I would just keep watching eBay - those broken parts will come up sooner or later...

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You might not believe it, but that looks to be in pretty good nick for a Celica (IMHO). The shells are very fragile, as evidenced by the front corners on yours, but it looks like most of it is there on yours - you might be able to rebuild it to a certain extent.

Parts do come up on eBay fairly often - don't forget to include "959" in your search too.

Somebody used to do alloy suspension arms for the Celica/959 - there have also been carbon fibre replacements for lots of parts too, but that's getting very expensive.

I would just keep watching eBay - those broken parts will come up sooner or later...

Ta Mr Grunt! Yep, I've already set up a search to try an find the spares I need to ressurect the Celica and I've even started to strip it down to the broken parts. Its all coming apart easy enough though I have found part of the offside front suspension damaged too, meh! 3 out of the 4 suspension dampers were locked solid too I noticed but hey've all freed up now thankfully.

I'm tempted to strip out the RF gear for now and use it in 'modern' (shock horror!) new kit. I still fancy starting from scratch with that Neo Scorcher kit but using the old 27Mhz AM RX + TX combo, seems like a waste not to use otherwise. I've been reading-up about ESC and BEC circuitry, I think I can get the bundled Tamiya ESC in the Scorcher kit to make friends with RX.

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The radio gear should be fine - I still use 27mhz without any problems (in a build up area too). The Tamiya ESC should be fine with stock motors, but it might trip out if you use it with the Technigold in the Celica...

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The radio gear should be fine - I still use 27mhz without any problems (in a build up area too). The Tamiya ESC should be fine with stock motors, but it might trip out if you use it with the Technigold in the Celica...

aaaah, is that because the Technigold pull more current than a modern stock motor? The Neo Scorcher kit comes with a bundled 540 motor and an ESC it seems. My local model shop might get a visit soon...

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The Neo Scorcher is a nice model - I certainly enjoy mine - and there is a fair bit of scope for modding/fiddling/fettling to make it tougher and better-performing. Here is a build thread on my one:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=75171

I'd leave the Technigold in the Celica and use the kit-supplied motor in the Neo Scorcher to begin with. The kit-supplied ESC is brushless-capable, so if you feel the need for more speed, you could bung in a modern brushless motor further down the line. The Technigold is part of the Celica's historic appeal, and is perhaps best left where it is.

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Noted! Thanks for the advice Mr XV, the technigold stays with the Celica but the RF stuff will be pressed into use.

Today I visited my local model shop for the 1st time ever and came out with a big box :-)

IMAG1348_zpsw0vphpts.jpg

...and the build has continued into this evening, really enjoying it.

IMAG1349_zps0d1jjdcv.jpg

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Noted! Thanks for the advice Mr XV, the technigold stays with the Celica but the RF stuff will be pressed into use.

Today I visited my local model shop for the 1st time ever and came out with a big box :-)

IMAG1348_zpsw0vphpts.jpg

...and the build has continued into this evening, really enjoying it.

IMAG1349_zps0d1jjdcv.jpg

welcome to the crazy house, I look forward to seeing your progress on the build if you're like me you won't be able to rest until it's churning dirt, think about a set of sealed bearings to replace the white plastics they increase run time and reduce wear. I think that's what I've heard. I started five years ago searching for a child hood Rc to relive the old days with my kids... Now there are 18 cars and only 3 or four my kids can touch let alone run without my supervision... Lol be careful this is an addictive hobby. You're technic old motor is a desirable item too so if you think of upgrades it's a cash able item. Enjoy

Dave

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Today I visited my local model shop for the 1st time ever and came out with a big box :-)IMAG1348_zpsw0vphpts.jpg

...and the build has continued into this evening, really enjoying it.IMAG1349_zps0d1jjdcv.jpg

Good choice! Looking forward to seeing more photos of the build and the finished item.

Keep us posted, and let us know if you run into any issues we can help with!

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Ta fella's, yeah it's coming along nicely. A good thing to build on rainy bank holiday Monday whilst listening to a selection Neil Young and Van Morrison :)

IMAG1350_zps7uafsebb.jpg

Brum brum brum!

IMAG1351_zps8lef5xxw.jpg

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<Jazz hands!> "Ta dah"!

IMAG1353_zps1gsashcv.jpg

...and ...

IMAG1352_zps9rsxurjz.jpg

Since those pics I've not only tidied the electrics but also been playing with it, whahey! Its a lorra lorra fun.

I had trouble setting up the ESC to accept the '0' trim point on the fwd and reverse control but eventually worked out that once I'd got the ESC into the right mode I had to HOLD the max fwd position on the joystick then push 'set' on the ESC to accept Zero trim = Neutral setting. Without doing that the ESC was squealing a bit and the car would slowly creep forward when the Joystick was centred. Sorted now, phew! I had the Steering servo 1 'notch' out too it seems so I had to remove the servo then move the steering actuator arm round a notch then Zero trim = roughly a straight line which brings me to my one disappoinment with the kit...

There in't arf a lot of slop in the steering ball joints connecting arms. That amount of play seems to magnify itself at the front wheels into 'wobblyness' (and I don't like Wobblyness!) and a slight veering one way or the other when I'm piloting the car I've noticed. Sure I can adjust the trim a bit but it's still varies over 2 batteries worth of driving fun like I did last night in a well-lit car park.

Am I right in thinking a 'Turnbuckle' set allows more precise setting up of the steering and 'trues' up the wheel alignment?

There's seems to be a surprisingly amount of play in the wheel bearings too which gave me the excuse I needed to buy a set of sealed bearings for it anyway.. so i have. My 1st Hop-up ;-)

I'm in the process of cutting out the bodyshell and spoiler in preparation for finshing it off properly but last nights chassis only car park session was soooo much fun I just went out to 'play' instead of staying in and doing my 'cutting-out' homework!!!

50 year old fella with a 15 year old brain! :D

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I can't comment on the wobbliness of the stock arms and steering, as I built mine with turnbuckles from the outset. They allow one to dial in a bit of toe-in which helps with straight line stability.

Another useful weapon in the fight against wobbliness is a ballraced steering rack. GPM make a nice one that fits well and doesn't cost the earth.

If you'd like to see these and other TT-02B upgrades fitted, there are pictures in my build thread here:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=75171

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Looking good so far. I have never seen a TT02 in the flesh, but I have owned a couple of TT01 on road cars and they had massively sloppy suspension and steering.

Have you tried removing the servo and checking for any binding through the full movement of the steering? Does the servo saver have the correct keyway for the brand of servo you are using?

Also it may be worth trying Shapways for the broken arms on the Celica.

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Aaaah, thanks XV, I read through your Neo build thread last night and see how you fitted the Turnbuckles from the outset. Got it, noted! GPM products seem to crop up on the web a lot, is there a fave place you fella's buy bits from here in the UK? I'm new to all this, you can tell can't you?!

@Max Power, yeah, I checked the keying on the Servo and it's deffo the correct one, there's not slop there at all. All the slop n flop seems to be from the ball joints and bearing clearances on the supplied standard arms and linkages it looks to me.

Ta for the heads-up regarding Shapeway (typo?), you're right, it looks like they do the Celica bit I need to fix the rear end -> http://www.shapeways.com/product/DTLJKRZ9C/959-arm-left?li=search-results-1&optionId=41074481

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Sorry about steering you wrong with Shapeways.

I may have missed it in an earlier post, but are you using the old servo from the Celica? You will most likely fix your steering issues with the new turnbuckles but if it doesn't you may want to look at a better servo, some of the older servos can be a little light duty and your servo may be failing to return completely to centre 100 percent of the time.

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No prob's re typo Max.

Yeah, I'm using the old Steering Servo out of the Celica kit at the moment. There's no 'play' as such in the servo arm or the Servo-saver (correct term?) plastic clip-on parts that came with the kit. I've ordered a turnbuckle kit and the GPM alloy ball-raced steering assembly to replace the standard wobbly kit plastic parts and if needs be I'll go with a new macho-modern-rufty-tufty servo to get the steering sorted too. Ta for the advice BTW, much appreciated.

In other news, I've sprayed the body and tail and have started stickering-up the body and tail. Getting there, whahey! :-)

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GPM products seem to crop up on the web a lot, is there a fave place you fella's buy bits from here in the UK?

Fusion Hobbies carry quite a lot of GPM products and are UK-based. If they have what I need, I buy from them, otherwise I order from Asiatees as the international post is often quicker than waiting for Fusion to restock.

Where did you end up ordering yours from?

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Hi XV, I went to Asiatees for the Alloy steering bits and a modelshop on eBay for the Turnbuckle kit. I've nearly fished stickering the Body too, nearly done. Took it out for a chassis-only good 3 battery car park bash sesh last night, big fun.

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