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Sand Scorcher runner project

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A couple months ago I received a vintage Sand Scorcher rolling chassis. The previous owner had it for a couple of years with intentions of rebuilding it, but decided to go in another direction. Having been on this site for a few months now, I have been wanting an SRB type, but the kits are out of my price range, so this worked out great, and gives me a solid base to start with. I have never been a fan of VW bugs, and was thinking of turning it into a Buggy Champ, but the baja bug look has been growing on me so I will keep it a Scorcher after all.
I forgot to get a pic of it before teardown, but here is an after shot:

Scorcherproject1.jpg

I plan on turning it into a beach runner. I may try it out on dirt sometime just to see how it does, but I'm walking distance to the beach, and that's what they are best for, so that's what I plan to use it for.
It is in very nice shape for the most part, and looks like it has been previously cleaned up at some point. One of the the front suspension uprights had broken, and was fixed with bondo or similar compound:

Scorcherproject7.jpg
Scorcherproject6.jpg
Scorcherproject8.jpg

I ordered a set from ebay, and the seller threw in an extra, which happened to be the side that was broken, so now I have an extra set:)
The grub screw on the pinion is completely stripped out, so I can't get into the gearbox. Any ideas on getting it out without damaging the motor shaft? The spur gear and the pinion are in great shape, and everything spins smoothly, but it was built with plastic bushings and I want to replace them with bearings.
It came with a vintage esc, that I plan to use as long as it works decently.

Scorcherproject3.jpg

I recently upgraded my BearHawk to an esc and 2.4ghz tx/rx, so I have a servo, tx, and rx to use. They aren't period correct, but keep with the vintage theme of this project. The transmitter is a Futuba Attack-III, receiver is a Futuba FP-R112JE, and the servo a Futuba FP-S148.

Scorcherproject4.jpg

It has OG Holiday Buggy/Sand Rover wheels and tires. The wheels have been painted multiple times from the looks of it. The rear tires are slicks at this point, and the only reason I know what they are is because I was looking at the blackholesun offroad chassis history. If anyone out there is looking for these and has a set of Grasshopper wheels and tires(used is fine), let's see if we can workout a trade.

Scorcherproject2.jpg

What I need to gather at this point is:
bearings
front bumper - probably get a re-re as it's going to be run.
Wheels and tires - again, re-re to run
body shell - anyone have a cheap basher?
stinger exhaust - probably get a re-re, it's just for looks.
on/off switch rubber gasket

Being new to the hobby and not knowing anyone else who is, this is the first SRB I've touched. The chassis flexes way more than I imagined, and I want to replace it with something stronger for running. Does anyone have experience with either of these chassis?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tamiya-1-10-Aluminum-Chassis-plate-with-side-Sand-Scorcher-Super-Champ-buggy-SRB-/320957215792?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4aba8a7430
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FIBERGLASS-CHASSIS-Sand-Scorcher-Rough-Rider-Buggy-Champ-SRB-RC-Tamiya-14005008/351208988254?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D25214%26meid%3D670b4c56c4bc42f4b59cbbd0adda024b%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D10628%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D231356100048

Also, have any of you tried this conversion for the shocks, and is it worth the money, or just to look cool?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHOCK-CONVERSION-Tamiya-Sand-Scorcher-Special-Racing-Buggy-SRB-Team-CRP-5153-CS/351223556251?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D25214%26meid%3Dd3e613e7a9ce4d128fe30d67177341d4%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D10628%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D231329400174

Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance for any help.

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Nice project!

I'm by no means an expert of SRBs, but for what it's worth, I'd probably go for an alloy chassis if you were going to run this regularly (that is opposed to attempting an authentic restoration), and personally I like the scale shocks you can get from RC4WD (complete with rubber boots ;o) which have internal springs, so you can do away with the torsion bars...

70mm will fit on the front, but the stock rears are only 55mm - so I think you'd have to go for their 60mm version and either compress them to fit, or even shorten the spring a small amount - rather than try and fab-up a taller top rear shock mount, although that is an option too of course...

Looking forward to seeing the result!

Jx

ps. I see RC4WD also do some nice alloy front and rear cage bumpers for the Sand Scorcher too...

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Great project !

About your pinion screw : I had the same problem recently and I managed to get it off by spraying it with wd40 and then gently prying it off with 2 flat head screwdrivers.

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Pinion screw, yeah, can you tell if there is any lock-tight or similar CA based stuff in the thread?? If so, then you will have to heat up the set screw and surrounding area to expand and break the bond. It does not need to be cherry red hot, I've had some luck using a candle. Then try a slghtly bigger alan key ( imperial ? ) or even the next size up metric you have but grind the edges down a tad. failing this, the grinder / hack saw if your friend, cut through the pinion where the set screw is. This will loosen the set screw and you might be able to get some vice grips on it. If you loose your patience, its ok the motor is probably toast any way. Good luck!!

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For the pinion try a reverse or left hand drill bit. Get a .5mm and work yours way up to just smaller than the grub screw. Use a very slow drill and the heat and torque will normally back it out. I restore classic bikes and this trick works well on sheared bolts.

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I haven't had a chance to get a reverse drill bit to give that a try, but someone already tried the next hex size up and it just spins as well. Worst case, I have to ccarefully drill out the grub screw and get a new pinion. For now, the pinion and spur gear are in great shape, so I will just leave it as is, and replace any bushings on the outside with bearings.

The esc seems to have a short somewhere, as it will turn on in short bursts if I wiggle the wires. The good news is I hooked up a TEu-101BK and the motor works just fine.If I can fix the old esc I will use it. Otherwise the 101BK will run it.

I don't want to switch out the shocks if I can help it. Has anyone tried that coil over conversion I linked to? If it doesn't relly make a difference, I'll just rebuild the shocks as is and run with them.

I am leaning towards the aluminum chasis. I like that it protects the electronics box. Does anyone see any problems with it?

I know this is a very early design and isn't going to perform as well as newer cars, but the nostalgia is there, and like I said, this is strictly a beach runner, I'm not racing or anything, just some childish fun :)

JennyMo, what's up with your "SRB", I'm dying for updates, and I'm sure there are others.

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Seems as though your heading in the right direction with this Sir . The only thing i'll chip in is IMO don't be tempted to fit the so called hop up ball diff . If you can even find one it will be over priced , a absolute pain to adjust correctly and at best a piece of junk in terms of any noticeable improvement to the Scorcher experience . AVOID .

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bromvw, thanks for the heads up. It'll pretty much be running on sand, so I wasn't planning on the differential "hop-up".

I got some new re-re wheels & tires, as well as rubber sealed bearings. I also picked up a reverse drill bit. I haven't removed the pinion yet, but I had to put it back together with the new wheels just to have a look.

scorcherwithnewwheels1.jpg

scorcherwithnewwheels2.jpg

If I had a hump pack battery I could hook up the electronics and give it a run, but I'm going to be patient instead(or at least I'll try to be). I need to get a couple new rubber gaskets, re-build the dampers, get the aluminum chasis, & find a cheap basher body.

It's coming along slowly, but I am having a good time pulling it apart and learning about the SRB's.

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You have to have an aluminum chassis if you're going to run it. As you know the stock chassis flexes badly. All this flexing will make your body break at the front body mount holes.

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VH41torana - yes, it does have an interesting steering and servo saver situation. This car has a very different(dare I say strange) suspension style than the newer cars that I have worked with, all of which are vintage cars themselves.

Shodog - I will definitely get the aluminum chasis before I run it. The hump pack batteries will be the last thing I purchase so that I don't use it until all is finished. The OG chassis is in excellent shape, and I want to keep it that way, so that if I ever sell it, it will be easy to restore as a shelf queen or run as is.

Thanks for the comments/suggestions everyone. Keep them coming

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For now, I will be rebuilding and using the original shocks. Is there any advantage to adding a second o-ring inside? I have both red and black o-rings, is one preferred over the other?

Thanks

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It's been a long time since I've logged on, and a REAL long time since I have been on this thread!

This project got pushed aside by other ones, and now it is the one to get going on. I was able to get the pinion off without damaging the motor, but had to order a pinion set. I had many stripped screw, nuts, & bolts, so I ordered up a stainless hardware kit. It's going to be a beach runner, so it would have to happen eventually anyway. I just got a set of left arms, because the upper one I had was stripped where the grub screw goes in. Now it's time to get back into it.

For those of you with runners, do you attach the servo with double sided tape per the manual? Does it actually work without the servo peeling off?

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Hi , I have a few vintage project SRB's as well as a new re-re ,, I also had a original Scorcher new 35 years ago.

I wanted to comment on the chassis you posted links to. I have the aluminum one pictured for sell on eBay with a BIN price of $33. It's rough ,, crudely made ,, the edges are sharp as a razor ,, the screw holes are rough,, mine has a added flaw in the thickness in a small section near a edge ,, It reminds me of a unfinished 2nd. It is also a bit heavy. It is not made to a retail standard in my personal opinion. I emailed the seller asking if I had mistakenly been sent a 2nd. His response was to offer me 1/2 refund ,,, Which I accepted ,, I didn't want to hassle with the return shipping. With all that being said ,, I'm sure it will work if the holes line up. I might clean it up , cut the sides off and run it on my re-re ,, But I wouldn't recommend buying that one. Just my opinion.

The second one you show a link to looks to be a factory chassis from a re-re which is near the same thing as you already have.

My original Sand Scorcher was build with all factory parts straight from the kit and held up fine. Original chassis and taped down servo.

Keep up the posts , I'd like to see it run !

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For those of you with runners, do you attach the servo with double sided tape per the manual? Does it actually work without the servo peeling off?

Worked fine for me back in the day.

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Hi , I have a few vintage project SRB's as well as a new re-re ,, I also had a original Scorcher new 35 years ago.

I wanted to comment on the chassis you posted links to. I have the aluminum one pictured for sell on eBay with a BIN price of $33. It's rough ,, crudely made ,, the edges are sharp as a razor ,, the screw holes are rough,, mine has a added flaw in the thickness in a small section near a edge ,, It reminds me of a unfinished 2nd. It is also a bit heavy. It is not made to a retail standard in my personal opinion. I emailed the seller asking if I had mistakenly been sent a 2nd. His response was to offer me 1/2 refund ,,, Which I accepted ,, I didn't want to hassle with the return shipping. With all that being said ,, I'm sure it work if the holes line up. I might clean it up , cut the sides off and run it on my re-re ,, But I wouldn't recommend buying that one. Just my opinion.

The second one you show a link to looks to be a factory chassis from a re-re which is near the same thing as you already have.

My original Sand Scorcher was build with all factory parts straight from the kit and held up fine. Original chassis and taped down servo.

Keep up the posts , I'd like to see it run !

Check out my Butterfly chassis and dual rear shock mount for the SRB.

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=74484&hl=

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=75426&hl=

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The reason I am wanting an aluminum chassis is because the beach I will be running it at has an area that is exposed during very low tides and has lots of rocks jutting out of the sand making great jumps. We will probably scoop sand up to make it smooth, but it will still get scrape going off the top and make some gouges on the chassis.

IceBox - did the holes on the chassis you got line up? I can borrow a grinder from my neighbor to smooth the edges, but if the holes are off, there's no point in buying it. I know it will be heavy,but it'll give me big muscles so I can flex on the beach for the ladies. Haha. Is there another source for something like this that is more finished?

thanks everyone, I appreciate your help.

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I'm completing (about the same stage as you) the same thing at the moment. Love every minute.

Sadly my original shocks where bust so I went ReRe and am keeping as much vintage as possible (bar the planned non box art shell).

I live in the middle of Germany now so no beaches near me. But I know Santa Cruz (i have infrequently worked in San Jose for years and a current colleague lives in SC), it's a cracking beach for these.

Looking forward to continued updates.

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The reason I am wanting an aluminum chassis is because the beach I will be running it at has an area that is exposed during very low tides and has lots of rocks jutting out of the sand making great jumps. We will probably scoop sand up to make it smooth, but it will still get scrape going off the top and make some gouges on the chassis.

IceBox - did the holes on the chassis you got line up? I can borrow a grinder from my neighbor to smooth the edges, but if the holes are off, there's no point in buying it. I know it will be heavy,but it'll give me big muscles so I can flex on the beach for the ladies. Haha. Is there another source for something like this that is more finished?

thanks everyone, I appreciate your help.

I havn't had a chance to check the mounting holes ,, I'm expecting they will line up. I'll check and post my finding in a few days. Redshaperc makes a a few differant plates that look very nice ,, although with shipping would cost 4x as much. The $33 eBay chassis could be cleaned up with a hand file ,, I don't think you would need a grinder . It's not awful ,, it's just not a nice finished piece .

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Check eBay UK ,, Radshape RC **** They look like a very nice chassis and not as much $$$ as I thought

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That Radshape RC one looks very nice, and it's only about $5 more than the other one, so that may be the way I go. I need to hurry up and get one ordered.

Now I need to finalize the electronics layout, stick them down, and clean up the wiring. I'm still thinking about a way to make these dampers work, as I like the scale look of them. The main thing, is that I need to find/make some new ball plates, apparently the re-re's don't fit the vintage arms.

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My rear dampers are missing the spacers. I have 2 spacers that came with the FX10 conversion for my midnight pumpkin, they are the perfect size. They are aluminum or some type of alloy. Would it be ok to use these in an oil filled damper?

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I can thoroughly recommend the Radshape products. Made and finished to a high standard, they are worth the hassle of ordering from abroad IMHO. I don't have a SRB, but I have several of their upgrades on my Hotshot and CC-01.

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Well, I think I was converting the numbers from dollars to pounds, instead of the other way around, when I figured out the price for the Radshape chassis. I worked it out right today, and it was way more expensive than the one from here in the US. So I ordered the cheaper one and bumper. Things are moving along :)

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It was a good day for mail today! Aluminum chassis, front bumper, and some Instamorph plastic to make some new ball sockets for the front arms.

scorcher%20parts%201%201280x960.jpg

The chassis is nice, it just needs the edges rounded. It's like they just cut and ship. No big deal.

Time for some tinkering :)

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