30YrsL8r

If you end up sending stuff to the UK, the lucky recipient could forward on the cam lock and servo arm rubber to me

Don't you just love standardisation?

Before I progress too much further with bolting stuff to it, is there a way I can restore the shine to my vintage SRB chassis?

Got around to the front end in the last few days. Although the upper arms had grub screws that held them in place, the lower ones didn't but they were still held fast. Also, the lower cross member has taken a knock at some point. It made the job of getting it off a real pig. It turned out that the axle rods were bent and burred. Heating them wasn't enough to allow it them be removed by hand so I resorted to a suitable bolt and a (small) hammer, which brought them out easily enough. I could then clean and re-assemble the front end. I decided to leave the tube as it was and just rotate the dent to the back. I couldn't easily insert the rod in past it, but I realised that the collar near the arm is a smaller radius than the one at the end and when I dropped it in from the other side, it slid right to where I wanted it. Once I had inserted the screws I used a torx attachment for my screwdriver that the axle rod just fit inside and gradually bent them straight again. They don't need to be perfect as they don't rotate completely, just turn slightly when the wheel moves up and down. Now that I have cleaned and straightened the rods, the lower arms slip on easily. Unfortunately, they also slip off again. I don't have any grub screws for them and, even if I did, the holes are oversized for some reason. I will have to find something suitable and drill them out to the appropriate size. Front end is now fitted to the chassis. I also sorted out the servo saver. It didn't want to rotate on the metal shaft and, when I took it apart, I got the impression that it may have been glued on to it (?!). Anyway, it's all cleaned and lubricated now and turns very easily. There's a small plastic tab missing that holds the middle of the metal hoop, but I think I can fabricate something to do the job or perhaps get some plastex to repair it.

Thanks - I'll keep them in mind. I need to put together a decent order, though, because £3.50 (plus VAT) delivery for 7 pence worth of grub screws could be called excessive!

Well, the front end is clean and back together now. I decided to leave the tube as it was and just rotate the dent to the back. I couldn't easily insert the rod in past it, but I realised that the collar near the arm is a smaller radius than the one at the end and when I dropped it in from the other side, it slid right to where I wanted it. Once I had inserted the screws I used a torx attachment for my screwdriver that the axle rod just fit inside and gradually bent them straight again. They don't need to be perfect as they don't rotate completely, just turn slightly when the wheel moves up and down. Now that I have cleaned and straightened the rods, the lower arms slip on easily. Unfortunately, they also slip off again. I don't have any grub screws for them and, even if I did, the holes are oversized for some reason. I will have to find something suitable and drill them out to the appropriate size - presumably the 3mm option that oz-trash-cowboy mentioned.

Spot on - bent AND burred. Heat wasn't enough to allow it to be removed by hand; I resorted to a suitable bolt and a hammer, which brought them out easily enough.

Thanks for the great tip - will keep this in reserve if the vintage tube is beyond saving

Thanks guys. Looks like the Temperature Expansion Coefficient for aluminium is higher than steel, so I will give the heating idea a go in the morning.

I'm in the process of cleaning up the front end, and I'm not sure what to do about the lower arms. Although the upper ones had grub screws that held them in place, the lower ones do not but they are still held fast. Even the manual says that they should have them. I'm thinking of drilling a suitable sized hole in a block of wood and driving them out, cleaning them up and replacing the grub screws, but don't want to do this if there's a reason they are stuck. Can anyone comment on this? On a potentially related note, the lower cross member has taken a knock at some point. It made the job of getting it off a real pig, and I was wondering whether I could run a drill bit through it to give it a circular internal cross section again. If anyone has a view, I'd be glad to hear it - especially about what the proper internal diameter/bit size should be.

I wouldn't use brake fluid again after my experience with the wheels. After a long soak, when attempting to scrape the last of the stubborn paint off with my finger nail, the plastic was scraping off too! I would rather go the other way and keep the old, vintage body and bash up something else The older it is, the more important it is to me.

I've finally put something together! I have been trying to clean the gearbox without having to put too much effort in. First, I degreased it with the hottest water I could handle (with rubber gloves) and dish washing liquid. That cleared out the old goo, but didn't really touch the aluminium oxide. Next I tried white spirit, which helped a little and removed the old sealant, but left the finish very "flat". Finally, I dropped half the gearbox and one of the swing arms into brake fluid for two or three days. It got rid of the flatness on the casing but not the oxide, and didn't change the swing arm at all. I have caustic soda, but didn't fancy running the risk of dissolving something important. So, I reverted to wire wool, steel brush and elbow grease. This meant that I couldn't get deep into the recesses of the casing, but I am pretty pleased with the result. Somehow, it feels like a more "honest" finish, perhaps because I put the time in myself rather than let a cleaning liquid or machine do the work. Anyway, the result of all this cleaning is that I can honestly say that I am rebuilding this Sand Scorcher, rather than just stripping and cleaning it. I've learned about the torsion setup in the rear suspension, which strikes me as quite clever (in a retro kind of way), and been looking at SRB diffs (more out of interest in SRB mods than an intention to fit one, but who knows). I'm off to put some more pieces together now. Later!

I dropped the wheels, which had some of the stubborn black paint on them, into brake fluid last week. The before and during shots are below. After 24 hours the paint was lifting off the wheels with no more than gentle agitation of the fluid. After 48 hours I took the wheels out, popped each of them into a glass jar of water and washing up liquid for a quick shake and then into a sink full of water for a going over with a tooth brush. The wheels had a lot more cracks when they came out than I remembered them having when they went in. Also, the centre section of the rears had separated into two pieces - one on its own and one with a little encouragement. I'm not sure if they were a. moulded that way and the fluid had melted the glue, b. damaged during use and gave up the ghost in the fluid or c. the victims of an inappropriate choice of cleaner on my part. I think all of the cracks can be repaired with the appropriate glue though, as these wheels are going to be for show (they are original/vintage), so won't experience a lot of stress. At least all the black paint is off now!

Of all the parts that give me cause for concern (and, surprisingly, there aren't that many) the radio box looks like the worst. It is cracked, broken, sports a larger than normal hole for the steering linkage and has glue in places it shouldn't. I would really like to hang on to as many original parts as possible, so I don't think this box is beyond salvaging. I could do with knowing, for sure, what these things are made of so that I can use the right cleaner on the glue and the box in general. I have managed to get the double sided sticky pads off; it's the glue underneath that bothers me.

Along with the knackered front tyres and the Rough Rider rear wheels/tyres, my purchase included a spare pair of Sand Scorcher rears and another pair of front tyres. The spares aren't in great condition, but they are better than what arrived on the car, so I decided that I would try to renovate them and keep the original, vintage Sand Scorcher wheels and tyres for when the car is on show. I have already ordered some modern SS wheels and tyres from the States (I am in no rush, and they were the cheapest I could find) for when the car is being run. Anyway, I purchased some Einszett Gummi Pflege and took the tyres off, hoping that they wouldn't disintegrate as I did so. They seemed ok, and after a wash and application of the rubber restorer they seem serviceable. Here are the before and after shots. The rears look like they have been run through glue, so I need to try to get that off at some point.

After some scrubbing, an overnight soak and a rinse, this is how it turned out. Pretty much gone except for some stubborn black paint on the inside of the wheel arches. I had to remove the decals by hand, as they weren't budging in the Caustic Soda.

60 minutes

First thing I did when I got it was research stripping the shell of its paint job. I opted for the Caustic Soda approach and the results were pretty good. 8 litres of cold water plus half a kilo of Concentrated Caustic Soda from B&Q. Photos after 10, 30 and

I think that the clues point to a Mk1, but the colour of the UJ's did seem a little off to me. Here's the shot you asked for:

Last for now...

More photos...

When it arrived and I opened the box, I was first struck by the smell of OLD. It smelled so much of OLD that I think it might have been stored for a very long time, and the tyres seem to suggest the same. The car was filthy, and the body support post was pushed straight through the bonnet. Whilst I was pleased with all the bits, the state of the car was a bit of a shock. On the up side, I think everything I got was vintage and this is important to me because this Sand Scorcher is a piece of nostalgia.

Same story as many SRB enthusiasts; I longed for a Sand Scorcher as a kid but couldn't afford one. 30 years later, I've decided to treat myself. Now I have a (major) restoration project on my hands and tamiyaclub seems like a great place to get the help I am going to need and show off (any) progress. I have posted some of my efforts in my showroom, but I now realise that showrooms aren't really the place to have (what I hope will be) lots of progress that's regularly updated. So, I've decided to start a thread to cover the various stages I go through and keep all my requests for help in one place. First off, I suppose I should mention how I came by the SS in the first place. My son decided that he wanted a radio controlled car for Christmas, so I started looking at what sort of prices the Tamiya kits were going for. Trying to keep the cost down (he gets bored of things, like many 12 year old boys), I figured I could get a brand new buggy and RC setup to about £100 or so. This was in the ball park that his wider family wanted to pay, so I thought we were set. Problem was, he wanted a road car. By good fortune, his uncle was looking to sell his Tamiya Carrera GT so a deal was done and I stripped it back down. Anyway, this whole exercise got me browsing the web and it wasn't long before my thoughts turned to the Sand Scorchers I couldn't have when I was his age. I did my research and, with Christmas approaching, agreed with my wife that she would buy me one (though I am pretty sure she thought I was crazy - a 30 year old toy as a Christmas present?). I found a complete setup on ebay, including period Acoms kit, and struck a deal with the seller. I may have paid more than I should have, but I got it for less than I budgeted for. Only now do I realise what a money pit these things are, but that's for another post! My showroom, which I will try to update along with this thread, is at: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...61&id=37903 So, better start with some before shots. These were the ebay listing - you might recognise them if you spend as much time poring over the bay as I have recently.

Thanks for the information. I tried toothpaste, white vinegar and washing up liquid and there has been _some_ improvement. The double sided tape is gone, but it has exposed a different kind of glue underneath that doesn't budge with this mixture. On the plus side, it smells minty fresh now!

The two posts I have managed to find that talk about the material from which the radio box is constructed contradict each other (one says ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) and the other styrene). White spirit cleans the former and melts the latter, so I would rather not take the risk if someone here knows what the radio box is definitely made of...