hopperSr

Nice story!

Back again! Sorry again for taking so long...paging NWarty. Mine is now running! I kept the same body for now, I've got some old headlights I could mount up too, but they are painted blue and green. Coincidentally, my son was asking about the body on his re-re and why it had a bump/protrusion on the side of the cabin. I told him it was to make room for the servo controlling the manual speed controller on vintage Grasshoppers. Best part was being able to show him: I also mounted up some vintage Pro-Line Waffles I had from back in the day. I loved these tires and they seem to be fairly long lasting, but I'll be careful with them. I also have some matching Pro-Line Waffles for the fronts too, but I won't run those on the road as they'd just get worn out way too fast. (Actually, they are in the background of the first and last pics.) My son's re-re (with newer body), long story and many lesson's learned from both sides, but it was run over by a full size SUV and was still running. It ran mostly over the gearbox, destroyed the body, barely broke the upper rear shock mounts and one rear lower shock mount; drivetrain was fine. All back together. Cheers.

I know it's overkill and over priced, but I was looking for the tble 02s as my son's re-re has one. I can't seem to find any for sale in the US! What's the next best bet from Tamiya?

Little updates from Tamiya for the rear suspension. Vintage A1 pair on the left and re-re A1 next to it. Same with c1 Damper Shaft - the head is more squared now. I decided to just use the re-re parts on this step. Mounted up. Next step in the manual is the MSC setup. I am going to try to leave the MSC and the servo in for aesthetics, but use a basic Tamiya ESC for function. I believe I've seen this done before and it appears like there will be enough room.

Please accept my apologies for being gone so long! Been out bashing with my vintage RC10T and replacing parts on it. I just did get around to rebuilding the rear end with a new counter gear and the bearing that goes in it. Also replaced the other bearings I took out. After I ordered the Sport Tuned for my son and the pinion, I finally understood how it should have worked 30 years ago. I hooked up the Equalizer to my RC10T and it turned, so I'm using it here!

Winner! I guess I "upgraded" the fronts by using the rear springs and their mounts back in the day - a direct swap! I don't even remember doing this. Wow! Winner #2. I didn't even notice this one! The re-re has a kingpin with a screw head, whereas the vintage does not, it's just a floating kingpin with no head...I'm not sure how they stay in. I'll need to check the vintage manual and see what is up. Thanks for playing!

Mmmmm, I agree it does look like that from the angle, but that is not it. The white is the re-re and is unmodified. The red is the vintage that I modified.

Wow, love it!

Small update. I scored the following parts for $13 (US) and $7 (US) shipping from ebay! Although, I missed the end date for the gearbox - it would have only been another $4. Starting to tear down the front; do you notice a subtle difference in the front end from my vintage to my son's re-re? (Not the bumper or crack.)

Yes, I've struggled with what I want to do with the Grasshopper in general. Do I want to go back to what I did with my childhood or go back to "original"? (When I say "original", I mean with re-re parts.) Of course things like the gearbox will be replaced either way. I go back and forth honestly, but keeping the options open (as you mentioned) to put in that Equalizer or such things that I had done in the past. I do plan on keeping everything - I've even got some things in the box that can't be used, but I've kept anyway. Now that I think about it more...I'll end up trying that Equalizer before buying another 540 motor. Thank you!

I hear ya. I'd like to go with the 380 first. My son's re-re goes for over an hour on a 3000mah. Now that makes sense about the 540 and pinion combo I had back in the day! Thank you for explaining that. I got a little confused and now understand the different combinations with the 540. Safe to say, I will NOT be using that old 540 and pinion. I think I'd like to stay more "original" with the silver can and even go with the 540-J instead of the Sport Tuned when I upgrade.

Agreed, definitely getting a new gearbox. When I ordered on ebay, the listing for the gearbox sold out a day before (it was only $4)! I installed bearings years ago. Just not the smaller one in the counter (spur?) gear. Though since I damaged one or two getting them out, I might just get a whole set; they are around $12 here in the states and I could have a few spares on hand for my son also. Ok, now I'm confused about the 540. Does the Tamiya 540-J and the Tamiya 540 Sport Tuned fit directly or do you need an adapter or heat/dust shield? I know you need it with the 380...

Sorry, been busy at the local track with my son! I've ordered some new parts and will post an update soon. "The Triple" (or single for us). Who says the front suspension is no good? My little marshal.

Bummer. This is making me re-think stripping mine and leaving the '80s paint scheme intact.

Heh! I think I'm going to hook up that Mabuchi 380, for a while. My son's re-re is plenty fast compared to what I remembered. I also have an RC10T that I'm bashing around with my son to get me by.

I hear you. Thanks I'll try that.

How about the Grasshopper manual, I could scan mine for you?

Tonight I went ahead and disassembled the gearbox. I figured, if that's the first step in building, then I should probably start there! Gearbox: You can see the section I cut out to the left of the mounting hole to make the 540 motor fit. Opened up: Bone dry as expected. This thing. I remember buying it and explaining exactly what I had to the salesperson (Grasshopper, 380 motor, etc.)...when I got it home, it did not fit. So I made it per above pics. I cleaned everything up with a mix of Simple Green and water - let it soak for 15 minutes or so and went to town with my 30 year old toothbrush that was in the box! I scrubbed them and put them in the clean water dish you see in the picture and scrubbed them once more in the clean water. The "counter gear" on the right (with bushing and bearing above and pin to the left) is worn/chewed up pretty well so I think I will get a new one of those. Let's just say the pinion gear probably didn't line up too well. It's also a different color than the rest and the pin does not fit tightly in the bushing any longer, nor did it clean up well. I don't have a good way of getting the bearings out of the gearbox axles other than using a flathead screwdriver and punching them out - but I think this damaged the one I did. Any suggestions?

I might have to get with you later as I will need to take off the paint from mine too. Oh yes, I meant - why couldn't you do original rear tires/springs?

Wow! That's excellent! How come just the rear tires and rear springs?

Thanks! I'm about ready to order my "B-parts" for the gearbox that I cut into to fit that monster 540 can, a bumper, and some miscellaneous parts bags for the shocks. Soooo fun! Agreed. Good tip on the throttle too. I'm thinking when my youngest turns 6, he might be able to handle it - but with a 6V battery pack.

New member here, I love this site; sounds like a lot of good people! I wanted to start a thread to chronicle the restoration of my childhood Grasshopper that I built with my Grandfather some ~30 years ago. Also, this thread should keep me honest and moving to complete the process! Thoughts and advice are appreciated along the way. Well, here she is, in all her glory. The last time I checked (~15 years ago?), it was in running condition: No bumper, bad paint job, wheels, etc. Rear end: Some huge oil filled shocks that don't really fit and a large gap between the motor and gearbox! Close up of the above atrocities: The burn marks are from taping fireworks (Ground Bloom Flowers) to the body for a moving fireworks display. Inside: Receiver/transmitter still works - as I gave it to my son for his Re-Release Grasshopper we built last week. Box contents: Extra body, manual, original tires, spares, tools, etc. Motors: For some reason I have 2 RS380 motors. One is a Mabuchi, the other is a Johnson. The goal is to restore this to near original or re-release spec. I am ok with using re-release parts and of course stickers. It would be nice to have the original stickers, but I'm going to be running this with my son. For comparison, my son's re-release: We were on vacation when we finished it, so we didn't have a chance to paint the bars/driver/etc. My younger son (5) is not yet ready for a Grasshopper, but we've already planned to have 3 of them, all with different numbers. Thanks for viewing.