Nickaford

Thanks Kev - the chassis is due to arrive tomorrow - I have read lots about the dampers leaking on SRBs so I may need front ones as well - in which case I will go for a set of new ones!

I am about to start restoring a SRB chassis which has no rear dampers. I can buy a new damper bag but it would be nice to put on some originals if I can find them.

Thanks fir the suggestion. I have replaced the rod ends which seems to have improved things - I don’t plan to run it very much and have tried to keep pretty original - save for the ESC and a few broken parts. For my sins I have just bought a original SRB chassis off eBay as a project - not the best financial approach to building a Sand Scorcher but hopefully an enjoyable one. That will end up being a real mix of original and re-re as I doubt I will be able to source the number of original parts that I will need.

I’m only just back into RC having just refurbished my original Frog from the 1980s so haven’t got carried away ...yet! There are some scary prices out there - watched a M-05Ra Renault 5 sell on eBay for £199 last week, and a M-03 chassis with bent body mounts, bald / perished tyres and no speed controller sold for £80 odd - you can get a M-05 kit with ESC for £99! There are a couple of Mini Coopers on eBay at the moment - would love to get one but they are going to be v expensive! I am struggling to decide between TT-02 Audi Quattro and M-05 MX-5 (plan to pick up a mini bodyshell in the future). Then, in the back of my mind is a Sand Scorcher plus Rough Rider body for nostalgic reasons - that does get expensive!

Thanks Mad Axe - do you think the Rover Mini Cooper (the real one!) body would fit on the shortened FF02 without the changes to the suspension arms etc or are those changes essential for the fit?

I’m still looking out for a new project - my interest has been piqued by looking at a Mini Cooper M-03 on EBay (missed out on it!). I have come across the FF02 chassis - there is an old thread on here which discussed the differences between the 2 - mainly the wheelbase. What I am wondering is - if you leave out the chassis extenders for the FF02 (parts D3 and D4), does that make the chassis the same wheel base as the M-03? Reason is - I fancy a Mini Cooper body but they need the short wheelbase - and there aren’t a whole lot of M-03s out there! Thanks in advance Nick

Thanks guys - not got it yet - just checking before I pull the trigger!

Hi all. I’ve found a Raider Pro ARR which needs a full refurb. I have done some research and it looks like the ARR means “almost ready to run”. There was also a kit version - were there any differences between the two models (other than the ARR having been mainly assembled)? I presume that an ARR car is just as capable of being stripped down and rebuilt as a kit version? TIA Nick

Having said that I have my shopping list, I have just realised that the online supplier I found is in HK and postage will be more than the cost of the items! Back to the search engine!

Thanks again Terry - think I’ve got my shopping list now - I have some ball ends that I can bolt onto the servo saver with a wheel nut - the thread is just long enough.

Thanks Terry - I presume that those will fit onto a 3mm turnbuckle?

I’ve just picked up on this as my steering rods are a bit wobbly. I have found the turnbuckles but am confused by the ball ends as some seem to have metal ball sockets built in - as attached. What type of caps do I need to fit the standard ball on the Frog steering arm? Thanks in advance Nick

Thanks Kev - I actually used a brass tube - like those that go over the screw that holds the dampers in place. I’ll have a rummage to see if I have any plastic spacers 👍🏻

Kev - I’ve done some tinkering and have put spacers in the dampers as suggested - I didn’t have any 3mm spacers and only had 6mm so it’s riding a bit low at the moment but it’s not going to be doing any real off roading. I’ll look out for the smaller spacers. Thanks for the link for the clamp - I’ll have a look. 👍🏻

Thanks Kev - I was wondering if the end of the shaft was catching on the hex shape of the hub. I’ll try the spacer in the damper as you suggested. Cheers for looking out the link for the clamp.

Thanks guys - I was 99% sure that it was the shafts and not the gearbox - although the clamps sound like a good idea - is there a link? I’m not planning to run it too intensively - it was more of a dismantle and rebuild project but I would rather not risk damaging anything in the limited use that it will get. Interesting that the rere shafts fall out - I think I have read that somewhere else - perhaps that’s the reason for the expensive hop up option! if it is the shaft of the driveshaft catching, I might have a go at sanding it down a little near the ends so see if that increases the clearance - without weakening them too much

Hi all - first post here for me. I rebuilt my 1983 Frog over Christmas having found the spare parts required to do the repairs that have been needed for around 35 years! The gearbox is original but I did “upgrade” the drive shafts years ago from the metal hex to some form of plastic hex. I gave the car its first run yesterday only to hear horrible grating noises when the diff operated - particularly on one wheel. The diff is running nice and easy, and the resistance seems to change depending on the position of the rest suspension arms - if fully extended, the noise returns - if the driveshafts are horizontal it runs smooth. I recall there being problems with the transmission when I first had the car - hence the different shafts. Looking at the spares, there is the dogbone assembly for the rere Frog which requires a pair of gearbox joints, driveshafts and wheel axles. I have also seen the hop up option for the transmission but that’s £47 which is more than I want to spend. Is the transmission from the rere compatible with the original frog? Thanks in advance Nick