Got an old TGS. Need some help to make it run and restore it

[Gdourado 9]

Hello, hope everyone is doing well.

When I was growing up, during most of my childhood, I really wanted a Nitro RC.

But at the time, it was a very expensive hobby here in Portugal. There really was no online shopping and the local hobby stores were really expensive.

Now, I am in my fourties’ and my son is 8 and is getting interested in some more serious RC.

He already has an electric WLToys buggy for him as a beginner RC and enjoys it quite much.

But with him, I am getting the bug again. And am thinking about getting an older nitro RC, kind of the ones I wanted back in the day.

The idea is to get one, get it running and enjoy it.

I saw a Tamiya TGS for sale.

It is complete with radio, servos, engine. It has everything except the body.

From what I can tell, the TGS is a 2003 model, so it might be a 20 year old RC car. But even with that in mind, it looks really clean and in good condition. I did not spot any rust or rusted parts. The chassi does not have scratches or big usage marks. It really looks like a car that wasn’t used very much.

The seller says that all the electronics work well. He says the engine hasn’t run in 2 years, but that it ran fine the last time it was used and that it has good compression.

I am thinking about pulling the trigger on it has a project to do with my son, but I am still hesitant as I know almost nothing about those cars. What kind of major problems can I expect? 
If the engine doesn’t run, can it be rebuilt? What kind of costs can I be looking at on the worst case scenario?

Also, can gears and linkages have problems for being sat for so long? Or just “old age” problems?

Can I get a current body for it? Or will I need to source a period body for it to fit properly?

Any other words of advise before I dive in?

Thank you!

your help and input is much appreciated!

[acprc 1190]

Hi,

The TGS chassis was designed as Tamiya's entry level nitro and it filled that gap for many years. The front and rear of the car are basically TT-01 with a redesigned centre tub/chassis. The cars came with a set of Tamiya (its made by Futaba) radio gear fitted and either an FS-12SS or an FS-12SW (TGS-r) fitted. These engines were designed in collaboration with O.S Engines and are pretty forgiving.

Issues you need to check are:

Fuel tank. Is it complete, no cracks damage, broken inlet/outlet or broken priming pump. They are expensive and hard to find now.

Recoil starter. Again. Is it in good consition? You can fit the O.S branded one however the Tamiya one is again expensive at approx £39

Does all the radio gear work? The original tamiya units are fine however I would upgrade the RX to 2.4ghz.

The chassis base being plastic is a really good way to determine usage on these however they can be replaced.

Ask the seller how he/she is determining compression. The engine should have a noticeable pop/resistance at TDC when being pulled over. All parts for the engine are still available however if the piston is worn out a new one will be approx £60

I would say 90% of the Tamiya bodies for the TT-01 will fit. The only ones you may struggle with are the low height bodies because of the engine. Still plenty to choose from.

If used it would be good to strip, clean and rebuild the whole car. Its not difficulty and will help with understanding it. Take a look at one of my restoration threads here on the TGS chassis: https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/88272-tamiya-tgs-xbg-nitro-restoration/&tab=comments#comment-732040

[Gdourado 9]

5 hours ago, acprc said:

Hi,

The TGS chassis was designed as Tamiya's entry level nitro and it filled that gap for many years. The front and rear of the car are basically TT-01 with a redesigned centre tub/chassis. The cars came with a set of Tamiya (its made by Futaba) radio gear fitted and either an FS-12SS or an FS-12SW (TGS-r) fitted. These engines were designed in collaboration with O.S Engines and are pretty forgiving.

Issues you need to check are:

Fuel tank. Is it complete, no cracks damage, broken inlet/outlet or broken priming pump. They are expensive and hard to find now.

Recoil starter. Again. Is it in good consition? You can fit the O.S branded one however the Tamiya one is again expensive at approx £39

Does all the radio gear work? The original tamiya units are fine however I would upgrade the RX to 2.4ghz.

The chassis base being plastic is a really good way to determine usage on these however they can be replaced.

Ask the seller how he/she is determining compression. The engine should have a noticeable pop/resistance at TDC when being pulled over. All parts for the engine are still available however if the piston is worn out a new one will be approx £60

I would say 90% of the Tamiya bodies for the TT-01 will fit. The only ones you may struggle with are the low height bodies because of the engine. Still plenty to choose from.

If used it would be good to strip, clean and rebuild the whole car. Its not difficulty and will help with understanding it. Take a look at one of my restoration threads here on the TGS chassis: https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/88272-tamiya-tgs-xbg-nitro-restoration/&tab=comments#comment-732040

Hello,

Thank you very much for your reply and for sharing all that information. It is really helpful and I appreciate it a lot!

Like I said, I really don’t know much about the TGS, but I was under the impression it was better than entry level.

So I guess it has friction shocks and not very good drivetrain and gears.

Either way, if it is in good condition and working, I would say it would be a good first nitro RC. Also because nitro RC in 1/10 scale are getting hard to find brand new today. All the stores carry electric models, but nitro is very rare.

The points you said are quite helpful, but I don’t know how to tell most of them.

From the pictures the seller sent me, it looks clean, the bottom of the car is fairly scratch free and the gas tank looks intact and complete.

The seller says he tested the radio gear and everything works.

I have attached the seller photos to this post so you can see them with your expert eyes that certainly can see more than mine.

I can get the car as is for 100 Euros. It is complete minus the body. From what aI can see online, a Tamiya body can set me back 50 euros, so the car would cost 150 euros plus any other maintenance or repair parts needed. I don’t really know if it is a good deal or not.

But for comparison, a brand new TT-01 E kit cost 100 euros. It comes with everything except radio, servo and battery. So all in all, they would probably end up costing the same.

I have a soft spot for Nitro, as it was the Thing 25 years ago when I was very interested in RC and I kind of want one even today. But I don’t know how a 20 year old TGS would compare to a new TT-01 E.

I guess I am still a bit hesitant about pulling the trigger, mostly because since it is used and 20 years old, I fear I might get into a rabbit hole.

But based on what I said, does the TGS look like a good option and a good deal?

Thank you. 
Regards!

[acprc 1190]

It looks very clean and I would say it is worth the 100 euros. Wheels and the TX are not original TGS.

[Gdourado 9]

Ended up pulling the trigger.

I was a bit hesitant, but talked to the seller and ended up agreeing on 75 euros shipped.

So I figured for the price, it was worth the risk.

Seller says the electronics, transmitter and servos all work.

The car looks clean and not abused. The biggest question is the engine. If it runs, I think it is a great deal. I will just need a good clean and buy a body and have a nice vintage nitro car to play with.

Even of the engine is kaput, the other parts might be worth it. Let’s see.

The seller will take care of shipping now.
I’ll update when I receive the car and start a build/ restoration build thread.

Regards and thanks for the input!

[tam-trucks 88]

good on you,go for it give it quick test,new fuel and glowplug,unless the one it got still good and start it and smell that nitro (it can get addictive)....overall car looks clean-clean for its age

[Gdourado 9]

The car finally arrived in the mail.

Everything looks really clean and in good condition.

I am honestly surprised at how good this looks, specially considering the age of the car. I guess it really wasn’t run that much.

At first sight, there are no broken parts or worn out parts. So I am thinking about not doing a tear down straight away.

I guess my first thing might be trying to start it and see if the engine runs. What is the recommended procedure to try and start the engine and what type of fuel should I use considering the mixture?

Here are a couple of pictures after I took it out of the parcel.

cheers!

[M 800STD 409]

Use 15% Nitro with OS8 glow plug, assuming it does not have turbo head.

Here's a great video, if you don't know how to tune...

 

[Gdourado 9]

4 hours ago, M 800STD said:

Use 15% Nitro with OS8 glow plug, assuming it does not have turbo head.

Here's a great video, if you don't know how to tune...

 

Thank you for your suggestion and the video you shared.

I’ll get some 15% fuel to try and give the engine a go.

Other than that, the car seems complete except the body.

I would like to keep it period correct, so I would like to know what bodies to look for.

Also, someone mentioned earlier that the wheels are not original. I would like to try and get the original wheels and also some upgraded oil filled shocks. From what I can tell, it is a big improvement over the friction ones that come stock with the kit.

Any recommended shocks I should look for?

Thanks!

[Gdourado 9]

Hello, hope everyone is doing well.

So finally today I started messing with the TGS.

Like I previously said, it is very clean and in an apparent great condition considering the age of the model.

I loaded batteries on both the car and the transmitter and all the electronics work as they should.

Throttle, brake and steering.

If I pull on the engine starter, it turns and from the resistance I get, it seems the engine has good compression.

Should I load some fuel and try to start the engine?

Or should I do some things before?

Should I disassemble anything? Clean?

Sorry for the questions, but I am noob on Nitro RC.

 

 

[M 800STD 409]

If engine has not been run, observe the break in procedure in manual.

Just check head bolts, exhaust and carb bolts are nipped up and give it a go.

Try not to over extend pull start cord.

You may experience hydro lock.  Just remove plug and pull the pull start a few times, to remove excess fuel.

If engine seems to have too high compression when pulling the pull start, back the plug out a little.  This can be re tightened when engine is running.

Also, it's worth getting some after run oil, as nitro fuel can cause corrosion if left for a long time.  

Good luck!

[Gdourado 9]

Good news.

Got back on the car today.

Tried the first start. It came alive after just 4 or 5 pulls. The engine sounds really healthy and runs very smooth.

I left it to idle for a tank. I didn’t drive the car as I think next would be better to inspect and probably lubricate the gears.

Any input? Should I tear down the axles, diffs and driveshafts to lubricate?

Also, the stearing seems to have a small issue. When I turn it to the left and then I let go of the steering, it returns to dead center. But when o turn it to the right it doesn’t return to center.

it is not a trim issue as I fiddled with that and it didn’t solve it.

my uneducated guess is that it is an issue with the steering servo. Probably needs a clean and some oil. I’ll have to look into that, but I don’t know how to reach it yet.

Any other tips or things I should do before going for a proper drive?

Here is a small video I did of the engine running:

Cheers!

[M 800STD 409]

Good!

Any car I acquire used, I do a full re-build.

With regards to your steering issue, you may see it during re-build or it could be your servo.