GH2SG Restomod

[El Hefe 3]

Here is my original GH2SG, not 100% certain of the history of this buggy, it came into my possession sometime between 2012 and 2015, the person I got it from was not the original owner. It came with an original Blackfoot (I will do a thread for the Blackfoot in the future) and a mix of Futaba and Acoms equipment. No box, no documentation, just the buggy and some parts.

As you can see it was well used in the past, as evidenced by the scratches on the body and missing a-pillars as is common on this buggy.

My plans are a little bit restoration, a little bit modification, and to get it running for old times sake. I originally owned a Futaba FX10, a Losi Jr-T (with added LXT hop-up kit), and a Kyosho Viper boat…the only one of those three that seem to have survived in my possession is the Losi (and some small remnants of the others), which along with this GH2SG and the Blackfoot will be running again soon enough.

As for this GH2SG, well…

• the original rear tires are nowhere to be found, it is currently equipped with the original WELL WORN tires from my old FX10, I am awaiting delivery of a set of Tamiya 58517 rear tires from a Supershot/Hotshot as I believe they are the same/similar to what originally came on the SG
• the front tires are present, but dry rotted and a sidewall has torn on one of them, haven’t been able to find reasonably priced original style rib spike replacements yet, the current tires are good enough for when it is sitting on a shelf, but won’t survive the first outdoor drive, I have some other options to get it rolling for now
• only the rear yellow shocks remained from original (and they were in a parts box, not installed on the buggy), the front shocks were replaced with orange metallic coloured aluminum bodied shocks before it came into my possession, I have replaced the front and rear shocks with a set of yellow CVAs from a Terra Scorcher/Fire Dragon/Thunder Shot which seem to be the correct length aside from maybe the lower ends. The rears are very close to correct length, maybe only a couple mm too short, the fronts likely need the lower ends replaced…they currently have the short lower ends mounted and are at least 5 or 6 mm too short, I need to source the longer version of the lower ends and try them out. The springs on the back seem to be a little stiffer than what likely came on the SG originally, I might deal with that later. I also don’t think the Tamiya yellow shock oil is light enough to work properly once this thing is actually running, I might have to play with piston choice and/or oil weight to make the suspension work the way it should
• on the rear it also had what appears to be original super hornet lower shock mounts/brace, I have removed that but kept the pieces in the parts box for now
• looks to be the original 540 motor with black plastic endbell
• it is currently equipped with a Tamiya TEU-101BK ESC, which will likely stay in it, setup with Anderson PP15/45 power connectors, good for up to 10 awg and 55 amp, running off an older Onyx 3000 mah 6 cell nimh pack
• I still have the original MSC, mount, and linkage in the parts box…in fact I have 2 MSC, a brownish tan version and a black version, from pictures I’ve seen I believe the brownish tan was what came with the SG and the black came with the Blackfoot (anybody know for sure?)
• I have installed the resistor heat shield in the original position just to fill the hole, but the resistor isn’t in it and it obviously has no function beyond looks
• AM transmitter/receiver replaced with a Turbo Racing 91085G-VT 2.4 GHz radio and 4 channel RX41 receiver (hard to beat the $40 CAD price to get this buggy running again), I have kept the AM equipment but I am unsure of it’s condition as it is missing battery packs and can’t be tested
• old school Futaba servo is still in it for now

Next steps will be tear it down, thorough cleaning, reassemble, and run it, install bearings throughout, small bits and pieces here and there, like correct size/length hardware, body pins, etc.

• I will likely install a 3d printed rear pivot brace to allow the rear suspension to work a little better
• Considering the Ampro double wishbone front suspension, if I go this route I will retain all the original parts in case there is ever a desire to return to original
• I have a plan to swap to modern 2.2 2wd buggy wheels and tires front and rear while also maintaining some of that SG look, this should allow me to run it without destroying the original style tires that seem to be more rare/harder to get these days…more on the 2.2 buggy wheels to follow in a future post in this thread
• I will run the original 540 silver can for now, but might replace it with a modern Sport Tuned
• I might switch to deans connectors and 2200 mah 2s lipo in a 3d printed stick pack adapter in the future…if I do this, I will also add a lipo alarm to keep an eye on voltage cutoff level