Looking for "parts lots" is dangerous

[markbt73 6283]

Not sure why I always seem to go on an RC buying spree right around Xmas and my birthday (next Sunday the 7th). Maybe it's because as a grownup, nobody else buys us toys, so we have to buy our own. Anyway, this time, instead of looking for a new model, or something complete that I thought was cool, I went searching for parts lots or basket cases.

And I found them. This $70 lot of ORV parts that could more or less make a gray-chassis Blackfoot/Monster Beetle should be here by the 2nd. I'm pretty sure I see a complete Thorp rear end in there, if so, score. I have everything else I need to build this out as a complete chassis, and I'll decide on a body later.

And after hemming and hawing around for a day, I just now hit "Buy It Now" on this big lot of Grasshopper and Lunchbox chassis and parts. Not sure what's up with the painted parts, but it looks like there are at least 3, possibly 4, complete good chassis in there. And maybe a 5th good gearbox.

I'd better log out of eBay before I do any more damage...

 

 

[donfilippo 763]

Lots of stuff to tinker with! 

[ADRay1000 746]

wow, I’d totally forgotten about those aweful old 80’s white aftermarket adjustable body posts. 
 

looks like fun. 

[markbt73 6283]

First lot has arrived! And it's exactly what I thought it was from the photos: a complete mongrel ORV monster truck chassis in pieces.

 

And note the star of the show, front and center: a complete Thorp "Dirt Burners" gearbox - ball diff, dogbone axles, brass counter gear, everything. Missing the clamp-on drive adapters, though, but I think someone still makes those.

Everything's filthy, bearings are all crunchy, and it's going to be a ton of work to put this all together. Can't wait to get started.

[Parkypig 5]

Happy days.. and Happy birthday for the 7th.. 

[markbt73 6283]

So I'm starting to formulate a plan for this thing. It's going to be a Blackfoot, more or less, with period-correct hopups to go with the Thorp diff. Some CRP nylon bits, maybe JG shock towers if I can find some, stuff like that.

Body will be Lexan, either a Parma Blackfoot or one of the old Bolink truck bodies, Chevy S-10 or Datsun or something. I'll audition wheels and tires and see what looks right. I'd love to find a set of old-school knobbies for it, Pro-Line Trac-Ta-Gators or something.

Power will come from a Speedworks Monster Mash motor that I have in my stash, it's either a 17 or 19 turn single wind, I forget which. It will have a nice modern ESC and radio for worry-free running.

[markbt73 6283]

What's the collective noun for Grasshoppers? A plague? Yeah, we'll go with that. A plague of Grasshoppers.

I won't really have time to dive into these until this weekend, but on first glance... I have my work cut out for me. These things are rough.

[markbt73 6283]

Well, I've now dismantled all five chassis. In total, there's one Grasshopper, one Hornet, one Grasshopper II, and two Lunchboxes. Ever wondered what five Grasshopper/Hornet gearsets in a plastic tub looks like?

Something like that. Only usually not so goopy. Whoever built these was, let's say, a little heavy-handed with the grease.

This is the worst one, but not by much. And for some reason, every single gearbox is missing that left-side axle spacer that keeps the bevel gear from hitting the spur. How did someone lose all five of them? Got me. But I'm not buying five screw bags just to get those. I'll find suitable substitutes somewhere.

Luckily, all of them had at least some bearings, mostly new rubber-sealed ones. And under all the glop (and layers of paint), most of the plastic parts seem OK. There were more than a few wood screws used to hold things in place, but not much is actually broken. I did already toss one Hornet chassis tub that was just too far gone, and one of the Lunchbox chassis might be beyond saving as well. But we'll see. I'd like to re-use as much as I can.

[markbt73 6283]

We had a snow day yesterday, so I spent some time with that ORV parts lot. A lot of the plastic parts are brittle or have stripped holes, and I was about to despair, until I realized I have a brand-new ORV chassis in a configuration I don't like all that much. Goodbye Brat; hello Mud Blaster!

There's still a lot to do, and a lot of parts that will need replacing before it gets run very much. And obviously I still need to do all the detail work on the body. But I like the look of this a lot more than the standard Brat; if it's almost but not quite scale, it bugs me, but go silly and it's cool again. Sort of like the "uncanny valley" of scale models.

Specs so far: gray re-re Brat chassis, re-re gearbox housing with Thorp diff, dogbones, and axles, Speedworks Monster Mash motor (19t single, I think?), original Monster Beetle front uprights and shocks. Has one of those cheapo 996 servos in it (I didn't buy it; it came with the Grasshopper lot) which I'll use until it fails. ESC will be a Dynamite Tazer so I can run lipo batteries in it. Wears a mishmash of wheels and tires right now, but I'll think of something else to put on there. I have a decent set of original Monster Beetle wheels, just not sure how I feel about the gold.

[Frog Jumper 4480]

1 hour ago, markbt73 said:

We had a snow day yesterday, so I spent some time with that ORV parts lot.

Pick up one of those transmission braces.

I love the ORV bc of stuff like this.  Brat to Monster back to buggy to whatever with just a few parts and some creativity!  More pix!

[markbt73 6283]

Here's a body-off shot, as it sits now. The front suspension uprights/hub carriers are all grease-soaked and cracked; I think from 30 years of shock oil leaking on them. And the front shock tower is cracked as well. I think I'm going to look for old JG shock towers for it eventually, I seem to remember those as being nice and rigid, and making the rear shock geometry work better. The transmission should be OK with that Thorp diff; no side loads to push the plates apart.

I robbed the painted silver wheels off my Blackfoot, and put a set of unused CEN monster truck tires on them. Much better. It'll do for now, at least.

And the Blackfoot looks pretty sharp with the Monster Beetle rims, so I think I'll just leave well enough alone for now.

 

 

[Frog Jumper 4480]

Nice. There are repro JG towers out now.  

[markbt73 6283]

Uptade on the Grasshopper/Hornet/Lunchbox mess. I now have a roller Hornet and a roller Grasshopper 2!

Decided I was never going to get the paint off the tubs, so I just went for it. GH2 has a hodgepodge of oil shocks, a 380 motor, and re-re FAV wheels and tires. Hornet has a 540, and those new Tamiya wheels to fit, with Thundershot/Falcon/Striker rear tires on all four. Fit like a glove, and tight enough to not need glue. I think I'll be getting some more sets of these wheels when funds allow; I really like them for these cars.

Not sure what I'm doing for bodies on either of them yet.

 

[markbt73 6283]

Stuck at home due to an ice storm, so I'm in my workshop messing around with stuff. Could be worse, I suppose.

Put this beastie together out of parts from that parts lot, and a few other things I had sitting around:

Lunchbox chassis, 3-shock rear end, CRP FX10 front end, cheap eBay shocks. Ground clearance and suspension travel are enormous, but so is bump steer. Gotta play with the geometry some more.

[Grumpy pants 5577]

Great thread, loving the saves and using what you have in stock already vibe 👏

[bRIBEGuy 3414]

4 hours ago, markbt73 said:

Ground clearance and suspension travel are enormous, but so is bump steer. Gotta play with the geometry some more.

Bump steer isn't an issue if the front tires are in the air!

[markbt73 6283]

What's this? A fourth roller?

OK, just barely. But hey, I could put a motor, ESC, and receiver in it, and it would drive. Not very well, I imagine, but still.

So that makes four complete, functional cars out of that mess, with the addition of some wheels and tires and a few leftover parts I already had. With the mongrel Mud Blaster, that makes five cars to tinker with and improve this year, for less than the cost of one of the pricey re-res I was considering.

I'm not sure any of these will stay in the form they're in now, as I get more ideas, but that's the fun part, seeing what they could become. This is definitely my favorite aspect of the RC hobby, and I'm glad I discovered that before I dropped any more money on stuff I wouldn't enjoy as much. Cheap, ugly, simplistic, who cares? I love 'em.

[3speeder 55]

Nice job, those turned out good.  I've done the same a few times buying parts lot on ebay.  Whats the plan for the body on the LB chassis with brat tires?

[markbt73 6283]

No plan for any of them. Just wanted to see how many complete rollers I could get out of them. They'll all almost certainly end up getting taken back apart and turned into something else eventually.