Should This Frog Hop Again?

[retroman]

OK, i thought this might start a good thread.

I've recently bought a Frog, at a bargain price, as spare parts for my re-re, as I tend to use it a lot. The problem is the Frog I have bought is an original 1980's Frog, and it's in quite decent condition! So rather than condemn it to the spare parts bin, i decided to tot up how much it would cost to rebuild it by using the "Buy It Now" option on ebay. It needs wheels and tyres, one diff gear is excessively worn, the drive shaft boots have gone hard with age, body and decal set, battery side holders are missing, one rear trailing arm is cracked where the rear shocker screws to it, and front bumper has a crack. Doesn't sound too much does it! Then I got the calculator out and done the maths. Guess what..... It's cheaper to buy a re-re from Hong Kong than to rebuild it!! It's now a case of my heart say's let the Frog hop again, but my head says it's too expensive.

I guess this is another side to the re-re versus original argument. You buy a vintage car, you know that even if it's in good condition, it's going to need bits and bobs bought for it. I have been wanting a Hotshot for a while now, and last night I ordered the re-re. Looking at the above vintage versus re-re argument, it kinda makes sense, doesn't it???

What do you all think??

[mymonsterbeetleisbroken]

The thing about "restoring" is, especially when using re release parts:

When does the car have that many brand new parts it stops being an original, and becomes a re release with some old bits mixed in

I say cut the budget down by using original, used parts to bring the original to working condition. I'm sure the bits you need would turn up for sale. That also means you don't end up with loads of extra parts that you didn't need.

That way it keeps a little more of its vintage charm, making the restoration even more worth while

I'm very guilty of "restoring" using new parts.

In fact my brushless pumpkin's main chassis tub, main body shell, grill, bumper and differential gear are the only parts that remain from the truck I started off with.

[stu22]

I recently had someone give me a vintage Frog. It looks like the previous owner ran it into a wall pretty hard so the bumper and front of the frame are a little out of wack. The body is complete but looks like it also got warped from having something sit on it for a few years. It looks like it has an upgraded gearbox and half shafts. Everything else on it looks fine to me, although I have to admit I really don't know what the original one looks like.

I have dis-assembled the thing and pulled the motor, wheels, shocks, bearings, and various screws, bolts, and washers for my Grasshopper and Bruiser restoration projects. I'll give you the rest if you're willing to pay the shipping.

[retroman]

Good points made chaps.

I have to admit, I did have half a thought about keeping an eye out for second hand spares lots on ebay. But knowing me, I'll wind up with three Frogs! I suppose I could sit them all on the lilly pads on my pond, and they can sit there, and do the Frog chorus "Bud.....Weis.....Er!! LOL (if you remember the old TV ad).

I suppose that due to the re-re's, there are quite a few out there now that are the original axe, just had three heads and four handles :-)

[moxyuk]

OK, i thought this might start a good thread.

I've recently bought a Frog, at a bargain price, as spare parts for my re-re, as I tend to use it a lot. The problem is the Frog I have bought is an original 1980's Frog, and it's in quite decent condition! So rather than condemn it to the spare parts bin, i decided to tot up how much it would cost to rebuild it by using the "Buy It Now" option on ebay. It needs wheels and tyres, one diff gear is excessively worn, the drive shaft boots have gone hard with age, body and decal set, battery side holders are missing, one rear trailing arm is cracked where the rear shocker screws to it, and front bumper has a crack. Doesn't sound too much does it! Then I got the calculator out and done the maths. Guess what..... It's cheaper to buy a re-re from Hong Kong than to rebuild it!! It's now a case of my heart say's let the Frog hop again, but my head says it's too expensive.

I guess this is another side to the re-re versus original argument. You buy a vintage car, you know that even if it's in good condition, it's going to need bits and bobs bought for it. I have been wanting a Hotshot for a while now, and last night I ordered the re-re. Looking at the above vintage versus re-re argument, it kinda makes sense, doesn't it???

What do you all think??

have got an 80s frog in parts if you need any parts to restore it

might help to keep costs down

cheers

[retroman]

Cheers mate, I'll keep it in mind. Not quite sure what I am doing with it yet :-)

[RichieRich]

I had a beat-up old Frog I got for pennies from a flea market. It wasn't in too bad of shape so I restored it. I did it with some re-release parts and a lot of 80s period hop-ups including a robinson racing ball diff w/ universals.

This is how it arrived:

This is how I finished it:

[retroman]

Like it! That's one cool looking Frog.

I suppose I could always reverse engineer, and put the vintage bits that are different onto my re-re. How hard are those ball diffs to come by? Would love one of those!!

[RichieRich]

I think the ball diffs are a tough find. Who knows, maybe there are some still hidden in some hobby shops. That's how I found mine.

[dazaa]

OK, i thought this might start a good thread.

I've recently bought a Frog, at a bargain price, as spare parts for my re-re, as I tend to use it a lot. The problem is the Frog I have bought is an original 1980's Frog, and it's in quite decent condition! So rather than condemn it to the spare parts bin, i decided to tot up how much it would cost to rebuild it by using the "Buy It Now" option on ebay. It needs wheels and tyres, one diff gear is excessively worn, the drive shaft boots have gone hard with age, body and decal set, battery side holders are missing, one rear trailing arm is cracked where the rear shocker screws to it, and front bumper has a crack. Doesn't sound too much does it! Then I got the calculator out and done the maths. Guess what..... It's cheaper to buy a re-re from Hong Kong than to rebuild it!! It's now a case of my heart say's let the Frog hop again, but my head says it's too expensive.

I guess this is another side to the re-re versus original argument. You buy a vintage car, you know that even if it's in good condition, it's going to need bits and bobs bought for it. I have been wanting a Hotshot for a while now, and last night I ordered the re-re. Looking at the above vintage versus re-re argument, it kinda makes sense, doesn't it???

What do you all think??

Hi,

Although it may work out better to buy a rere if you buy all new parts for it, nothing beats good old repairs. wheels and tires you will have to buy but im pretty sure you can get a good used set for not much money,diff gear again will have to be bought and its probably best to replace the other diff gears while your at it. The driveshaft boots dont really matter, all they do is stop dirt from getting in to the drive shafts, if they are hard just leave them like that, or if they have ripped drop a tiny bit of super glue on the ripped part and stick them back on. body i suppose you will have to buy but just look for a battered original and repair it. you should be able to make somthing to act as the battery side holders, even some bits of meccano will do. The rear arm is easy to repair, there is a how to guide on tc but i just broke the whole piece off and glued it back on, it works better than just dropping glue on a crack as it glues all the way through. The front bumper again just repair it, no need to buy a new one unless its so bad it no longer provides any protection to the car.You can even use duck tape to repair it although i have found that the new roll of duck tape rips much easier than my old roll.

Hope this is helpfull and if you have any questions please ask.

dazaa

[retroman]

Yeah, valid points Dazaa. I have to confess to being quite fussy about the build on my cars, and tend to just replace things if they look suspect. I know that the Frog will run fine with out the drive shaft boots on, but one of the things I like about them is they do keep all the dirt and grit out of the drive cups. The problem with the old ones, being hard with age, is they bind up the transmission to the point that if you turn one of the rear wheels, it will spring back on itself!!

I also have to confess to being quite fussy about the bumpers on my cars as well. The way I look at it is five pounds worth of front bumper is quite a bargain, if it saves destroying front suspension and bodyshells :-) This was quite relevant on my Losi XXXS G+. The bumper in the kit had a habit of deflecting backwards in an impact, and snapping the front shock shafts!! And they were not cheap to replace. Upgraded it to the Team Trinity bumper, which is much stronger, never happened again :-)

I have just stumped up the cash for a complete genuine Frog bodyset, and new wheels and tyres. My re-re Frog body has a few very small cracks from off roading, and the wheels and tyres are the same as my Hornet and Super Champ, so usefull spares really. I'm keeping my eye open on ebay at the moment for cheap spares lots :-) I bought the new body from the point of view of "one for racing, one for shelfing"!!