Sand Scorcher questions

[Psylence]

So I decided to dig into the Sand Scorcher. First of all, wow... this is easily the oldest design I have built. It's one of those things where as I'm building I keep scratching my head and wondering "Now how the badword did they come up with THAT idea instead of...?!"

I don't think I have ever used so many grub screws in my life. Also, not a fan of the red jelly threadlock.

Now my problem. I'm building this up as stock, at least initially. Which means using the really bizarre stock steering setup. Futaba S3010 servo, installed in the plastic box up front. I have it taped down with the front edge of the servo butted up to the plastic tab that sticks up on that side of the box. The problem is, with the steering rod installed, it seems to push the rod too far up, so that it is jammed up against the plastic and the rubber shroud piece. It's obviously either not going to work, or the servo is going to lever itself up off the double sided tape in short order.

So is there any trick to making this odd assembly work as intended? It's on the shelf for a few days until a battery that fits arrives, so I'm working on a Wild One in the meantime...

[OldSchoolRunner]

Well congrats on your first SRB build! They are definatley a breed on to themselves. I really think that it is a good idea to build one from stock so that you can get a feel of what the technology was like back in the day. It will give you more appreciation of the model once you upgrade the suspension and motor later on. Now for your question. I think that I know what you are talking about. I think that you need to pull back on your servo mounting possition just a little and it will not jam up as much. To be sure that I for one know what you are talking about can you post a pic.I think that would help out big time.

OSR

[Psylence]

Building it was quite the learning experience, thats for sure. The shocks took a couple tries, as the first time I built them they were bound up soild... now they work smooth and not a leak to be found, knock on wood.

Anyway, here's the servo and rod position.

When I saw the odd steering linkage I figured that a high torque servo would be best; now that I see that the servo is attached with tape only, I'm second guessing my choice.

[Fishlord]

If you turn the steering rod 90 degrees so that the "elbow" bend is in the same plane as the chassis , ie horizontal rather than pointing up I think the problem will disappear.

[Dinsdale_71]

I agree with Fishlord, the instructions aren't very clear and do make it look like you fit the steering rod like you have, but you don't.

However if you change the angle a little, as suggested above, you will find the rod passes straight through the middle of the hole and shouldn't foul at all.

Looking from the side the steering rod should be almost parrallel to the chassis (not going up as your is) and looking from above the angle should be quite a bit less than you have.

Do not be tempted to bend the rod at all, it will fit correctly if you get the angle right.

Best of luck.

[Psylence]

Thanks for all the tips guys, I'll break it down and rebuild it properly tonight!

[OldSchoolRunner]

If you turn the steering rod 90 degrees so that the "elbow" bend is in the same plane as the chassis , ie horizontal rather than pointing up I think the problem will disappear.

That is the ticket! Glad that you posted this. I only just got home! I love shinny new builds!

OSR

[Raman36]

I've played around with the steering on my SRB a lot. First, tip, do not tighten the grub screw on the accordion rubber seal, it will limit the amount your servo can move the servo saver.

Next, this is a mod that I did on the hop up servo saver but can easily be done on stock one.. I'm reposting a post from elsewhere

-------/

Today I decided to work on the Sand Scorcher's steering. As you all know the steering throw / angle is not very good, mostly because the steering servo sits inside the mechanism box. Ive seen a mod where bell crank is bypassed, but I wanted to preserve the original layout.

A while back I had my friend machine me a new body post so that I could use the Super Champ Hop Up servo saver. Unfortunately this hop up doesn't address / fix the steering angle.

I also noticed that the tie rod angle was too extreme. When the bell crank is turned, the tie rod doesn't effectively turn the wheel. So I decided to see what would happen if I made two little extensions to move the tie rods back. This is how I went about it:

The are plastic washer plates I had in my tool box, used to fix spoilers on lexan bodies.

The result... my SS can now make super tight turns!

Im going to have my friend machine me a single piece of aluminium to replace those plastic pieces.

[bromvw]

I've played around with the steering on my SRB a lot. First, tip, do not tighten the grub screw on the accordion rubber seal, it will limit the amount your servo can move the servo saver.

Next, this is a mod that I did on the hop up servo saver but can easily be done on stock one.. I'm reposting a post from elsewhere

-------/

Today I decided to work on the Sand Scorcher's steering. As you all know the steering throw / angle is not very good, mostly because the steering servo sits inside the mechanism box. Ive seen a mod where bell crank is bypassed, but I wanted to preserve the original layout.

A while back I had my friend machine me a new body post so that I could use the Super Champ Hop Up servo saver. Unfortunately this hop up doesn't address / fix the steering angle.

I also noticed that the tie rod angle was too extreme. When the bell crank is turned, the tie rod doesn't effectively turn the wheel. So I decided to see what would happen if I made two little extensions to move the tie rods back. This is how I went about it:

The are plastic washer plates I had in my tool box, used to fix spoilers on lexan bodies.

The result... my SS can now make super tight turns!

Im going to have my friend machine me a single piece of aluminium to replace those plastic pieces.

nice solution . i love these spairs box fix's

[Dinsdale_71]

That is a good solution.

I tried a diifferent method, I lengthened the servo arm a little (about 6-7mm), this gives more push/pull on the servo saver and increases the steering angle.

[TGX Fan]

I too am building the SS. I am used to building the more modern Tamiya on-roads (tgx, tg-10,, tao3, tto1e, df3ra,m05 etc) and thought this might be a fun off-road build. So far I have to admit it has not. I have just learned the true meaning of re-re. I went in the build with the pre-conceived notion of a typical smooth Tamiya project. I typically start my build by prepping the electronics by replacing Tamiya connectors with Dean connectors. Imagine my "expletive" when i arrived at the motor installation and had to unsolder the dean connector because the motor wires have to be separate to get it past the transparent gear cover. And speaking of gear covers, I managed to crack it by a little overtightening of the screw (my bad). I ended up buying 2 extra sets of gear covers just to cover my clumsiness. Next surprised was I had to order a couple of Nimh batteries because the standard stick won't fit. I am not at the stage where I am comfortable with Lipos yet. Oh, I forgot to mention I had to enlarge the hole where the SC wires goes through since the Dean connector is too big. BTW, is the box containing the electronics is supposed to fit completely flush with the chassis? Mine is not and rocks a little. I am afraid of stripping the screw in the two rubber contact points by overtightening. Lesson from gear cover. haha

I also ordered the metal front bumper and metal rear cage from RC Channel and an extra body shell (shell only no front or windows-$25 from Ebay). My current issue is finding out why steering full left the wheel doesn't go as far as when steering full right. I did neutral the servo prior to installation. The SS has been the most challenging build i experience. My props to all you vintage lovers out there. I think I will stay with the modern stuff. I can't wait to run the SS to see, hopefully it will be a lot of fun.

PS. I like the steering fix shown in this thread. Nice job.

[Raman36]

Tgx fan... Welcome to the srb. Keep in mind, back then materials were not as sophisticated as current day, plastic was not flexible, it was brittle, designs were not as ergonomic. The radio box should rock a little. If you tighten the well nuts too much, the plastic of the radio box will crack due to pressure and stress

The best battery option is a shorty LiPo, it fits perfectly. 4600 mah will also give you plenty of run time.

[Fishlord]

TGX fan, don't worry about it steering more one way than the other, it's part of its charm!

[TGX Fan]

> Raman: Since I wasn't involved in RC back in the day, I forget the improvements in design and technology. Good to confirm the radio box.

>Fishlord. Haha. So that's the way the SS works or did I not build something correctly?

[Raman36]

Thats the way it works. Its a combination of poor steering servo placement, poor angle, poor steering geometry.

[SteveU30]

You could always do something like in this thread: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68268

Or even this if you're feeling ambitious: http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/non-crawler-rcs/421271-got-sand-scorcher-xmas.html#post4172869

[Psylence]

I'd imagine a tight steering radius could be sketchy on pavement with that locked diff!

[TGX Fan]

>SteveU: I am ambitious but not sufficiently talented enough to make that build. lol

Completed my build and would like to share a few pics. During the installation of the rear cage, the brass screw to secure the antenna snapped off. I torqued it as the other screws and the screw was going in smoothly so I don't know what happened. Fortunately, the cage is still pretty solid. A friend can metal weld so I will ask him if it can be welded together.

http://s1103.photobucket.com/user/h45223/media/Tamiya%20Sand%20Scorcher/_MG_5240_1024_zpsa76d39c9.jpg.html

http://s1103.photobucket.com/user/h45223/media/Tamiya%20Sand%20Scorcher/_MG_5238_1024_zps8bea11a3.jpg.html

http://s1103.photobucket.com/user/h45223/media/Tamiya%20Sand%20Scorcher/_MG_5235_1024_zps3bb04041.jpg.html

http://s1103.photobucket.com/user/h45223/media/Tamiya%20Sand%20Scorcher/_MG_5225_1024_zpsbf49ae86.jpg.html

http://s1103.photobucket.com/user/h45223/media/Tamiya%20Sand%20Scorcher/_MG_5206_1024_zpsf70ea052.jpg.html

http://s1103.photobucket.com/user/h45223/media/Tamiya%20Sand%20Scorcher/_MG_5197_1024_zpsf5f325fa.jpg.html

[bromvw]

>SteveU: I am ambitious but not sufficiently talented enough to make that build. lol

Completed my build and would like to share a few pics. During the installation of the rear cage, the brass screw to secure the antenna snapped off. I torqued it as the other screws and the screw was going in smoothly so I don't know what happened. Fortunately, the cage is still pretty solid. A friend can metal weld so I will ask him if it can be welded together.

http://s1103.photobu...6d39c9.jpg.html

http://s1103.photobu...ea11a3.jpg.html

http://s1103.photobu...b04041.jpg.html

http://s1103.photobu...49ae86.jpg.html

http://s1103.photobu...0ea052.jpg.html

http://s1103.photobu...f325fa.jpg.html

Do you have a 1mm - 1.5mm drill bit and a hobby drill ? If so carefully drill the centre of that brass screw . You might then be able to pick the remaining portion out . A small flat blade screw driver can also sometimes be wedged in and the stub extracted . You can buy stud removing tools made for the job but for a one off its not cost effective . Good luck with the fix .

[Psylence]

It's been one hurdle after another with this kit! Just when I thought I was on the home stretch, another problem thwarts me.

This time, its the rubber. It seems that the tires for my re-re sand scorcher just might date to the original release. I have never encountered such rigid and unyielding bits of rubber. Seriously, they might just be as old as I am.

Is there a trick to this? Why oh why can't they just be 2 piece wheels! My fingers have taken a serious mauling so far so I'm willing to try almost anything!

[Raman36]

It's been one hurdle after another with this kit! Just when I thought I was on the home stretch, another problem thwarts me.

This time, its the rubber. It seems that the tires for my re-re sand scorcher just might date to the original release. I have never encountered such rigid and unyielding bits of rubber. Seriously, they might just be as old as I am.

Is there a trick to this? Why oh why can't they just be 2 piece wheels! My fingers have taken a serious mauling so far so I'm willing to try almost anything!

I know what you mean. Even back in the 80s it was tough to put those in. Here is how I do it. I insert the inner piece perpendicular to the tyre by stretching the tyre to get it in. Then I rotate to the left or right (doesn't matter) and it slides in. Hope that makes sense.

[bromvw]

It's been one hurdle after another with this kit! Just when I thought I was on the home stretch, another problem thwarts me.

This time, its the rubber. It seems that the tires for my re-re sand scorcher just might date to the original release. I have never encountered such rigid and unyielding bits of rubber. Seriously, they might just be as old as I am.

Is there a trick to this? Why oh why can't they just be 2 piece wheels! My fingers have taken a serious mauling so far so I'm willing to try almost anything!

This will sound slightly crazy but it works well . Soak the tires in peanut oil for 24 hours . Wash and rinse . Then try to fit them . Nice soft restored rubber at virtually no cost

[Psylence]

This will sound slightly crazy but it works well . Soak the tires in peanut oil for 24 hours . Wash and rinse . Then try to fit them . Nice soft restored rubber at virtually no cost

I'm down with crazy at this point. Sounds like the next thing to try!

[Team Rawlings]

Not much difference between the vintage rubber and the new stuff they were a pain back then and they still are!:-)

[Psylence]

Well, the peanut oil soak + mass amounts of profanity seems to have done the trick.

Mental note, no more 3piece wheels ever again!