ddaenen1 278 Posted September 23, 2013 Well, i finished the second Carbon damper plate over the weekend and both are assembled now on the car and i am investigating how i can get CNC versions made from FRP. For the rest there is not much i can do until my parts come in from allover the world! Dampers and fixings from Oman Various other parts from Canada Body, A-parts and F-parts from Japan. Stainless steel screws and nuts from UK (i ordered enough of each length for 3 cars for about 20 GBP - way cheaper than RCScrewz) So i am guessing that it will take at least 2 to 3 weeks before all arrives except for the stainless steel screws as UK mail is in average 3 to 4 days to BE. Once the screws come in, i will start replacing all the current ones with stainless steel ones and then, it will be a awaiting game for a while, i guess... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya Era 778 Posted September 23, 2013 So u r on a Tamiya Vacation now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted September 23, 2013 So u r on a Tamiya Vacation now Not really because once the stainless steel screws come in, i still have to replace about 50% of the screws of the Avante 2001 with them and also about 30% of the screws on the Top Force so that will keep me occupied for quite some time. I actually only had a set for the Top Force from RCScrewz but since the Avante 2001 when i bought had alot of wrong screws in it, i decided to use the stainless kit partially to fix that issue, ofcourse leaving not enough screws left to convert the TF completely nor the Avante 2001 so now that i bought about 20 of each length, i can finally complete this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya Era 778 Posted September 23, 2013 Then,,Enjoy it Pal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pizzachaude 130 Posted September 24, 2013 Don't worry, parts are in the mail, very anxious to see your Avante transform into a real stunner! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted September 26, 2013 Just a quick update: today the stainless steel screws came in and also the stuff from Tamiyaera. I am truly amazed, only 4 days from Oman to Belgium! Incredible! In any case, I am all set to continue the build over the weekend but now i have a new challenge. Does anybody know if BS7 (shaft guide) on the Avante 2011 dampers are plastic or metal parts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya Era 778 Posted September 26, 2013 That's amazing mate.....we have a very great service...:-). Cheers and looking forward for thebuild to finish soon The shaft guide is plastic.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
z00ter 392 Posted September 27, 2013 yup Omani del is very good! I was also very surprised at the fast del from good ol Tamiya era Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya Era 778 Posted September 27, 2013 Glad it is mate...cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted September 28, 2013 Started on the Avante again last night but soon i noticed that was going to run into some trouble while assembling the dampers i received from Tamiya Era. In the first place i didn't consider that you need a shaft guide (BS7). I had some from parts trees from my Top Force but none of them fitted properly and secondly i saw that none of the damper seals i had fitted as the Avante dampers have a smaller diameter so i need BT7 - i checked @ Seidel but i cannot see on the site which diameter the seals have so i do not know which one to order. So i decided to assemble them anyways but then without shaftguides and instead two red rubber rings in the bottom and without seals and oil. The result is looking good though. I'll fill them up later once i found the parts i needed to make them fully functional. After that, i started replacing the screws with the stainless hex versions i bought in the UK. I didn't replace all as i still need to replace the A-parts (front gearbox) once it arrives. So this is how far i got today. So what i still need to do: - Replace front gearbox once it arrives - Get the right parts (BT7 & BS7) to complete the dampers and fill up with oil - Get some FRP plate and remake the rear damper plates in FRP as i think the visual appearance of the carbon versions i made doesn't really match the rest of the car. - Find 2 more pin screws to complete the wheel caps once received from Pizzachaude - Cut/paint body and apply decals - Paint driver once received - Get servo saver as i don't like the plastic ones and install electronics. I'll probably take the kit from the Avante 2001 to start with and see what i put in finally. - Mod the bottom FRP plate to fit my lipo stick packs (easy one) - Get new tires (and maybe new wheels - need to think about that one) Last but not least, there is still alot of play on the steering. Is that normal? I will re-evaluate once i have a new front gearbox as the fact that the ballends are not fixed tight at the moment contributes but i need to fix that as it bother me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya Era 778 Posted September 28, 2013 I have these shaftguide, and u didn't informed me.... I have these if u want. pM plz Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted September 28, 2013 I know didn't mention them as i never had any re-re dampers before. The hi-caps on my Avante 2001 are original ones and my TF has Dyna Storm dampers and none of the dampers i have experience with, including the CVD's, have this otherwise i surely would have asked you to include them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted October 2, 2013 Today, has been a good day. Body, F-parts and A-parts came in from JR-RC arrived, Some really nice stuff including 1988 Avante Z-parts from Pizzachaud and the ball end cover set from Tamiyabigstuff. To all, many thanks guys! And off we went again: First rebuild the front gearbox with the new A-parts so i am able to fix the front ball-ends properly to the gearbox. Decided to put on the ball end covers where i needed to disassemble the ball ends. Man oh man, those ball end covers is not for people without patience, i can tell you! I decided to put the wheels on for a change to see how the wheel caps are going on. Doesn't look too bad - slowly but steadily it starts looking like an Avante again. New tires are a must though. And who do we have here? Paranoid Perry the original! I couldn' resist putting him together for a first glance So this is how far i got today. Tomorrow most likely no progress as my local football team is playing Europaleague but the program for Friday is already set: - Cut out the body and wing - Assemble the rest of the ball end covers - Start painting Paranoid Perry 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pizzachaude 130 Posted October 3, 2013 Very nice, you'll see that fitting Perry with the radio gear is quite a challenge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya Era 778 Posted October 3, 2013 Looks nic DD,,,need new tires Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya Era 778 Posted October 4, 2013 Hi mates, I have a NIP Titanium Rods for the Vintage Avante 1988. Anyone interested, then plz PM. Regards Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted October 5, 2013 As mentioned, started again on the Avante yesterday evening. I tought to start with the difficult part: painting Perry. It took alot of patience but his head is done and i am quite pleased with the result. I didn't use your average paint and brush! I have something i do not know if it still exists but these are over 20 years old and still working. I found them on my parents attic some months ago and they were still in excellent shape. Tamiya paint markers in exactle the colours i need for perry and they work like a charm. A vintage driver painted with vintage paint! Now how about that? So painted the helmet the day before and put on the decals the day after. The red one in the middle is a nasty ****** but it turned out ok. There are still so very small wrinkles to get out but i will do this when the decals reached their full adhesion. It easier like that. I hear you thinking that these are not the 1988 Avante decals but i haven't found affordable originals yet (i really do not give in to some of the prices asked for this stuff on fleabya) and if i do find the, Perry and the body will get a revision. In the mean time, the re-re decals have to do. After that i started painting Perry's body. I did the red yesterday and today the gloves and belts. Now this need to dry a couple of days and then i will mask it and paint the light grey. After that is done, new masking and the rest will be sprayed medium gloss black. In the end, the orange details, the steering wheel details and eventually the decals... Last but not least, i started trimming the body. The Avante body and wing are quite easy to trim compared to some other ones i did in the past. Just a quick check to see if it all fits together... Now i need to wait for my PS-16 that i ordered to paint the body and wing and in the mean time i will finish perry. I also ordered new tires and some other small stuff to complete the car. There are only 2 things that i am missing: - 2 pin screws for the cam lock of the 4th wheel and the oil seals for the dampers. For the 2 pin screws, i am thinking of making my own as an interim solution until i find them. Can't be that hard to convert 2 2mm bolts into pin-screws. Still haven't decided on the ESC but i was thinking of putting a TEU302-BK in. A good ESC, original Tamiya and just a plain good ESC. To be continued... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya Era 778 Posted October 5, 2013 nice job out there DD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted October 6, 2013 Today was fiddling day. As i can't progress until the paint comes in and the last bits to fill up the dampers with oil, i decided to do some small stuff: Number 1: come up with a solution for the wheel cap for which i do not have the screw pins. Easy one: 2 long 1,5mm screws from my stash fit perfectly and works like a charm. If and if i ever find 2 screw pins, these are easily replaced. Number 2: i mentioned several times that i have alot of play on the front wheels related to the steering mechanisme. Time to root cause and fix. Found 3 issues that are the main contributors: 1. The balljoints that are presss-fixed to the central steering plate are quite loose. I have 2 options, either drill them out and replace with new balljoints with nuts or try to get the fixed again to the alu plate. I chose to first try the latter to keep the car as original as possible and it worked. A hammer and a steel pin solved it. 2. The balljoints themselves have quite some wear that the plastic joints have play on them. Not much i can do unless i drill them out afterall and replace with new ones. Not going to do that right now. 3 The balljoints on the steering knuckles also have alot of wear. Some new ones installed and alot better. Fixing number 1 and 3 reszolved almost all of the play. Replacing the press-balljoints on the central plate would fix it completely but maybe i should buy a rere plate then and put some new ones onthere to keep the original plate untouched. We'll see. For the rest i applied the cam-loc decals on the wheel caps and the "wing point fixing" decals. Not much else i can do until the new stuff comes in hopefully in the course of the week. Still have to do all the balljoint covers but it's a nasty job and i wasn't in the mood for nasty jobs today... To be continued... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pizzachaude 130 Posted October 6, 2013 Still looking for decals? Expensive I know, but still I thought you might want to take a look http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAMIYA-58072-AVANTE-88-parts-set-/300983534177 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya Era 778 Posted October 7, 2013 Noo way for such a price.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted October 7, 2013 Still looking for decals? Expensive I know, but still I thought you might want to take a look http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAMIYA-58072-AVANTE-88-parts-set-/300983534177 Yes Martin, i saw those already but there is no hair on my head even considering paying 140 Euro for a set of decals and some plastic trees that i can't use anyways. I came up with an idea to use some very specific decals from the 1988 version in combination with the re-re decals. Check my request to the TC members here: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=71169 If i can get these, i come very close to the original decal set except for the "Spacetech Engineering" decal for which i have already searched for some repro's, but the ones i found were all printed on white vinyl which definitely wouldn't be of any use for a good restoration process. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pizzachaude 130 Posted October 8, 2013 Just to make things clear, I am not the seller of said decals, just posted link so you could all have a look, who knows how much some of you are ready to pay, plus it does come with other items. This is the first time in years I ever see an original Avante decal sheet show up on eBay, will be interesting to see if it sells. I personnally would not pay that much, most I paid was 50$ for a Falcon sheet and Im still hurting but like I said, it all dépends how badly you want originals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya Era 778 Posted October 9, 2013 Exactly, depends how badly u need it and depends on ur project if to be purely vintage/original parts . With the price in ebay, it is almost 30% the price of re re egress.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted October 9, 2013 Just to make things clear, I am not the seller of said decals, That was clear to me from the start. I have updated my post in the wanted section http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=71169 now with images of the decals i am searching for. Have a look if you find the time. You never know... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
