My Three Year Search is Over!

[jg009 82]

It's been a long, long time searching to find an original release Tamiya Bruiser that was local so that I could inspect it before buying and in my price range but at last, it has happened! May I present to you my 1985 Tamiya Bruiser:

 

And one of it and my CC-01 (which is missing the steering servo because it's currently shifting gears in the Bruiser)

 

I've been looking for an original issue Bruiser for about three years. This one FINALLY came available from a private collection and the deal was a steal versus what they're going for online so I swooped in and grabbed it. It had been sitting since the early 90s and the electronics were absolutely ruined by corrosion. I may eventually install some older electronics in it but for now, it has a Novak 610 ESC, Traxxas 2075 steering servo, some older Futaba shifting servo, and a Traxxas 4 channel 2.4 ghz tx/rx. I do want to run it lightly and enjoy it but I don't want to do too much major damage so I'm going to be ordering a re-pop body and wheels soon to preserve the original stuff. I'm still in a state of disbelief that I finally got the opportunity to own one of these after drooling over them and longing after them for so long.

[Teck9 1]

very nice, lets see body off pic

can't imagine how many of these must be sitting in a box in peoples basement or attic that are forgotten about 

[mongoose1983 3335]

Congratulations!

That is such a nice candidate for a thorough restoration work.

Keep it safe & sound, and for heaven's sake don't modify it! Haha.

Cheers

[jg009 82]

The only modifications I have planned is a re-pop Hilux body so I don't have to worry about the original one getting any damage when I do get out and run it as well as some re-pop wheels and some tires of some sort (again, to not put wear and tear on the originals). I may also do the front hub conversion that uses rear hubs to keep the front end always engaged but that will be the most. Absolutely nothing that can't be easily reversed. As far as under body pics, here are a few I could grab this evening. It appears that the previous owner did cut the battery tray, likely to accommodate a battery larger than 6 cells. I have a fair amount of 6 and 7 cell NiMh batteries so at least that opens up my options when I do run it.

Everything still sits under a couple decades of dust. It's due for a cleaning.

My electronics aren't the prettiest for now. I'm going to run a different ESC later on and run the wires through the stock opening in the electronics box so I can put the cover back on. I'm also going to run a 10a BEC

[Re-Bugged 10112]

I'm guessing the dining room table is going to be out of use for eating at for a while now. Nice find buddy.

[jg009 82]

2 minutes ago, Re-Bugged said:

I'm guessing the dining room table is going to be out of use for eating at for a while now. Nice find buddy.

There's currently an explosion of Clodbuster parts on my workbench in my garage right now. Logically, you'd think I'd want to finish one project before starting another but we all know how it goes... So yes, dinner table it is 

[WillyChang 1814]

10 hours ago, jg009 said:

I do want to run it lightly and enjoy it but I don't want to do too much major damage so I'm going to be ordering a re-pop body and wheels soon to preserve the original stuff. 

Meh. Here's the current 2 schools of thought.  

 

#1 resale values haven't moved afaik since rere appeared, IMHO I don't think they'll ever go back to their crazy heights again. So yeah, probably overcapitalising... might as well just buy a whole new kit.

and unless you're doing a demolition derby plus letting an overenthusiastic 5yo pilot the thing on rough Tarmac... you yourself soon learn how to drive it, umm, "sedately"  so the body survives pretty ok

tyres? let's just say they'll never wear out in a year of mondays

 

#2 the main thing that wears out in these oldies is the drivetrain  especially the gearbox, the gears will wearout pretty fast. That 750 motor will eventually chuck it's brushes (& sometimes keeps running on the stumps!) but it's a basic commodity Mabuchi that can be replaced... no such luck on gearbox innards though, unless you find some 3rd party machining some replacement gears.

 

Amongst my fleet... trucks are rebuilt around 'good' drivetrains. There's always been a surplus of body parts, tyres, radio boxes... vs common casualty of a gearbox full of neutrals or broken axle shaft.

The iron chassis can be bent (& bent back) but usually they're just rusty. Windscreen easy to crack or scuff - rere part availability is godsend.

By far main annoyance is the previous owner/s mods... eg "you cut that do try do what?!?" 

 

have fun! 

 

[jg009 82]

I cleaned up the wiring and installed a Castle 10a BEC. Everything is now tucked away under the stock electronics cover!

I also found a solution for the disintegrated, missing rubber transmission mounts. I found plastic sleeves that work well. Hard to see, but you get the idea.

[WillyChang 1814]

Looks good  

why does your brass uni joint look like someone's taken a chomp out of it? 

[jg009 82]

On 5/5/2018 at 6:48 PM, WillyChang said:

Looks good  

why does your brass uni joint look like someone's taken a chomp out of it? 

I was hungry, don't judge me lol. Seriously, though, I'm not sure. Part of that is a little bit of an optical illusion with the old dust that's on it but there's definitely a nick in the material.

I FINALLY took the Bruiser outside and let her breathe some fresh air after about two decades of not being used. I quickly found out that my front one way bearings have worn out or are slipping so I was pretty much two wheel drive in all three gears. The front driveshaft spins and when it's off the ground, the front wheels spin, but when it's actually on the ground trying to crawl up something, barely any front drive. The front hub conversion to rear hubs should fix this. My brother in law brought his Wraith out and we had a good time yesterday. Ironically, he and I were four wheeling our 1:1 rigs Saturday night and I broke a front axle shaft in the middle of a sand pit and had to get winched out so when the Bruiser's 4wd wasn't working and had to get pulled out of the sand with the Wraith, it was a serious case of deja vu. Too soon, too soon... 

[jg009 82]

Update: rear hubs ordered from RPP Hobby.

[WillyChang 1814]

Front oneways probably have old grease/oil gunked up, flush them with contact cleaner spray.

[jg009 82]

That worked! It's now functioning the way it should. I'm not a huge fan of the fact that it takes up to half a revolution to lock up or that there's no 4x4 in reverse, but for now, this will tide me over until the parts from RPP Hobby show up.

 

Fun tip: contact cleaner will find any nicks or cuts on your hands, regardless of how small they are! I'd strongly recommend anyone who uses it wear gloves.

[jg009 82]

The hubs came in from RPP and WOW! This truck has been completely transformed. Having 4wd always engaged on a locked front axle does affect turning radius a bit but surprisingly not as bad as I expected. The offroad performance is out of this world, though. Having 4wd there instantly and being able to back up in 4wd is awesome. I took it out wheeling today and got a couple more shots.

 

Depending on what time I get off work, I'm hoping to try some new wheeling spots with it tomorrow. The enjoyment level out of this thing is even further off the charts.

[jg009 82]

I'm looking at the RC4WD Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ tire in 2.2 size.

MTZ: 4.80" high, 1.96" wide

Stock: 4.75" high, 2.22" wide

 

Think I'll be able to fit these tires on the stock wheels?

[jg009 82]

Been working a little bit on the Bruiser. Doing a few subtle mods. Added a tow chain to the front.

 

Also added a 5 gallon gas can in the bed, another tow chain and a jerk strap on the back bumper, and trying to figure out a good way to mount a "spare" in the bed.

[nowinaminute 2815]

On 5/4/2018 at 7:13 AM, jg009 said:

There's currently an explosion of Clodbuster parts on my workbench in my garage right now. Logically, you'd think I'd want to finish one project before starting another but we all know how it goes... So yes, dinner table it is 

Pretty much all of my collection is simultaneously being worked on lol

[wolfdogstinkus 1893]

This truck needs bull- hog horns on the bonnet. (engine lid)

[jg009 82]

My buddy and I have been doing a lot of late night RC runs so the Bruiser got some headlights so it can join in.

I cut the on/off switch off of my receiver and hotwired the switch to be constant on so I used the Bruiser's factory on/off switch location to house a switch for the lights. A 9v battery hides under the electronics compartment and goes up to the switch. Wires come out of the switch and up through the chassis under the battery where there's a plug that plugs into the lights on the body. (Also, check out the new battery straps!)

[jg009 82]

Added some more scale accessories to the bed. Got the chainsaw at my local hobby shop, the watering can and tool box came from a Michael's craft store in the doll house section.

[jg009 82]

Tamiya featured my Bruiser on their instagram!

[jg009 82]

I finally received a re-release body in the mail that I'll use for more trail use. Here it is mocked up on the chassis. I'll be tearing it back down and prepping for primer later today.

[jg009 82]

Tamiya Mica Red (TS-39) laid down over Tamiya light grey primer. Unfortunately, the department store-sourced satin clear created some issues with the Tamiya paint but most of the areas that were really affected will be covered over by decals or flat black paint when I add two tone accents later on.

[GTodd 1346]

Very nice!!!! I "only" have a rere, these are great examples of what a Tamiya is. Fun to build and run with fantastic scale looks. Enjoy!!!