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Ferruz

RC10 Edinger stripdown and restoration to JPS livery

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I've had this nice old Team Associated RC10 Gold Pan Edinger lying around for a while.

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Not sure if to dive into a restoration or not, being somehow half-aware of the rabbit hole I'd be jumping into, or to just sell it off to finance other rc projects, I've lingered and waited. In the meantime, the appeal of the car/manual/box really got to me, so I've finally decided: I'm going to strip it down to the last screw, and restore it to a good runner. That quirky, silver wrapped body shell will also get a good facelift, I'm planning on a John Player Special livery which should look good with the goldish tub and shocks. No overly fancy aluminum wheels for now, or else I'll end up just  putting it on the shelf instead of running it!

I wanted to start this thread to share my restoration/facelift journey as much as to ask for some advice/info along the way.

 This thing may be old but it looks quite sturdy if not close to bulletproof... and I can't wait to run a real, properly set-up RC10.

I've briefly tried it already, just chucked a modern receiver in and went for a run to check its averall conditions. It drove a treat, even with the empty shocks, worn rear tires and hard/binding diff (who knows what I'll find in there) so I'm sure it will be a great driving feel once properly restored.

Another aspect that kept me from starting was how expensive it was going to be, but at a closer look it doesn't seem to need that much: for now I know I'm going to need alloy steering cranks (not an issue), jps decal sheet (no issue there either), rear tires for those vintage HPI silver star wheels (this seems to be a problem alright, couldn't find anything so far) and most likely a new dust cover, although before ordering a new one I'll try to fix up the one I have, which looks quite munched up but still, I'll give it a shot.

Well, time to start stripping it down now, probably by following the instruction manual backwards :)

 

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Looking forward to this as I have a RC-10 project that's been on the back burner for awhile.  Need some inspiration!

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I hope this will inspire you then :)

Working on the RC10 feels so good, even stripping it down is enjoyable. The quality of each and every component is incredible, and everything about the buggy seems to have been well thought out before production. At the same time, the artisanal feel of the whole thing is priceless: the way the instructions are so carefully laid out on the manual, with all the little warnings and notes, feels delightfully authentic and dedicated. Sends you right back to a time when manufacturers took pride on making quality products that were meant to last!!

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Anyway, back to the build.

I've taken down the wheels, rear arms, motor, transmission box and bulkhead. 

Found out that the gold pan is an "A" stamp: yay! -not that I cared that much, but still.

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It seems that the Varilok diff works just fine.

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That means the binding is happening inside the transmission... next step I'll open it and hopefully find out.

Definitely happy with my decision to keep it so far.

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Good call to keep it. I just got one too. It's obvious Tamiya took a page out of the RC 10 playbook with the Astute and latter competition 2wd cars. It's nice to see where it all came from!

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Never owned an Astute so far, I hope someday I'll be able to make the comparison!

So, I've ordered some nice alloy steering cranks to replace the original ones, the only component that looked flimsy to me so far.
They'll come from China... so hopefully sooner than later, and with NO surprises!

I've thoroughly cleaned the dust cover, it's badly cracked on one side but I'm still positive about fixing it, probably with some industrial films I can fetch at work tomorrow.
I like the looks of it, old and cloudy, a shiny transparent new one wouldn't be the same.

Finding new rear tires for the HPI Super Star wheels seems to be an issue. The rims are 2.0 inch.

20200302-190203.jpg


 I've researched the web for a couple days, but much to my surprise I couldn't find any replacements. I like the vintage feel of these rims and how they look on the RC10 so I'm committed to finding the tires rather than getting a new set of tires/wheels.
Does anybody know where to look?

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3 hours ago, Ferruz said:

Never owned an Astute so far, I hope someday I'll be able to make the comparison!

So, I've ordered some nice alloy steering cranks to replace the original ones, the only component that looked flimsy to me so far.
They'll come from China... so hopefully sooner than later, and with NO surprises!

I've thoroughly cleaned the dust cover, it's badly cracked on one side but I'm still positive about fixing it, probably with some industrial films I can fetch at work tomorrow.
I like the looks of it, old and cloudy, a shiny transparent new one wouldn't be the same.

Finding new rear tires for the HPI Super Star wheels seems to be an issue. The rims are 2.0 inch.

20200302-190203.jpg


 I've researched the web for a couple days, but much to my surprise I couldn't find any replacements. I like the vintage feel of these rims and how they look on the RC10 so I'm committed to finding the tires rather than getting a new set of tires/wheels.
Does anybody know where to look?

For wheels and tires id look for the Rere parts, from my limited understanding they were exact duplicates. 

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I documented my Early Edinger restoration in my project thread from page 5, may be of interest to you to check it out, may provide some useful info

Cheers

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4 hours ago, Ferruz said:

Never owned an Astute so far, I hope someday I'll be able to make the comparison!

So, I've ordered some nice alloy steering cranks to replace the original ones, the only component that looked flimsy to me so far.
They'll come from China... so hopefully sooner than later, and with NO surprises!

I've thoroughly cleaned the dust cover, it's badly cracked on one side but I'm still positive about fixing it, probably with some industrial films I can fetch at work tomorrow.
I like the looks of it, old and cloudy, a shiny transparent new one wouldn't be the same.

Finding new rear tires for the HPI Super Star wheels seems to be an issue. The rims are 2.0 inch.

20200302-190203.jpg


 I've researched the web for a couple days, but much to my surprise I couldn't find any replacements. I like the vintage feel of these rims and how they look on the RC10 so I'm committed to finding the tires rather than getting a new set of tires/wheels.
Does anybody know where to look?

What style of tyres are you after? I have quite a few sets of 2.0 tyres that would possibly fit those wheels. Postage from Australia may be a killer though

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@mtbkym01  thanks for the link, I'll definitely check it out.

As for the tires, ideally I'd be looking for old schoold studded ones, something like the original. Big studs rather than multiple mini pins if you see what I mean, but that would do anyway.

Postage would surely be steep, but who knows maybe still doable. At this point I'm curious to see what you've got...

 

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42 minutes ago, Ferruz said:

@mtbkym01  thanks for the link, I'll definitely check it out.

As for the tires, ideally I'd be looking for old schoold studded ones, something like the original. Big studs rather than multiple mini pins if you see what I mean, but that would do anyway.

Postage would surely be steep, but who knows maybe still doable. At this point I'm curious to see what you've got...

 

Ok cool, if you're not in a hurry (My hobby shed is being renovated at present so finding my tub of tyres could take me a couple days. Most of what I have would most likely be "Copy Cat" style in a few different patterns. mostly 4 studded rows very similar to the old Schumacher CAT 2.0 tyres. Some out of packet (slightly used possibly) and possibly some in packet.

 

This entry from my showroom shows what I ended up with to a degree, not all are still there but most probably are

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=106239&id=32150

I'll try and pull out what I think would suit and let you know

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Man killing me,.I'm going to have to get to work on mine now!!!!

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@mtbkym01 thank you, if you don't mind sorting out your box I'd be curios to see what you have. And no rush at all, there's plenty of time anyway as I'm not even done disassembling it.

I've opened the gearbox, very pleased to find out thatceverything seems to be in great condition. The binding must have been just all the dirt packed in the diff.

20200304-202635-2016x1134.jpg

What surprised me were the bushings: for some reason I thought the RC10 kits came factory equipped with ball bearings. Anyways, a new set is on its way from California.

Next thing I'll disassemble and clean the ball diff.

I have a question, hope to not sound silly but...apart from the specific one for the ball diff, I've seen no grease mentioned for the gearing:blink: so are the gears meant to roll dry?

 

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2 minutes ago, Ferruz said:

@mtbkym01 thank you, if you don't mind sorting out your box I'd be curios to see what you have. And no rush at all, there's plenty of time anyway as I'm not even done disassembling it.

I've opened the gearbox, very pleased to find out thatceverything seems to be in great condition. The binding must have been just all the dirt packed in the diff.

20200304-202635-2016x1134.jpg

What surprised me were the bushings: for some reason I thought the RC10 kits came factory equipped with ball bearings. Anyways, a new set is on its way from California.

Next thing I'll disassemble and clean the ball diff.

I have a question, hope to not sound silly but...apart from the specific one for the ball diff, I've seen no grease mentioned for the gearing:blink: so are the gears meant to roll dry?

 

On both my Edinger (shelf duty only, too fragile) and my Classic, I used a light coating of grease, it in no way can hurt the gears so I decided to play it safe and give some lubricant

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I totally agree, that's what I was thinking of doing too. Weird, though, that the manual wouldn't suggest it

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Ive got a box of 2 inch buggy tires as well, send me a pm if you have interest. 

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I've got a few sets of Pro Line 2.0 rims that are for pan cars. The tires that are for them are street tread. The tires I have are not in great shape, but they do pop up on Ebay every now and then. Oddly enough, Custom Works does or at one time did have tires that fit, but they don't list any available foams for the fronts. Only the rears

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Thanks everybody for the help offered, really!

The quest for the tires goes on, maybe I found something, I'm waiting for an answer.

In the meantime I took apart the ball diff, which was quite packed with dirt. I found some suitable boxes where to store all the tiny parts and bits for now.

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Also, the alloy teering cranks arrived today.

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I didn't have much time to keep going with the restoration lately with what's going on in the world at the moment, but still I have a few small updates.
Most important, the tires have been sorted out,  and at a burgain price on top of it! Thanks @mtbkym01 for the indirect information :)

Brand new Schumacher Cat 2"" rears with foam insert, here they are with the other goodies that arrived in the meantime: gold alloy steering cranks and sealed ball bearings.

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I have almost finished the stripdown, only the front arms and the shocks are left. I found every component in surprisingly good shape so far, regardless of the obvious extended use of the car, which I guess testifies in favour of the toughness of this vehicle.
 The only question mark left is about the state of the "O" rings in the shocks, but I'll find out today what the situation is. I cross my fingers that they are somehow still good to gi as from now on, with more and more businesses and provinces in lockdown, I wouldn't count on a timely delivery.
 Other than that, the John Player Special decal sheet from MCI is the last thing left, it's on its way and should be at my door anyday.

All has been smooth and absolutely pleasurable so far (once again: I love every single thing about the instruction manual) BUT one thing: the micro Allen screws that hold the bushing in the gears (four each) require a micro Allen key, that I assume was included in the kit but didn't make it to these days. I could not find one so small in my household, I have several sets in both inch and mm but none of them had one small enough.
Venturing out to hardware stores for such reason in this crazy times just didn't seem the right thing to do either.
After some thinking and rummaging, "Ghetto Solutions Inc." came once again to the rescue: I grabbed the smallest key I could find, which was just a hair too big to fit, and cut its tip on a 45° angle somehow hoping that the tip, sharpened by the angled cut, would fit in enough to grab into the screw. Well, it worked! Definitely not the kindest way to drive such tiny screws, almost sure they they sprained a little (the hole, not the thread!) but I figured might as well, as after fitting the ball bearings I'll screw them back on and there they'll stay for 35 more years.

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I can't wait to have a few good hours in a row to dedicate to this project, I'm sure I will in the next few days.

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I got started on the actual re-build yesterday, here's some documentation of the progress.

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Got the front suspension arms and strut installed, along with the new alloy steering link. That is indeed a good piece to add if you ask me: simple, tidy, well designed, ball raced (two bearings per link!) and properly anodized in copper.

Here's the VariLok diff: stripped down, thoroughly cleaned, greased and reassembled.


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I expected it to be smoother than it feels when I turn the gears, though based on what I've learned so far, it seems that realistically speaking you want it to be quite tight on this car. So I'll try it out like this for now, I can always do some tuning later on.

Here it is with the rest of the 6-gear transmission, installed in the gearbox. Everything is now ball raced, it felt like the right thing to do.

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I also refurbished the shocks: took them apart, cleaned, flushed and refilled them with Associated Factory Team silicone fluid (538 cSt). Incredibly, all the O rings were fine, no leakage so far. Actually, the shocks were still half filled with who knows how old oil... I was tempted to keep it as vintage used shock oil ;)

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So far, so good. Can't wait to keep going.

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Lovely.

Rebuilding mine was a pleasure and the realisation of a long held dream.

It drives great too!

Ive been through a few steering blocks though! Seem to be the weak point on the car.

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Nice!!!! I just started my worlds build which im going to start a thread on here. 

Your build was my motivation to finally get one!

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Did a little progress with the build, front shocks and rear suspension arms and half shafts have been installed.

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In the process I noticed something that escaped my attention before: when installed in the gears, the dogbones are supposed to be "cushioned" by the usual spring on the side of the stub axle and by a little 1/16" plastic spacer on the gearbox side. My car lacked the latter, I'm 100% sure there were no spacers when I took it apart.
So after some thinking I decided to recreate the spacers myself by butchering a nylon zip-tie. Right material, right thickness, I only needed to shape it right.
Here's the result, not exactly perfect but will totally do the job:

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Besides, even the ones for sale on line seem to be quite far from perfect and almost look hand shaped:

asc6372.jpg


 I'm happy with how these spacers came out. The dogbones seem to sit very well. I could have probably stayed without (who knows for how long the car was driven without those spacers anyway) but I am doing a restoration here, so I thought might as well go the extra mile.

Ball bearings for the rear axles:

20200401-190044.jpg


Here's how it looks now

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Update. Rear shocks installed, but that was a bit tricky: the two ball bearings the rear axles now sit on (one on each side for each axle) have pushed them closer to the suspension arm to the point it almost touched it when the shock was fully relaxed. Some fine tuning and double checking the lenght of the tie rods solved the issue and I was able to position the shocks on the second hole from out, but the distance between the axle stub and rear arm is no more than a hair. Well that's all I needed!

20200403-215855.jpg 

Next I got around to doing the wheels and tires. Cleaned and soaked in soap&water overnight, it was a relief to find out that these rear CAT tires are indeed a perfect fit for my HPI wheels. Measurents were matching but you know how it is when it comes to tires, glad that problem is solved for good.

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Here they are installed, I find they look quite gritty

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Rims and tires will get some more attention later on in the build: I am planning some lettering on both, though I know it'll vanish in the first 5 minutes of action. But I want them to look as good as possible for the spot on pics when the build is finished.

Also I couldn't wait so I just had to slip the wheels on for a moment, just to see the stance of the car. I think it's starting to look yummy even if I'm still in an earlier stage of the build.

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I really like the view from behind...

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Next are motor, pinion and dust cover.

The car will be equipped with its original Associated Off-Road Stock motor for now, though that might change in the future depending on driving feel and performance.

The motor seems to be in a good shape but will need some cleaning and re-soldering.

I am currently working on trying to salvage the original dust cover. It's coming along for now, but I forgot to take a pic of the part before starting to fix it. Oh well.  More to come soon!

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The tyres look fantastic. These look fantastic on all vintage/retro builds without doubt. They are an iconic tyre from back in the 80’s and atleast here in Australia, they were very much the go to tyre for racing in our conditions 👍🏻

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