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Tamiya 44030 Nitro 1/8 TGR Toyota GT-One TS020 Restoration

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Way back in April 2018 I purchased a Tamiya 1/8 nitro that had been listed in Japan. It was listed as a TGX chassis but this was incorrect it was actually a TGR. This is what I purchased.

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After the car arrived I removed and sold the body (it was the wrong colour and I already had one) the wheels and tyres and the exhaust. The chassis on the car was bent and had taken a large and heavy front end collision.

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This meant I had to find a new chassis plate. Roll on to Feb this year and I finally found one in the USA.

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With this in my possession the rebuild can now start. Since 2018 I had picked up any cheap parts for the car that I saw and now have most of the plastic parts ready to go along with wheels, tyres etc.

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I also have the correct Tamiya FS-15RB engine and manifold. The correct exhaust is almost impossible to find but I will keep looking.

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I also have the correct body, the very expensive and rare 1/8 TS020 body. This will go to @jonboy1 for painting

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and it should look something like this (the real car) when done

2020-03-27-16-47-33-Toyota-TS020-GT-One-

So, guess what I will be working on whilst I work from home and cant go into the factory?

 

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These are excellent kits, and the TS020 the best body for them. The stock wheels from the kit were right for this body I think. I had one a few years ago (unfortunately, the less-engine version) so am familiar with the hunt for the ultra rare muffler. You never know though! I don't think the shocks you've got there are stock - the kit ones were black anodised aluminum if I remember correctly. 

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Hi,

Yes these aren't the original ones. I do think the originals look a bit like plastic CVA's so I will probably put a nice new set of TRF dampers on.

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No time like the present so started stripping the car down. Looks like it has had a fairly hard life but nothing that can't be remedied. A nice collection of used plastic parts

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The carbon upper deck will be cleaned and then polished using my dual action car polisher, I will of course document the result here.

A collection of parts to restore

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Some of the larger parts to restore, the car was fitted with some nice Futaba corless metal geared S9404 servos. These might get sold off as they make around £25 used. I will of course clean and test them. There was also a 40Mhz 3 channel Futaba RX. This will definitely be sold. Diffs will be stripped and rebuilt, shocks will either go back on after restoration or the car will have new TRF Dampers. Not sure yet.

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The engine is stuck on the chassis at the moment. It's not unusual that the screws seize into the alloy mounts and so they will need more work. The engine that is on the car is the Novarossi/Rex C12. Its extensively the same engine as the Tamiya CX-12 but just has a different head and a Rex branded crankcase. This one will go into my engine stock to be restored in the future.

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The screws are then sorted into two pots and the ones that are in the right hand pot I know I have new. The rest will be double checked and then replaced.

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New screws already being sorted.

 

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I never throw anything away until the car is done. No surprises yet!

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Wow, I am really interested in this one! My first Tamiya (and first hobby-grade RC car, I guess) was the smaller 1:10 GT-One for the F103RS, and well before that I had heard of the GT-One from video games. Tamiya making one was actually the very reason I chose them... where I have stayed ever since ^_^

The 1:8 TGR is therefore very intriguing to me! And of course, your restoration threads and knowledge of these nitro cars will make following this GT-One's saga quite compelling indeed :)

I find the GT-One to be an attractive car, although I found it more striking on first impression - like an alien ship, that front end... The GT1 class at Le Mans might have thought the same thing in 1998!

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Managed to get the engine off the chassis plate. 10 mins with the proper tools and the vice and it was off. As mentioned before the engine will go into my used stock for a future project. The chassis plate will be scrapped.

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Found out I have a mechanism post missing, not going to be easy to find it by the looks of it!

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Today my plans are to get all the larger parts cleaned, test the servos and maybe start on cleaning and polishing up the metal parts. I have decided to use the dampers that were on the car but I have found a nice set of TRF damper springs in white that will look great. I intend to strip and polish the damper bodies, replace the seals and plastic parts and then rebuild using the white springs. I think I might have all the parts to do that already.

Turns out the car has a set of the 53429 Universal Shafts fitted as well which is a nice hop up.

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That post looks like the same one as on a TB evolution II🤔

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27 minutes ago, svenb said:

That post looks like the same one as on a TB evolution II🤔

Thanks, Yes you are right, same part

 

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So a fairly productive afternoon on the TGR, intermingled with the usual Sunday chores!

Firstly I got out my Meguiars G220 DA and some Meguiars 105 cutting compound.

meguiars-g220-v2-dual-action-machine-pol

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These were then used on a small white pad to polish up the carbon top deck and suspension mount. Added some wax polish afterwards to protect them. Not perfect but a huge improvement and I am happy with them going back on the car now. Took about 20 mins all in.

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I then started on the diffs. Cleaned them up externally, then internally then regreased them.

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Then started looking at the 2-speed transmission. No broken teeth so just took it apart to check and clean it. I have decided the 2-speed hub is a little oxidized so will polish that up when I do the other metal parts.

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Progress....

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So one hour of cleaning and polishing later, shiny bits to go back together.

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8 hours ago, Superluminal said:

Love that drilled brake disc!

It's a hop-up but not a Tamiya one I dont think (actually turning out to be hard to find what Tamiya released for the TGR). It actually has small pads with it as well the shape of the kit metal pads. 

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So, between working from home, doing odd jobs around the house and sitting in the sun I have managed to make a start putting the TGR back together. 

Started to put the radio deck back together now it had been cleaned and polished. Refitted Tamiya radio gear

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and added new parts like the foam protection

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Built up the engine with the flywheel, clutch and pinions and mounted it to the chassis then fitted the manifold.

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Two speed gear fitted with the aftermarket metal brake disc and its little friction pads

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New fuel tank and rubber o-ring mounts

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Built up the rear end as far as I can without the new bearings for the axles.

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Built the front end up but can't fit it. Remarkably the TGR doesnt have ballraced steering posts and I run out of 850 bearings. When they come I can fit the front end.

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And fitted the new ball and cup system at the front. The old one was destroyed in the crash

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So when you put all the bits loosely on the chassis it looks like this as of this morning. Hopefully the bearings will be along soon.

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Looks great👍

What's the ball and cup system 🤔

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15 minutes ago, svenb said:

Looks great👍

What's the ball and cup system 🤔

It's a stabilizer system. Never run a TGR so don't know how effective the changes are

2020-04-04-11-19-05-44030-TGR-Manual-pdf

 

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That's a big difference, hopefully you get an exhaust to finish it off. 

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9 minutes ago, Kevin_Mc said:

That's a big difference, hopefully you get an exhaust to finish it off. 

I will need to be very lucky!

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Well, the bearings didnt arrive so worked on other bits that needed doing. Stripped the shocks down to tidy them up.

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Cleaned, polished, new seals and new bottom mounts fitted. Ordered some new plastic top mounts but ready to go back on once they arrived and have been refilled with fresh oil.

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Looks like I am going to be short of two parts to complete the chassis. One is the deck mount I mentioned and the other is the exhaust. Will keep searching, I am sure I can get the deck mount but the exhaust will be hard to find and expensive when I do find it.

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Hopeful that I may get some bearings arrive today so I can continue on the TGR. I did manage to find some parts I needed in Poland.

The lexan gearbox and battery cover

2020-04-06-13-05-46-44030-TGR-Manual-pdf

and the rubber RX cover.

2020-04-06-13-06-10-44030-TGR-Manual-pdf

They also had a few sets of TGR 1/8 wheels. I purchased a few to sell as they are rare and will offset the postage costs. Updates later if the bearings arrive! 

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Well, the nice new stainless steel blue rubber shielded 1260 bearings didn't arrive. This did however!

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I have a load of parts to clean and put back in stock and there was one 850 bearing in that pile. So 1 hour at 50 degrees and it was clean!

That then allowed me to fit the steering, bolt down the front gearbox assy and fit the top deck. Progress.

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So my bearings finally arrived and there was progress on the restoration. Got both the front and rear driveshafts fitted and then the shocks. Look much much better

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Each corner then got new 1/8 wheels and super slick tyres

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Fitted some of the fuel tubing and the silicone exhaust tube.

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And the TGR specific Air filter and some of the chassis decals

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So now the chassis looks like this

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Wiring to sort when the battery box cover arrives from Poland.

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So the chassis is almost done. I need to find the exhaust and the deck mount, sort the wiring and add the two pieces from Poland. After that I need to wait for @jonboy1 poor hands to mend and then he can paint the body I need to send him!

Might be time to upload another project as this one has flown by!

 

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