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Clutch88

Sand Scorcher rebuild (updated, with pics)

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Hello there,

I have recently found my dads Sand scorcher, its in a reasonably rough state, but I thought it would make a good rebuild/restoration project. I have limited RC experience,and haven't touched anything R/C related for years. But as I have a bit of time on my hands (like many others I am sure!), seems like a good project.

Here are a few pics: https://imgur.com/a/aaStd4T

So, my plan was to strip everything down, clean off all the gunk, replace any parts that are missing/broken then figure out what running gear to use.

Looking over the car, some parts seem to be missing/broken. It would be great if someone could look over the pics and see if they can spot anything else, or see any problems with the car. I have the original shell and aerial, but I might buy a modern shell if I am going to use it and knock it around a bit.

one of the front shocks has no resistance, the other has a piece of wire wrapped around it (see pic), not sure if this is a bodged modification.  The rear shocks are really stiff, not sure if that's just how they are.

The casing on the engine and gear cover seems to have been sealed with silicone sealant, which will make removing it tricky. 

looks like I am missing a section of the protective plastic shell, plus the clips that keep both pieces together.

tyres have perished.

 I presume a few bits from the steering/servo linkage are missing, but I am not sure what?

I have a few questions, sorry if some of them seem really basic, but I would be really grateful for any help or advice.

1. I understand they have re-made Sand Scorchers for a number of years, are all the new parts interchangeable?

2. I could use a basic tool set to strip down the car, what would I need? 

3. Once stripped down, what would you recommend using to clean the dirt and oil. 

4. I would like to use it, what motor, esc, battery combo should I look at. I didn't know if fitting modern electronics may prove tricky.

Finally, if anyone has any other comments or advice, then that would be fantastic.

 

Cheers

 

 

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What you have there looks pretty good, it's a very early Sand Scorcher as it has the screws on the front suspension castings instead of the later cast lugs. The wire on the front is the original suspension spring and it should have one on the other side too.

Shocks where pretty terrible from new and leaked all the time, that's probably why yours are mounted upside down, it was a common thing to do to try and keep oil in them.

The section of "shell" you're missing is the receiver compartment of the waterproof mechanism box.

The silicone sealant should come off pretty easy and i wouldn't have thought it would hinder you stripping it down.

Pretty much all the parts from the rerelease Sand Scorcher are compatible but the front hub ball joints are a different size on the rerelease.

Yes, basic tools are all you'll need, Screwdrivers, 2.5mm allen key, 1.5mm allen key, needle nose pliers.

Just use any standard degreaser for cleaning

Would recommend keeping the standard motor you have in it, it should still be fine to use and a Hobbywing 1060 ESC. You will also need a Hump pack battery to fit in it as the normal standard stick packs won't fit.

 

Enjoy the rebuild!!

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2 hours ago, rc-martin said:

What you have there looks pretty good, it's a very early Sand Scorcher as it has the screws on the front suspension castings instead of the later cast lugs. The wire on the front is the original suspension spring and it should have one on the other side too.

Shocks where pretty terrible from new and leaked all the time, that's probably why yours are mounted upside down, it was a common thing to do to try and keep oil in them.

The section of "shell" you're missing is the receiver compartment of the waterproof mechanism box.

The silicone sealant should come off pretty easy and i wouldn't have thought it would hinder you stripping it down.

Pretty much all the parts from the rerelease Sand Scorcher are compatible but the front hub ball joints are a different size on the rerelease.

Yes, basic tools are all you'll need, Screwdrivers, 2.5mm allen key, 1.5mm allen key, needle nose pliers.

Just use any standard degreaser for cleaning

Would recommend keeping the standard motor you have in it, it should still be fine to use and a Hobbywing 1060 ESC. You will also need a Hump pack battery to fit in it as the normal standard stick packs won't fit.

 

Enjoy the rebuild!!

Thanks for that,

 

I take it the sock that has no resistance, because its just missing the suspension spring? Is there a fix to stop the shocks leaking? Ideally, I want to keep as much original parts as possible, but if I have to replace a few so its more useable, then that is something I would consider.

Right, I was unsure if the servo or receiver was located within the missing section. I will pick up those basic tools, and look for a suitable degreaser.

Yeah, replacing parts and rebuilding is something that i feel fairly comfortable with, but choosing motors, esc's, servo etc is something I have no idea about. TBH, I hadn't even considered using the original motor, I just presumed It would be knackered.

I shall start to look online for parts. Can anyone recommend a seller? Or is it a case of searching on ebay?

 

Thanks again.

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Tools, Tamiya hast a nice toolset (blue grip) that comes very handy.

Electronics, quicrun 1060 ESC, a 5cell 6V 3300 mAh NimH (Vapextech), Remote Flysky GT2E, charger anything from SkyRC (S60)

Motor and servos may be reusable.

Fix for the shocks not really, u can mount them upside down or try different rubber o rings.

Don't put the main metal parts into dishwasher or use dishwasher machine soap, it's an alloy and doesn't like aggressive cleaner or salts.

My main cleaning materials, fairy citrus, WD40 and elbow grease.

 

 

 

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14 hours ago, waterbok said:

Tools, Tamiya hast a nice toolset (blue grip) that comes very handy.

Electronics, quicrun 1060 ESC, a 5cell 6V 3300 mAh NimH (Vapextech), Remote Flysky GT2E, charger anything from SkyRC (S60)

Motor and servos may be reusable.

Fix for the shocks not really, u can mount them upside down or try different rubber o rings.

Don't put the main metal parts into dishwasher or use dishwasher machine soap, it's an alloy and doesn't like aggressive cleaner or salts.

My main cleaning materials, fairy citrus, WD40 and elbow grease.

 

 

 

Thanks for the advice,

I have seen a shock fix, that uses a shock o-ring hop-up kit (part 53574), it can help leaky shocks. Any idea on what shock oil I should purchase?

That gives me a good starting point with electronics, I think I will concentrate on getting the car cleaned up and rebuilt, then when I have a solid car, look at purchasing electronics. 

Just looking over the instruction manual, lots of parts need greasing. What sort of grease should I use? Looking at model grease online, there as loads of options,its a bit confusing.

Thanks

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Any shock oil will do but probably the thicker the better to stop leaking so much, the shocks on the Sand Scorcher don't really do a lot anyhow.

Again, any light grease will do but don't go over the top on greasing as it just attracts dirt and then that turns to grinding paste

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I'm in the process of rebuilding my SRB runners. For reasons too complicated to explain here without boring all of you, I still have original dampers on my SRBs and have no intentions of replacing them with anything else, despite their extremely poor performance. However, during the rebuild of one SRB,  I put a tiny blob of Tamiya Anti-Wear grease on the pistons and distributed it along the whole circumference of the pistons. (After cleaning and degreasing the dampers thoroughly, of course!) I didn't expect it to work at all, but was pleasantly surprised! The damping is pretty consistant in the whole throw of the damper and performance is more than adequate for a scale'ish runner and way better than on a new SRB built according to the manual. Of course I don't know how long the effect wil last, but I'm pretty optimistic as long as the internals of the dampers aren't too heavily contaminated from outside.

As for suitable used SRB-dampers, I've experimented a bit. The pistons are worn rather quickly in SRB dampers, especially in the rear where the angles are infavourable and the dampers actually binding when mounted according to the manual. Original diameter of the piston is about 5.8mm, and as long as the diameter is 5.5mm or larger, the anti-wear grease trick works well.  I've measured diameters below 5mm on several of the about 120 sets of used SRB-dampers that I have disassembled, so don't take for granted that your pistons are 5.5mm or larger!

Needless to say, I guess, the dampers should otherwise be dry (no oil!), and the original O-ring should be used to seal out dust. I lubricated the O-rings lightly with TRF damper seal grease, but I reckon Associated Green Slime or similar will work just as well, if not better.

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I'm in the same boat, re-building my original SS from the early 1980's.  I'm loving it but it's also quite emotional as every time I undo something I remember it was my dad that put it together 40 years ago!  He's still very much alive and is loving the photo's i'm sending him as I re-build it, bringing back memories for him as well.

I noticed in the above posts that the re-re-release front hub ball-joints are a different size to the original.  I bought some and found this out!  Does anyone know if there is a fix for this or any supplier of original fit ones?  The only thought I had was to see if it's possible to fit the larger ball joints from the re-release to the original hubs (or maybe easier to just use new hubs if these are available) and then drill out the original arms to accept the larger plastic ball race from the re-release.  Does that sound like a plan?

 

Cheers!

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My Sand Scorcher project is progressing. I have stripped and cleaned everything. Some grub screws were a bit tricky to extract, but I have just about done it. The dampers were also a bit fiddly, i messed up on of the tops trying to take it apart, but I hope they should all be useable.

 

I am currently ordering a couple of replacement parts. One quick question, in the manual it states that I need a 'tube of silicone rubber'. This is for sealing the gear case and a few other bits. What sort of silicone should I be looking for? Something specific to rc cars? Do Tamiya make some? 

 

Will post some pics when I have put it back together.

 

Thanks

 

 

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Page 6 onwards of my project thread highlights my restoration of an early vintage Rough Rider (Same chassis as your Sand Scorcher, only different Body and wheels/tyres). Worth a look as you may see something in there that could help

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/80502-mtbkym01s-project-thread-latest-“black-clod-with-a-little-twist”/&page=6

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5 hours ago, Clutch88 said:

One quick question, in the manual it states that I need a 'tube of silicone rubber'. This is for sealing the gear case and a few other bits. What sort of silicone should I be looking for?

Personally, I wouldn't use this. Contaminants will get inside regardless, and it just makes it a pain to take apart and clean when they do. It maybe better to use a thin bead of thick grease between the gearbox halves, like Tamiya AW grease, for example, which will do the same job

and be far easier to clean off and replace for maintenance.

I only run my SS at the beach, and sand goes everywhere no matter what I do. So I don't see the point in trying to seal it. I also run the gears without grease to stop it turning into a grinding paste (obviously using rubber-sealed ballbearings for the shafts), and accept that I'm going to have to strip it down and clean it thoroughly after a day's running.

I guess to seal or not is down to personal preference and where you're going to run it. But silicone is messy to apply, and difficult to clean off.

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15 hours ago, Fuijo said:

Personally, I wouldn't use this. Contaminants will get inside regardless, and it just makes it a pain to take apart and clean when they do. It maybe better to use a thin bead of thick grease between the gearbox halves, like Tamiya AW grease, for example, which will do the same job

and be far easier to clean off and replace for maintenance.

I only run my SS at the beach, and sand goes everywhere no matter what I do. So I don't see the point in trying to seal it. I also run the gears without grease to stop it turning into a grinding paste (obviously using rubber-sealed ballbearings for the shafts), and accept that I'm going to have to strip it down and clean it thoroughly after a day's running.

I guess to seal or not is down to personal preference and where you're going to run it. But silicone is messy to apply, and difficult to clean off.

Thanks for the reply.

 

I am still not sure about sealing with silicone. This one has had a reasonable amount of use, covered in gunk, but the silicone seal in the gear housing must have worked, as it was spotless inside. But, its not the easy to remove. However, I don't live near the beach, so I can't imagine it will see sand too often.

 

So... not sure what to do. Has anyone else got any advice?

 

Cheers

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On 5/8/2020 at 6:48 AM, mtbkym01 said:

Page 6 onwards of my project thread highlights my restoration of an early vintage Rough Rider (Same chassis as your Sand Scorcher, only different Body and wheels/tyres). Worth a look as you may see something in there that could help

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/80502-mtbkym01s-project-thread-latest-“black-clod-with-a-little-twist”/&page=6

Looks like a fantastic project, came out really well. I do have a couple of questions, how do you wet sand plastic? My radio box is very discoloured,  the receiver box was missing so I have purchased another. Would be nice if I could clean the radio box up a bit.

 

Do you have an opinion about using the sealing silicone, or any other alternatives? I want to run the car, and if it can be helped, not rebuild it after every use.

 

Thanks

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Oh, and I did consider if I should replace the bronze bushings with bearings. I want to find a balance between keeping the car reasonably original, yet be open to some small upgrades that make it more useable and fun to drive. Is a bearing set a good way to go?

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1 hour ago, Clutch88 said:

Looks like a fantastic project, came out really well. I do have a couple of questions, how do you wet sand plastic? My radio box is very discoloured,  the receiver box was missing so I have purchased another. Would be nice if I could clean the radio box up a bit.

 

Do you have an opinion about using the sealing silicone, or any other alternatives? I want to run the car, and if it can be helped, not rebuild it after every use.

 

Thanks

I wet sanded my Radio box with wet Emory paper, starting with a course paper, then getting to finer paper to get a nice smooth finish. Known as wet and dry paper too.

Yeah I wouldn’t use silicone, it was all over mine and took a while to clean up. I would go with the grease idea, and wipe off any that is on the outside once the halves are joined together.

52 minutes ago, Clutch88 said:

Oh, and I did consider if I should replace the bronze bushings with bearings. I want to find a balance between keeping the car reasonably original, yet be open to some small upgrades that make it more useable and fun to drive. Is a bearing set a good way to go?

I don’t have any issues with using New bearings in older cars, especially if I’m going to run it, bearings are basically a consumable item, although will last a very long time if not for ever with proper care

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Not wishing to hijack this thread but hopefully any info will be of use to the OP as well!

I’ve gone for bearings in mine, they were available as an option in any case.

i have a question on the ESC.  The msc works fine but I’d like to convert to an esc just so I have more than two speeds!  I bought a Tamiya TEU-105BK but I’m not sure how to install it.  The receiver is an acorns ARB-227 that is fed from a 4 x AA battery pack.  Now the speed channel (channel 1) has a plug with red, white and black wires and the new esc has a plug with red, white and black - but they’re in a different order!  (Black and red are swapped if I match up the white).  So to attach the plug from the esc I assume I just need to cut the red and black wires and match them up to the red and black pins on the receiver?
 

the other question is with the power.  Do I understand correctly that as the new esc has a BEC I can remove the 4 x AA battery pack and the receiver will take power from the esc?  
 

any advice much appreciated - I’m ok with the mechanicals but at a loss with the electronics side!

 

 

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1 hour ago, mtbkym01 said:

I wet sanded my Radio box with wet Emory paper, starting with a course paper, then getting to finer paper to get a nice smooth finish. Known as wet and dry paper too.

Yeah I wouldn’t use silicone, it was all over mine and took a while to clean up. I would go with the grease idea, and wipe off any that is on the outside once the halves are joined together.

I don’t have any issues with using New bearings in older cars, especially if I’m going to run it, bearings are basically a consumable item, although will last a very long time if not for ever with proper care

Thanks for the advice,

 

I shall give wet sanding a try. I will go with the grease, what sort of grease is suitable to seal the gear casing? Would it be better to run the gears dry, or use some gear grease?

 

I will use some bearings. I take it its just a straight forward swap, replace every bronze bushing with a bearing?

 

Cheers

 

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7 hours ago, ChrisHGTV said:

Not wishing to hijack this thread but hopefully any info will be of use to the OP as well!

I’ve gone for bearings in mine, they were available as an option in any case.

i have a question on the ESC.  The msc works fine but I’d like to convert to an esc just so I have more than two speeds!  I bought a Tamiya TEU-105BK but I’m not sure how to install it.  The receiver is an acorns ARB-227 that is fed from a 4 x AA battery pack.  Now the speed channel (channel 1) has a plug with red, white and black wires and the new esc has a plug with red, white and black - but they’re in a different order!  (Black and red are swapped if I match up the white).  So to attach the plug from the esc I assume I just need to cut the red and black wires and match them up to the red and black pins on the receiver?
 

the other question is with the power.  Do I understand correctly that as the new esc has a BEC I can remove the 4 x AA battery pack and the receiver will take power from the esc?  
 

any advice much appreciated - I’m ok with the mechanicals but at a loss with the electronics side!

 

 

Some pics would help here, but firstly, Channel 1 is generally your steering channel. I’m not 100% sure on the TEU105BK on whether it has a BEC or not, but if it does then yes you will not need the 4AA pack. You shouldn’t need to cut the wires if in fact they do need changing over, the little connector pins should be able to popped out of the plug housing and changed over, there is generally a small plastic tab that you can lift with a pin or similar and pull the connector out, then slide it in to the correct spot and it will click in place.

Again, pics will help clarify what is happening here

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6 hours ago, Clutch88 said:

Thanks for the advice,

 

I shall give wet sanding a try. I will go with the grease, what sort of grease is suitable to seal the gear casing? Would it be better to run the gears dry, or use some gear grease?

 

I will use some bearings. I take it its just a straight forward swap, replace every bronze bushing with a bearing?

 

Cheers

 

A very light amount of ceramic grease on the gears, and a thicker grease like Tamiya Anti Wear grease on the gearbox halves. Even an automotive grease will work for this as it’s quite thick.

Yep, bearings are a direct replacement

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7 minutes ago, mtbkym01 said:

Some pics would help here, but firstly, Channel 1 is generally your steering channel. I’m not 100% sure on the TEU105BK on whether it has a BEC or not, but if it does then yes you will not need the 4AA pack. You shouldn’t need to cut the wires if in fact they do need changing over, the little connector pins should be able to popped out of the plug housing and changed over, there is generally a small plastic tab that you can lift with a pin or similar and pull the connector out, then slide it in to the correct spot and it will click in place.

Again, pics will help clarify what is happening here

Many thanks for the info!  I managed to pop the red and black pins out to swap them over to match the receiver, just unplugged and removed the 4AA pack, plugged in the battery and attached the motor leads and it all seems to work perfectly!  It also provides a lot more space in the electronics box!  
 

to the OP, I used Meguiars plastic rx plastic polish on my electronics box and it has come up brilliantly with very little effort.  It’s still got an orange tint of course but it’s now really clear and shiny.  Plastic rx is great on car headlights as well which is what I normally use it for.

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Bit of an update,

Stripped down everything and started the rebuild. I tried to wet sand the radio box, this hasn't gone too well and turned the plastic a milky colour... so, that will need some attention. However, there was lots of tape wrapped around the bottom piece of the radio box, this was covering lots of cracks and glue. So I might just end up replacing the whole thing.

 

Dampers have been a bit tricky, one of the rear damper cylinders was bent and the brass caps are a bit mashed up (although I think they will still seal). So, I am looking for a replacement, but would be open to changing the suspension set up, if I can find a better option. I have placed a wanted add on this forum, to see if anyone has anything that might be useful. 

 

The front arm shafts were bent, so I have purchased some re-release ones. However, they have a flat spot on the end of each shaft. I notice the originals do not, I hope they will still fit.

 

I have replaced the bronze bushings with bearings, do i need to grease the bearings, or are they just fine to install without?

 

Thanks

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the bearings are sealed, and do not require to be greased. 

 

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Build is progressing, forum member Kev has been kind enough to supply a few missing parts. Once they arrive the chassis should be complete.

 

Then I will have to more onto electronics. can anyone advise a decent set up? After some good advice in this thread, it seems that a Hobbywing 1060 ESC would be a good starting point. Can anyone recommend a servo, receiver, motor and transmitter and charger?

 

I will have to dig around to see what I have got. I used to race 1/10 off-road, so I have some late 90's early 2000's stuff. Still think I have a Pro-Trak charger somewhere, and couple of transmitters (the type that used the coloured crystals). Probably have servos and receivers in my old Schumacher Cats and Yokomo's . However, not sure how much of it will be of use.

 

Thanks

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Update,

 

I have really enjoyed this project, a huge thanks to those who have given there advice. Especially forum member Kev, who has helped me along the way and kindly provided some parts that I was missing.

 

Parts that I have replaced include receiver compartment, tyres, mechanism box rubber grommet, rubber on/off switch cover, damper bushings, servo arm and sleeve, cam locks and springs, 2 of the damper cylinders, a cracked brass damper end, the front arm shafts and a few screws. Some were new parts, other 'new' old stock.

 

I wanted to keep it reasonably original. However, I decided on a few modifications. I swapped the bronze bushings with bearings and swapped out the torsion bar damper set-up for coil-overs. I really like this solution, as it means I can retain the original dampers. I used TRF O rings in the dampers, in an attempt to stop them leaking.   I have retained the original motor, I did think about swapping it, but its something I may look at in the future.

 

There are a few things that I might change and need attention. Currently running a 5 cell battery, might look for a humpback. I wet sanded and then used T-cut on the mechanism box, not really happy with how it came out, so I might try again. The lower section of the mechanism box is cracked, I did try and glue it, but it needs doing again. The rear rubber piece that holds in the mechanism box has hardened, so it dosen't 'clip' into the box, I need a replacement for that. The motor to esc connection needs tidying up.  I do have a shell...but its in storage atm (hope I can find it!), but i will probably buy a new shell when I run it.  I did fancy a chrome bumper, or maybe some alloy wheel covers, but I shall see what comes up. 

 

Cheers

 

 

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Looks good How did you do the coilovers it's something I want to do on mine

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