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thegorf

Optima Mid Turbo SE Refurb

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I picked up an Optima Mid Turbo SE recently, with the intention of doing a sympathetic resto/refurb on it, and running it (gently) whenever I can.  However, I think a combination of over excitement, impatience and newbie ignorance (to vintage Kyosho) may have coloured my judgement somewhat... It's fundamentally sound, based on my initial once over in the hand, but there are a few things that aren't quite right, or worse than they looked in the pics.  Furthermore, on looking into things further, I realise I probably should have steered clear of the SE completely due to the ball diffs and the platinum shocks...

Hey ho, in for a penny in for a pound!  At least none of the shocks are leaking, and 3 of the 4 are actually pretty smooth even though I'm guessing they have been called on to provide damping duties for some while now.  And the diffs appear quite smooth, with correct diff action F&R. Just not looking forward to rebuilding the ball diffs - all my other cars & trucks are gear diffs.

So, just wondered if any of you seasoned Kyosho vintage guys have seen either of the following parts before? I don't recognise either, so I'm hoping to learn something here!

First, there is some sort of non standard steering assembly / bell crank fitted.  It's alloy, but looks old, not like a shiny new annodized part from GPM etc. And furthermore the tie rods appear to have been fitted incorrectly, above rather than below the steering link, such as the inner rod ends both sides catch slightly on the rear of the front diff case.  Not sure if all will be OK when I swap them over, or whether I'll be on the hunt for an original servo saver / bell crank assembly in due course.  Anybody recognise it?  Is it a period hop up that's been incorrectly fitted, or does it look like a bodge of something that was never supposed to grace an Optima Mid?

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And the other bit is the spur gear.  It's a kind of reddish/brown almost textured finish, and the teeth look a lot more like my 48dp gears on my HPI and ECX trucks than the 0.6m they're supposed to be.  So, again, anyone recognise it?  Should I be looking to swap back to a 74/76t 0.6m spur during the resto, or were these a period mod/upgrade?  The teeth look in very good shape, and I have loads of 3.2mm/48dp pinions in my spares box, so would like to retain it if all possible.

IMG-3080.jpg

So, if anybody can help here, I'd be very grateful to learn more about these parts, or the SE model in general. Thanks.

 

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Well, since nobody else has replied I'll throw my 2c in...

That alloy steering assembly may be a hop up part from one of many companies that made them back in the day.  I don't know what brand yours is.  I would say that it is NOT an A&L Mfg steering kit, however.  Reason being: I have an alloy A&L kit in my Lazer ZX and it is smooth and shiny (red/pink anodized) and it also came with alloy posts whereas yours is using the stock black plastic spacers plus a bronze bushing on top as a spacer.  Also, yours seems to have a rough finish, not smooth and shiny anodized.  Maybe it is homemade?  It still looks cool and certainly functional.

Switching out the stock 0.6m spur for 48p was a common thing racers did back in the day in order to have a better selection of pinion gears.

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Hi, thanks for reply. Tell me, is it possible that it isn't even a Optima Mid specific part?  I mean could it have been an aftermarket steering assembly for another RC entirely?  I'm not that clued up on steering components, and unsure if other make/model bellcranks etc may be a 'reasonable' fit?  I mean I'm guessing as long as the steering posts are the same diameter, and the overall sizes are similar, then most assemblies could be made to fit?  The steering link is usually threaded rod, so could be adjusted to length easily?  I remember that back in the day, we used to come up with all sorts of ingenious (read cheaper!) fixes for things...

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Check out the Kyosho Optima 2016 parts. I am finding most parts are interchangeable with the Optima Mid. I was going to replicate the rear gears but doesn't look like it would work.  I recently ordered some cheap aftermarket shocks, but may attempt to rebuild the original shocks as well.

On a side note...I am using Optima wheels and tires so I can conserve the original wheels and tires. 

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Hi, yes I have some 2016 Optima bits already for the rebuild; rear dogbones, knuckles, and some CVD's will be ordered shortly as well as some rod ends, balls etc.

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Beware that the rere knuckles have a different thread to the originals, and the kingpins are different, with a different diameter surface, so require rere c-hubs or boring out the originals a little. Suspension arms are similar, and will fit, but don't use the same anti-roll bar attachment - this will need bodging. Personally I think the anti-roll bars were made of cheese anyway, and were more for looks than function!  Can't help with the steering setup except to say that yes, it looks upside down, and I agree re the delrin spur diagnosis. :-) Pics when it's finished!

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On 7/27/2020 at 4:17 PM, thegorf said:

Hi, yes I have some 2016 Optima bits already for the rebuild; rear dogbones, knuckles, and some CVD's will be ordered shortly as well as some rod ends, balls etc.

Optima Mid SE was mine/my dad’s first hobby grade RC back in the day. Mine got run over by a 1:1 car and lost. ( but insurance covered the loss and replaced it with a Yokomo YZ10 ). 
relevance to you is I have a ton of Kyosho spares in a bin my wife’s sewing room. 
I can let you know what I have or you let me know what you need and we can work something out. I would love to contribute to getting another vintage Mid back on the track . 

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