Beach Run Aftermath
Status: Extra info
Date: 11-Jan-2011
Comments: 13
Here's some pics of the Buggy Champ break down after my first ever beach run. One thing's for sure... I'm gonna have to seal everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, if I'm going to ever run this near sea water again. Sand really does get everywhere. Admittedly I didn't use anything to seal the gearbox beforehand, no sealant to hand when I built it, so I was pretty foolish to run it like i did but it was extremely fun. It makes me wonder how my Striker would've fared if I'd brought it along instead of this...
Considering I'd given this thing quite a major rinse off at the end of the day I'm surprised at how much sand was still left on the parts. I'm also astounded at how much corrosion there was aswell considering I'd rinsed it off as much as I did then left everything in the sun to dry off before packing it and coming home. Obviously I'd not done as good a job of rinsing as I thought I had.
Now that I've taken it apart and cleaned everything as much as I can without the help of the tools & bits I have in the UK here's my thoughts...
The gearbox really doesn't like sea water as it discoloured quite a bit on the inside where I couldn't rinse it out. Discolouration isn't exactly battle scarring so it doesn't have any bragging capability. I'm going to have to give the outside a light sand and maybe paint it. The inside will be hidden so not much to worry about but I would like to give it a blast in an ultrasonic cleaner to see if it cleans up any more. I don't personally have one yet but it's always been on my 'to buy' list so this might be as good a reason as any to get one.
All the bearings started rusting aswell so I'll give them a clean when I get back to the UK or change those out with some fresh ones if they don't clean up particularly well. These are probably another reason to get the Ultrasonic cleaner thing.
The front end survived without any real degradation although the arms could probably do with a light sanding and painting if I'm going to do so with the gearbox.
I'd managed to bend the front of my chassis plate upwards slightly. I'm not sure when it happened because I didn't really notice it until the end of the day when the body had trouble fitting on properly. I've pulled it back into shape, mostly, so it's all ok. The skid plate worked well but the front well nut did come a little loose during the day so there's a few resultant rubbing marks to the chassis plate from the two rubbing or bouncing against each other. No big deal though for a runner.
The brass UJs were hit bad by the sea water, the corrosion was pretty fast forming on them, and I couldn't seem to clean them up any and they still look almost the same as they do in the pics below despite me scrubbing them hard.
The plastic gears were fine, as you'd expect being that they're plastic. The brass gear was also fine which was strange considering the state the UJs were in. I did grease the gears properly though so that's probably what saved them.
The motor looked really bad. There was sand in it and rust on it. Fortunately it cleaned up really well. I used lots of clean water to rinse the sand out from inside it (I think I cleared it all out) and the rust was only on the surface so it cleaned off easily.
The Stainless screw kit had a slight 'salted/frosted' look to it until I cleaned them up. Otherwise they did quite well holding it all together. I did have a couple of stock 'black' screws from the original Buggy Champ screw bags holding the rear cage on. They rusted so I definitely recommend stainless steel screws if you're going to run near (or in :D) sea water.
All 'n all... Everything did quite well although I'm not sure if the cast parts could do with a clear coat lacquer or something to protect them before being run like this. At the minimum the cast parts got that light 'salted/frosted' look and at worst they got some blackened discolouration. The RadshapeRC chassis plate did well too but did bend a little. The 50. Cal skid plate performed well aswell, nicely protecting the gearbox from scratches it would've received from the small stones that were all over the beach. I'm so glad I bought both for this runner. I wonder how much worse it would've been if I'd stuck with the stock chassis plates? Even the body did well but I will admit that I did leave off the spot lamps because I'd heard they'd break off easily when this chassis is rolled. Considering that I managed to roll it easily and hard enough to break the driver's head I think I'd made a good choice by leaving them off until I've had more practice with this model.
Lastly I'm glad I won't be running near sea water any time soon. It isn't the running that I didn't like, on the contrary it was absolutely awesome, but the cleanup is horrendous because of the cast parts reacting so badly. Next time, if there's a next time, I'll definitely have to have the cast parts lacquered (or something) and the gearbox sealed before I go anywhere near the water... and maybe use rubber sealed bearings too.
edit: And I still haven't figured out what's wrong with my radio gear. I think I've royally screwed up my ESC.
If you liked those pictures, you should see these...
Built just for bashing on my holiday - Sold.
Comments
slimmy
Wow. That is amazing how much gets inside those things. I guess there isnt a whole lot that can be done about it. Might as well just enjoy the bash time. Have fun
mr alan
At least you are the first to do a resto on a Buggy Champ 2009!
Origineelreclamebord
I learnt it the hard way too to seal my cars, even when not driving on the beach. I ruined many spur gears, pinions and even whole gearbox internals to sand and dust getting in.
Anyway, I think the rebuild will be fun and rewarding I wouldn't worry about it unless you'll be broke after buying the spares you need...
SRB Bloke
You've just said the life out of me, I've always been planning on taking my chassis [Click here] to the beach when its finished. Definately think I to buy some silicone if I do.. Really great pics, thank yoy..
VagabondStarJXF
@ Slimmy - I was surprised too. I've cleaned up as much as I can but will definitely do more when I get back to the UK.
@ mr alan -
@ Origineelreclamebord - erm... I built this out of my spares. lol
@ SRB Bloke - Yep. Definitely seal everything. You don't want to ruin that really nice build of yours.
I'm gonna paint the metal parts too, especially now. I might try polishing first but if they polish up nicely I'll have to clear coat to protect everything.
Singleseven
Thanks for sharing this; I'll bear it mind before heading to the beach . Electrial tape along the radio box joints might help keep the sand at bay, in that part at least.
Skottoman
I ran my Buggy Champ at the beach, and only did a light clean up. Don't recall it being that munted. I do have some rust around the bearing and such, I did remove the gear cover and cleaned the sand out, also the radio box. (Although mine didn't have as much sand as yours). My Buggy Champ is more of a thrasher now, and I'll have to pull it all apart and rebuild at some point. It's definitely not a shelf queen any more... I say you just give it a clean, maybe try some silicone to seal it up, and away you go! I am still amazed no one has produced a gasket kit for the SRB's. That would be great!
Cheers,
Skottoman
Origineelreclamebord
@SRB Bloke: Grease will also work for sealing if you don't drive in too moist/wet conditions. Grease won't require re-applying for a good seal when you take things apart whereas silicont sealant does. Best not take any chances though, especially the beach...
JWeston
Holy moly. Not a great advert for the SRB. I'm building rere Scorcher for a beach trip. WIll make sure it's sealed and I guess I'll need to rinsed it immediately after using it as I'll want to get it wet. I'll take some big bottles of Evian with me J
j-man
I must admit after building my buggy champ and having the fortune many years ago of building a rough rider, the one thing that amazed me was the lack of the small tube of silicone in the kit box of the buggy champ.
The following is what i did to mine before running it ....silicone every joint on this gearbox including where the motor wires enter the plastic cover, leave the 2 silly grommets they provide off the kit and make sure the motor covers are also siliconed. Also take out the grommet where the wires enter the bottom of the radio box, silicone it and put it back, a small bead of silicone is also a must between the receiver block of the radio box. A good idea is to run a small amount of vaseline around the lid of the radio box before putting the top on.
I always give all my aluminium a dusting of WD40 before they are run, but be careful if you want to end up with a laquer finish, it will not adhere properly.
To be doubly safe , i use mtroniks waterproof esc or similar and pop your receiver in a balloon with again some vaseline in the neck of the balloon with a tie wrap around it.
Great photos and very informative thank's for sharing with us.
zakspeed
Just running on the sand isn't too bad - done it for years and my Scorcher still hasn't had the gearbox stripped. It gets fun when you mix the sand with the inevitable sea water. Thats when the fun starts good luck with the clean up
VagabondStarJXF
Thanks for the comments and advice everyone. When I rebuild this one it's gonna be so sealed up I probably won't be able to take it apart again! lol
RACECRAFTERS
Very disturbing if this is a re-re as I'm currently building one for old times sake. I never had so bad an issue with my original as a kid, and I would remember as it went all over with me with a spare 1500 nicad for my 10 minute blasts which have lasted now for 3 decades..! I must really love this game..!? Yes Yes Yes !!!
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