Restoring Classic Vintage RCs! Any tips??

[nixzero]

Hey guys. I just scored 4 older toy-grade RCs via Craigslist. A Tyco Fast Traxx, a Tyco Aero Turbo Hopper, a Nikko Thunderbolt, and a Radio Shack Street Sprinter. They all need a little TLC but I'd love to get them running again!



The Nikko is so common, I should have no trouble buying NOS parts off the bay. I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with 'em, but the F10 chassis was heavily cloned, the Nikko Rhino, Sears Lobo, Radio Shack Golden Arrow and the Traxxas Cat were based off of it. At first glance I thought it just needed a new rollcage and tires, but the rear axle pivot is broken.  I might try to use JB Weld to fix it, but would like to convert to a Cat rear axle, as it used a ball-point pivot and a 540 motor- although I think I would need a new chassis for that. Any tips/info is appreciated.

The Fast Traxx is in decent shape, but has a broken front wheel. I've heard this is common. Again, I'm hoping JB Weld will save the day! The tread rubber is also a little dry, any rubber restoration tips?

The Aero Turbo Hopper is in excellent condition minus the tires. I can't find tires anywhere, again, I would love if someone could point me in the right spot.

Finally, the Radio Shack Street Sprinter. The tires are surprisingly soft, but deformed. I'll probably just try boiling them and "flattening" them. A front A-arm is broken, JB Weld to the rescue I guess, lol!

Anyways, just thought I would share! They've been sitting for years so the rubber is hardening, the battery terminals have some corrosion, etc. I'm more familiar with wrecking these things as a kid, not restoring them, so feel free to chime in with any info or advice!

[poptart]

nice score buddy!!!,,Ive got a few non boxed tyco's that have had a few flat spots and i tried boiling them and that didn't work so i had to get creative,,i put mine on a baking sheet on some wax paper (important) so i didn't melt the back side and set them in the oven on broil and put them on the lowest rack possible just for a few minutes and dont turn your back for a sec (ask me how i know lol ) i got my my dremel (any high rpm drill etc. will work) and attached the tire to the end with a plastic wheel that i rigged up to connect to the dremel,, you can cut to any size tire you need and run a nut and bolt through it and clamp it to the drill anyways you get the idea the trick is wear some thick gloves and handle the tire very very lightly so you dont glove print the tire and get it spinning as fast as you can get it out,,also 3m rubbing compound works well for scuffs and scratches (no windows) followed buy some meguiars carnauba wax on the bodys believe it or not lol and a micro-fiber is a must hope this helps a lil

[poptart]

oh yeah i forgot you got alot of chassis repairs to do and mentioned JB weld,,it does work but just looks like crap,,,you could score a cheap plastic welder of ebay that would definitely be worth it and be just as strong if not stronger and keep your rides looking clean.and depending on your skill you can also do body work and color match

 like this one

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plastic-80-Watt-Iron-Automotive-Welder-Welding-Kit-with-Welding-Rod-Mesh-Brush-/260984640875?pt=BI_Welding_Supplies&hash=item3cc3e5956b

or this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DIRTBIKE-ATV-UTV-FENDER-REPAIR-PLASTIC-WELDER-KIT-with-30-EXTRA-WELDING-ROD-/150686422702?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item23159c56ae&vxp=mtr

[nixzero]

Wow, thanks for the tips!

I already used the JB Weld with mixed results.  It worked great on the Fast Traxx front wheel, I've ran it for 2 hard runs and it's still holding.  I also used it to fix the broken battery door "pivot nub" that had broken off.  I just scuffed the corner where the nub broke off, blobbed on some JB, then positioned the door so it would drip and make a little nub to go into the hole on the chassis.  Works pretty well so far.  I love the Fast Traxx, my only issue is that the treads pop off often.  I remember seeing an eBay Fast Traxx ad where the seller tightened the treads somehow, but I was thinking it might be easier to extend the wheelbase a little.  I have an idea for an adapter that would extend the rear out a little without damaging the chassis.  It might even give the rear suspension more "articulation", lol

Where JB DIDN'T work was on the Nikko chassis, the rear end on that thing is a real pain, as you can't take the pivot pin apart.  I as about to take a soldering iron to it when I saw your post, I didn't know they made plastic soldering irons.  I gotta get one,  that's something I could use every day!  Still, I need a set of rear tires for this thing, and the originals are super rare.  I just lost an auction for a pair of new rear wheels and tires- $40 with shipping.  Alternately, I saw a used Super Lobo that was almost identical to my Thunderbolt sell for $45 with shipping.  Aside from the tires, I can actually still get a lot of parts I need from Sears (they still carry parts for similar vehicles).  Either way, it's pretty clear that parts are scarce and the full car have little value, so I may just part it out.  In it's stock form, it takes 10AAs and a 6cell pack to run, so it's not very practical.

The Turbo Hopper has super corroded battery terminals and will barely stay powered on, so I took the little metal plates+springs out of the battery box for cleaning (I've heard vinegar is good).  The tires on this car are so hard, that I couldn't get them off to put in the oven.  They're ROCK hard, like plastic.  I think replacements are gonna be the only option for the hopper.  If anyone has any wheel/tire parts, PLEASE let me know! 

I might try the oven trick on the Street Sprinter.  If I under stand right, the basic idea is to get them hot and spin them to "balloon" them into shape, right?

[stan]

http://www.ehow.com/how_7452531_keep-rubber-gaskets-drying-out.html

maybe this will help alittle?

[poptart]

Yep that's the basic idea it usually works if they have flat spots or are warped out of shape but the rubber still has to be soft the rock hard ones are done there just gonna break into a bunch of pieces if you try and take them off the rim,,your just gonna have to hunt or take a rim to the hobby shop and try your luck with all the sizes available today somethings bound to fit. One of my 88 model tyco Indy's rear tires just completely disintegrated as soon as i touched them lol and i eventually found some that fit perfect after trying on about 12 sets off a  hobby stadium truck lol,so hopefully you'll get lucky

[nixzero]

Protip:  If you guys have corroded terminals, remove them if possible and soak them in vinegar, it worked wonders on the Aero Hopper.

Thanks for the tire rejuvenating tip, poptart!  I can't wait to try it on the Street Sprinter!  Sadly, the Aero Hopper's tires are shot (except for one of the rears, wierd) and the rears for the Nikko crumbled right off.  I'm at a loss for the Aero Hopper, I guess I'll have to get a parts car with good rubber.  It's sad I gotta pretty much buy another car, but I'm hoping to find a busted one cheap.

For the Nikko, the axles are standard hobby-grade ones with pins and wheel adapters, so I could use practically any tire/wheel I want.  I'm tempted to use stuff from the Hornet, but I would really like to use the original wheels if possible to match the fronts and keep the stock look.  So far the only thing on the car I changed is replacing the bushings with bearings from some Traxxas Revo rockers (perfect fit, free speed increase!).  I'll probably just run up to my LHS some day and see if they have anything close (and spiky!).

BTW, is it safe to assume any old low-watt soldering iron would work as a plastic solderer?

[poptart]

No prob buddy,,,that sucks i hate when the tires crumble lol,,,i had one old tyco with a fresh batt i couldnt wait to drive so i hadn't even checked the tires on it and i set it down and hit turbo and it left both rear tires where they stood in 2 freakin pieces i was mad but couldnt help but laugh,,,and yes that is a pretty safe assumption

[nixzero]

Well, I'm pleased to report that I was able to use a soldering iron to make a few plastic fixes, thanks again for the tip!

I'm getting lucky on the Aero Hopper's tires, though.  I just so happen to have some tires from a toy Nikko that fit the rears (tread reminds me of ProLine DirtPaws), and I've given up on restoring the Street Sprinter, so I can use those front tires as rear slicks on the Aero Hopper.  So now I have a set of onroad and offroad rears, I just need some front tires for the Aero Hopper and it's good to go!