broncojd

we'll save the details for now, but i just bought an RS4MT off for pretty cheap. here's what i got:
hpi rs4 mt
stock wheels
proline dirt hawg tires
futaba magnum junior radio
bec receiver
speed gems jade motor (15t i think)
kyosho atomic force 17t motor
tekin rebel esc (not rebel 2)
futaba fp-s14b servo
and i think that's just about it


boy does it need some TLC. the guy said it only needed dogbones to get running, but boy, that is to get it BARELY running.

the front diff is taken out and in a parts bag
so is the front drive belt
there is a wire hanging out of the esc, but it looks like it might be an old wire replaced when a new lead was put in. the electronics are tested and work.
i can't even find any info on the servo...probably really sucks
one of the rear shock shafts seems to have a slight bend, as it catches when compressed
the outer bushings on all 4 wheels had been replaced with bearings, but it was all bushings everywhere else

so here's what my order of business is, as of now:

wash/clean truck thoroughly
dog bones are on the way already
reassemble parts that are taken off (see pics)
order: rear belt, full ball bearings, & gear cover
repair the connectors between the motor and esc (really crappy work there)
find metal gear high torque servo quickly

to the guy's credit, the body is in much better shape than i expected, plus i did not think i was getting the inner shell. the radio is in really good shape. i knew the esc was old, but it has a 16t limit and i'm probably going to run a 15t motor right now. should be no big deal. we'll see how it performs before i judge it.

overall, i'm still excited about this project. it will take months to complete, but eventually i'd like to replace some parts with what carbon fiber i can find. also get some titanium turnbuckles. maybe after a while a faster motor? we'll have to see how these perform before i worry about that. first things first, but i will keep my eye on the prize. here are some pics of it out of the box...

Kitsune

My Feedback: (7)

That looks to be quite a project. It should pay off in the end, though.
Good luck on it.

Rampage.Pete

i hope ill be lucky someday and get a cheap car that needs to be fixed =) that looks like its going to be a nice project and sure worth it =)

broncojd

ha...yea...well...about that...i wasn't QUITE looking for a restoration project. but i guess that's why it came so cheap?

it's all good. i had an emptiness since i knew i was going to sell the stampede (to finance the pink lunchbox) and wanted a tough electric to bash with...but i didn't want to go back to the stampede since i just sold one, and really i wanted a 4wd. noone makes anything 4wd that is shaft driven except for the e-maxx or e-savage, and those were WAY out of my budget. kyosho makes one, but it's even more expensive. besides, i like the size of this (comparable to stampede and rustler) better anyway. so it had to be belt driven. on top of that, it's discontinued, so i know parts will have to be hunted...but it's all good.

in about an hour and half i'm going to call a hobby shop i found online that SAYS they have the discontinued front belt in stock. i'm going to buy it just cause it's discontinued and get it while i can. the rear belt will be easier to get.

Lunchboxer

Yeah, I know how it is like, buying stuff "by accident", right?!

Stock up on some parts and belts!!!! (since it is discontinued..) [&:]

Looking good!! Keep us posted!!

broncojd

well i WANTED an rs4mt...i was looking for something a little more...assembled...lol...oh well, at least a lot of the driveline will be new. if i had to pick between old/used drive train and brand new body OR new drive train and old/used body, it's a no brainer!

madtr

Well I chose a box of trucks in a trade one complete that needs taken apart checked cleaned and reasembled and some replacement parts and two complete trucks that are totally stripped to chassis ,It equaled 5 1/2 gallon ziploc bags full of parts + tires wheels and two radio systems instead of a complete running truck.I love the challenge of putting them together and modifying them to run and just the mechanical aspect of it.cant wait for box to arrive tommorow so i have the weekend to sort them out.

broncojd

today i ordered the front and rear belts, gear cover, and some new wiring for the motor. i am keeping my eye out for a new servo and am going to get ball bearings VERY soon.

i installed the front differential tonight. it doesn't spin very freely (thus the obvious need for ball bearings) and i am going to have to buy a spur gear b/c it doesn't have one. and the belt tensioner isn't there either, so i'm going to have go put one of those together, too.

this is getting to be a bigger project every time i look at it...

broncojd

ordered ball bearings today...

well, i got the dogones installed so i thought i'd put it together to see if it would drive. i took out the speed gems b/c i don' thtink it has any capacitors on it...at least none that i could find. but moreso, i wanted to use a motor i knew worked so i could eliminate one thing that might go wrong. so i put in a duratrax photon speed 20t that i had laying around.

then i installed the spur gear i bought today and wired up a radio i knew works. i found the manual to the rebel esc online the other day at misbehavin-rc.com and was able to set up the esc easily. i did put in ball bearings in the rear axles b/c i had the right size already. i couldn't find an antenna tube so i just wrapped the cord around whatever i could find.

i turned on the power and held it off the floor. i gave it throttle and the rear tires spun quickly while the front tires slowly gained momentum. i guess that's why the guy just took off the front diff...did i mention there is no belt tensioner on it? i am going to have to buy one.

as i drove it around my house to the back yard i was pleased with the way it handled. as i went down some stairs it took them with ease, where the stampede used to do a dive & flip maneuver. i am glad i got to drive it today, that made me feel better. here's a couple pics of it put back together. (i guess i shoulda gotten some of it stripped down a bit first)

next up is getting the front end to work. i am curious as to how much tighter the new front belt will be. we'll see when it comes in. as for now i'm going to just work at cleaning and investigating how it currently works vs how it is designed to work.

broncojd

i totally forgot to mention...when i drove it in the backyard the slipper was REALLY slipping a lot. so i went to tighten it, only to find that it is at maximum tightness. so i guess i'm going to have to buy a new slipper pad/washer thing. i hope i can find one.

sleepy23

My Feedback: (1)

i can hook you up with a brand new never painted body that I bought when i still had my mt

broncojd

thanks, but that's alright...i'm spending enough $$$ here getting it up and running. thanks, though! since you had one, though, is there anything you could offer in terms of things to look out for? perhaps weak points to monitor or anything?


in other news, i was able to get the 4wd to work properly. the attached pic shows that there are 2 gears mounted to the shaft. those 2 gears drive the two belts. well, there needs to be one pin in each gear to connect it to the shaft. the rear belt gear had it, but i realized the front one didn't. since i didn't have a pin to fit, i cut off part of a body clip and stuck it in there...voila! 4wd! it's like a whole other truck. i was running up and down curbs with no problem. and i don't know why, but the slipper isn't slipping as much either. i'll take it! and i'm still going to find a new slipper washer anyway.

i fell much better, i think i might actually be able to put it out of my mind when i go to sleep now. in the morning i'll probably put a stronger motor in.

f150dan

My Feedback: (18)

Oh, I see how you are.












haha, just kidding man. What kind of body do you have?

sleepy23

My Feedback: (1)

well i thought i would be able to fit it to my t4, but not so well.
its the dodge ram and would look sick painted up like i had in mind, but it just wont fit anything.
need it?

broncojd

if you're giving it away, i'll take it. i just can't give you anything for it. unless you need a stock servo or a used photon speed motor or something like that.

eddiebelanger

My Feedback: (1)

this look like a fun car i wish they still made this or something like it

broncojd

sleepy, my bad if you were talking to f150dan...i just reread what was written...

so, today i replaced the shock oil all the way around. the oil that came out looked like he was using 10w-30. i didn't have anything but 20wt & 70wt. so i went with the 20wt. surprisingly, it is an upgrade over what was in there. one shock was empty...i wonder if it leaks. at any rate, i'll probably just let it ride until i get around to replacing the shocks all together.

i did get the electronics wired up and the antenna slightly repositioned. it actually looks like a truck now, instead of just a chassis with some parts hanging off it.

Yub, yub, cmdr!

^_^ Clean it up and give it a shiny finish by boiling the plastic parts... they'll also make the parts more resistant to breakage.

broncojd

i read in some of the paperwork i have that if i boiled the parts they would harden...that's weird but i might try it

broncojd

here is a video of my lunchbox and rs4mt...

[link=http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1834869778]http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1834869778[/link]

or here

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PZkgPUlcj0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PZkgPUlcj0[/link]

eddiebelanger

My Feedback: (1)

vid is not working

edit; see you got it working looks like fun

broncojd

it's fixed. i put up the wrong one...doh! [:@]

icecreamslick

My Feedback: (9)

I like the truck! Nice vid. It looks like all of your work has paid off. [sm=thumbup.gif] I am buying an RS4 MT tomorrow if all goes well...have you noticed any weaknesses on the truck, in general? Are there any parts available for it anywhere, any more?

Jason

broncojd

weaknesses? not yet...i haven't had it that long.

as for parts, they're out there if you look hard enough. rcboyz.com has some, tower has some, ebay has some...your best bet is to just do an internet search for the part numbers and see what comes up.

these guys had the front belt (which is discontinued) i bought one from them.
[link=http://www.prop-shop.com/man/ZHPI.HTM]http://www.prop-shop.com/man/ZHPI.HTM[/link]

broncojd

i have installed full ball bearings and new belts front and back. i also installed a 17t motor with a 20t pinion. it runs about the same as the 20t with a 16t pinion. i haven't tried the 17 turn with 16t pinion yet.

when i first installed the new belts, the front differential tried to lock up and not spin at all. i am not sure what the problem was, but i fixed it by simply removing the front diff and reinstalling.

i bought some resistors for the 15 turn motor, and will get those in soon. i also bought parts to rebuild the shocks and some stiffer shock oil (35 weight) ... hopefully i'll be able to get the motor installed tomorrow...shocks will have to wait until the parts come in.