OK, since I can't edit my previous post that had my Master List of what I had done to my Frog, here is the new Master List:
1. Replaced original (bought when I was a kid) CRP/Parma/etc (?) Steering Rods with TwinningMike replacement from EBAY (exactly the same as CRP replacement, but included all the hardware and threaded rods). I also picked up some NOS CRP replacements...
2. Replaced "popcorn" original tranny with used Robinson Racing tranny. Replaced worn gear and it works fantastic!
3. Replaced original silver can with a Sport Tuned.
4. Picked a clear plastic "window" tranny cover (fictpacket on EBAY). Pretty cool, it lets me see how the pinion sits.
5. Installed new BEC (hobbyking). Repaired/replaced almost all of the old wiring with new wire/solder/heat-shrink. Pulled the new BEC out of the system since it was giving me such RFI fits...
6. Added CRP rear shock mounts.
7. Replaced original rear dampers with Xtra Speed 75mm dampers w/ 250cst juice. They're Yeah Racing clones...
8. Dyed and added CRP tranny skid plate. (subsequent runs have scratched it and it now showed the white again. I should have just spray painted it black, it would have been easier).
9. Added new Brat tires on all 4 corners. Original (bought when I was a kid) Buggy Champ rear wheels and EBAYed Brat wheels on the front... I also picked up and/or built new Frog front tires and new Grasshopper Sand Paddle rear tires... I also have a set of Frog spiked tires that survived the years... I have yet to run as of these; the Brat tires are my "daily drivers"...
10. Replaced original MSC servo arm with modified CRP steering arm. Why not? I had the extra parts...
11. Added front shock mount (logisticsshop on EBAY).
12. Added Yeah Racing 70mm dampers w/ 250cst juice to front.
13. Replaced front suspension arms and all metal parts with new parts. I only kept a few original screws and the axle knuckles.
14. New CRP front bumper. Inserted new tamiya front bumper support, old bumper, and old fiber-plate. I needed more room for bigger front tires...
15. Replaced original rear swing arms with .50 Caliber aluminum swing arms.
16. Added HPI #2135s and Pro-Line Road Hawg II's for rear.
17. Replaced original rear swing arm braces with CPR 1606 (sprayed painted black).
18. Added CRP 1606 support to Transmission Box.
19. Added threaded rod via CRP 1606.
20. Added HPI #2100s and Pro-Line Striker II's for the front.
21. Removed steering servo, MSC, and associated wiring. Replaced w/ TEU-105bk.
22. Added a rubber end bell boot on the Tamiya Sport Tuned. (I also got a foam one, but that was too flimsy and kept coming off).
23. Added a Yeah Racing heat sink to the Tamiya Sport Tuned.
24. Replaced broken/worn out rear hubs with aluminum hubs.
25. Replaced broken/worn Robinson Telescopic drive shafts with Traxxas #4851.
26. Replaced original chassis with Re-Re chassis (original has a few stripped screw holes and a couple of small cracks).
Since my last post here, I've replaced the MSC with the TEU-105bk. Took a few times to get it programmed right, but it works now (though it beeps whenever I apply the throttle???).
I also broke one of the Robinson/Thorp telecopic arm/drive shafts. I read somewhere and took a gamble... And I can affirm that the Traxxas #4851 is almost a perfect fit - the length is perfect, but the pin-holes need to be reamed out with a needle file slightly in order to fit... Good news! We now have a reliable replacement!
And I committed a huge "no-no". I replaced the original chassis with a Re-Re chassis. The original had a few stripped screw-holes and had some minor stress-marks and cracks... It also had a few burn marks when it once caught on fire long ago! I feel guilty, but it had to be done... A guy laughed at me at work today: "its been through 2 heads and 12 handles, but its still grandpa's axe"...
I also picked up a rubber end-bell motor cover and a heat sink... Just to keep the dust out, and to cool things off since they are covered in rubber now...
Just about the only thing left to do is fix up the body and make new custom decals. I think I'm going to just repair the body I have (I have to keep something original right???). But I've peeled off most of the old decals... I should probably touch up the paint too...
I do need to get some good off-road tires... I have a set of Pro-Line #2526 and #2527 rims that are a bolt on Blackfoot replacement... I have some Losi sand balloons w/ inserts on the front and Tamiya Racing spike balloons w/ inserts on the rear... Old tires that work for now, but I want some new Pro-Lines!
Terry