Jimbo302

I bought a roller on a whim and am unsure of what to do with it. What model is it, what does it need, etc. Any advice is appreciated.
I am a complete newbie to nitro and traxxas.

1QwkSport2.5r

It looks like it needs a shock tower and front body mount installed, front shocks, servos, radio (I'd pitch the old Traxxas radio), and an engine/pipe/header. Stock Traxxas parts are plentiful and pretty cheap. The expensive part will be the engine and exhaust system. Depending on your budget, you could go with a used engine, cheap plastic muffler, maybe find a used header cheap... A new engine will set you back $100-130 depending on which engine you choose to use, a new pipe will run you $20-50, and the headers are probably $20-25.

If if you have interest in rebuilding the truck and keeping it, I could sell you a used 3.3 engine for a decent price. You'd need to get a header and muffler though.

Jimbo302

Thank you very much. That is exactly the kind of informed evaluation I needed.

The 3.3 is the big engine, isn't it? I might be interested.
If buying used which should I look for?

1QwkSport2.5r

Yes the 3.3 is the big engine. A bit "too much" for a stock rustler, but it makes it interesting. I put Jato arms on mine which widens the stance quite a bit and makes it much more stable. The 3.3 I have in my rustler has about 8 gallons through it, but it still runs really well. The cylinder still has a bit of pinch left. Used RC car engines are hard to gauge without having it in hand. One really needs to feel the engine turning over without a glow plug to have a good idea of what condition it's in, but more importantly just running it and getting it tuned. If buying through eBay or the classifieds, look for one with low runtime. Anything under a gallon and the engine isn't even broke in all the way. 2-4 gallons is good - broken in well. 5-8 gallons is high time for a RTR engine, but if the piston/liner still has a nice fit and the bearings are good, it should go to 10 gallons at least. A piston and liner set is 60-80$ and makes your engine basically new and requires breaking in again.

Jimbo302

What price were you thinking?

1QwkSport2.5r

Sent you a PM.

Jimbo302

I think I'm going to focus on my electric car and wait on the nitro. I'll probably part this one out.

Jimbo302

Well.... This car has just been sitting. I recently ran across a vintage Traxxas rear setup for an Electric truck. So, I hung it on the Rustler, with some parts I had in the bin:

1QwkSport2.5r

Nitro to electric conversions always bum me out, but if it makes the model run the way you want, who cares? I just got my electric rustler back from a friend of mine.

Jimbo302

Yeah, I can see that. I had already decided I'm not going to build a nitro motor and It had just been sitting and no one wanted it, then I ran across the Traxxas Hawk II rear for almost free and decided to make something out of nothing.

1QwkSport2.5r

If it works, how can you go wrong? I'm a die hard nitro guy, so I'm not much a fan of electrics, but I do have a couple. One electric plane and one electric truck (rustler).