Dont Crush'em; Restore them - RC10GT

[Lobonyc]

I've heard the "Dont Crush'em; Restore them" phrase plenty of times on the "Muscle Car" show. So that's exactly what i did.

Back in my youth I remember waiting patiently for Associated to create a nitro version of their electric truck the RC10T. Although i had lots of fun with my Traxxas Nitro Hawk it was only keeping me occupied until Associated released the RC10GT in 1993. I ran to Bruckner Hobbies in the Bronx and made my purchase. This was the original black-tub chassis no engine kit.

I've had it for a long time. It survived 2 wives and 1 girlfriend. It spent a little over 4 years in the closet under a layer of attached petrified mud. The bearings and engine were rusted, the differential was gritty, and the shocks were in need of a burial.

Now on my third wife, I've decided to restore my trusty companion.

These black tub pictures were taken before the 4 year closet hiatus. Where did the mud come from ? I was having some much needed fun when I jumped a DRY dirt mound and landed in an unseen pool of MUD. Oh the humanity!!! My little buddy gurgled and wheezed before it stopped breathing. (...sound of TAPS in the background). It was one of those "What else is going to go wrong in my life" moments so when i got home it was thrown in the bottom of the closet for years.

I must thank a coworker who asked me to accompany him on an errand during our lunch hour (THANKS JOSE FOR SPARKING THE RC INTEREST AGAIN). I had no clue he was an RC buff or that we were running to a hobby shop. It was like walking into a candy shop. I tried to keep my cool but the little kid inside of me was screaming and jumping with joy. I maintained my composure and we left. That night I went into my closet in search of my old buddy. A lot of the mud had to be chiseled off and the truck was finally broken down for deep cleaning and prepping. The next few weeks had Jose and myself running to the hobby shop in search of replacement parts.

Aluminum arms front and rear.
Aluminum Rear shock tower.
Purple shocks (I believe these might be megatech)
Aluminum Tranny housing.
Robinson metal tranny gears, spur gear and clutch bell.
Proline 2.2 tires front and rear
New Ball bearings all around.
New Reedy 1600mah receiver pack.
Megatech .16 Chris Chianelli engine (RIP Chris)
MIP purple stinger exhaust header and pipe.
MIP CVD's
MIP 4n1 clutch
Atomik body


Now for some pics

The Old RC10GT

notice the old gold shocks, white nylon pieces and the Ron Paris 1/10 exhaust pipe (RIP Ron).


The Restored RC10GT

This truck is now ready for action. It might be vintage but it still kicks butt.

These two items were added recently. The front hub adapters allows the use of the same wheel (12mm hex) on all four axles.

Proline - SC10 front hub adapters (needs to be modified)
Axial 2.2 crawler wheels front and rear (12mm hex)



The bonus: A Factory Team RC10GT

Over 5 years ago I managed to purchase a NIB RC10GT Factory Team version for $125 at Americas Hobby Center months before they closed. I purchased lots of hop-ups as well and put everything away for a "rainy day" build.

About 2 years ago (it rained) so i had started the "Factory Team" build (lol). I was about 98% finished (just needed the throttle/break linkages) when I stopped. The cause? Axial's AX10 Scorpion.

I was having so much fun with the crawler that i burnt out both front and rear steering servos. Of course i cannibalized my Factory Team truck's servos before it was ever finished, not cool (everyone knows how that goes).

So when restoring my original RC10GT I ordered additional parts to finish the Factory Team edition. Once finished i will update this thread with some more photos.

Comments welcome.

 

[Lobonyc]

RC10GT Factory Team Truck

I can finally say I finished my build.

I installed some new servos and slapped on some fresh Pro-Line rubber on RPP 2.2 aluminum rims. Topped it off with a Pro-Line Crowd Pleaser body and simple but clean paint job.

Here are a few pics:

She's finally ready to go out and play! hehehe

At last I get to break in the OS .18 CVR engine that i purchased in June of 2007 (4 years ago). I can't believe I waited this long.

Hope you guys enjoy these pics.

Will be posting videos once I get her up to speed.

 

[grave 1]

rig. .

nice rig but as long as i persol was redoig it would converted it to two moa as i think they are easyer to run and you can get as much out of each eng.so personly as an old man parlized on right half of body the elc.s work better for me. buy the way i think me and sonlaw are about to take on are first build want a 1/10 chassye and a 1/8 drive tran of 1/8 rock slid i have a 1/8 and love it just want to go down a couple sizes:roll:

 

[EeePee]

About 2 years ago (it rained)

I laughed.

 

[skinvandal]

Wow them are some of the nicest RC10GTs i've ever seen!! Its so hard 2 get aftermarket performance parts for the GT now a days. Anyone know of any good spots to order some quality parts? Some aluminum or titanium shock towers? (Not the ones that have a big "GT" cut out) I've looked online for ever & have had no luck.

 

[Lobonyc]

Wow them are some of the nicest RC10GTs i've ever seen!! Its so hard 2 get aftermarket performance parts for the GT now a days. Anyone know of any good spots to order some quality parts? Some aluminum or titanium shock towers? (Not the ones that have a big "GT" cut out) I've looked online for ever & have had no luck.

Your right, aluminum parts are getting harder to find but at this point you should at least get replacement parts whether they are aluminum or stock.

I purchased a few RPM front and rear arms as well as many spare parts just to ensure i can keep the trucks running for many more years.

 

[Lobonyc]

Update: forgot to post these. The engine was on its way to getting broken-in. 4 tanks into break in and the Parks Dept rangers asked me to leave, not cool man!

On the shake down run the truck lost a tire...so i had to run!

Now running with body & checking temps...

Lost a wheel....run forest run...

Tighten wheels for another run then was asked to leave

During shake down run the steering servo saver had to be tightened. Initial setting was too soft and would hardly turn at speed. A few turns clockwise proved too tight as a turn at speed made the truck flip over. Luckily i found a happy medium before getting ejected.

4 tanks, lost a wheel and somehow my rear wing. Engine performed great during break-in with no shut-offs. Hoping to get another run session soon.

 

[Meatwad]

Old school man.. an rc10gt was my first nitro rc. Yours looks a helluva lot nicer than mine ever did though :ror: One of the reasons I gave up on the nitro spitters, getting booted.

Run Forrest! Ow something jumped up and bit me!

 

[Postclanker]

:lmao::lmao:
Run Alex..... I got tears man


What a clean rig Lobo...like you never ran it before....:shock::shock:

 

[JokersWild]

I was a sponsored racer for years running the gt..... Ran the pan.chassis and r&d the rtr chassis before they came out. Changed dimensions some and front bulk head mounts and became the new team chassis. I've ran them all.... Soon after out door tracks were nill here so I quit running nitro. Now I won't even touch them. Too slow... No fun to me anymore. Now my og California rc10 is a different story. Now that's vintage..... Pre stealth trans and three spoke wheels with knock offs.

Nice looking rigs tho. I ran that stinger once. Always had tuning issues due to poor flow.

 

[Lobonyc]

Old school man.. an rc10gt was my first nitro rc. Yours looks a helluva lot nicer than mine ever did though :ror: One of the reasons I gave up on the nitro spitters, getting booted.

Run Forrest! Ow something jumped up and bit me!

Old school indeed, lol, thanks for the compliment. I love the rc10gt. 2wd fun, 2wd simplicity, easy maintenance, and great handling. But one of the negatives is exactly that...getting booted. Had my share of boots.

:lmao::lmao:
Run Alex..... I got tears man

What a clean rig Lobo...like you never ran it before....:shock::shock:

HAHAHA, that was a long run for me Post. damn wheel kept rolling away from me. luckily, no damage was done.

You are correct in saying "like you never ran it". This was the maiden voyage for the blue piped GT. I was breaking her in and got 4 tanks/runs when i got ejected from the parking lot. The GT with the purple pipe was restored from its original black tub to the more modern version. That truck has been bashed. Its on its second chassis, 3th set of shocks, 2nd slipper and 2nd engine; still....i keep it clean:mrgreen:

I was a sponsored racer for years running the gt..... Ran the pan.chassis and r&d the rtr chassis before they came out. Changed dimensions some and front bulk head mounts and became the new team chassis. I've ran them all.... Soon after out door tracks were nill here so I quit running nitro. Now I won't even touch them. Too slow... No fun to me anymore. Now my og California rc10 is a different story. Now that's vintage..... Pre stealth trans and three spoke wheels with knock offs.


Nice looking rigs tho. I ran that stinger once. Always had tuning issues due to poor flow.

Thats pretty cool Joker. I still like running nitros, i love the fill and run aspect. not to mention the sound and smell. I remember the OG rc10's with the prestealth trannys. My bud had several. I purchased a rc10 but my buddy told me wait till the rumored new tranny(stealth) was released.

Thanks for the compliment, the stinger exhaust is still a pain. The exhausted oil doesn't flow out of the pipe and sometimes builds up especially when running rich. once you get it tuned and keep the engine revving the truck runs smooth. Cant let it idle to long; not the case with the side pipe.

 

[paleblue46]

SWEET rig Lobo . Thats what I would like to do to the RC10 that I got a while back.

 

[romulus22]

This thread hits home for me. I've been on a vintage kick for a while and the RC10GT was one of the first on my list as I had one when I was younger.

Here's my new built very early 1'st gen RC10GT.

Couple high dollar items inside.

 

[Lobonyc]

SWEET rig Lobo . Thats what I would like to do to the RC10 that I got a while back.

Thanks Pale...It took me a long time to finish the factory team truck. A lot of years past between the purchase of the kit and me finishing and finally running it.

One of my goals for 2013 is to run my trucks(nitro and crawlers) more often.

This thread hits home for me. I've been on a vintage kick for a while and the RC10GT was one of the first on my list as I had one when I was younger.

Here's my new built very early 1'st gen RC10GT.

Couple high dollar items inside.

Very clean build! RC10GT is still one heck of a truck...

That black tub brings back a lot of memories...I loved the fact that it was a tub but it annoyed me for fact that it was not symmetrical.

I still cant part with them... :mrgreen:

Hey is that a Ron Paris 1:10 pipe?

 

[romulus22]

Hey is that a Ron Paris 1:10 pipe?

Yes sir. Same one they used on the truck on the box. Took me forever to find it and had to buy almost $300 worth of stuff I didn't want on ebay just to get it. Haven't seen the same one since.

 

[Lobonyc]

Yes sir. Same one they used on the truck on the box. Took me forever to find it and had to buy almost $300 worth of stuff I didn't want on ebay just to get it. Haven't seen the same one since.

I knew it, lol. I still have mine in a tool box, just pulled it out for a quick pic...mine came with no weld marks at the end & it's not chambered. is yours chambered? If my memory serves my right the power came on in the high end of the powerband where the stock associated unit came on in the low end of the powerband.

That's a bummer to have to get extra stuff just for a pipe...

I pulled it out of the toolbox for a quick pic, lol

Question...When did you get the kit? how recent was your build and have your run it yet?

 

[romulus22]

I built mine from a NIB kit. It was a pull start kit so I still have to source out the correct mounts and flywheel. But the tank hasn't seen a drop of fuel or will it ever. All I did was drop a few drops of after run oil in the engine to lube the bearings to prevent rusting. Not sure when it was originally purchased but I picked it up off ebay a few years ago.

I saw your pipe in your first post and for a second was in shock that you had the pipe I searched for so long to get. If you ever decide you'd sell that one though please ask me first.

 

[2.slowduo]

My brother and I recently "restored" his rc10. With a brushless electric motor and lipo power

He sez. It is way faster than with gas power. Hobby store said it could not be done but 10 min with a dremel. Bam brushless ten GT. fun stuff

 

[Lobonyc]

These trucks did start off as electrics end evolved into nitro powered.

Going back to electrics should not be a challenge. Hobby shop probably wanted to sell you a new electric kit.

The electrics of today on would indeed make the GT faster than nitro but i still prefer the refuel and run aspect of nitro. I love listening to the engine and adjusting the carburetor; figuring out adjustments for different day temp settings like for a cool, warm or hot day. Whats even cooler is that you have to keep listening to your truck to make sure its stays dialed in, so its a bit more involved.

you should post a pic...interested in seeing conversion.

 

[Lobonyc]

Well i decided to check online for nitro to electric conversion for the RC10GT as i was curious...not that this is something i wish do to...i prefer to keep the GT as a nitro rig. I found these 2 pics online (not my pics).

As for me...i recently purchased a brand new (still in the sealed bag) MIP 360 stinger exhaust for my rc10gt. not only that but it was the original purple anodized version(my favorite) that i have on my older GT. These pipes made the GT sound like a dirtbike and kept the oils and exhaust from coating your rear left tire, wheel, shock and arms. unfortunately as the GT is not longer made...neither is the pipe. I really lucked out with finding a brand new one.

I must give thanks to Romulus22. If not for our dialogue i would have not searched ebay and found this little gem.

I picture of unopened goodness, lol