Tamiya Bruiser restore log + seeking advice

[cragv]

Long-time lurker, seldom poster (so far). Hi all I have a Losi MRC that I've ghetto-modded including installing a 5800mAh NiMH battery system I built, completely waterproofed everything, 400 lumens spotties + LEDs, 4WS with front + rear Traxxas 2056 servos and a waterproof cooling system for stock ESC. Still haven't changed the body, but it has a few ARB stickers on it so that did the trick for me! Very happy with it and I enjoy exploring and playing in creeks and similar with my brother who also has a similarly-modded MRC, like the big kids we are!

Although I've done all the electronics and waterproofing myself, I'm still pretty new to RC (apart from 20+ years ago when I built my own Stadium Blitzer when they were still selling new). I'm good with the electronics but pretty average with body work, etc. Anway, to my story:

I picked up a tired and much-loved (abused?) Tamiya Bruiser the other day from a friend who didn't know what it was (I didn't know what it was at the time, either, knowing only that I was picking-up two RC vehicles sight-unseen that were otherwise going in the bin!). A little research and it turns out I have a highly sought-after truck, so that was a nice score, even if it is pretty tired! It came complete with 6ch original radio, Tamiya 6V 4000mAh battery and fast charger, so I plugged it all in over the weekend and everything seems to work, albeit with shagged batteries and servos near-death. Don't know if 4WD works yet, but the rear wheels turned at least (if slowly).

Some pics first:


Full-size: 1, 2, 3


Full-size: 4, 5, 6


As you can see it's been well-loved and is in quite a state. There are missing mounts and bolts here and there and the front wheels are quite loose. I've spent the last couple of days reading up on the Bruiser and now have a head full of info. I can see that there are some replacement parts available for some of the missing linkages and screws from RC4WD and similar, so I've ordered some already. I'm also going to strip and rebuild the transmission (have read the sticky here and have all the info I need, I think).

I'm going to order a new 2.4GHz radio and some new servos, then I'm going to change the truck to lipo, which I've never used before (although I've read all about it). I'd like to grab a beefy ESC and 540 motor (using RC4WD's conversion plate plus whatever I can make to fit the back of the motor to the chassis), which brings me to my first question for this build:

What 540 motor would be best suited to this transmission?

I'm going to use a LiPO battery system and an appropriate ESC. Doubtless to the chagrin of some, I'm not interested in keeping the 'vintage' accurracy for this model - once rebuilt, it's going to be used and enjoyed, so I'd like to take advantage of the newer battery and motor technology available and make this thing run well. I'm after durability and power (in that order) and don't want too much power so as to keep forces on the transmission within operating spec. Will be in low gear/4WD most of the time. I'm very much open to suggestions - thanks in advance!

I'll keep you posted in this thread with build updates and what-not. I'm going to start by stripping, cleaning, reassembling and lubing everything and will be shopping for parts at the same time. Suggestions, comments, pearls of wisdom and criticism welcomed. Cheers ;-)

 

[cragv]

Spent a bit of time on it over lunch. The servos were very clean inside - a good sign! I love the rubber door through which the steering and gear rod passes - the overengineering on this model really is a wonderful surprise indeed.

 

[cragv]

Well, I've just stripped it down to its main parts, ready for a good soak in vinegar for a couple of days. The tranny and diffs will be disassembled further, too.

I've also got a few goodies on the way from RC4WD to help fill some gaps in the truck, but mostly this will be a stock endeavour.

 

[cragv]

All the small fiddly bits are done now, leaving me with the chassis and drivetrain to clean up. Going smoothly!

Here is a 'during' and 'after' set of photos from the ultrasonic cleaner:

The end result thus far:

I just rebuilt the shocks and put 80wt oil in them as I went. I found one of the shock heads has a small hole in it so its just been JB Welded now. Will be ready to go shortly - top product, that.

 

[amatuer33]

Seen one of these about 15 years ago when I used to race.

 

[skinner]

Nice find man! I got one while ago and in process of restoring it also. When ya left it in vinegar for few days- what after? Polish or just rinse it off?
Keep this updated, gotta like them bruisers !

 

[cragv]

Nice find man! I got one while ago and in process of restoring it also. When ya left it in vinegar for few days- what after? Polish or just rinse it off?
Keep this updated, gotta like them bruisers !

Thanks

Regarding the metal, I haven't decided whether or not to chrome/powdercoat/paint the frame yet, so in the meantime I've just given everything a quick rub with a light oil to stop oxidizing. I soaked the bits overnight in vinegar, treated everything in the ultrasonic cleaner with fresh vinegar, then thoroughly washed with water. Dried, oiled, then left to sit while I do everything else.

With your Bruiser, did you ever look into motor replacements? I've found some quality info and experiments on the subject but it appears there's no perfect solution. At this point I'll probably get a low kv brushless motor and run it on 2S or 3S LiPOs with a careful approach to throttle. Am also now considering the stainless steel spur gear and bearings for the transmission rebuild - I'm sure it'll all help!

 

[cragv]

I had a close look at the wheels tonight. All 4 are in good shape (85% or better I reckon) and only one screw missing, easily replaced. The tyres however are not doing so well - two are fine, if a little firm, but the other two have significant cracks all around when pressed/flexed a little. They are 25 years old so I guess they had a good run

We're going to need at least new rubber and probably new wheels if I can't find anything compatible with them. These wheels are pretty nice and I'd like to keep them if I can. I wonder whether anyone has made new rubber to suit the original Bruiser wheels? I'll have to have a bit of a look around I think!

 

[1BadJeepBruiser]

The answer to your questions solely relies on what direction you want to take this thing. If you are looking to go restored to OG status I can help you. If you are looking to make a great runner out of it and make it look 1000z more realistic I can help you with that too "thumbsup"

 

[skinner]

Cragv - I have original motor and intend to use it. When time for motor I may search into other options.

 

[cragv]

The answer to your questions solely relies on what direction you want to take this thing. If you are looking to go restored to OG status I can help you. If you are looking to make a great runner out of it and make it look 1000z more realistic I can help you with that too "thumbsup"

Not really interested in OG, although I do want to leave the tranny and suspension as fairly original, at least externally. I'm going to install bearings in the tranny and new leaf springs under the truck, for example. I guess I'd like to make a great runner out of it and making it look realistic is definitely a goal too. I very much welcome your input and advice - I've never done anything like this before and I think my weakest point will be body work (although I've got a lot to learn all-round!!). Thanks for the friendly offer, it's gratefully accepted :ror:

Cragv - I have original motor and intend to use it. When time for motor I may search into other options.

Good to know, thanks. I'm currently veering towards putting RC4WD's alloy spur gear and bearings in the tranny, sticking something like this motor through RC4WD's adapter, and then putting a large-capacity 2S or possibly maybe 3S through a 120A ESC. I'll be gentle on the throttle and realise this gear is all pretty old and wasn't designed to take a lot of power, but I'm hopeful I might get away with such a setup. I'm still undecided overall though, so in the meantime I'm going to keep cleaning up the rest of the truck until I make up my mind!!

 

[cragv]

The body is as clean as its going to get without repainting, polishing or chroming - and given its age she's in pretty good nick.

The front and rear bars (one of which was almost cracked in half) were mysteriously lost in a hit-and-run incident involving the bin. There were no survivors.

The diffs have been cleaned, disassembled and regreased, although that final step was debateably unnecessary given both axle housings were very well sealed and there was no evidence of water ingress. Pretty happy about that! Also, you can see the JB-Welded shock in this pic - it isn't quite the same colour as the rest of the shock body, but I figure I'll just face it inwards and noone will know the difference. Maybe I'll replace the shocks at a later date. For now, this'll do!

Now all that needs doing is that transmission (I'm waiting for bearings and spur gear in the post), then it'll be time to bolt on the new good stuff! That is, unless I decide to properly polish or otherwise treat the frame and all the bits and pieces... since this'll be a runner, I don't think I'm going to be too fussed about it this time round. Maybe next rebuild in another 25 years

 

[skinner]

Looking good. But I thought about it last nite and if my motor fails , i'll get a 35t and 2s...I'd be lil afraid on 3s and a b/l....

 

[cragv]

Looking good. But I thought about it last nite and if my motor fails , i'll get a 35t and 2s...I'd be lil afraid on 3s and a b/l....

Thanks I'm also considering just keeping the stock RS750SH can now, and maybe just replacing the brushes (once I learn how to do that and from where to purchase them!). I will probably run lipos tho given their power density, so I need a good brushed motor ESC from somewhere.

ED. I just found a Traxxas XL-5 brushed ESC on eBay for under $50 shipped. It's a 60A constant/100A max with low voltage cut-off (lipo protection) so that was pretty convenient. Waterproof and has built-in 6A BEC too, which is nice. We'll go with the stock motor first then, and maybe down the track I'll look into other more modern options!

 

[cragv]

I've had a few parts arrive over the last week - things are slowly coming together. More pictures soon!

To anyone who knows: what tires out there (be it 1.9 or 2.2 or others) that fit the Bruiser wheels? As I understand it, these wheels are pretty unique and use a different axle adapter/hub than most other RC trucks, so rather than replacing the wheels it seems like the best thing to do is just buy new rubber for the originals. Can anyone tell me what tire/s they've had that have fit? Thanks!

 

[cragv]

Home all weekend and sick as a dog with horrid flu :tired:

So I cleaned up the body and removed many of the tired old stickers today in preparation for painting. Also removed the one remaining headlight cone as I'll be mounting bright CREE LED torch faces here (it'll be seamless, I've done it on another truck and it came out quite well indeed). Also mounted some of the RC4WD brackets to the body and reassembled the suspension on both axles. Found a few minor issues with screw hole sizes being incorrect (from the same RC4WD product too, a disappointing surprise!) but overall the fit and finish was very good. It'll all go together later - still waiting for a few items to arrive.

Things are progressing slowly but surely!

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[meatmonkey]

When you dive into the trans, please take lots of pics. I've always wondered what sort of magic was in their that allowed for realistic 2wd, 4wd and low range 4wd.

Nice job so far, glad to see that your resurecting it instead of hocking it on ebay.

It's pretty neat to see all the gromets and and other steps Tamiya took to make it wet weather friendly.

 

[skinner]

Looking good man "thumbsup" and hope ya get well !!

 

[cragv]

Thanks skinner, I'm working on it! I run an IT business from home so its easy to work even though I shouldn't be. Have applied myself to stay off the work machine most of the day. Feeling terrible in general right now!

When you dive into the trans, please take lots of pics. I've always wondered what sort of magic was in their that allowed for realistic 2wd, 4wd and low range 4wd.

Nice job so far, glad to see that your resurecting it instead of hocking it on ebay.

It's pretty neat to see all the gromets and and other steps Tamiya took to make it wet weather friendly.

It will be my pleasure to fully photo-document the strip down and rebuild of the transmission, no problem. These trucks are really quite an amazing piece of work given they're going on 26 years old now!!

 

[cragv]

I'm back from a great camping holiday on Fraser Island where my brother's and my Losi MRC crawlers had quite a workout in the role of 'island bashing', battling darkness, rain, sand, creeks, big hills and all sorts of obstacles. Both our trucks are submersibly-waterproof and sport large capacity NiMH batteries and lights for night runs. Was a fantastic break and now I'm back I'm ready to continue with the Bruiser.

I just ordered a Turnigy 5200mAh 2S 30C Hard-Case LiPO battery pack and a suitable charger to match. Also on the way is a shopping list of items from HK that will allow me to experiment with various connectors and wiring configurations on the Bruiser.

I'd still love to hear from anyone regarding tires for the original Bruiser wheels. Please, if you're reading this and have any experience at all with suitable rubber for this truck, I'd really love to hear from you! Thanks