36 year old kyosho buggy revival...

[Jordlr]

Hey all,

I've got an old kyosho buggy that was bought for me in the early 80s that I want to revive. It still runs fine but is in desperate need of some TLC.

It's a chain driven, 4wd (can be Rwd direct drive by removing chain) 4 wheel steering setup that used to be rapid and agile. Unfortunately the servo driven circuit board style speed controller has worn through. I've managed to source a replacement board but was thinking what it would take to modernise it and this is where I come stuck.

Currently it's got a Futaba FP-R102GS 27mhz Reciever driving 2x Futaba FP-128B servos. 1 controls the speed controller for fwd/reverse and the other for the 4 way steering. The motor drives the gearbox which gives direct drive to the rear wheels and also drives the chain if attached for the front wheel drive. Its powered via a Ni-Cad 7.2v 1400mAh battery. Also has oil shocks. Everything is all original and still working apart from the board.

So, what would you do? Replace the board and keep it stock or modernise it? If I wanted to modernise it what would I need to do and what would I need to replace and how?

The tyres are perished and I can't find Kyosho Mudstar tyres anywhere so even if I kept it stock it would have new wheel and tyres on as a minimum anyway.

Here's some pictures to give context....

 

[WickedFog]

That IS a Gallop! Holy cow man. What an absolute blast from the past! It's the predecessor to the Jato, and the Gallop was my boyhood dream RC. But when the Jato came out I grabbed one of them.

If it were me personally, I would strip it down and put it back to as near mint as I could.

If you wanted to modernize it you could grab a new radio/receiver combo like a Flysky GT3B or GT3C, and a new motor and ESC and go brushless with a 2s LiPo. All in this way, depending on what you get you are probably looking at $150-$300.

Are these the same tires?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-RC...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

 

[Tunedfrog]

Sweet vintage rig.

 

[Jordlr]

Yeah my dad bought it for me when we lived out in Germany for a few years and I was like 5 years old. I couldn't control it back then unless I had a big field as it was damn fast! Been sat in my garage for a few years now but never been tempted to sell it.
This one came with Mudstar Tyres on with a stepped spike...
I did see some on ebay about a year ago but they were £75/$100 for 2.... I'd like it mint but not paying that much money. I might treat it to a new motor and battery and see how it runs. I was just driving it around the driveway but it was so slow even after 1min of driving and then stopped after 5 mins so thinking the battery is done for.

 

[Greywolf74]

If it were me, Id clean it up the best I could. maybe put some aftermarket tires on it if I could find some that would fit the original wheels. and then Id place it on a shelf stand never to be driven again. If you break it you'd have a hard time replacing most of the parts on it. Just my .02

 

[Chubaka]

That IS a Gallop! Holy cow man. What an absolute blast from the past! It's the predecessor to the Jato, and the Gallop was my boyhood dream RC. But when the Jato came out I grabbed one of them.

If it were me personally, I would strip it down and put it back to as near mint as I could.

If you wanted to modernize it you could grab a new radio/receiver combo like a Flysky GT3B or GT3C, and a new motor and ESC and go brushless with a 2s LiPo. All in this way, depending on what you get you are probably looking at $150-$300.

Are these the same tires?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-RC...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

Agree.

If it were me, new radio, new servo, new esc, and cut out a new motor plate. The old stuff, keep in a bag. Id stay brushed and lipo.

If the wrong part breaks, good chance it would be broke forever.

 

[Doom!]

That is such a cool rig, I'm fairly new to the RC game, never had one as a kid, so seeing the oldies is a treat for me.

 

[WickedFog]

Ok, before you drive it, if you plan to, there are some serious issues.

The motor plate is badly bent. In the pic at position one the idler gear isn't flush with spur. In position 2 the pinion is pulled back away from the idler, but it appears the mesh has bee corrected somehow. Didn't that have a fixed motor plate?

At position 3, that black plastic piece has a curved cuttout in it that is supposed to rest againg that bushing boss sticking out of the left side of the transmission housing. That is to keep the motor from bending that plate lol. Alsy, that black plastic piece is dupposed to rest on the transmission, which it looks to be about 2.5mm away from it. So the motor plate needs straightened out before you drive it, and that black plastic piece needs to be resting against the tranny snd that boss.

 

[Jordlr]

@wickedfrog

Yes you are right on all counts. I actually think at some point in its life the gearing might have been removed and put back on incorrectly resulting in the plate being stressed. Probably by me in my teenage years because I know it has had a new motor hence the inline splices on the motor cable going to the speed controller. I think the pinion you marked as 2 need to be turned around and the others turned to mesh correctly. All the positions on the plate are fixed so I'm not sure how or why the bending has happened. It may also be why the plastic isn't flush against the motor. I'm suspecting a slightly smaller diameter motor.

If you look at the photos below the plastic is in a fixed position and installed correctly. The brass pinion gun screw is only just on the motor shaft and the 2nd and 3rd drive don't mesh as well as they could. I've actually just found the original motor and it still works so not sure why it was changed. I might put the original motor back on and try to straighten the plate.

 

[WickedFog]

Oh, I see now. Is the other motor a bit bigger diameter can? And the washers on those motor screws gotta go. You need flatheads in there. But before anything, the motor plate needs to be perfectly flat. And I would heat it with a torch really hot and drop it into a can of oil to quench it to try to harden it back up. Not something for the inexperienced, but It will likely just bend back if you straighten it and don't try to harden it a bit.

What's probably happened is the car took a hit on the motor plate and bent it. It looks like that black plastic piece is cracked as well.

 

[tntpoof]

Great . I remember that rc..If this was 6 years ago Id have access to about 10 sets of Original tires and rims.but no longer..Id make it a shelf queen as said above parts are a no more..buy a new era rc..

 

[WutUp Clegg]

You know...
Honestly, I would pull all the electronics from it, clean up all the rust and grime, replace all the badly worn parts, if possible, and put it on the shelf. That is a really sweat looking Gallop. It way too nice to bash around in the yard.

Sure, you can build it up with the latest and greatest tech, but it would perform worse than a current RTR for the same price as fixing that one up. Also, when you break parts, which will happen, it will be hard to find new ones.

If it is something you don't really care to keep, sell it and get something you will really enjoy driving. I don't know how much it is worth, but I'm guessing at least $300-$400.

 

[WickedFog]

I agree. It would definitely be a shelf queen, and a darn purdy one. There are a couple on ebay right now.

 

[WideOpen]

Very cool indeed! I also like vintage and I also like original. Here is what I'd do. I would break it down all the way, clean, and reassemble it. I'd go with as much factory replacement parts as I could. I would replace what I could not find factory with a like part, make a note of the factory part number and casually look for it. Might find a parts one at a flea market. The tires, even restoring a 1:1 has replacement tires; but, that don't mean I wouldn't casually search for factory replacements. I would make it fully functional, I would drive it like you would a 1:1 restoration and then shelf it. Break it out now and then for some fun, that also keeps things functional. Also, put it on some kind of stand so the tires are just off the shelf during storage. And yes, those tires are too far gone for even installing tubes

 

[WickedFog]

After doing a bit of research on this, I found some people stating you can swap to the original Javelin wheels and tires, which would be the same as the Optima. Those might be easier to find.

If I find a US seller with some that will ship your way I will post some links if you like. Odds are though, it would be spendy.

 

[Jordlr]

Thanks for your thoughts and comments. I treated 8t to a new battery and it drives around great even on knackered tyres. I think like many have said, I will strip as far as I dare, clean and reassemble and then store it, bringing out for an occasional drive to keep things moving.

It shouldn't get damaged as I'm only doing small circuits of my road, not bashing it around a dirt track or anything.

I'll then get a small buggy to thrash about.

 

[Doom!]

Sounds like a solid plan. Gotta let her stretch her legs every once in a while.

 

[Jordlr]

Been a while since I updated. The kyosho has been put away again until I have time to do a full strip and rebuild to its former glory.

In the mean time I've treated myself to a Zd Racing DBX10 for a bit of fun. It's a 1/10th scale 3S buggy, and was got for $160 in the black friday events.

 

[WideOpen]

very nice - I would still like to see updates on the Kyosho

 

[Doom!]

Wow! That DBX10 looks great! Excellent price too.