Turbo Optima?
 

Hi Guys,

I've always wanted an Optima since I first started out with R/C cars; and I've finally managed to get hold of one, with the intention of restoring and rebuilding it.

I think it's a Turbo Optima, is there anything to look out for, other than the Gold shocks and anti-roll bars to help identify it properly?

Thanks, Colin

Hey Colin, It looks like a Turbo Optima to me, it has the guard under the chassis. What motor does it have? It could be a Salute, they were pretty much the same car but with a different body and they didn't come with a motor in the kit.


Keith ;)

Hi Keith, Thanks for the reply. It has come with an aftermarket motor, not sure about which one as the label is badly damaged. I'll try and get a better look for you during the tear down. It has also come with an aftermarket bodyshell, not even sure it's a Kyosho shell, so that doesn't help identify it either.

That's a good thought on the Salute, did that have a chain or belt drive? I know that this has a belt drive.

Colin

If it has a belt the it's converted. I don't think any kit came with that stock. The arms where also reinforced on the Turbo Optima.

Scans are always nice inspiration. Here's the Turbo from the Kyosho Catalog back in 1987.

http://joppis.dyndns.org/turbo_optima/catalog1987.jpg

Man I gotta get me some of the old Kyosho catalogs, awesome pics.:thumbsup:

As Joel said, the belt drive was an upgrade offered by Option House. All the rear motor version Optima's from the original Optima up to the Optima Pro came as chain drives.

I have a nearly complete Turbo Optima project myself as well as a NIB one, seeing those pics makes me wanna get my project's body painted.

Keep us updated with the strip down and rebuild.


Keith ;)

Hi Joel,

Thanks for the scans, you're right they do give some inspiration for the re-build. I had a feeling that the belt drive was an option, so I seem to have fallen lucky there.

When you mentioned the arms being reinforced, do you mean with ribs or the material itself?

Keith, will gladly keep you updated. I've not raced for a couple of seasons now, and wanted to do this as a way to keep interested in the hobby. The Optima does seem in pretty good condition (if a little grubby), the only part that seems to be missing is the front bumper.

I did have an old Le Mans 600E motor, but I think i gave it away! But I do have an old HPI UNO motor that may get fitted.

I may be back on to question you guys regarding part numbers and issues I may have if that's ok?

Colin

You are right...the belt drive is the nicer option especially for running. The chain is a bugger to get right and skips. Rare to find the belt conversion kit and if you do goes for a lot of wonga.

Your HPI UNO sounds interesting! Forget about the 600E Le mans...not a good motor for the optima..an endurance motor found with some 1/12 setups. Get a one of the 240/360 Lemans for 4wd instead.

Been doubting myself all afternoon now with that motor. Anyway, after a bit of delving around I managed to find it stashed safely away with my old ZX-R. :thumbsup:

Here's a couple of pictures, not sure on the wind though.

Colin

http://www.hpiracing.co.jp/contents/...d_list0808.xls

Maybe this useful list could help?

The original Optima had wishbones made with thin sections with no material between them to beef them up. The Turbo and Salute wishbones have thicker arms and extra webbing bracing the wishbones. The Optima Mid arms are even stronger and include cutouts so you can use metal collets to keep the Optima inner pivot pins in place instead of relying on the grub screw into plastic.

To answer most of your questions you can find the manual here http://www.retromodelisme.com/manuel...ma-kyosho.html

Plenty of old Kyosho catalogues to browse through on Retromodelisme.
http://www.retromodelisme.com/liste_doc.html

Hi Terry,

I've managed to get hold of a manual thanks, that was the main reason behind the post to be honest, so I made sure I was looking for the right parts.

Are you aware of any newer parts that may retrofit the turbo from other models. Such as drive shafts, cups etc that may be hard to find, if I need them?

Thanks, Colin

The whole suspension is used on the Mid, along with the diffs used in the belt drive conversion. The Ultima uses similar gearbox internals, if the final pinion has had it the plastic Ultima one with the Ultima layshaft is a good replacement if you can't find a hardened final pinion. The driveshafts, axles, diff internals were still used in the Lazers as well, and there are very few parts that are hard to find.

Started the stripdown tonight, so thought I'd post some pictures of the Optima along the way. It does seem in pretty good (if dirty) condition; fully ballraced throughout, and the gearboxes and belt covers were sealed with silicon - so someone took some care of it at some point.


The only problem during the process was a sheared ball stud on one of the steering knuckles.:thumbdown:


Just got to start cleaning, and checking parts to see if they can be re-used, then onto the re-build.

Colin

Great ! The 80's cars were the best ! You'll need some Coca Cola for the screws, the turnbuckles and the driveshafts :) . I think that your motor is an old Trinity Speed Gems.

Thanks for that, I was trying to figure out what motor was in the car; but half of the label has perished.

Out of interest what will the coca cola do for the screws, turnbuckles and driveshafts - is it just a quicker way of cleaning them?

Colin

Looks like it'll clean up well Colin, having a straight front brace and lower guard is a bonus too. Looking forward to seeing it all cleaned up and finished.


Keith ;)

It's a Trinity Speedworks machine wound budget modified. A better photo of what's left of the label will give a clue of what wind it is.

It is supposed to be a rust remover, but citric acid or oxalic acid are much faster and cleaner to use. Plenty of videos on youtube demonstrating their use. Wash afterwards with a baking soda solution to neutralise the acid.

Hi Keith, you're right; it is all pretty straight (rails and plates etc). I have found some bent drive shafts, but hopefully I can find replacements for those. The only thing that is missing is the front bumper, and I believe those are as hard to find as hens teeth.

Colin

Thanks for that Terry, I'll give everything a run through the cleaner first to get rid of the majority of crud and rubbish, then see what I'm left with.

I'll have a closer look at the motor tonight, and post another picture if needs be.

Colin

Hi Colin,
Great to see another Optima fan out there :thumbsup:
From looking at the pictures, here are some things you will need;

Belt drive lexan cover(expensive for such a part)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/W-0105-Lexan...item5d3fef760d

Stabilizer bar link(complete, not partial, you only need the link)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kyosho-OT-54...item439bf72c30

Gold shock collars
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kyosho-W-501...item460ed47966

Or you can clean them really good and dye them also

And the correct rear springs.

Maybe you can find most parts here.

Like Keithrc said; "Looks like it'll clean up well Colin, having a straight front brace and lower guard is a bonus too. Looking forward to seeing it all cleaned up and finished."
That's a bonus!!!

:thumbsup:

Hi Optiman,

Thanks for the reply, and the links as well. You're right that is a lot to part with for a small piece of lexan!

I'm hoping to have the missing stabilizer link in the spare lazer parts I have, but I will have to change out the spring collars for the correct ones.

I'm sure the shopping list will start growing pretty quickly.

Colin

Hi Terry,

Had a check on the motor, and I think it's a speedworks monster mash?? - the only visible words are works, and mash. So don't think I can be wrong there :thumbsup:

Do you know anything about that motor?

Colin

Trinity Speedworks Monster Mash, a 16 turn motor designed for plenty of torque as originally designed for the Clodbuster with the Monster Mash 2 reverse running motor. A modified can so you can pop it part and rebuild it.If you want to run it I can skim the armature for you.

As for the lexan belt cover, ten minutes with a piece of scrap lexan bent into a U shape and trimmed will give you a cover that will do the job of keeping dirt out of the belt without going to an overpriced ebay shop.

Well I'm surprised it's been over 2 years since I last posted on this thread. I've finally managed to spend some time on the Optima, and actually get the chassis completed:thumbsup:.

Started off by working on the metal work, working my way up through the various grades of paper until I got the surface to a finish I was happy with.

Colin

Once the metal work was completed, i could move onto the actual rebuild.

Colin

Finished chassis. The only new parts are the belt, bearings, and new rear arms. I've upgraded the drive shafts to universals.

Everything else was from the original car.

Just need to find a new shell now, to finish it off.:thumbsup:

Colin

Looks great Colreid! I have restored many Optima's since I started collecting. They are fun to build. I see you found a bumper :) Hope it didn't set you back too much. Restoring these without buying new parts is more rewarding than just replacing everything (and much cheaper). Nice job buddy! ;)

Personally I prefer the metal look as on the second picture, so even color, but still a little dull, as I think it looks more "rough" and fitting an offroad buggy, but still a nice looking Optima, for sure.

I know what you mean about the bumpers, it took a long time to find one. It's not in great condition but does the job. When the new bumpers were coming up for sale, they were going for more than I paid for the whole chassis:confused:

Colin

I know what you mean about the look of the second picture, I nearly stopped at that stage; but decided to carry on.

If I start another, possibly a std Optima or Optima Pro; I'll keep any metal restoration a little duller/flatter.

One question I do have regarding the Turbo, I was going to upgrade the tie rods to adjustable turnbuckles; and have all the parts to do it. But i wasn't sure if they were an available option at the time, so left the standard ones on.

Were the adjustables available, or did they arrive later with the Optima Mid's?

Colin

I'm no expert, but last year managed to pick up an original turbo optima in pretty much original condition and the tie rods were not adjustable turnbuckles.

I restored mine to original optima but with gold shocks and added a belt conversion so I could use it occasionally for the odd run out.

Still brings a smile to my face when I see it going round the track

That's what they were built to do, it takes you back when there's a track full of old stuff :thumbsup:

Absolutely. And when there is an anticlockwise track it is even better as mine doesn't turn right too well due to the slightly iffy servo savers of the mid 80s.

That makes me feel as though I made the right decision then. This one came with the belt conversion so I was quite lucky there. Not sure I'd give it a run though, there's certain parts I would be worried about replacing again.

Of the older cars I've got I'd be more tempted to give my Lazer ZXR a run out.

That could be next on the list, once I've sorted out the body for the Turbo Optima.

Colin

Kamtec do an Optima Turbo shell (on e-bay) - I have had a normal optima shell from them in past and it was good so that is an option if you are looking?

Have fun, and which part is it you would struggle to replace? Id say run the Optima, but only in a race of other vintage cars so everyone takes a bit more care (that is the downside of re-re cars - they may be "old style" but with easy access to spares, sometimes they can go a little quick)

Will have a look at the Kamtec shells, I didn't know they produced one for the Turbo Optima.

I've not raced for around 4 years now, but a vintage race does appeal.

I think I'd be concerned about things like chassis rails (I've hardly ever seen genuine Kyosho ones come up), and some of the drive train parts really. I've managed to collect quite a few NIP spares along the way (got a bit carried away buying parts:thumbsup:), so a few areas would be covered.

It's been a fun and enjoyable build to take it from its original state to this, I'm quite pleased with the end result.

Colin

I've never seen an Optima with those, AFAIK these were not bundled with kits until the Mid series.

Thanks for letting me know, that's two people that have said the same thing. Really glad I didn't fit them now.:)

I've got three lemans motors for the car, a 360ST, 360PT and a 240ST, in the end I fitted the 240ST. Don't know if that was the best choice from the three?

Colin

I have one of the 360 motors, not sure if a PT or ST, and a 240 ST. For me the 240ST is the fastest, though it's still not as fast as a hotter modified motor.

Looks stunning, would advise not running it though and its easier to get bits for your Lazer than this. Spend a bit on a professional paint job, you wont regret it.

I myself wanted a bit of history and gone and bought all the cars I used and drove when i got drives and admit went overboard and done the electrics, including the chargers as well as the transmitter (I bought five of the same :( )and receivers plus of course motors so once you start its hard to stop.

Yes Kamtec do lots of stuff including the Parma tomcat shell for the Lazer or the Lazer ZXS which is a tighter fit and you need RC10B4 servo mounts and spacer to move the servo further forwards but is just as nice.