RCCrawler Forums - TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

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TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Sanded the rust off of the rails. I'll hit it with a quick blast of black enamel.

https://i.postimg.cc/MTmjKwV6/TRX-4_...oration-55.jpg

Put the shocks, pivot balls, and rod ends through the ultrasonic cleaner.

https://i.postimg.cc/VNRYJkGV/TRX-4_...oration-65.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/gknr18Sk/TRX-4_...oration-60.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/SsdJbrbj/TRX-4_...oration-58.jpg

Drained the shock oil and put fresh 40wt in.

https://i.postimg.cc/BQVPvMLK/TRX-4_...oration-56.jpg

Sanded the rust and painted off the links. I might leave them brushed and put some clear enamel on them.

https://i.postimg.cc/yNB16ZPR/TRX-4_...oration-64.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/1zp8JSWG/TRX-4_...oration-61.jpg

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Looking awesome so far man and great documentation!!!

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by AK KRAWLER (Post 6130375)

Looking awesome so far man and great documentation!!!

Appreciated buddy. I'm surprised with how the links turned out with a little sanding. They look aftermarket. I slapped a coat of matte clear enamel on them, too.

TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Nice write up and detailed pics. Rig looks to be in pretty good shape.

You mentioned that you cleaned with a ultrasonic cleaner. By chance would you have a pic of it or know the brand? I’ve been looking to get one but have no idea what to buy. Thanks.

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Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Excellent! It looks great

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Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

After a brief respite in the mountains, I got back to it.

I applied a vinyl/plastic protectant to all the soft parts, and the results were stunning. These parts look new, and they repel dirt and water quickly.

https://i.postimg.cc/4nCzKMCx/TRX-4-...oration-78.jpg

I painted the body between adding parts back to the chassis.

https://i.postimg.cc/G22P6GJd/TRX-4-...oration-80.jpg

I painted the bed, flares, and sills with truck bed paint. I'm hoping once I remove the masking, it turns out okay :shock:

https://i.postimg.cc/V6V9wvDM/TRX-4-...oration-79.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/pr5fLv6S/TRX-4-...oration-81.jpg

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by twade984 (Post 6130393)

Excellent! It looks great

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you "thumbsup"

I'm almost done with it. It's incredible what severe cleaning, sanding, and care can do to a five-year-old abused rig to make it look new(er) again.

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by B-MOW71 (Post 6130392)

Thank you. "thumbsup"

I bought a cheap unit off of Amazon, and that lasted for a few months :ror:

I then bought a slightly nicer unit online: Here

And this one has lasted longer.

The key to these cleaners, I've found, is to find the right solution to degrease parts, remove dirt, or brighten them up. Water alone does nearly nothing. You need to add a surfactant.

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Very nice, love a good rebuild thread. There's something very satisfying to taking a beat up R/C and bringing it back to new. That looks better than new!

Wow, that ultrasonic cleaner does wonders...I do it the old fashioned way with hot soapy water, a couple of brushes and a few choice curse words and my parts never get fully clean - there's a lot of "nooks and crannies' that are hard to get into.

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

To summarize:

I tore down my sons' TRX-4 Sport with Traxx to individual parts, nuts, and bolts.
Cleaned each part with an ultrasonic cleaner.
Degreased all of the drivetrain parts.
Sanded down metal and plastic parts to even out the finish.
Sanded the rust off the chassis rails and hit it with matte black enamel.
Created a brushed finish on the suspension links.
Re-assembled the drivetrain with fresh grease.
Re-filled the shocks with new 40wt.
Painted a new body in Lime Pearl with the bed, flares, and sills in truck bed coating paint.
Applied vinyl protector to all soft parts to restore the finish.
Added Traxxas's winch.
Add a full lighting system to the body and expedition rack.
Replaced every fastener with stainless steel equivalents.

I put the original set of wheels and tires back on while I start the restoration of the Traxx. I'll post that in a separate thread.

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

That's some satisfying work. I bet the boys love it.

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Man, that looks brand new! Excellent work!

I think the body turned out great! Great color and the black textured accents on the outside look great too!

Thanks for the info on the ultrasonic cleaner."thumbsup" I really need to pick one of them up!

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by B-MOW71 (Post 6130670)

Thanks, bud "thumbsup"

The only new parts on it are the body, the 400 servo, the lighting kit added later, and the winch. All the plastic/nylon parts are original, and all the suspension and gearing components are. I only had to replace a handful of crunchy bearings. If you look closely, you can still see battle scars.

You can't go wrong with an ultrasonic cleaner.

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Great documentary. I did something similar just last week in my Sport.

The only thing I would have addedto your upgrades would be the bearings. They will rust and corrode eventually and upgrading them to stainless steel to replace the chrome steel would have been a worthwhile investment, The factory bearings had to be tossed out as they were beyond repair after owning the truck for only 4 months (through all the elements).

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by CosmoM3 (Post 6131054)

I tested each bearing after cleaning, and only a few were too crunchy to save. These bearings, too, went through a lot of submersion in snow and mud.

Upon reinstallation, I put a drop of bearing lube (the kind racers use), which seems to mitigate rust. I do this with all of my RC vehicles.

But, your suggestion would be the best upgrade over all of that.

https://i.postimg.cc/ydT28N4q/TRX-4-...ration-121.jpg

Re: TRX4 Sport Teardown and Restoration Thread

That green is just down right sexy. Fantastic overhaul... "thumbsup"