Older Xrays [Archive] - oOple.com Forums

kanerdog1x1

14-12-2019, 06:27 PM

I'll be honest, I didn't realise this sub-section was here until now. I thought I might share a couple of cars from my little, and ever growing collection.

I have been fascinate by the Xray cars since I first saw them in a magazine in late 1999. Remember this was way before the internet was what it is today. My fix was one of three magazines that I would regularly get, RCCi was easy enough to get, RACER was almost as easy to get but lacked that special something that a good mag has. And my favourite, though it was the hardest to get was RC Car Action from the states. In the end I had my local Newsagent order me in a copy each month. I was fascinated by these kits as they were unlike anything else at the time. Yokomo had the best shot at TC in the late 90's, but went towards plastic kits as did most of the other manufactures. Xray started with a high end kit that was way above anyone else at the time. The materials and quality were so much better than anyone else, but they were expensive. I couldn't really afford one at the time, but I wish now I had saved and bought one back then.

I have been collecting T1 parts for years from eBay and from model shop sale bins. I almost had enough parts to assemble a car, and around a year ago a new chassis and bulkheads turned up on ebay. It was an odd set up as the chassis was an early one, but the bulkheads were keyed but not anodised, so either T1m or T1r. This is what I was able to assemble:-

https://i.imgur.com/HK2HcQOl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0xIv3p8l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/d2p2wULl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/TYr4yNLl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/sErzRrTl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/r5kjU0Fl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/eXOTQx2l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/mjvSl0nl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FzrK81sl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/eYEaMDil.jpg

I was really happy with the outcome, even though it was a bit of a mess of years.

kanerdog1x1

14-12-2019, 06:35 PM

So then, to satisfy my desire to get this kit correct, I set about finding a later 6-cell chassis for it.

After searching the web for various different parts and options, one user name kept coming up. It turns out I'm not the only fan of these cars, there are a few of us that have small collections of cars and parts. As I had a spare early chassis plate I came to swap this for a 6-cell chassis so was able to 'upgrade' my car to a more comfortable 2002/3 spec.

https://i.imgur.com/r3Ay54vl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/TOyMWbQl.jpg

At the same time I added the brass centre weight.

https://i.imgur.com/6L7jGT6l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0hsEPlal.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dvCx9kBl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/RbMTF5rl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/TWebUULl.jpg

Then I started to look around a bit harder for an older T1...

kanerdog1x1

14-12-2019, 06:49 PM

On eBay.com I found an original T1. Metal diff carriers, Serpent dampers, orange odd length springs, philips screws. I easily convinced the seller to post to the UK, and came to a deal on the price.

https://i.imgur.com/SRQjlz1l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/7uivRusl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/XgR8702l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8A4feAQl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/VoNVXRul.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YJM5yJll.png

https://i.imgur.com/NzBPnbNl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/7bv7l9Yl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wsZX72fl.png

It arrived a bit grubby, but it was new, and complete. I simply replaced a couple of parts, the rear upright had a mark and the servo posts were wrong. It really is a lovely thing.

kanerdog1x1

14-12-2019, 06:53 PM

Now I really fancy one to actually use. This popped up on facebook a few weeks ago, It is currently stripped and various parts are being cleaned/polished/tumbled, I hope to get it going in the next week or so.

https://i.imgur.com/nnASUDSl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/UmldJDsl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1XLnp9Gl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/hYxSBbHl.jpg

The steel parts are especially scabby. They'll take some work to get right.

https://i.imgur.com/MPR9HGFl.jpg

Wig

14-12-2019, 07:30 PM

Nice. Looking forward to seeing the race ready car.

dodgydiy

16-12-2019, 09:56 AM

last one looks tike the later t1, rounded tops on the bulkheads instead of squared off edges. wish mine were in that good condition. first t1 had non anodised bulkheads, think it was evo that were anodised, then evo 2 with the rounded off corners on the anodised bulkheads.

kanerdog1x1

16-12-2019, 01:36 PM

Cheers guys. All of the early T1s were anodised, but the pics in catalogues and the press would have been from colour transparencies, so don’t always show up the colour very well. Some later T1s weren’t anodised though, the T1m and T1r, but these both have keyed bulkheads, keyed for belt tension adjustment.

warhead3000

19-12-2019, 01:11 AM

Hi
I've had my X RAY T1 FACTORY KIT since new in around 2004 and thinking of selling it.

Always wanted to use it into my first serious foray into On Road 1/10th rc racing but probably will never get around to it so thinking of selling to somone whom would love one of these.

kanerdog1x1

19-12-2019, 08:18 AM

I’ll pm you.

kanerdog1x1

22-12-2019, 09:04 PM

Further to the cleanup of that EVO2, I have cleaned up and reassembled the drive shafts. After stripping them down it was clear that having lived close to the sea, the metal parts were worse for wear, especially the steel parts. Screws are easy, just toss them out. But the drive shafts not so much. The original spec ones are NLA, so I have to be careful with these.

After a soak in vinegar overnight and a rinse, a quick wire wheel and polish on the buffing wheel, and the rust is mostly gone.

https://i.imgur.com/LVBHigBl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3I9bQYUl.jpg

Then a dip in Gun Blue fluid, and some colour and protection is added.

https://i.imgur.com/ha0gG5Dl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0o69dRhl.jpg

I'd love to know the finish used on Hudy parts, and if it's something that can be achieved at home, though this is perfect for a race car.

kanerdog1x1

28-12-2019, 06:23 PM

Ok, some pics of those drive shafts installed.

https://i.imgur.com/7FnaArrl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/28qOswal.jpg

You can see it is on the setup station. I went for a fairly conservative setup, 1.5camber all round, 5.2mm ride height, 1 degree toe out across the front axle, and a whole 3 degrees toe on each rear wheel. Droop was a complete guess, at 2mm over on the rear and something like 3mm over on the front.

https://i.imgur.com/EynClfLl.jpg

I don't have a rear roll bar yet, but substituted a front at the rear to get me going.

https://i.imgur.com/s1V4zoJl.jpg

I also fashioned this LiPo holder front a sheet of carbon and taped the battery in. The tape you can see in this pic is holding the brass weight to the bottom of the LiPo.

Yesterday afternoon, I raced the thing at the Forrest club in Mitcheldean. It was a quiet evening, but it let us get plenty of laps in. There was three of us with vintage cars, there a TC3 and a Pro4. I also took my new T4 '20 to try, just as a shakedown really.

https://i.imgur.com/CinQ9bul.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6lzWOTQl.jpg

The droop was close, I increased the rear droop to 3mm over through the evening to give me a little bit more steering. I suffered a bit of grip roll, but can't lower the roll centres any more. I tried to increase the track width on the front, but didn't seem to make much of a difference.

The old cars were surprisingly well suited to the small track. Mine as you can see wore relatively modern brushless kit, the other two had brushed motors. I will swap out to a brushed setup before I use it again. Brushed motors suit these old cars so well. The brushless is brutal in power delivery, and I can see it accelerating wear on the car. It has already shown up the front belt as a weak point, so I have ordered a new belt for it although not from a model car... It didn't break, but did twist the belt over so it was rear wheel drive for a good part of the race meeting.

All good fun.

kanerdog1x1

30-12-2019, 10:28 PM

Ok, new belt arrived this morning, and I trimmed it down into two. The belt is for a printer I think. Here's my tool, I made it years ago to cut leather belt straps!

https://i.imgur.com/m99BbJVl.jpg

I now have two belts, I have just fitted one so the car is ready to go again.

Wig

31-12-2019, 02:19 PM

Love that belt cutter :thumbsup:

mark christopher

31-12-2019, 04:30 PM

I'll add my mate and team mate Lee stokes, he has every single xray tc from very 1st to current, either boxed klt as new or fully restored, even the fiberglass budget ones

fidspeed

31-12-2019, 11:05 PM

kanerdog1x1

25-01-2020, 12:14 PM

Collected these two from the sorting office this morning. To the left is a later T1, from 2001 with plastic diff bearing carriers. It’s missing a damper but I’ll rebuild that later from the correct spare parts from Serpent.

http://i.imgur.com/EciStynl.jpg

To the right is a T1R, complete, but needs a couple of parts to bring it up to perfect condition.

Both cars are unused, but have been stored poorly and just need a good clean and rebuild.

kanerdog1x1

01-02-2020, 09:17 PM

I have set up a page on Facebook, give it a follow if you are interested.

https://www.facebook.com/XrayT1Owners

kanerdog1x1

01-02-2020, 09:27 PM

Also, I took these pics a few weeks ago of a set of bulkheads that I cleaned up.

Process, is to polish the machined edges with a dremel and Peek. Then to re-brush the side faces. To do this I used a fresh sheet of 240g finishing paper and a liberal spray of gt85, and used a straight edge as a guide to bush the surfaces. Once done, a good clean in thinners to remove all of the oils and polish, and a half hour in the tumbler with stainless media. This takes the immediate shine off of the surfaces and gives a longer lasting finish.

https://i.imgur.com/TFa0VVpl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/V3eLBF3l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/T7ytbV1l.jpg

It's really hard to get a good comparison pic as the bulkheads were very good condition before. They look perfect now.

kanerdog1x1

04-02-2020, 04:59 PM

A thing arrived in the post today. I'm too afraid to build it though, so I think it will stay as a kit.

https://i.imgur.com/8aTP8L5l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cjlFmY5l.jpg

kanerdog1x1

12-02-2020, 09:30 PM

ok, look at the this gorgeous pair.

https://i.imgur.com/Uc5EfP3l.jpg

Both T1, the older one has the aluminium diff bearing holders, the later one has the moulded plastic version. Both have their merits, but all later cars had keyed parts to allow some kind of fine adjustment.

https://i.imgur.com/eH29U8Ll.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/olodO56l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5QKFDRul.jpg

The earlier car has very light anodising, green/brown, typical of hard anodising, while the later car is much darker and brighter, almost gold.

The carbon on each car is subtly different too, both in shape and layup. It is most noticeable on the rear shock tower and front bumper brace.

https://i.imgur.com/R8EO5fRl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/muFPAH6l.jpg

The early car is from 2000, the later car is from 2001. Most likely both european kits as the kits destined for the US had white springs to suit their foam tires.

kanerdog1x1

12-02-2020, 09:44 PM

Family portrait.

https://i.imgur.com/SI2UZdVl.jpg

kanerdog1x1

08-03-2020, 12:45 PM

Evolution of the spur gear.

The first T1 cars used the tried and trusted Kimbrough nylon spur gear, in a 93t 48dp size. Later cars and all subsequent versions used Xrays own spur gear.

It’s not well known, but late T1 evo2 and some T1R had a different, development style gear. This gear was unique as it had no additional holes other than the mounting holes. As we all recognise Xray spur gear have multiple lightening holes in them, these early gears look strange!

https://i.imgur.com/hDsKx1Fl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/AC8WB5Yl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/2nAmg59l.jpg

kanerdog1x1

08-03-2020, 12:50 PM

The T1R I posted a pic of earlier needed a new chassis plate. The car was new, but the chassis plate had been modified (badly) to accept a brushless motor. It has taken me a few weeks to get hold of a chassis, this one arrived today from Australia.

https://i.imgur.com/rUdE4pwl.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/8LxeP0Vl.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/uNwd0Ysl.jpg?1

I'll transfer it over this evening and upload some better pics.

showtime

11-03-2020, 09:51 PM

Nice growing family of T1's you have there.
funnily enough the T1 is the car that got me into RC back when it came out.
one of the guys at work bought one & it was a "Wow look at this thing" moment. :woot:
we were all from an engineering background & we'd never seen a toy car like it.
anyway after a few years racing offroad nitro i bought one to maybe turn into a drift car. never really did but for a while i was buying pretty much everything T1 that came along!
i now have a LOAD of T1 stuff, quite a bit of it still new in packets.
i'll dig it out for something to do if we get put on quarantine :D

kanerdog1x1

12-03-2020, 09:25 PM

Thanks showtime, feel free to post any pics you have.

Another one landed today, and a LOAD of spares. I’m currently stripping and cleaning it, it’s amazing how even unused cars end up so grubby!

kanerdog1x1

14-03-2020, 05:03 PM

So this new one is an Evo2, 300002. It's been built up quite badly and never used. I'm going to have to invest in a new chassis plate as it has been sanded and glued quite badly. Not to worry, as I will put this chassis plate on my racer, as the one on it is almost worn out. I can remove the superglue with a soak in acetone, but its still won't quite be good enough for the rest of this car.

https://i.imgur.com/T9Qx9H2l.jpg

It needed a couple of steering knuckles as there were plier marks from assembly. That's ok tho as some arrived in the spares package.

https://i.imgur.com/TArb1PYl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/K4XsbETl.jpg

The dampers also need attention, this is tonights job. Looks like the same pliers used on the knuckles were used to assemble the dampers. I have a few spares to fall back on.

Apart from that, it's all good. The belts are bright, the anodising hasn't faded, and the box and manuals are a lovely bonus.

https://i.imgur.com/xvlZ0sEl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/KHDVBeil.jpg

kanerdog1x1

14-03-2020, 11:23 PM

Let me show you some pics of the dampers.

https://i.imgur.com/j5Qpw8bl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/w7TLKJsl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/WxPqDrpl.jpg

How can people be so careless when building them?

Luckily I have a fair few spare parts stashed away. When I build any shocks, even on a new car I tend to give the shafts a bit of a polish with the drill and some peek.

https://i.imgur.com/F1ZfgnZl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/gSm12SRl.jpg

Luckily all of the parts I needed came from a couple of spares packets, a 308360 shock shaft kit and a really old 308310 frame kit. I needed two bottom eyes, a seal head, and all four top eyes to make this lot right. I also swapped two of the top caps for some without scratches.

Whilst I was assembling some new 4way pistons onto the shafts I popped the metal parts in to the tumbler for half hour. This gives a lovely sheen to the polished areas, and makes them look ‘new’ without looking ‘polished’.

https://i.imgur.com/N2QoHYwl.jpg

Ready to build.

https://i.imgur.com/gSm12SRl.jpg

Once built, inserting the ball studs seems to fox most, I use some nifty knipex pliers that close parallel and have no serrations. I have tiny set I take to the track, but these slightly bigger ones are ideal for builds as the mating faces are that bit bigger.

https://i.imgur.com/i6Sy9wol.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NOn5O1Ll.jpg

What’s not obvious in this pic is that I have put the top ball stud in backwards, it’s a ‘top tip’ from back in the day to free up the suspension. I think it looks better as it has the little key in the top cap on show.

https://i.imgur.com/LV7AAydl.jpg

kanerdog1x1

28-03-2020, 04:52 PM

So time for an update to the collection.

The T1evo2 now wears a new chassis plate. I found this on eBay by widening my search and deleting all my cookies etc. It was a lucky find as it was wrongly packaged/labelled as a 306160 6cell battery strap!

https://i.imgur.com/igbwcdkl.jpg

Turned out lovely. Here's a close up of what I mean with the key on the dampers.

https://i.imgur.com/iEM8Nxal.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cGc6fTBl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/XDgR6QFl.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/yG6pltll.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Zhj8rJel.jpg

As I said earlier, this one came with not only the box, but also the manuals and serial number card.

https://i.imgur.com/YBFngDpl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/9RPYHHfl.jpg

kanerdog1x1

28-03-2020, 04:54 PM

Some better images of the T1R, this was also just waiting for its new chassis plate.

https://i.imgur.com/RIku0yDl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Et1iu9fl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0UkpQLdl.jpg

kanerdog1x1

28-03-2020, 04:59 PM

And the T1FK. The only worry with this kit is that the shock oil is leaking inside the sealed bag. I have put this inside of a sealy bag in case it ruptures or bleeds.

https://i.imgur.com/eukSiPbl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/GcVBoPFl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ySNb2zEl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ayZLLwHl.jpg

I'd love to build this, but I guess it will lose its attraction if it's built.

kanerdog1x1

28-03-2020, 05:04 PM

A few of the T1M.

https://i.imgur.com/AaKoOCrl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/MA9xbnsl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/acur2R9l.jpg

Leading on to the idea that I might have a problem...

https://i.imgur.com/AtXqMDkl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/oerGJ1Fl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/UK88AKpl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/SwCrkZUl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cfanlV1l.jpg

kanerdog1x1

28-03-2020, 05:19 PM

These are the wheels that were included with the T1, and a similar type with later versions of the T1 cars, and T2, right up until Xray opted to use the smaller boxes leaving no room for them in the packaging. The early 305940 Starburst wheel. The later hard version is still available as the 803001.

https://i.imgur.com/KxPrUxml.jpg

I have these regular ones that have yellowed over time, and I intend to bleach them as soon as I get a bright sunny day.

https://i.imgur.com/bFBMOaXl.jpg

kanerdog1x1

28-03-2020, 05:23 PM

I wonder what we can glean from the serial numbers I have?

https://i.imgur.com/vbjK2Yol.jpg

001922 in from the first version, with the metal diff carriers.
003785 is from the Evo2.
005408 is from the later Evo2FC.
007191 is from the T1FK.

Wig

28-03-2020, 05:27 PM

They're cool. I wish they still did the cards.
And yeah you do have a problem. :lol:

kanerdog1x1

29-03-2020, 12:54 PM

Cheers Wig.

Here's some pics of the racer. I've used it once so far, but have put a brushed motor in since then. The thing I like most is that it's a very safe chassis to drive, and is VERY responsive to changes. That's great because you can learn a lot from chassis settings very quickly.

https://i.imgur.com/HqJ4mVml.jpg

The dampers came in a job lot, they're proper Xray ones with the 4step adjusters, rather than the Serpent bodies I have on the other car.

https://i.imgur.com/j6wC1YHl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ybKSaxZl.jpg

I have also tidied up the battery tray since last time.

https://i.imgur.com/KmnCBvAl.jpg

This is the chassis plate that was included with the EVO2 car. It's perfect for this racer.

https://i.imgur.com/06LeqO1l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/WUWMFGPl.jpg

And these HPI Stratus shells are perfect for this era.

https://i.imgur.com/orTYnH4l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/KOGI8inl.jpg

I even raided the vintage sticker stash for some period items.

https://i.imgur.com/ijyKYndl.jpg

This is the car I'm most looking forward to use when this CoViD thing is all over. I'm going in completely blind with FDR, small indoor carpet track, reasonably high revving 27t brushed? Ill have a whole bunch of spurs and pinions with me so I'm sure I'll get there soon enough.

kanerdog1x1

03-05-2020, 10:43 AM

In this dire time I have been honing my collection. I decided that the original one I built from spares might be better displayed as a T1FoC, a version that I am missing. I have a box, manual, and card for one, but no actual model.

It was simply a case of removing the majority of the upgrades, the Hudy axles, the weights, the aluminium uprights etc. I did however replace the wishbones as I wasn't happy with the threaded holes the roll bars left when removed.

https://i.imgur.com/AhpzDujl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/AceMrYVl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/W3ukw7Fl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/XWGFA7gl.jpg

Very happy with the outcome. The two chassis are identical apart from the suspension and stickers.

https://i.imgur.com/waGWUdel.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/7zm0Iypl.jpg

This then left me with a ruck of upgrade parts. I found a little used T1 in Australia that arrived with its box, setup system, even the Hudy wrenches! It was the perfect donor car to hang the upgrades to. The bulkheads are perfect, and the few parts that were marked I with new plastics and new drive shafts.

https://i.imgur.com/0q2s9dFl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/PygDSi2l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/c0X7ON0l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/HZW8RgNl.jpg

I'm waiting for a pair of short Hudy axles to arrive, and a front belt. I'm running out of front body mounts too, but may simply use some trimmed super short ones on this as I have a plan to display it once it's complete.

https://i.imgur.com/MDLyY1Al.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/aiBCMBQl.jpg

kanerdog1x1

08-05-2020, 09:24 AM

Front belt arrived during the week along with the short axles, so disassembled half the car to get them in.

https://i.imgur.com/NXoAPSal.jpg

And pretty much done. I built the dampers up last night, they're pretty much all Serpent parts, apart from the front lowering spring cups and the actual springs. Because they use Serpent shafts, I opted to use 3 holes pistons as the 4step Serpent parts are terrible.

https://i.imgur.com/2mvc2O9l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wZBfqGFl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/TomJTLbl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1Ec93FUl.jpg

kanerdog1x1

08-05-2020, 10:58 AM

And this also happened this week.

https://i.imgur.com/rGwEbaXl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/pHDoMlxl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/o3hKUYol.jpg

Both brand new, I couldn't resist building one. I assembled it on Wednesday evening, and just completed the dampers this morning.

https://i.imgur.com/6lAkmKHl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/g3eSr3xl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/P6Vm6i0l.jpg

I love how far they pushed the lightweight aspect of every detail on the chassis. The outdrives front and rear are pocketed, even the centres of the dog bones on the drive shafts are hollow. Also, the wheel axles are lightened, I'll post again about this.

https://i.imgur.com/Zgd4WXql.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/2FUmSILl.jpg

The bulkheads are constructed lighter than the earlier T1 and Evo2 kits, the webs are far thinner.

https://i.imgur.com/c5sLMqrl.jpg

One aspect of the design I don't like though is the motor mount being a separate part entirely from the rear bulkhead, so theres no direct connection other than the chassis and top deck between these two parts, so there's more chance of stripping a spur in a tap.

https://i.imgur.com/jdgGRn7l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/g5SOYhEl.jpg

kanerdog1x1

22-07-2020, 08:21 PM

Yesterday evening was the first time at the track since march. Just open pit lane, which I don't really enjoy. I prefer the structure and stress of actual qualifying and races.

The car performed well enough, but that old motor was a combination of slow and not very fast. Testing was way off, I slowly geared it up through the evening so it sounded like it was topping out 3/4 of the way down the straight, but then some of the smoke started to escape, so I called it a night.

https://i.imgur.com/PzOiWyZl.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/7zNfQX0l.jpg

The speed control is a lovely thing. The pots for the power and brakes make a noticeable difference, and the power delivery is smooth. I'm likely going to reinstall the brushless setup as it's pretty fit&forget. Unless I can find a 19t spec motor maybe.