The Build – Part 5 - Shocks

Part 5 of our build focuses on the shocks. Before you ask, yes, the shocks are ‘Classic’ as well, using the old-skool internal loading with the snap clips to keep the seals in place. While this was a pain back in the day, it appears AE has either made new molds for the plastic or the shock bodies are in better condition…the shocks build quite nicely.


Build Notes:
* Keep some clean, old rags handy for this step. Shocks mean fluids, and if you’re like me there will be some oil outside the shocks as well.

The first step is to gather up the #2 pistons. Seeing as the number is a bit hard to read, I used a Sharpie to highlight the numbers on all the pistons. Highlight, grab the 4 #2 pistons and trim off any excess plastic that sticks out off of them.

Snap an e-clip into the lower groove in the shock shaft, slide the piston into place and secure with a second e-clip.

Before the easy-to-build shocks that are available today, most shocks were built by sliding the seals down into the bodies. Start this step by gathering up all the parts shown (x4, since we’re building 4 shocks) and make sure you trim any spare plastic ‘burrs’ hanging off the parts. Slide the parts onto the shock tool in the order shown.

Using the silicone fluid included with the kit, put a drop or two on the assembly, making sure to coat all sides of the parts.

Slide the shock parts into the shock body, place the tool on a flat surface and press down on the body as shown. You should hear (and feel) the body ‘snap’ into place. You can also tell the parts are seated by how far the shock tool sticks out of the body (see pic). Build all 4 shocks.

Take the shorter shock shaft assembly and put a drop of silicone fluid on the threads. Slide it down into the body and CAREFULLY push it past seals. Do the same for the rear shocks, but before pushing into the body, slide two down-travel limiting shim on the shaft first (2 on each rear shock shaft).

Grab ahold of the shock shaft and thread the plastic eyelet onto the shaft just to where the threads disappear. I use a STRC Shock Shaft Holding Tool as it allows a firm grip but doesn’t scratch the shock shaft.

Pop the shock pivot ball into the eyelet as shown. Once completed, your shocks should look like this.

Take a black o-ring and feed it over the shock body as shown.

Fill the shock with the provided silicone oil. Move the shock shaft slowly up and down to release any air bubbles under the piston. Set the shock aside to allow the bubbles to rise to the top. Continue the other 3 shocks.

Once the bubbles are gone, fill the shock back up to the top (i usually fill it until it is perfectly flat across the top of the shock body). Put one drop of oil in the cap, flip it over onto the shock and tighten down. You’ll want to follow the shock bleeding instructions in the manual. Once completed, the shock shaft should push all the way up into the body.

Install the screw into the shock collar, slip the collar onto the body and tighten down the screw. Move them all the way to the top to start. Notice how I have two collars with the screws on one side, two with them on the other. This will make it easier to adjust when on the car.

Slide the springs onto the shocks followed by the spring cups (at the bottom). At this time, you can also match the shock collar setting to the ones listed in the manual.

This part can be a little tricky as there the tolerances for the bottom of the shock slipping into the suspension arm are quite tight. I took an Xacto and trimmed a little plastic away from the arm, beveling the entry point for the bottom of the shock. This helped it to slide into place much easier.

The lower shock pin get installed next, but before I did that, I took my Sharpie and colored in the set screw groove on the pin. Now, when I slide it into the arm, I can see the black through the set screw hole, helping me align these two parts easier.

Install and tighten down the set screw.

Slip the shock bushing onto the screw followed by the shock. Set the aluminum washer into place and secure the whole assembly with the locknut.

Insert and tighten the screw into the bottom of the shock (2nd hole in). Slip the shock bushing onto the screw followed by the top of the shock. Set the aluminum washer into place and secure the whole assembly with the locknut.




The Build – Part 6 - Electronics

In Part 6 of our build, we’ll work on installing the electronics. Even though this is a vintage build, we won’t be installing vintage electronics. The RC10 Classic will be getting a full range race-spec XP, LRP and Reedy equipment to get ‘er up and going with the least amount of headaches.


Build Notes:
* Have a soldering iron handy for this step. You’ll need to attach the ESC wires to the motor and solder plugs to the battery wires.
* The steering setup is like the original but can be reworked to use a turnbuckle if you wish.

Yes, this first step has nothing to do with the electronics, but it also has nothing to do with the shocks (which we built and attached in the last step). Anyway, take a sec and install the two nose tubes as shown. Make sure you install the shorter screws in the sides of the chassis and the longer ones through the front. A dab of threadlock here will help keep the screws from backing out.

Next, install the antenna mount…

…followed by the battery cup…

…following that by the battery strap. Note the orientation of the strap, and don’t forget to install the aluminum washer.

The steering linkage is next. It’s easier to assemble than it appears…just build it like the picture. I wouldn’t worry about the threadlock just yet as we’ll need to loosen those set screws again shortly.

Once built, feed one end through the servo horn as shown. You may need to open up the hole in the horn a bit to get the linkage through.

Attach the horn to the servo using the servo-supplied screw. Your assembly should look like this. For this build we are using one of Team Associated’s XP servos; the DS1313.

Attach the mounts to each side of the servo but do not tighten all the way yet.

Because mounting the servo in the car makes it difficult to tighten up the mount screws (or line up the mount holes through the chassis), we always mount the servo to the bottom of the chassis first. This allows us to line up the servo mount holes with the chassis and then tighten the screws that hold the servo to the mounts.

Remove the servo from the bottom of the chassis and install correctly. You’ll want to slide the other end of the steering linkage into the servo saver prior to mounting the servo to the chassis. Also, you might notice that my linkage is bent. This helps it clear the servo when it’s at full lock. You may have to do something similar if your linkage hits the servo.

Once mounted, turn the servo horn until it is 90 degrees straight up. If your front tires are pointing straight ahead, you’re good to go. If not, loosen the set screws on the linkage and ‘slide them apart’ to adjust. Once in position, you can put a tiny dab of threadlocker onto the setscrew and tighten them down.

Install the ESC on the right side of the chassis as shown. Since I’m running the ESC lead under the battery, I added a small piece of black tape to hold it in place. For this build we are using LRP’s awesome Flow WorksTeam Brushless ESC.

The Futaba 4PLS reciever gets mounted on the left side. Feed the antenna through the mount and tube. Plug the ESC and servo leads into the receiver.

Slide the Reedy Sonic 540 17.5T Spec Brushless Motor into place and attach with the 3x6mm screws.

Attach the pinion, set the gear mesh and tighten down the 3x6mm screws.

Attach the gear cover and dust plug.

Wire up the ESC wires to the motor and attach the sensor wire. If you feed them through the fiberglass shock tower, you might want to sand the edges slightly to avoid cutting the wires.

Install the battery and plug it in! This is a good time to give it a test to make sure everything is working.


The Build – Part 7 - Wheels & Tires

The wheels and tires on the RC10 Classic are excellent reproductions of the original set. These tires were molded by Proline and are a little softer than the originals. I’m happy to see that AE even included the cool plastic knock offs.


Build Notes:
* While the screw-together wheels are good for slower motors, anything faster will probably blow them apart. If you’re going to run a hotter-than-stock motor, I would suggest gluing the tires to the wheels after you’ve assembled them.

Our first step is to install the plastic insert into the tire as shown.

Press the rear half of the beadlock wheel into the backside of the tire and the front half of the beadlock wheel to the frontside of the tire. Secure with the 3 4-40 screws. Be careful not to overtighen these screws!

Install the plastic insert into the rear tires.

Press the rear half of the beadlock wheel into the backside of the tire and the front half of the beadlock wheel to the frontside of the tire. I installed the ‘optional wheel insert’, however I’m not sure if it is needed with these tires.

Secure with the 3 4-40 screws. Be careful not to overtighen these screws!

Press one of the flanged Oilite bushings into the front and backsides of the front wheels and slide onto the axle. Racers might want to install the 4-40 locknut, but I prefer the cool plastic knock offs. After tightening down, check to make sure the tires spin freely. If not, back the wheel nut off slightly.

Slide the rear tire assembly on, making sure the pin in the axle lines up with the slot in the rear wheel. Tighten down whichever wheel locking choice you’ve picked.

Page 1