To rebuild or to start a-new? (TA05)
This is sort of a question for any budget driver/basher.
I have just purchased a used TA-05. However, the car needs a bit more work than I had anticipated:
-A lot of the screws are halfway stripped
-The aramid belts are looking very worn
-I need new body posts since one snapped while it was in the mail (the clear blue posts... much more brittle than the normal ones)
-In the spur gear holder, the screws that hold the gear are sticking out and I think could possibly rip the belt even more than they are already. I have put spacers so the screws don't stick out as much, but then if I space it too much, the heads rub against the motor mount.
-The left servo post is missing, so the servo is wiggling.
-The hingepin spacers are missing, so my lower arms are sliding back and forth. Not the sliding I want...
-I am missing the lower parts of the TRF shocks other than what is installed, as I would like to experiment with ride height.
I am not drifting competitively, but I am still very particular with my setup, since I like to experiment and would like to eliminate all the unwanted variables as possible.
To fix these small issues I would need to get:
-Screw set OR hex screw set, a hex driver
-Servo mount
-spacers
-new belts
-are there the TRF parts for the piston holes and lower clamp?
I have been looking around for the TA-05R, but can only find it on E-Tamiya, but I have heard that they go for around 220-250 if they are still around.
I figure that I might be better off getting a completely new TA-05R, but I am not sure. RC mart has the IFS-R for 210 but that is without shipping. I have heard the IFS has parts for the upright shock position?
Also there is a possibility of snagging a TB Evo IV for $250, new of course. I don't know if I'd want to be drifting where I am with a carbon fiber lower deck though...
Has anyone been in this kind of situation before? What did you end up doing, and what do you wish you could have done?
My limitations are in fact cash, and I will be trying to start up local drift or grip races in my area. The problem is that no one really does on road in New England, and I will hopefully be going to school in Boston where there is little RC activity.