As I began tearing down the TA02, I noticed that a lot of things, while very dirty, were in good shape. Almost everything internal (differentials, drive shafts) was in good shape and could be salvaged. Most of the plastic parts of the kit were in good shape. The gear boxes and the chassis had some scratches that could be attributed to wear and tear, but they were usable.
But, after pulling them apart, and realizing the amount of cleaning that would need to be done, I opted to replace them. A quick search of eBay revealed replacement front and rear gearboxes. I was also able to locate a propellor shaft, and ordered it right away. The gear boxes were on their way, and a trip to the local hobby shop provided me with performance springs and a Skyline speed gear.
As I took everything apart, there was a stubborn screw stuck in the chassis. This particular TA02 came with an upgraded Manta Ray chassis, but one of the screws was stripped, so I could not remove part of the old front gear box. The more I attempted to get it apart, the more the screw would strip. So, I decided to order a new bathtub chassis, after all the old one had several scratches.
Keep in mind that the TA02 is a decade old, so finding parts is no easy task. After searching several local hobby shops and eBay, I stumbled on a company in Britain that had TA02 parts. Fortunately, they had a bathtub chassis. So, I ordered it and waited.
Once the tear-down was complete, I put everything in a big Ziploc bag so I wouldn’t lose anything. In that bag is where the car sat for almost three years, mainly because of the birth of my daughter. But, if I was near a local Hobby shop, I would stop by and see if they had any TA02 parts or hop ups. Most didn’t, but every once and a while, I would find something, and I would buy it and put it with the bag. I also bought two more broken TA02s for parts (each was $20).
I had everything to rebuild the TA02, and was set to rebuild it.
Next: The Rebuild Previous: Background
