rabidfox50

With all the social distancing going on and being bored at home, I was able to pick up a well worn and tired MGT 4.60 SE to tear down and rebuild. This thing was abused but it can be saved. I’m waiting for replacement diff cases, and suspension pieces but I can’t find the slipper friction pegs. A few folks on eBay want way too much for them so here is the question; what are my alternatives to replacing them? Any suggestions would be well received. Also, what 17mm hex adapters can I buy to use on the MGT. I have 17mm wheels and tires that would be perfect. Just need the hexes that fit.

D3MON

as far as slipper begs, some have drilled out the holes and used ball bearings in each hole, i have not done that so i have no idea how well it works.
i got lucky and found RRP Slipper and Spur gear assembly, but those are getting really hard to find nowadays.
as far as 17mm wheel hexes, i believe traxxas T-maxx 17mm hexes will work on the axles of the MGT.

rabidfox50

I figured using other slipper diff balls would the alternate to the pegs. I was hoping someone knew what the peg material was so as to obtain an alternate but I’d go with other ways like you suggested. I’ve seen threads on folks using Traxxas 17mm hexes and also the RIVAL hexes as well. My next problem is finding lower shock spring retainers. I’m missing two and eBay has none. I’ve got lots of rusty parts soaking in vinegar right now but I’m sure I’m going to need replacements. I’m looking at getting a stainless hardware kit to get rid of the roached out hardware and frankly weak screws and nuts.

D3MON

sorry dont really know about the pegs material. i ordered a set of rival hexes, i have not installed at this point though as i have no 17mm wheels. the Rival doesnt use the traditional nut at the end, it only uses the hex pin to hold the hex on then the wheel captures the pin.
for the shock retainers, traxxas ones will work, you will need to drill the shaft insert and the notch as the shock shafts are about .5mm smaller on the traxxas shocks.

rabidfox50

I found fiction pegs for the TMaxx so I will try those. Another issue I discovered while breaking the truck down is the fuel filter inside the bottom of the fuel tank has broken off. A flushed the tank and removed it along with a bunch of crud. I will replace the fuel tubing inside the tank as well as it looked deteriorated. I’ll add an aftermarket fuel filter when I rebuild everything. I took all the hardware and soaked them in WD40. Much of it was rusted and I’ll need to replace them with stainless steel. This truck was not abused in its use (much) but I think it was left outside for a time in the harsh Florida climate. What a shame.

I was luck to win a second MGT 4.6 on eBay which appears to be in pristine condition. With that said, it has Integy piggyback shocks which I know folks hate. What shocks would be better to install besides the factory units? If the Integy shocks work I will keep them but I’m not holding my breath on that.

Bodies! What bodies will work on the MGT? Many moons ago when I had a MGT, I had a Proline Chevy Topkick body but that is out of production.

D3MON

one of the best inexpensive options for shocks i found were the stocks with Aluminum Shock caps, and RC Raven Dual rates, and if you can find them you can get Factory Team Shock bodies as well.
my favorite shocks are the Pro-Line powerstrokes. but those are getting harder and harder to find over the last 10 years or so, rebuild kits are a nightmare to find.
as far as bodies, T-maxx 3.3 bodies typically work ok, main thing is width, i got the dodge ram (PRO 3427-00) for one of mine, it works but is pretty tight as far as width goes, the body sits just inside the plastic chassis gaurds.
there is the Chevy C-10 long bed body, and i believe the "1980 chevy body" (pro 3248-00) will also works.

rabidfox50

The FT shock bodies are pretty easy to get as I have found and I still have two rebuild kits for the MGT shocks. The cap on the other hand are like trying to find toilet paper right now, lol. I found a guy in Germany that has flu caps but they are pricey.

D3MON

i have also been more recently told that Hyper 7/8 (i think front) shocks work really well with one on each corner.

rabidfox50

Just found those on the bay. They are pretty nice and reasonably priced. Hyper 7 front shocks that is. They are 109mm eye to eye uncompressed so they will fit well. Many thanks for turning me on to these.

D3MON

that sounds to be the right length, definitely let me know how you like them, i have been debating on getting some to try on my MGTs, i want to "retire" my powerstrokes, just because if they brake somehow, i dont really have an avenue for replacement parts.

rabidfox50

The servo saver on this truck was severely damaged so I need to get another. The two I have on hand will not fit. Too wide for the space where the servo mounts.

rabidfox50

So I ordered a set of FT shock caps from Germany and they said they shipped. Today I get a notice from eBay that the seller wants to cancel the transaction!?!? Seller says all post from Germany to USA is stopped. I called BS on that and refused the cancel request. I was told by the post office they have not heard such a thing so I don’t know what shenanigans they are up to. Grrrrrrr. At least I got the FT shock bodies. Anyone know if there are other shock caps I can use?

rabidfox50

I was able to find the shock caps and the servo saver. Servos were tested and they work perfectly. Stainless steel screw kit arrived and I am now looking for air filter foams that fit the original Thunder Tiger filter assembly. Holy smokes, I didn’t know it was this hard to find what should be common items like replacement foam! My second MGT is going to need a whole new filter assembly so I’m looking for one of those too.

rabidfox50

I wonder if the RC8T air filter assembly will work?

D3MON

yeah foams can definitely be an adventure, on mine i am actually using a generic GPM filter assembly, but have since replaced the element with HPI Savage filter.
on my other MGT, i am just using a whole HPI Savage air filter assembly.

rabidfox50

I wound up ordering foams for the RC8T truggy that look like they will fit. As to the other MGT, I found the aftermarket air filters I use to use back in the day. Motor Saver. Hey are pricey but are bulletproof.

rabidfox50

Welp, looks like the original 4.60 SE engine has no pinch or compression and the piston looks like it’s been attacked by a blowtorch. I’d like to rebuild it as the carb seems to be OK as well as everything else. Problem is I can’t find a piston, sleeve or con rod for it.
My second MGT has a Sportwerks.26 big block n it and so for runs well. It would be a shame to have to swap out the original 4.6 and I didn’t really want to spend more $$ on it. I’ve been lucky in finding parts cheap for it from new old stock. I may sell it but I’m still on the fence. The other MGT (also a 4.60SE) is most definitely staying in my collection as it has many upgrades like FT shock caps and bodies, RPM arms, stainless steel hardware and the Sportwerks big block and tuned pipe. I also installed 17mm hexes for some nice Proline 3.8 meats and wheels.

So the question is, should I ditch the original 4.60 engine or sell the whole MGT as is and let another collector decide?

D3MON

i have heard many good things about the 4.6 engine being a strong runner.
As far as a "collectors item" as much as i love the MGT trucks, i dont really know if it will change its value, or become a collectors item, unless it were a NIB, or highly upgraded. in the near future( 5-10 years) it might be something more. even now BNIB MGTs are going for right about sticker price of new back when released, which could be argued for inflation, be less.
kinda was the era of upgrade everything, and many manufacturers for said parts. on the flipside to that though, being all original could eventually increase the value over a slightly modified, but parts from companies out of business or no longer make parts, are still going to probably outweigh the cost of being original. (HCR, New Era, Novaracing, Hardcoreracing, UE, FLM, etc)
that said, on my "MGT" (the original .21 version,) i rebuilt the engine, everything except for crank, and and carb itself, replaced o-rings though. i did purchase the FT cooling head for it but have held onto the original.
i got really lucky on finding parts on sale, AE was doing a clearance sale on parts about a year back where my engine order crankcase, backplate, piston rod, wrist pin, FT cooling head, etc, was 40$, then found a Piston/Sleeve for another 40$.

overall its up to you what you want to do with it. they are some fun as hell trucks, i have 2 at the moment, the one im going for a more lightweight "racer type" build, the other is heavy basher build.
personally i would keep it, and get like a big red for 150$, or a nova for 220$ and run it. then as you find replacement parts for the engine, can rebuild if you want to have as a backup.

rabidfox50

That sounds like a good idea. I just found a great deal on a roll cage for the MGT and another MGT locally that a guy sold me for $40. It’s got a lot of broken parts but the 4.60 engine looks pretty good. I might be able to get it going and throw it in my completed truck. I’ll have to see when I get more free time.

rabidfox50

Well, I decided to sell my second MGT 4.60 SE. I put it on eBay and I will be keeping my other MGT. the third one I broke down and kept a few parts including the motor as a backup. I got the other motor to run but I didn’t tune it. Figured the next owner can do that.