I think i already know the answer to this one but i was wondering what underbodies i could use to put under a couple of shells i have? The two i have right now might be too far gone to repair but still want to use the shells. Any ideas or find new SW12001500s hahaha??
No, if you're going to spend the money on new underbodies-if you can find them-might as well get a new, off the shelf SW1500. Go to a swap meet/trainshow and try finding dead or ugly units. Check the boxes under the tables, or the dealer that has a lot of parts. You may get lucky. If these shells are real old, check to make sure the plastic has not turned brittle with time. That being said, most old Athearn drives can be brought back from the dead with cleaning, relubing the trucks and doing a little TLC on the motor/drive train. Google, "Fixing Athearn drivetrain" and check the sites. There are several out there that tell you how to improve the old blue-box grinders. Mark