Cost of Winning: The Monster Mav Chronicles

[badassmav]

You have two months... quit posting and do more work.

When one works from 7 a.m to 1 a.m. believe me, work is getting done. I always take breaks in my day to post, walk my dogs, and even help the neighbor if they need it. Don't worry about us, we'll be at the V2R to pester you schlomaris guys. You just make sure your car is in top shape so you don't get beat again by a 2300 pound slug, and this time, in your back yard!

Besides, I enjoy using "the Chronicles" thread on UTVUG as a conduit to share with whomever cares to learn, what works and doesn't work for the Monster Mav. It's educational, entertaining for the members, and therapeutic for my anxiety filled mind. C'mon Justin, you know you follow my thread. It's your guilty pleasure Ha hee!! It's an ongoing saga of a trainwreck, and nobody can turn away from a train wreck!! Anyway, isn't it time you lighten up with me? Make a positive contribution to my posts/threads for a change. I've never done anything to you but have a difference of opinion. I gotta go. I'm a man, and I have work to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[facteryfmf]

Were tired of hearing you only have 2+ months to get ready and your full time job is the car. Some people here have an 8-5 THEN have to work on their cars !

 

[AReed]

For curiosity's sake do you press the bearing into the upright, install the snap ring and then press the bearing into the snap ring slightly?

 

[badassmav]

Were tired of hearing you only have 2+ months to get ready and your full time job is the car. Some people here have an 8-5 THEN have to work on their cars !

So, I guess this means that you don't want to bury the hatchet, huh?

Being that this is an online forum, you don't really hear anything. Instead, you make a conscious effort to read it. If you are tired of reading about it, just quit reading it! It's that simple. I'm not on here to complain or whine about the work ahead. Whether or not you buy it, I am overwhelmed by how many repairs need to be made before the next race. Were not talking some buddies after hours turning a few wrenches and having a few beers. I'm not just welding up cracks here. I'm performing major repairs, and having to design, jig up, and fab key components that need to be functional and reliable out of the box. I choose to share that process with members who are eager to learn what it takes to develop, race, and maintain a desert race vehicle.

I don't see you, or anyone else just freely giving away so much hard earned information as I am. Maybe I do it to feel important. Maybe I do it 'cause I'm a nice guy who likes to give and want others to have an easier time of things in their life, because things just aren't as easy as they used to be and the world already has enough "takers" Or maybe Justin, just maybe I do it because I'm spiteful, and I know how it gets under your skin.

 

[facteryfmf]

I dont get to work on the car since its 500 miles away. But I will admit you're very knowledgeable and provide many others w valuable information. But you dont have to tell us how youre out of time w 2 months left nor how good your driver is.

 

[crazywatson]

Well telling you how good the driver is just explains why your getting your but kicked. In a way he's helping you so you don't have to wonder why. Lol

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[facteryfmf]

We wouldn't have got our butt kicked if I went and disrespected my competitors by cutting a log jam. We waited at mm211 for two hours and lost by 1hr15 min. Racing is racing. We got third @ the 500 and won the SS300. Driver did some serious work on us last year didn't he. Pffff.

 

[badassmav]

For curiosity's sake do you press the bearing into the upright, install the snap ring and then press the bearing into the snap ring slightly?

You mean as to pre-load the bearing against the snap ring? I do not. But, it sounds like its not a bad idea. It appears there's around .005" of clearance when installing the circlip.

When installing the bearing, I set up the press so the spacers are in position, and ready to just pump the handle. I then heat the upright to about 175-200*, and quickly set the bearing in squarely before pressing it into position. Between the interference fit, and galvanic corrosion due to dis-similar metals coming into contact with one another, the uprights seem to loosen up after just a couple of bearing installs. This is the third set of uprights for the Monster Mav since we built it last year. I will replace them (uprights & wheel bearings) again for this race, and replace the wheel bearings once more before the 1000. Some "Yamabond" might help the circlip stay in place if the tolerance of the bearing/upright interface was as new, but because this is the 2nd time the clip came out while racing, my thought is that the thrust loads are just too much to re-use old parts. Remember, our car weighs a whopping 2,363 pounds without occupants! More than most 1900's weigh including driver and co-driver.

 

[AReed]

I know a couple of the racers out here lightly press the bearing back into the snap ring because they'll spit the snap ring and bearing out if they don't. Seems to work for them.

 

[Kalop]

Any in car go pro style videos of Marc driving (old or new) floating around anywhere ??

 

[Beach Leo]

Man that car was used up!

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Yea I was just thinking the same thing Steve

Hey Reid I know you must have gave this some thought

I see all this carnage that the car has gone though

And now you are showing all the work to make necessary repairs for V2R

My question is do believe that this car is harder or easier to bring it all up to

race form

Than to start from scratch frame and all?

 

[mearsman]

We wouldn't have got our butt kicked if I went and disrespected my competitors by cutting a log jam. We waited at mm211 for two hours and lost by 1hr15 min. Racing is racing. We got third @ the 500 and won the SS300. Driver did some serious work on us last year didn't he. Pffff.

Disrespected? You mean out smarted... Just sayin. I watched the video. Quit you're bitching and just race


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[warlock]

Disrespected? You mean out smarted... Just sayin. I watched the video. Quit you're bitching and just race


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We wouldn't have got our butt kicked if I went and disrespected my competitors by cutting a log jam. We waited at mm211 for two hours and lost by 1hr15 min. Racing is racing. We got third @ the 500 and won the SS300. Driver did some serious work on us last year didn't he. Pffff.

Justin are you Retarded, if you seriously sat around waiting 2hrs for 2 wheel drive junk to take there turns at some hill and you have 4x4 and can obviously get up the hill no problem and not add to the log jam then get after it, this is a race and your class has 17 racers coming from behind you better get your Ass up that Hill and get back to racing. There is no disrespect when Racing and you have the better equipment or skill you use it to win. I know the state of Kommiefornia wants to teach everyone to be equal and there are no winners or losers but that kinda shit needs to be left to the state of Kuntifornia, this is Baja. Lol. Race to Win.

 

[mearsman]

Justin are you Retarded, if you seriously sat around waiting 2hrs for 2 wheel drive junk to take there turns at some hill and you have 4x4 and can obviously get up the hill no problem and not add to the log jam then get after it, this is a race and your class has 17 racers coming from behind you better get your Ass up that Hill and get back to racing. There is no disrespect when Racing and you have the better equipment or skill you use it to win. I know the state of Kommiefornia wants to teach everyone to be equal and there are no winners or losers but that kinda shit needs to be left to the state of Kuntifornia, this is Baja. Lol. Race to Win.

AMEN


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[Bajaxp]

Justin are you Retarded, if you seriously sat around waiting 2hrs for 2 wheel drive junk to take there turns at some hill and you have 4x4 and can obviously get up the hill no problem and not add to the log jam then get after it, this is a race and your class has 17 racers coming from behind you better get your Ass up that Hill and get back to racing. There is no disrespect when Racing and you have the better equipment or skill you use it to win. I know the state of Kommiefornia wants to teach everyone to be equal and there are no winners or losers but that kinda shit needs to be left to the state of Kuntifornia, this is Baja. Lol. Race to Win.

Wait, wait, wait! You were not at this bottleneck...I was. There was no 'getting around in 4wd' in this section. Trust me I would have found a way. Marc was leading at this point and went straight through this section, because there wasn't any bottleneck when he came through. Kudos for him. That is the luck of racing. There was a Kreiger class 10 at first blocking the road that was effectively cut into the side of a very steep mountain. 1920 pushed the class 10 up the hill and got through, but then the next car in line was the RPM class 8 and got stuck. There is no way that a 2k lb UTV was going to push a 5500 lb truck up that hill and ZERO ways to go around unless you had a helicopter lift you over the blockage. It took Donald Moss two times in his 4wd Bronco to snatch him backwards DOWN the hill. It was a cluster-fud. BTW, I had no issue going up the silt hill after the bottleneck cleared even though I only had 2wd at this point in the race.

I saw the video of 1905 between Valley T and Urapan, and I saw no issue with MB going around those guys who couldn't make it up that hill. The one guy tried something like three times and couldn't make it. I would have done the same thing if I had the opportunity. That is why I want our class to start ahead of 5/1600, class 11, class 7 etc...particularly in a technical race like this year's 500.

Now back on track, as this is RJ's thread.

I have a question...what swaybar set up do you run and have you done any tuning/adjusting to it? If so what and why?

 

[warlock]

I saw the video of 1905 between Valley T and Urapan, and I saw no issue with MB going around those guys who couldn't make it up that hill. The one guy tried something like three times and couldn't make it. I would have done the same thing if I had the opportunity. That is why I want our class to start ahead of 5/1600, class 11, class 7 etc...particularly in a technical race like this year's 500.

Yes Im talking about the spots where people said Marc should have had some Racer Respect and waited his turn at it. I know there was spots that were plugged and there was no way around I understand that. and if there becomes a gap when those 2wd cars are waiting for each other I would be driving around them and or using them for traction getting up and over. lol , If your 4wd Golf cart can navigate the hill and not get stuck and cause more problems then go ahead and Pass those throw backs to the 60s.
Yeah I think the same as you and these Race Organizers need to now revisit the Starting order now that the Golf Carts are actually hauling Ass and need a little less obstacles like them old VWs.

 

[Bajaxp]

I saw the video of 1905 between Valley T and Urapan, and I saw no issue with MB going around those guys who couldn't make it up that hill. The one guy tried something like three times and couldn't make it. I would have done the same thing if I had the opportunity. That is why I want our class to start ahead of 5/1600, class 11, class 7 etc...particularly in a technical race like this year's 500.

Yes Im talking about the spots where people said Marc should have had some Racer Respect and waited his turn at it. I know there was spots that were plugged and there was no way around I understand that. and if there becomes a gap when those 2wd cars are waiting for each other I would be driving around them and or using them for traction getting up and over. lol , If your 4wd Golf cart can navigate the hill and not get stuck and cause more problems then go ahead and Pass those throw backs to the 60s.
Yeah I think the same as you and these Race Organizers need to now revisit the Starting order now that the Golf Carts are actually hauling Ass and need a little less obstacles like them old VWs.

Wow...we are in violent agreement! Haha.

BTW the bottleneck that referred to needing a helicopter was at RM210.

Just to further the point, Derek Murray went around a HUGE bottleneck at the 2013 Baja 500 and got himself a 30-40 minute lead by doing so. I never bitched...just quick thinking on his part.

 

[warlock]

Wow...we are in violent agreement! Haha.

BTW the bottleneck that referred to needing a helicopter was at RM210.

Just to further the point, Derek Murray went around a HUGE bottleneck at the 2013 Baja 500 and got himself a 30-40 minute lead by doing so. I never bitched...just quick thinking on his part.

I think that until they put them VWs in the back of you they will continue to cause bottlenecks and Whoever is unlucky enough to get caught up in one of there Buttplugs is screwed. Say your the first one off the line and get stuck in the Jam and everyone catches you your in trouble or if your back in the start and your unlucky moment comes up when everyone else made it before a Log Jam and your stuck waiting your done. That really sucks. Maybe if enough Racers bring up these Issues it will change the Starting order.

 

[badassmav]

Wait, wait, wait! You were not at this bottleneck...I was. There was no 'getting around in 4wd' in this section. Trust me I would have found a way. Marc was leading at this point and went straight through this section, because there wasn't any bottleneck when he came through. Kudos for him. That is the luck of racing. There was a Kreiger class 10 at first blocking the road that was effectively cut into the side of a very steep mountain. 1920 pushed the class 10 up the hill and got through, but then the next car in line was the RPM class 8 and got stuck. There is no way that a 2k lb UTV was going to push a 5500 lb truck up that hill and ZERO ways to go around unless you had a helicopter lift you over the blockage. It took Donald Moss two times in his 4wd Bronco to snatch him backwards DOWN the hill. It was a cluster-fud. BTW, I had no issue going up the silt hill after the bottleneck cleared even though I only had 2wd at this point in the race.

I saw the video of 1905 between Valley T and Urapan, and I saw no issue with MB going around those guys who couldn't make it up that hill. The one guy tried something like three times and couldn't make it. I would have done the same thing if I had the opportunity. That is why I want our class to start ahead of 5/1600, class 11, class 7 etc...particularly in a technical race like this year's 500.

Now back on track, as this is RJ's thread.

I have a question...what swaybar set up do you run and have you done any tuning/adjusting to it? If so what and why?

I run the stock rear sway bar (no front), and lengthened the lever arms by a calculated dimension to soften the bar up a bit. Otherwise, I was afraid that through the increased wheel travel, the stiffness of the bar would have held up the tire(s) in hard corners, but more importantly, in the deep straight offset whoop sections where the left and right side of the car need the freedom to independently follow the terrain and keep the tires in contact with the ground. Had I known our car would eventually amass a weight to the tune of 2,363 lbs, I might have re-considered lengthening the lever arms at all!
Matt, thanks for not hi-jacking my chronicles, and it is refreshing to hear someone not bash Marc for the bottleneck incident. I'm tired of hearing people try to use that incident to discredit his driving prowess as it relates to us winning the race, as well as discredit the cars ability to kick ass. When you're up, there's always someone who wants to try and bring you down. I hate that about our society.
Thanks for your inquiry!

 

[badassmav]

Reid enlighten me, it seems you have completely reengineered the maverick. Forward steer, rear diff location, cv alignment, shock angles, mounting locations. Did canam miss the mark or are there trade offs to the changes you made?

Please hang in there Bret. I want to cover all the modifications in detail, but just don't have the time for the next couple of weeks. It will be worth the wait, I promise.