Cost of Winning: The Monster Mav Chronicles

[badassmav]

I bet that last picture rattled your ear drums.

They have been rattled already to the core! When my brother and I started playing with trucks back in the early 80's, I would remove all the rivets in the frames by center drilling a 1/4" dia. relief hole in the middle of the rivet, and air chisel off the heads. With the exception of eye protection, I never was one for safety gear. At about 30 years of age, due to choices like the one just described, being in a rock band and attending countless rock concerts, I developed tinnitus in both ears. Loud noises have since lost their bite, and now, I will get this random high pitch ringing in my ears out of the blue. For no rhyme or reason, my ears can just start ringing. So loudly in fact that it affects my ability to hear anything else clearly when it is happening! So instant is the onset, that it compares to a gunshot going off next to my ear.
So air hammering a 16 gauge piece or sheet metal, with a piece of wood backing it up to deaden the sound is analogous to George Foreman being punched in the face! An act that he most likely compares to a soothing facial massage!!

 

[badassmav]

I noticed in your onboard tool and parts picture you guys carry a set of TRED's. How do you guys like them?


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I love the form, fit, and function of these plastic marvels!! I wish we had these when we were getting stuck in my bro's '63 Ford pick up truck in the mud when we were kids! A lot more stowable AND easier to use than a 20 foot long strip of carpet (ah, the good 'ol days! How many of you out there remember the old Armstrong 33" Tru-Tracs? Those puppies would fill up in the mud, and it was all over). The truth is, we never once needed to use them! Marc and I saw them for the first time at last years SEMA show, where we just powder coated and accented the car in Monster green, and just had to bring a pair home! I think their lightweight and stackable design was way past due. I call 'em the "Rubicon Ramps", because that is the only place a UTV would need them!! They have come in handy around the shop a couple of times though.

We all know what happens the first race that we decide not to have them on the car, right?

 

[Beach Leo]

Hey Reid I Have a mathematical question?

How many six-packs do you believe a project like this will involve?

What brand to you prefer to work with?

 

[Tzenev]

I love the form, fit, and function of these plastic marvels!! I wish we had these when we were getting stuck in my bro's '63 Ford pick up truck in the mud when we were kids! A lot more stowable AND easier to use than a 20 foot long strip of carpet (ah, the good 'ol days! How many of you out there remember the old Armstrong 33" Tru-Tracs? Those puppies would fill up in the mud, and it was all over). The truth is, we never once needed to use them! Marc and I saw them for the first time at last years SEMA show, where we just powder coated and accented the car in Monster green, and just had to bring a pair home! I think their lightweight and stackable design was way past due. I call 'em the "Rubicon Ramps", because that is the only place a UTV would need them!! They have come in handy around the shop a couple of times though.

We all know what happens the first race that we decide not to have them on the car, right?

I've been carrying a set on my maverick ever since I've had it. Never had to use them for my maverick but I have came across a few stuck trucks in the dunes and have got them out with the TRED's. When most people see them they always ask "why the hell would you carry those?". Cause you never know when they might come in handy. I've only used them a handful of times, and everytime the vehicle that is stuck just pulls right out no problem. Couldn't imagine not carrying them now. Who wouldn't want to, there light weight and don't take up a lot of room.


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[badassmav]

The Motor Pan:
The original pan got bashed up so hard into the motor, that the back half wasn't salvageable! I used my skills as a Journeyman sheet metal mechanic, and my handy 10 ton "H" frame bottle jack press to form up a replacement section. I still need to flare out the drivers side rear flange to allow clearance for the transmission housing, and drill a tranny fluid drain hole in it as well. Notice how I implemented the angle iron stiffener attached to the sway bar housing to offer full support for the metal pan, as well as a solid backing to slide in a couple of "clip nuts" for mounting the skid plate. It slices! It dices! It chops! It's the Ronco angle iron support bar, all for just $2,995.00!

With the 1/2" thick Factory UTV skid plate, I'm debating on whether or not to even put back in the factory perforated exhaust pipe protection guard that ran parallel to the frame rails. Probably a good place to open up the skid plate a bit to let some of that hot exhaust gas seep out the bottom of the pan instead of floating up into the CVT cover.

Lesson time:
The higher velocity airflow below the skid plate versus the lower speed of the air above it, will cause a low pressure zone on the outside of the skid plate, right under the exhaust pipe, "pushing" the hot air out the bottom of the car. It is one of the fundamental principles of aerodynamics known as "Bernoulli's Principle" which states that with increased wind velocity, the pressure decreases. Its the same thing that makes airplanes fly. Notice how the top of an airplane wing is curved up (convexed)? This forces the air that is flowing over it to speed up, so it meets with the air flowing under the wing at the same time when it reaches the rear of the wing. The high pressure zone below the wing is what gives the wing lift, and keeps the airplane afloat!

Ever notice a convertible on the freeway driving with the soft top up? It seems odd that the top is bowing upwards, as if it were being "pushed" up. Well it is, due to the fact that the wind on the outside is blowing faster than the wind on the inside. The result is a high pressure zone on the inside of the car. A dragster wing is another good example of this principle that Mr Bernoulli, an italian physicist discovered in the mid 1800's. It is basically an airplane wing turned upside down, netting the opposite effects on the dragster than it does on a plane. The idea here is that the space that the faster air is vacating needs to be replenished with new air, which it gets from the adjacent slow moving air zone. See it now! YAY! Sorry if that bored you.

 

[badassmav]

Hey Reid I Have a mathematical question?

How many six-packs do you believe a project like this will involve?

What brand to you prefer to work with?

If Marc doesn't stop pounding the car, ENDLESS pint bottles of "Guinness Extra Stout" would be required! That's my new agreement with Marc. You pound the car........I pound the pints!

 

[Beach Leo]

The Motor Pan:
The original pan got bashed up so hard into the motor, that the back half wasn't salvageable! I used my skills as a Journeyman sheet metal mechanic, and my handy 10 ton "H" frame bottle jack press to form up a replacement section. I still need to flare out the drivers side rear flange to allow clearance for the transmission housing, and drill a tranny fluid drain hole in it as well. Notice how I implemented the angle iron stiffener attached to the sway bar housing to offer full support for the metal pan, as well as a solid backing to slide in a couple of "clip nuts" for mounting the skid plate. It slices! It dices! It chops! It's the Ronco angle iron support bar, all for just $2,995.00!

With the 1/2" thick Factory UTV skid plate, I'm debating on whether or not to even put back in the factory perforated exhaust pipe protection guard that ran parallel to the frame rails. Probably a good place to open up the skid plate a bit to let some of that hot exhaust gas seep out the bottom of the pan instead of floating up into the CVT cover.

Lesson time:
The higher velocity airflow below the skid plate versus the lower speed of the air above it, will cause a low pressure zone on the outside of the skid plate, right under the exhaust pipe, "pushing" the hot air out the bottom of the car. It is one of the fundamental principles of aerodynamics known as "Bernoulli's Principle" which states that with increased wind velocity, the pressure decreases. Its the same thing that makes airplanes fly. Notice how the top of an airplane wing is curved up (convexed)? This forces the air that is flowing over it to speed up, so it meets with the air flowing under the wing at the same time when it reaches the rear of the wing. The high pressure zone below the wing is what gives the wing lift, and keeps the airplane afloat!

Ever notice a convertible on the freeway driving with the soft top up? It seems odd that the top is bowing upwards, as if it were being "pushed" up. Well it is, due to the fact that the wind on the outside is blowing faster than the wind on the inside. The result is a high pressure zone on the inside of the car. A dragster wing is another good example of this principle that Mr Bernoulli, an italian physicist discovered in the mid 1800's. It is basically an airplane wing turned upside down, netting the opposite effects on the dragster than it does on a plane. The idea here is that the space that the faster air is vacating needs to be replenished with new air, which it gets from the adjacent slow moving air zone. See it now! YAY! Sorry if that bored you.

Good stuff Reid
Any-way I was a tin-bender in my days when I was a young-en

For the first 6 months of doing it, my hands looked like hamburger

Than after that got the hang of how to handle sheet-metal

I see one of the trades you got your skills to work on Mav

As far as the air dynamics go with the Mav

Don't see it making much diff, cause she is way-fat and slow

However Do see it helping with keeping stuff cool

 

[badassmav]

Wrapped up the motor pan finally. What a PITA! Now, onto the a arms and ordering more stuff.

 

[badassmav]

Tubing splice and Repair:
I had to cut out and repair the 1 1/2" tubing that runs on the bottom of the rear suspension area, inbetween the lower a arm pivot points. Like everything else back there, it got bashed in, and the structural integrity has now been compromised.

I wanted to share with you the way I add a structural tubing splice.
First, whenever possible, cut the tube at an angle to maximize weld area, and break up the shear line. Doing this shares the load applied to the tube in a shear direction, as well as longitudinally. I cut thin tubing to act as an inner sleeve to:
-Support the butt joint, and
-To act as a back up for the full pen weld that I will be laying down.

The trick here is to slot the inner sleeve long ways so it is now split, and can be squeezed together. Then, drill a couple of 3/16" holes through both ens of the piece you are welding back in. Install the inner sleeves into said piece, and put the piece in place. You can now use a pick through the drilled holes to slide the inner sleeves so they are evenly inserted in both tubes. Make sure to prep the edge on thicker tubes w/a chamfer, and leave a root of about 1/16" for the purpose of fully penetrating the weld. The inner sleeve will back up the weld, and be fused to all tubes once welded. It is best to drill holes into the tubes receiving the splice so you can rosette weld the inner sleeve to the original tubes as well. This will insure that if the main buttweld were to crack, that the joint and sleeves will still hold everything together.

 

[mearsman]

I just want to say a big thank you for taking the time to share all of the pictures and accurately describe all of the processes and steps it takes to PROPERLY repair one of these cars. It really shows some of the guys who want to take the time to learn how something is repaired the correct way. Reid, you could easily just have cut out the damaged section of the frame and buttwelded in a new section of tubing. It'd probably hold long enough to finish the race. However it's not the proper way to do it. Some thing that was taught to me by some hardcore rock crawlers was the drilling of the hole in the tubing before sliding in my threaded bung for the 1.25" heim joint on my 4 link on the rear of my dodge diesel. People don't realize that the extra amount of tensile strength it gives the weld. It also adds weld area to the repairs as well which is also a good thing. One other benefit of drilling the hole in each side of the sleeve is that when you tack weld the repair piece in place, it lessens the chance of perocities it inclusions in the area of the weld that would've had the tack weld.

You sir are a craftsman. Thanks again for the tutelage


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[warlock]

I just want to say a big thank you for taking the time to share all of the pictures and accurately describe all of the processes and steps it takes to PROPERLY repair one of these cars. It really shows some of the guys who want to take the time to learn how something is repaired the correct way. Reid, you could easily just have cut out the damaged section of the frame and buttwelded in a new section of tubing. It'd probably hold long enough to finish the race. However it's not the proper way to do it. Some thing that was taught to me by some hardcore rock crawlers was the drilling of the hole in the tubing before sliding in my threaded bung for the 1.25" heim joint on my 4 link on the rear of my dodge diesel. People don't realize that the extra amount of tensile strength it gives the weld. It also adds weld area to the repairs as well which is also a good thing. One other benefit of drilling the hole in each side of the sleeve is that when you tack weld the repair piece in place, it lessens the chance of perocities it inclusions in the area of the weld that would've had the tack weld.

You sir are a craftsman. Thanks again for the tutelage


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Yeah I learn a lot just watching this old school craftsman work and explain it all in detail. Damn UTVUNDERGROUND should be stoked to have Reid on here do what he does. This is some of the best stuff ever. Reid might have to post up a Final Exam at the end of this Journey.

 

[badassmav]

So, I just finished welding the tube splice, and wanted to show you the results. What it is that I want you to see is how flat the welds lay. These are full penetration welds, and if after welding, you have to grind down the weld, well then it really couldn't be fully penetrated then, can it? The material that I used to splice the damaged area is 1018 DOM tube. Unfortunately, I only had .095" wall tubing available, and the adjacent tubes that I was welding to were only 16 gauge thick. No need to use moly because the adjacent tubes are not, so what's the use? Anyway, most any time that I weld to 4130, I stress relieve it, and it's a timely pain in the ass!

I won't wager a guess, 'cause I don't want to judge the fabricators out there, but I know that a good number of builders do not stress relieve their 4130 weldments. It is obvious by looking at a welded joint, unless they have the bucks, and have a VSR machine (vibratory stress relief), in which case there is no visible signs of the process. Whether or not to stress relieve is way too complicated to cover here. There are enough good books out there (I guess web sites now. I learned from books before the internet was available) that cover this topic. The temperatures required to properly stress relieve are dangerously high (between 1050 and 1175 degrees F), and if not carefully applied and controlled, more damage than good will come from it. I recommend using 1020 or 1026 material instead if you are not going to stress relieve your 4130 weldments. Man, I'm tired! Beddy-bye for this old man.
I'll add pics tomorrow morning because UTVUG is not taking them right now!

 

[motive]

With all the frame repairs, do you regret not painting the frame instead of powder coating?

I love this thread! Can't wait for all the upcoming smack just before V2R. I'm sure what ever the outcome, it will be entertaining afterwards too.

 

[JustinR]

Reid, do all race teams go through this much repair after a race like the baja? Just a question from a fan. Even though I don't race, I find your posts very informative and educational. Nice job on your win.

 

[badassmav]

With all the frame repairs, do you regret not painting the frame instead of powder coating?

I love this thread! Can't wait for all the upcoming smack just before V2R. I'm sure what ever the outcome, it will be entertaining afterwards too.

Yeah, I never was a fan of powder coating any load-carrying component of the car. It makes repairs difficult, timely, and messy,. But by far, the worst consequence in powder coating load-carrying components, is that you can not see fatigue cracks when they occur, or where they propagated from. This is most unfortunate since 90% of all fatigue cracks begin on the surface of a component, usually near a corner or sharp edge. So, even that I know where a crack is most likely to manifest itself, I can't take advantage of early detection because of a coating that will certainly mask it from view.

Example:
Look at the image (sorry about the quality) I attached of a key intersection in the rear of our car. Notice in the center of the image, the dark line on the welded intersection, right where the weld joins to the tube. The crack you are seeing was there sometime before deformation caused the coating to separate. It is likely that we started the race with that crack, but it just wasn't visible yet. Lucky for us, the joint did not fail before I caught it.

It's a double edged sword, this powder coating process. Aesthetics are crucial when you're talking about branding with sponsors as big as Monster. We (Marc) decided to powder coat the frame in preparation for last years SEMA show, as well as the Baja 1000. One must admit, it sure is an eye grabber when done creatively. So, do I regret powder coating the frame (and a arms as well )? Everytime I go to prep the car. You bet I do! Does Marc regret powder coating the frame? It is my guess that only when a catastrophic failure occurs that sidelines him during a race, will he frown upon his decision to apply a snotty-colored green powder to my frame!!! Ha hee!

You're right about the post race banter. Take my word for it, the smack will be abundant if we don't podium, or if we DNF. The naysayers will be chiming in, and my word-smithing skills will surely entertain you all for some time after. If luck is on our side and we take top honors or even a podium...............crickets!

 

[badassmav]

Reid, do all race teams go through this much repair after a race like the baja? Just a question from a fan. Even though I don't race, I find your posts very informative and educational. Nice job on your win.

Do all teams go through this much repair after each race? God, I hope not! You'd have to ask them that, Justin. This is my first experience in maintaining a race car for a full season. We went to the Baja with a car that was not physically a winning car. I ran out of time to properly prepare, set up, and test the car prior to the race. The rear suspension was so far off, that the resulting damage will have taken me 7 of the 10 weeks that I had before V2R to repair it. The 4wd and alternator were not working when I rolled into Ensenada on 4:30 Friday afternoon. The co-driver had no ability to communicate to me the pits, and for unknown reasons, our GPS did not work for 40 miles or so. Our top speed capability was 10 mph less than the competition, and Marc had to keep it an additional 10 mph under that as well, in order to save the belt. A belt change averages around 20-25 minutes in our car, compared to 5 minutes (from what Jim at Cognito tells me) for the Polaris camp. We already broke 1 belt, and another belt change would have lost us the race. Marc knew that, and slowed accordingly. I will reiterate here on what I said in the past about our driver (partly because it is true, but mostly to get under the skin of the naysayers ).

Besides knowing the Baja peninsula as well as anybody could, our driver has a feel for a race car that I don't think most others do. He knows most every squeak, rattle, and knocking noise that the car should be making. When a new symptom occurs that is out of the norm, he has the ability to pick up on it, isolate it, monitor it, and exploit it if necessary, but the bottom line is that he knows how hard the car can be driven before letting him (and the team) down. He always knows where the finish line is, and where his competitors are, at any given time. If the last race was just a couple of miles longer, we would not have won it, given the condition the car was in at the finish. That's the key phrase here, "at the finish". Like they say, "To finish first, first you must finish"!

So the short answer to your question is probably not. Our car was a 3rd or 4th place contender at best when the race started. When the race ended, we were the victors. The cost of that victory is a race car that is so badly torn up, that I still am assessing the damage, and trying to get back to just the standard race prep duties, which wont happen until a couple of weeks prior to the green flag at V2R, if I'm lucky!

Sorry that I turned your simple question into another one of my rants. NOT!!

 

[BiggJim]

Reid...how much ground clearance do you have a full bump?

 

[JustinR]

I think I can speak for everyone in that I appreciate your honesty. So much goes into these races and it gives the outsider some perspective. So, my next question would be, will you be building a new Maverick from the ground up in the near future? I love build threads and that would be a great one to follow.

 

[badassmav]

Reid...how much ground clearance do you have a full bump?

The new shocks that Fox are making for us will limit the ground clearance at full bump to 2" in the front, and 3" in the rear.

The old shocks were allowing 3" in the front, and for some reason, I think we missed the mark when mounting the rears because my notes from building the car says 3", but the damage I have been repairing for the last few weeks says something entirely different!

 

[badassmav]

I think I can speak for everyone in that I appreciate your honesty. So much goes into these races and it gives the outsider some perspective. So, my next question would be, will you be building a new Maverick from the ground up in the near future? I love build threads and that would be a great one to follow.

I have a new 4 seat Max frame on the floor as we type, actually, it is sitting on a jig that I built to build a chassis on. It was our plan to build the new chassis and have it ready for the Baja 500 this year. Bahaha, I say! Coincidentally, Big Jim at Cognito had the same thing on their floor at the same time we did. A bare frame on a jig. The difference is that he finished and is racing his, and I have yet to start ours.

We currently have no plans on racing UTV's next year, and have no obligation to, nor commitment from Can-am to do so. Even if we planned to race next season, I don't know where the time would come from for me to design a new chassis, let alone build it! Rest assured that if I do start a new UTV build, I will be sharing the how to's and why so's with all of you here in the Underground.

Thanks for your contribution to my thread! It is rewarding for me to know that others are enjoying, and learning from my posts and the story of the 2014 racing season.