Mardave v12 Rally Conversion

[JoeDreamer]

Hey guys, just after some general advice to if this is even possible!

 

I picked up a super cheap vintage Mardave v12 (Not sure if its a Mini Stox though) with a pretty sweet looking Megane shell as a new project over the summer.

 

I'm not too in to the oval racing and more off road/dirt bashing and I'm wanting to convert this in to something that will run decent on those surfaces (Big big big ask....)

 

I'm wanting to redo the electrics and need to pick up a radio but I'm wondering if anyone else has done this before or if anyone has any pointers  

 

Picture  to properly identify what I've purchased.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

[Garry]

Bad news first right? Don't worry better news will follow. 

 

It's totally the wrong car for that type of driving. The have millimetres of suspension monrment not the inches needed for off road use. At absolute best it'll struggle to run on a rough street.

 

It uses Z-Drive wheel fittings so first step is to convert it to hexes to fit more regular rally car wheels and tyres. These will be 60mm diameter rather than the stock 50mm diameter so an extra 10mm of ground clearance.

 

Bad news now  To get any more clearance you'll be fabricating so much in the front suspension and replacing the motor pod and rear axle, fitting a differential etc that it's less effort and cost to just start off with something better suited to begin with. 

 

So basically it's possibly possible but it's not a quick simple project, expect it to take a long time to end up with something still terrible at the job in hand. 

 

On the positive side its definitely a Mardave V12, I've had lots over the years. They are very limited cars in terns of what they can and can't do. It's not xa kind of car where you just buy and fit upgrades. It's a car best suited to scratch builders and fabricators.

 

So to recap

 

Convert to hexes

Fit rally wheels and tyres 

Fit off road suspension 

Possibly replace the entire rear end of the car 

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Garry

[Alex97]

If you need help with the 12mm hex I have designed and 3d printed a converter that just goes over the axel. 

 

As Garry said above it's really the ideal chassis as it's designed for flat surfaces so no doubt it won't handel that well. 

 

if it was me i'd be looking to get a tt-01 chassis brand new off of ebay for about £50 however this could be a fun little project. 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Alex97

[JoeDreamer]

Bad news first right? Don't worry better news will follow. 
 
It's totally the wrong car for that type of driving. The have millimetres of suspension monrment not the inches needed for off road use. At absolute best it'll struggle to run on a rough street.
 
It uses Z-Drive wheel fittings so first step is to convert it to hexes to fit more regular rally car wheels and tyres. These will be 60mm diameter rather than the stock 50mm diameter so an extra 10mm of ground clearance.
 
Bad news now  To get any more clearance you'll be fabricating so much in the front suspension and replacing the motor pod and rear axle, fitting a differential etc that it's less effort and cost to just start off with something better suited to begin with. 
 
So basically it's possibly possible but it's not a quick simple project, expect it to take a long time to end up with something still terrible at the job in hand. 
 
On the positive side its definitely a Mardave V12, I've had lots over the years. They are very limited cars in terns of what they can and can't do. It's not xa kind of car where you just buy and fit upgrades. It's a car best suited to scratch builders and fabricators.
 
So to recap
 
Convert to hexes
Fit rally wheels and tyres 
Fit off road suspension 
Possibly replace the entire rear end of the car 
 
 
 

Thanks for the advice!

I understand its a completely stupid project and will take a long time but I have a lot of that spare [emoji23].

So it's pretty much getting the ground clearance on this then.

I'll have a better understands of the car when it arrives tomorrow.

On a whole I like a challenge and I'm looking forward to it!

Just a quick question will 1/10 wheels look a bit big on the car or is that something I am stuck with?

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[JoeDreamer]

If you need help with the 12mm hex I have designed and 3d printed a converter that just goes over the axel. 
 
As Garry said above it's really the ideal chassis as it's designed for flat surfaces so no doubt it won't handel that well. 
 
if it was me i'd be looking to get a tt-01 chassis brand new off of ebay for about £50 however this could be a fun little project. 

Thanks Alex! Will definitely be interested.

I had a quick look on ebay and didn't seem to find anything (probably because this is a awful idea...)

I already have a TL01 but I kinda like the smaller size of these cars.

Definitely a project [emoji23] I have no idea how this is going to turnout!

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[Garry]

These are significantly smaller than a TL01.  Don't underestimate it, they are made up of less than 25 significant parts in total and once its converted you may only be reusing 10 at most.

 

Wheel wise, 10th wheels don't fit under the standard body, you'll have to cut large sections away for clearance.And more for suspension travel.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Garry

[Garry]

This pic I found on Google shows 10th on-road wheels fitted on a V12 running standard height.

 

Fitting off-road tyres needs more clearance.

Off road suspension needs even more clearance.

[JoeDreamer]

This pic I found on Google shows 10th on-road wheels fitted on a V12 running standard height.
 
Fitting off-road tyres needs more clearance.
Off road suspension needs even more clearance.

I'm not gonna lie, that actually looks pretty sweet!

I'm glad it's been done before gives me a reference to work off

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