PB MAXIMA!

[Bormac]

Here's my PB Maxima. Its had a few small mods which I felt the car required but also helped me with running modern electrics such as batteries.

The last time I drove this car on the race track there were puddles and some serious MUD! The rear gear diff ended up packing it in but it wasn't the gears to my suprise. The 2.6mm threaded screw that ties one diff outdrive to the other snapped but this was not the first time i'd encountered such a problem as this had happened prior with my Mustang also.

The Maxima had been sidelined till now as the diff halves were sent to my friend Thomas (BUGLE) to have a 3mm thread tapped right the way through-(thanks again champion!)

So I could run saddle pack lipo's I made a fibreglass lower chassis plate which recesses up into the plastic chassis spine by around 2.5mm. This doesn't foul the original lower plate and works well for my needs.

I've also made a rear tower strengthening plate which doesnt just stiffen things up but also makes for a handy place to mount my esc, switch and some old skool wing mounts.

Gone are the 2.0" rims and tyres and in their place are a set of 2.2" 6 spoked rims and modern rubber.

Suprisingly even though this car has a longer wheel base than the MUSTANG it actualy turns in much harder despite any adjustments I make. In the end I had to run front tyres with less grip to get it to behave itself. While the dampers may look a little prehistoric Im suprised that with a little bit of attention they actualy work very well and leak very little if at all.

For me the Maxima screams volumes of what the old racing scene was like when I first got started. There were a few running and running quite well at my club back then from what I can remember.

The 32dp spur adapter was also swapped out for a unit BUGLE machined up for me to permit the use of my 48dp Schumacher 'whisper' spur gears. The front one ways are gone with solid uni's in their place. I once read that the maxima was said to be around 18% more power efficient than the Mustang with it's ball raced belt tensioner, finer pitch belt and uni's and front one ways. Im happy to believe this as the CO27 stock motor gets this car easily up to speed and im very happ with it.

[Bormac]

I had been testing out the Maxima at the castle Hill track on a couple of occassions and this car really impressed me. Not just because it drove well but because of how cool it was to have such an old classic out and about on a real race track.

[Mad Racer]

Jason cant get any Image.

Whers is your Magic???? TAAA DAAAA is Gone??????

[Mr. ED]

Hey jason,
Nice addition to your UK collection... now you need a mardave next

The steering posts outside of the body are a bit odd. I wonder why they didn't make the body a little wider to cover them up?
You should try putting some rubber sleeves where the steering link passes through the center. Maybe half of a frogs dogbone booth at either side would do the trick.

[Bormac]

Hey Eric.
The Mardave's seriously does little for me. I have heard they were a strong club racer throughout the UK in their time but still dont really appeal to me. However I have a friend in Melbourne who will post me some shells to paint for his Meteor so Im keen to see what can be done to make the car look good.

The Maxima is quite a unique car as are all the PB's but its the bodyshell that gets me, I just love the look of it coupled with the wing. The steering that passes through the chassis frame is actualy quite well sealed even though its hard to see in the pics. Dont know why the steering mech sits outside the shell but it doesn't bother me at all as I appreciate the car for its historical value rather than its modern idea's.

Thanks for the input. Cheers-Jason

[Mad Racer]

Hey Jason i see you have been playing with the upper camber link.

From the action pic it looks like the standard rear set up.??
I have always said the wicked angle of the top link couldnt do the roll centers any good. Your set up looks a lot better, Are the rear hubs standard or not???

When i saw these compete they really sundenly broke into a oversteer spin and i always thought it was to do with the angle and posistion of the roll center pick up points,.

Would be interesting to see what you think of your revised set up.

[Mr. ED]

I'm guessing the short steering rods, and their offset to where the front arms angle up, are going to have some effect also on the behaviour while cornering.
But Jason's right, I'm looking at it with maybe too much of a crititcal eye.
Just doing that to stop myself from buying too many cars and being dissappointed with their period-correct design faults afterwards

(PS: even with new designs the first thing I think of is "what would I change if this were mine". It's just that I love that part of the hobby so much and can't leave any car in stock form.)