Converting A Goods Vehicle To Amphibious

Hi there Jeremy.

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how utterly hopeless JFM's plan is. One too many croque Monsieur pasties and far too much sunshine.

As a veteran of 5 arduous years at art college studying the finer points of design and industrial model making - no really I kid you not, it falls upon me to point out that form follows function and simplicity is nature's glue. Any solution that requires a photo, 3 drawings and war & peace by way of explanation is surely dead in the water.

I am reminded of the day we stood victorious in the Pyewipe beer garden following the Lincoln Art College annual raft race. We didn't need complicated sums, caissons and 3000 psi of explosive pressure. You're a handsome man Jeremy and a virile man to boot. The nation doesn't want to see your plums flying across their Sunday evening television screens when 3000psi, 75,000 pounds and 2 cylinders revert to atmospheric pressure in the glint of Hammond's pearly white teeth.

JFM means no harm, he's just lost the touch of the common man.

Nice and simple.

1. Lighten the truck.

2. Strap loads of buoyancy to it making sure the cab stays out of the water.

3 affix a couple of moderately powerful 200hp outboard engines either side on drop down arms.

Enjoy boating.



A couple of pointers. The engines probably need to be towards the front of the truck, either side of the cab. Powering from the rear will just cause the truck to go round in circles, far better to drag the beast and let the back end just trail.

Don't worry about complicated rudders, use power differential on the engines to steer. I'm a commercially endorced Yachtmaster and cut my teeth on this sort of craft. I also played Battle Zone a lot as a youth on the Atari.

For buoyancy you have any number of options. Try to avoid plywood, expanding foam and anything that requires glue or gaffa tape. I'm thinking we tap up someone for some huge fenders and strap them on (fenders are the big conker things people tie on the side of their boat when mooring up to prevent damage).

The only other thing you'll have to decide is what you want playing on the stereo.

Job's a good 'un.

Yours etc

Captain H :)
 
Its not impossible, wern't the original DUKWs just a Chevy truck underneath? If you boxed in the under cab area and under chassis area you should end up with enough buoyancy. It would be sensible to move the air intake to a snorkel and possibly move the radiator to the cab roof with longer hoses so as engine area can be sealed. If using a flat bed then build up and seal the bed sides. An ex military truck would have extra ground clearance which would make entry to the water easier and also give more free space around chassis to box in for buoyancy. It sounds like an interesting project. I suspect that with a vehicle the size of a truck it will be reasonably easy to displace more water than the weight of the vehicle which of course will result in it floating, probably easier than a car.
I think the above scheme of adding floats etc looks good and fun but your not displacing much more water than the standard truck which would require huge weight savings which would affect road worthiness. Basically box, box, box. Box in as much as possible.
As for propulsion? Using the existing prop shaft in some way seems viable. Box around it to form a tunnel then fit prop blades to the shaft? The rear diff might get in the way though. Or as above suggests, fit a big outboard to the rear of vehicle. Another option could be to fit a hydraulic pump to the engine via pto or belt drive which inturn could power hydraulic thrusters and steering. Most fishing boats run their winches from engine driven hydraulics.
 
Last edited:
Good heavens what a small world we live in. Good to hear from you John, yes, I remember the trip well. The Christmas TG should be a good one if the day was anything to go by, and I shall look forward to enjoying a little tipple with you when we meet next time.
Thanks to one and all for your input, every little helps. Even the little squirt has his good points, but I'm hoping he doesn't think to come here and do his research.
 
Hi Jeremy,

If you used a cargo lorry, the space at the back could be used for float the size of a container. Hinged at the sides and split down the middle so it forms two big outriggers when deployed.
 
J.Clarkson said:
Good heavens what a small world we live in. Good to hear from you John, yes, I remember the trip well. The Christmas TG should be a good one if the day was anything to go by, and I shall look forward to enjoying a little tipple with you when we meet next time.
Thanks to one and all for your input, every little helps. Even the little squirt has his good points, but I'm hoping he doesn't think to come here and do his research.
Click to expand...

Just in case anybody is labouring under the illusion that the real Mr Clarkson would actually register and post on here using his real name ... this latest post just confirms that this is a completely bogus thread. I know jfm in the real world, and I was on the periphery of the arrangements for the Top Gear piece filmed on Match 2 in August. There was absolutely no plan for there ever to be a 'next time', it was strictly a one-off event.

Pretty irritating for the folks that have actually made some effort to write genuine responses. Timewaster!

Cheers
Mr Grumpy
 
Make sure you start with a mechanically injected Diesel engine truck rather than an electronic fuel injected more recent model. You know as well as I do that any attempt to seal the engine compartment will fail so accept that it's going under the water which isn't an issue on a mechanical injected diesel. Just use a snorkel to let the engine breath and probably best to vent the exhaust high as well to avoid your lorry swallowing water down the wrong hole when, sorry, if you stall it.

Also make sure any engine breathers etc are taken care of.

Thank real ale and Morris dancing that James M hasn't discovered the Internet yet otherwise googling "converting a goods vehicle to amphibious" brings you straight here. Presumably Hammond is still in Argentina filming Total Wipeout so that threat is neutralised .

Henry :)
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
Just in case anybody is labouring under the illusion that the real Mr Clarkson would actually register and post on here using his real name ... this latest post just confirms that this is a completely bogus thread. I know jfm in the real world, and I was on the periphery of the arrangements for the Top Gear piece filmed on Match 2 in August. There was absolutely no plan for there ever to be a 'next time', it was strictly a one-off event.

Pretty irritating for the folks that have actually made some effort to write genuine responses. Timewaster!

Cheers
Mr Grumpy
Click to expand...

J.Clarckson needs to pass the Birds Custard test :)

H.
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
Just in case anybody is labouring under the illusion that the real Mr Clarkson would actually register and post on here using his real name ... this latest post just confirms that this is a completely bogus thread. I know jfm in the real world, and I was on the periphery of the arrangements for the Top Gear piece filmed on Match 2 in August. There was absolutely no plan for there ever to be a 'next time', it was strictly a one-off event.

Pretty irritating for the folks that have actually made some effort to write genuine responses. Timewaster!

Cheers
Mr Grumpy
Click to expand...
Jimmy, your Sherlock Holmesing is correct i think: the reference to "next time" does indeed give the game away for our Mr Clarkson-who-does-not-have-a-Birds-custard-picture. FWIW, I share your view on time wasting.
 
Last edited:
penfold said:
An amphibious 7.5 tonner that isn't a DUKW; there's not much point as that's what a DUKW is.
Click to expand...

I take it you've not seen Top Gear before. They don't set out on their projects with any real intention to actually improve designs. The fun is in seeing them fail.

It would be possible to improve on the Duck, just not in a long weekend with £1,500, a box of ping pong balls left over from the Vietnam special, 3 potatoes and some goose fat.

As for Trolls, that's why Alfred Bird was put on the planet in 1811. To flush them out.

Henry :)
 
Just in case there's now an appetite for this, the all conquering "boat boys" from Scrapheap would offer better entertainment and a real solution, in some contrast to over-produced /scripted TG funny fodder. IMHO, of course!
 
Must admit I was a little skeptical of the authenticity of this thread as the TG guys outsource the creation of the amphi cars (see my earlier link http://www.searoader.com/the-topgear-cars-2-3/). Surprised that anyone would believe that the JC actually gets nvolved in this stuff.

What really disappoints me is that JFM, having had JC on his boat needs to introduce himself "Haha, small world. Hello Jeremy. We met on my boat in early August - I'm John, owner of the Squadron 78 that you drove from St Raph to St Trop." I would have expected far more familiarity something along the lines of "Hi JC, John (or JFM) here"!

Pete
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
Just in case anybody is labouring under the illusion that the real Mr Clarkson would actually register and post on here using his real name ... this latest post just confirms that this is a completely bogus thread. I know jfm in the real world, and I was on the periphery of the arrangements for the Top Gear piece filmed on Match 2 in August. There was absolutely no plan for there ever to be a 'next time', it was strictly a one-off event.

Pretty irritating for the folks that have actually made some effort to write genuine responses. Timewaster!

Cheers
Mr Grumpy
Click to expand...

Timewasting...hmm. Like we're all not just sat here scratching our balls between frenzied bouts of GTA V.

In fact, as you know, my dayjob is obsessed with recording every minute of every day and making someone else pay for it. I have just managed to persuade the powers that be to introduce a new "official" category onto the charge sheet: "arsing around on the internet"
:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top