[Sporqster]

Has it ever been done? Is it Possible? I was just thinking about possible new directions to take my project car now in order to prevent myself from actually finishing it and having to take on a more expensive hobby. I may have access to polyurethane foam through work.

 

[baz]

i've sunk a lot of money into mine over the years

 

[jordan]

hmm an amphibious vehicle is like a boat, and a boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into, opels get alot of money thrown in them even when they arent in water. It may work but it's going to cost.

 

[baz]

hmm indeed
seam weld whole car add door seals that work and a double dead lock system on the doors ,seal the steering column,add a power take off on the box and a duplex drive with james bond rudders
and wheel covers maybe a couple of 100 horse outboards on the back ,rework the underside to seal the engine bay and vent the rad through the hood. flood all spaces with the poly foam (has to be closed cell as open cell will take on water)
hard bits all done
all we need is some one to try it

 

[baz]

of cause we will need a mechanic with safty devices fitted for marine work

 

[baz]

maybe a few beers while we work out the fine details

 

[pvcar]

it sounds like a sweet idea to me an ambhious opel gt, you would need to some how design a closed haul for the gt its possible i guess to do and since the gt has the curves you could possibly make it look kind of origanal, i would think u would want to run a diffrent motor to power it in water then the one that powers it on land, anthor idea is weld the doors shut and have it be a targa gt it would be easier then desining sealing systems i think, something id love to do but jus dont have the time or money right now to do.

 

[nobody]

A number of years ago while going through Oregon during a major flood season I had the white car loaded to the teeth with parts and luggage and such. While crossing an area where the river had overflowed the banks and the road was feet deep I found out that with good body seals the front will lift and float while you stay dry. Thank god for the spare parts and such or Jim and I might be better aquainted. Kinda like swimming lessons get one to float and then decide if you want it to swim. Given the chance again i'd walk

 

[ging]

Anything is possible ...

 

[Sporqster]

Orignially the gears were turning to weld the doors shut, and then construct a fiberglass hull beneath - hydraulics to retract the wheels. Not having worked out any details at all, I was thinking I would use the 3.4V6 -> 4X4 S10 tranny -> power output to front axle would actually be redirected to a pair of large jetski pumps mounted somewhere? The biggest problem I was thinking was getting the weight down (so it won't be floating near the window sills) and getting the COG to the rear.

Looking into it more, I think that the approach to take would be to start over with a nearly 100% fiberglass body - kinda like the $150k Camaro-looking thing www.watercar.com

 

[madhatterpdc]

Jesse James turned a Miata into a floating vessel-ish kind of amphibious thing on Monster Garage. I don't think it was land-worthy, but it floated well, and went a few feet before the motor ingested water and went POP. Lesson... properly snorkel the intake of any motor that destined to be near, or in the water.

Because the motor sucked water due to poor design, the build was considered a failure and later blown up using a large amount of explosives somewhere in the desert.

 

[Sporqster]

Hmm - note to self well-sealed snorkel out the roof.