Chrysler Forward control amphibious

[rob love]

Has anyone been out to look at this vehicle, or knows it's owner? Is it currently in running condition? Is it road legal? Some prototypes are not. Is the price somewhat negotiable or cast in stone? Inquiring minds want to know.

I remember seeing one of these in the Borden Museum back when I was a young pup, and kind of fell in love with it. Does anyone know if that truck is still in the Borden museum? I note that one website lists 6 as having been built, and 3 surviving, however the Borden unit is not on that list. I also note quite a variance between the shown models, with one appearing much more commercial and resplendent with the Dodge name on the hood.

[charlie fitton]

like the idea, but way out of my price range...

[David Dunlop]

Rob.

Just a thought, but with only six built, is it possible there were some variations in the structure of each, for evaluation of different roles?

David

[Robin Craig]

Dear Rob and others,

Basically I have been able to road register most things, some people just don't have the right approach. Just did another vehicle from scratch to plated and insured from nothing.

This is east of me and I am not going up there nor will I be calling him.

If anyone wants me to do so then I will but you better be serious and be prepared to pay my gas if i give you my time. It would be a whole day there and back.

However, I may be going that way next week for work . . .. .. and might be able to do a side trip.

R

[Bob Phillips]

I believe the proto type vehicle at Bordan is still there, parked outside in front of the museum..BP

[Bob Carriere]

I know the owner and actually rode/drove the beast back in the mid 70s when part of the OUTAOUAIS 4X4 Club.

There were seven prototype made...one was destroyed at LETTE by driving it repeatedly off a loading dock, at speed, until everything cracked. 6 were sold by Crown assets in Ottawa.

One was at Borden..one at the Kars museum, one was advertised on Ebay located on the West coast.... one was photographed in sand color, not top, on the East coast and this on in Cantley PQ.
One unaccounted for.

According to what we were told this one had a modified top and had been used for Photo shoots and was in very good shape. One of the under cargo box water tight lockers on the driver's side was damaged when backing up intoa single car garage wiht the lcoker door open.

It is all aluminium contruction...... independent suspension with modern off the counter parts for U joint etc. this truck came with 1/2 ton of spare parts and extra 14 x 20 tires whcih are now on the truck. On a sandy beach the large tires could drive over your leg without even a bruise.... not my leg but I was there when it happened.

The truck was very scary to drive has you sit in front and above the axle..... driving off the edge of a sand dune in a sand pit really made your stomach come up when you suddenly went over the edge.

Top speed was near 70 mph..... servicing was another storey... you could check fluids by lifting the cab seat which was large enought to sit 4 wide. Note our butts was a lot smaller in the 70s.

Any other repairs/maintenance requires removing the water tight floor panels of the cargo box....and crawling inside the hull..... disc brakes are mounted inboard near the axle gear pumpkin. The front and rear axle have a 3 to 4 inch spacer between the axle cover and the axle gear box..... this spacer is hollow and hollowed to theallow engine coolant to keep the hidden axle gears cool on long runs.

The hull is equipped with manual drain covers which must be installed to allow the hull to fill with water when fording shallow 3 or 4 feet fast flowing streams....or you float sideways...

Once out of the stream the bilge pump will empty the hull very rapidly and will shoot muddy, oily water about 20 feet off to one side. Which was always aimed at the cleanest 4x4 in the club at the time. YOu must remember to close them before hitting the lake.

We scared the bejesus out of a bunch of old Portugese fishermen fishing off the commercial dock in Hull when we drove down the dock to the boat ramp directly into the water...........wheeeee @!!!!

It would float nicely BUT with a scary nose down attitude...unless you had ballast in the cargo box.....propelled with the tires at a good clip. The tail gate is scallopped like the CMP and set up as a boat transom..... apparently a 25 hp long foot outboard motor had been proposed not sure if Lette actually tested one.

Climbing in the cab was made easy by a corrugated sleeve welded on the hub of the front axle... very maneouverable with excellent forward vision. In all our crazy stunts we never got stuck.... the winch was used occasionaly to pull out other club members.

when one considers the exclusiveness of this vehicle........ and the current going price of a M37 at $5K.... the 15K asking is not very much out of range.

From the recent pictures I would not be surprised if the engine was pulled and refreshed ....based on the clean blue paint.... the owner is a super Chrysler mechanic who rebuilds his own dragster 369 engines and if he worked on it I would stake with life on his work.

I will see if I can find some of the 70s pictures in the bush across from the Joachim dam on the Black river bridge.

I hope it gets a good home and gets the preservation it deserves.

Bob C.

[rob love]

Some photos of others I have shamelessly stolen from the net. Second photo is the truck in question showing the left side. I note a fresh panel which could be the repaired damage Bob was talking about.

Note one looks much more civilized and does not seem to have the amphibious capabilities. It was my understanding that Chrysler was hoping to put out a commercial version of this truck as well. Seems to me I have a photo of the civilian one in one of my books somewhere.

Note the civilian type one also has the later large street legal M series lighting. Was this not closer to the model of the one that was in Borden?

Bob, your tales of this truck almost have me hooked.

ram prototype 1.jpeg ram prototype 2.jpg ram prototype 3.jpeg ram prototype 4.jpeg

[rob love]

Found my book with more information. The book is "World Directory of Modern Military Vehicles" by Bart Vanderveen. Here is a synopsis of the entry for more refined truck in a nutshell: " XW350...non-amphibious truck was an attempt to make a more economical and less complex version of the late 60s Ram truck for the CAF. They could be had with or without winch. The military in the end decided to purchase militarized Dodge Power Wagon trucks and the project was terminated in 74/75. "

Note the 74 Dodge power wagons mentioned were in fact pretty much off the shelf W300s painted green and with a superstructure, pintle hook, troop seats and a tarp. I recall it being mentioned elsewhere that they were purchased for the Olympics, but seem to have been relegated to militia use when the regular force got the militarized Chevrolet CK2500 in 1976.

There are 3 decent photos in the book which I may try to post here.

I think one of the moderators will have to move this whole thread into the post war military vehicles section for posterity.

[rob love]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

....and extra 14 x 20 tires whcih are now on the truck.

I thought those tires looked huge. Those are the same size tires used on the Honest John 5 ton launcher, the M114 155mm howitzers, and equivalent to the HLVW tires of today. Those 14.00 x 20 tires are still in production by STA in the USA, priced at around $600 each.

[Bob Carriere]

Bob, your tales of this truck almost have me hooked.

Can be moved and stored at my place free until you are ready to move it West...

The sand coloured picture you have is the one I have seen before used by someone to give rides somewhere on the East coast.....does not seem to have the front winch.

Yes side locker door was fixed but not repaired properly..... its all aluminum!!

The 14 inch tires we run at 13 PSI on sandy beach at Lake David North West of Maniwaki PQ.

THIS THREAD SHOULD BE MERGED WITH A PREVIOUS ONE FROM 2 OR 3 YEARS AGO ABOUT THE SAME TRUCK. Things came to an end at the time as rumours had it that the truck HAD sold...... obviously and sadly the deal fell through...... I hope they kept the 24 v. waterproof kit when they converted to 12 volts.

Baby needs tender loving care !!!!!!

Bob C