Chrysler Forward control amphibious

[Robin Craig]

Its been around and offered before, no relation / not connected

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-other/ga...ationFlag=true

R

[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.