Amphicar Info.Anything!

[SNOWBIRD]

I have in email type, written up many repair tips that I can send you, I send them to the club to post in there newsletter, so joining IAOC will get you a good Wheels and Wave 4 times a year.
If you really need help fell free to Phone me and ask.I stock many parts for Amphicars and If I do not have it I know where you can go to get almost anything. I have been selling Amphicar parts for over 10 years and have had the cars since 1994.go to my web site.
GORD S> (www.amphicar.ca)

 

[the jeep doctor]

what does one need to do to change Amphi to neg. ground? My boss put a GM alt. on this one. will this cause a gauge issue? Can I change it to neg. ground? Thanks all ......Brad

 

[the jeep doctor]

I foung a web site that explanes abt. rewiring the gauge. What abt. temp. guage? Will it work normally, or does it need to be rewired as well? Thanks Brad

 

[SNOWBIRD]

Most of my cars are neg, ground so I can add toys such as new type radios, my trade mark squrting water bilage pump.(go to youtube, punch in BAD AMPHICAR)
Realy the only thing that needs changing is the Fuel guage in dash as shown on how to section at Amphicar . com.,,,this is real fine wire and you need good eyes and a steady hand.
Sometimes the wipers will work backwards, you need to undo arm at motor ,turn 1/2 turn and reinstall.Below is a pic of a front hood being fit, to my all fiberglass car. All hood should be fitted to the car you will install it on before you have it painted as every body is a bit different. As i do not have jigs to set fenders etc on , this took a bit of work to get the correct gaps etc.
GORD

 

[the jeep doctor]

Most of my cars are neg, ground so I can add toys such as new type radios, my trade mark squrting water bilage pump.(go to youtube, punch in BAD AMPHICAR)
Realy the only thing that needs changing is the Fuel guage in dash as shown on how to section at Amphicar . com.,,,this is real fine wire and you need good eyes and a steady hand.
Sometimes the wipers will work backwards, you need to undo arm at motor ,turn 1/2 turn and reinstall.Below is a pic of a front hood being fit, to my all fiberglass car. All hood should be fitted to the car you will install it on before you have it painted as every body is a bit different. As i do not have jigs to set fenders etc on , this took a bit of work to get the correct gaps etc.
GORD View attachment 762

Thanks for your help. I did find the repair for the gas gauge......looks kinda scary. Back to my brake issue. I was told to use a VW Transporter master cylinder to update to dual circuit. What parts will I need? I called a local repair shop that works on old VW's. He was telling me to use a 68 model (manual) m/c. And that I will also need a resevoir that screws on. Is this correct? Or is there a M/C that is more like the fact. w/remote rerevoir? Then there is the brake rod. Is this something I will have to fabricate? Or can I buy one? My Boss wants this done properly, as it should be....If you sell these parts will you let me know how much you want for each part, so I can let him know what it will cost him? Thanks again for all your help. Brad

 

[the jeep doctor]

Gord, Can you help me? Just need to know what parts I need. Thanks Brad

 

[AHite]

Gord, Below is a puzzle that has stumped me for over a year. I bet you can easily solve it. I've owned by blue Amphi for 15 years. Over the years I have heard many complaints about vapor lock, but I never had the first problem until about three years ago. At first it was just a nuance, but now it is so bad the car will not restart for at least 30 minutes. Yesterday I was stuck on the beach next to the ramp because I stalled the car while approaching the ramp.
The car starts right up if cold. I installed a boating type fuel bulb on the fuel line. Even if the car has been sitting for months, I just pump up that bulb, and she will start right up if cold. But once warm, if I ever shut her off, she is impossible to restart. I am beginning to wonder if the problem really is vapor lock because it has even if the car is shut off for just a couple of seconds, she will not restart.
Here is some stuff I've done to try an solve the problem. I installed a new battery. Now the engine cranks fast and strong. I did a poor job insulating the fuel line. It didn't help. I can pump up that fuel bulb up tight which generates lots of fuel pressure along the fuel line, but that doesn't help either. I don't have a secondary in-line fuel pump, but could that make any difference if pumping the bulb up tight doesn't help? As a last resort I tried carrying a spritzer bottle with me and misting the fuel line, bottom of carburetor, and fuel pump generously, in an effort to cool them down. That doesn't help either.
What should I try next. I'm beginning to suspect the problem is something else.

Arnold in South Carolina

 

[the jeep doctor]

Have you tried to look down the carb. to see if you can SEE fuel being shot in w/accel. pump? If you can, odds are you have an electrical prob. If not, the accelerator pump is either bad or clogged. When it does start, Is the choke door closed? This sucks fuel from the float bowl allowing eng to start. Do you have spark at the spark plug or coil wire when it wont start? Should be a blue color. If you ARE experiencing vapor lock, install a fuel filter from a 85 jeep cj7 6cyl. eng. as close to the carb. as poss, it has a return port on it to keep the fuel (moving). The return line needs to go back (before) the fuel pump, preferably to the tank as this mixes the warm fuel with the cool fuel. This was the way AMC helped to prevent vaporlock back in the day. Hope this helps......Brad

 

[AHite]

Brad. Thanks for some new ideas. I will pull off the flame arrestor next time it happens and check for fuel being shot down. When I get it solved I will post my solution.

 

[Midwest Amphicar]

Did you replace the fuel pump ? Some of the replacements work for a while then gradually decrease especially when hot.

 

[LSolheim]

Gord, Below is a puzzle that has stumped me for over a year. I bet you can easily solve it. I've owned by blue Amphi for 15 years. Over the years I have heard many complaints about vapor lock, but I never had the first problem until about three years ago. At first it was just a nuance, but now it is so bad the car will not restart for at least 30 minutes. Yesterday I was stuck on the beach next to the ramp because I stalled the car while approaching the ramp.
The car starts right up if cold. I installed a boating type fuel bulb on the fuel line. Even if the car has been sitting for months, I just pump up that bulb, and she will start right up if cold. But once warm, if I ever shut her off, she is impossible to restart. I am beginning to wonder if the problem really is vapor lock because it has even if the car is shut off for just a couple of seconds, she will not restart.
Here is some stuff I've done to try an solve the problem. I installed a new battery. Now the engine cranks fast and strong. I did a poor job insulating the fuel line. It didn't help. I can pump up that fuel bulb up tight which generates lots of fuel pressure along the fuel line, but that doesn't help either. I don't have a secondary in-line fuel pump, but could that make any difference if pumping the bulb up tight doesn't help? As a last resort I tried carrying a spritzer bottle with me and misting the fuel line, bottom of carburetor, and fuel pump generously, in an effort to cool them down. That doesn't help either.
What should I try next. I'm beginning to suspect the problem is something else.

Arnold in South Carolina

Did you ever resolve your issue, Arnold? Although not just when re-starting I had a similar problem:

Amphi would start and run great, but when she got hot (particularly on a very warm day -- not an everyday occurrence here in the PacNW) she would begin to miss a little, then more, and eventually quit. If stopped when hot she very well might not start for 15 or 20 minutes, despite cranking just fine, just like when she quit.

As it was intermittent I chased this problem for a couple of very frustrating years, doing all you did, plus: changing the coil a couple of times, removing the Pertronix ignition and reinstalling the stock points, adding an in-line electric fuel pump, and finally converting to - ground and switching to a Spitfire alternator. Nothing helped.

Somehow I recalled that a year or so before these symptoms started I had added a battery disconnect switch to the ground side of the battery to protect against a potential wire harness fire when leaving the car sitting for long periods. I got the green-knobbed, rotational switch at a car show/swap meet and it did what I wanted just fine -- I thought.

.. .. .. .. so for some reason I tested without it and none of the problems would recur. Turns out it was somehow losing connectivity when hot, the hotter it got the worse the connection! Removing that $3 switch (which ended up costing significantly more!!) solved all of the issues. I added an in-line 30 amp, full-car fuse instead. No more missing or warm starting problems.

Good luck with your investigation. Say "hello" to Sharon from us --Larry (still feeling stupid)