Project: Argoceptor

[great white]

Still working on the retracting outboard mount.

Stowed position for land travel:



The "legs" will get two "sleeves" that they will slide into and a couple pins to lock them in place. The prop will get a "weed guard" and that will clip into a bracket on the rear rail of the carrier rack. The opening where the outboard slides down will get a simple diamond plate piece that will just drop into the hole for more carrying capacity. I will, of course, always have the option to just remove the outboard altogether and leave it at home.

Outboard lowered for water travel:



Fits nicely. There's enough clearance that the outboard can spin a full 360. That means if I want to reverse, I can just spin the outboard around to travel backwards if needed.

Lower leg and prop position:



Places the cavitation plate level with the bottom of the hull, like is should be for good cooling water flow. The prop is below the hull to give it clear water to work in.

Coming along nicely. The only thing I had to give up was a "hard mounted" outboard mount. I'll have to lift it up out of the running position by hand power alone. That's not an issue though as the little 2 HP 2 stroke is very light and easily manhandled with one arm.

[great white]

Built the muffler today. Used the core from the VF750F Hindle exhaust and wrapped it in diamond plate. It originally had an aluminum "can" over it, but it had been seriously crash damaged in the past and just generally ugly looking. So I cut it off and made the diamond plate "can" over the Hindle interior and end cap bits. Looks pretty good, goes with the rest of the diamond plate already on the rig.

Tried it "low" mounted:




But somehow, it just didn't look right. So I tried it angled up instead:




Yup, that looks better! Sort of feels like it's a bit better protected as well. Makes it a little more difficult to curve the intermediate pipe to meet it, but nothing I can't handle.

[great white]

So, outboard mount is pretty much finished. At least in the design. Still have a little more building to do.

Here it is in "deployed" position:



Here you can see where it goes through the cargo rack:



Basically, it just drops into the holes and "hangs" off the rack. There are supports under the rack that I'll use to keep the outboard mount from swinging back and forth:



Right now, there's only one support and I'm using a clamp as the "stop" to get the positioning right. There will be another support on the other side and the "stop" will be another piece of square tubing the mount "legs" will drop into.

For land travel, I will have a couple options. The mount legs have a machined block on the ends. This block will slip into a receiver on the transom. The RH receiver is already in place.

I can either let it hang vertically:



Or, if I want it more solidly mounted, I can swing the outboard back and attach it to the rear rail:



Obviously, that's the better way to carry it over rough ground since it can't bang around or flex as much as it would be if just hanging off the receivers.

I still have to machine a second block for the LH leg and build the LH receiver, but it's coming along nicely. Should be pretty slick once done!

[great white]

Start of the winch mount plate:



That a chunk of 1/2” thick aluminum. It will get bolted through the body split line and will get struts top and bottom that will carry the loads into the body and down to the frame.

Nothing overly serious is going on there, just a 2500 lb winch, same as what I have on my garden tractor. I’ll use the winch on the tractor to prototype and wait for the winches to go on sale. They usually go on sale in the spring/early summer for around 100 bucks.

I’m in no rush, I can wait for them to go on sale...

Once I get the basic shape laid out, I’ll add a short “water dam” to the front edge to deflect the water from rushing up and over the front and in through the grill. Similar to how the prow of a boat splits a wave and pushes it down the sides. Little hard to picture, it will make more sense once it’s built.

[great white]

When I picked up my aluminum order yesterday, I grabbed two 8 foot 3”x1/4” flat stock. This is for the body band lower piece. I was going to use 1/8” flat stock, but the argo tub has just a bit too much sag and I wanted the metal to help support it. 1/8” was just too flexible. I also bumped it up to 3” from 2” to give me a little bit of a “splash guard”:





It also give me a place to attach wider “mud flaps” in the future. Since this is intended for search and rescue as well as a play toy, splattering mud and water all over the occupants isn’t really the greatest idea. So mud flaps will be needed.

Now orginally, I was thinking to run the exhaust pipe down the side to the rear on top of the “splash guard” to the rear muffler. But looking at it now, I’m thinking I might run it under.

It’s a little more work, but the pipe would be mostly covered, which would be a plus for not accidentally getting burnt by the hot pipe when getting in and out and it would look a little less “ugly” when the pipe eventually rusts. I would do the header and pipe in stainless, but I’m not set up to weld stainless, nor do I have any practice at it. I might redo it later on when I get a bit better at it, but for now aluminized steel will do.

It would be a little closer to the wheels mounted underneath, but since there is no suspension hitting the pipe is not an issue. When I do get around to building the suspension, I can just build it so the travel doesn’t reach the pipe.

Thoughts?

[rgoat]

Hey Great White, been following along for a while and just wanted to say your sharing of all the details and steps and reasoning behind decisions is very much appreciated. Many ideas I hope to use on future projects myself and will definitely return to this thread for reference. Many thanks and looking forward to seeing it all come together for a first ride.

[great white]

More work on the front winch mount:




It’s bolted on, but the rubber body band compressed a little more than I wanted and gave the plate a slight “down in front” angle. Thats why the small wood strut is there.

I’ll fix that with a few spacers and two struts on the bottom of the plate that will also serve to carry some of the winch load down to the interior steel frame:



The PO bolted that plate to the body, so I’ll use it to weld the exterior struts to. Then, a couple steel struts inside will bolt to it and then down to the frame. There’s another aluminum plate on the inside, so the body is well supported. I just wish the PO had taken enough care to get it square on the body. It’s only a tiny bit off, but it bugs the heck out of me! I can’t move it because that would mean 4 more holes in the tub.... :censored:

I’m willing to bet having the winch plate bolted through the body band (and tub seam) is enough to carry the winch loads. Especially since the body band is now encased in the aluminum angle, which goes all around the body and is bolted through the body seam in about 50 places. But I’ll add the interior winching frame down to the chassis, just to be sure.

Here’s a quick idea of what I meant when I said I would build a “prow” to keep the water from sloshing into the grill:



Basically, when you enter the water it will push the water up and forward instead of rushing straight back over the winch mount plate. Sure, if I sink the nose for more than a few seconds, water will gush into the tub. But water entry is essentially a “splash” and then you’re back up and floating.

Pushing the water is the same principle as driving an off road truck in deeper water: as long as you keep pushing, the water piles up in front of the truck and the rest is in shallower water. I’ve often used a floor mat tied to the front bumper to enhance that effect. Same idea here in building the prow....or “water deflector” if that makes more sense to you.

[great white]

Finished up the fab on the outboard mount:







The small receiver on the rear rail will get a little padding to protect the leg and a strap or clip to hold the outboad firmly in place so it doesn’t bang around during land travel. It’s pretty solid and supported the way it is, a strap will keep it all from even twitching on the worst terrain.

The front just uses a couple lynch pins to hold it in place:



Pull them out and you just drop the mount legs down the holes in the deck:



You can see the supports and the square tube that the legs slide into underneath. The tubes are set at a 5 degree forward tilt, since the argo floats nose down. The tilt will just make it a little easier to get the outboard vertical once in the “down” postion. The outboard is angled back a large amount in this pic to clear the floor:



So when in the water it hangs down lower to get to the “clean” water just below the hull bottom. A side bonus of it being able to swing back so far (it can swing back even further) is if it hits a rock (or something soild) it will hopefully just pivot back instead of breaking off the skeg or prop. I still have to build a “rock basket” for the outboard lower for additional protection, but thats for another day.

I also added the support struts to the front winch mount:



Pretty strong as it sits. I can stand my 200 lbs on the plate and it hardly moves at all. I think most of the movement I felt was actually the tires “squishing” under the force of my fat butt! Lol!

Now I think I’m going to take a break from the aluminum work. It all still has to come off and be finish welded, but its at least fabricated and strong enough for some light “wheeling”.

So, time to take the spool gun off and go back to the wire feed gun to do some work building the exhaust and then get it running again.

Coming along nicely.

[great white]

Building the exhaust:







I just went with the "cut and weld" method of forming the pipes. I don't have a bender and the "heat and bend" method I find to just be a major PITA. Besides, I had to weld up the collector anyways, so might as well just weld the bends up. Looks a little ugly, but some grinding and a spritz of header paint will fix that up well enough. I tried to keep the header primary tubes equal length, but there was just no way to do it without getting into more bends and turns. Even so, the rear primary is only about 1.5-2" shorter than the front primary. I'll just have to live with it like that, as if it's going to make a huge difference on an flathead Kohler 18HP opposed twin that was designed in the early 70's.....

The flex pipe might seem like a short cut or cheap way out, but it's there intentionally. Because it will move, it will help to absorb the engine vibrations and compensate for thermal expansion.

To make it all removable, the muffler will get springs to hold the slip fit joint together and the flex pipe has a slip fit piece of pipe as a transition between the flex pipe and header collector, which will also b held together with springs. The springs will allow for some additional movement for engine vibes and thermal expansion, as well as allowing the exhaust to be removed and re-installed reasonably easily.

[great white]

Was sooo tempted to try firing it up like this:



Lol!

But I resisted that urge and finished up the exhaust to the rear muffler. Quick sound clip of the old Magnum put-putting through the muffler:

https://youtu.be/3l9MO3KH5sw

Theres a few leaks I have to sort out, mostly around the diamond plate on the muffler. A little exhaust grade silicone sealant will seal that up nicely.

Yes, the pipe gets hot, but the 1/4 aluminum plate is going to cover most of it so it’s not a big concern. By the time it gets to the up pile for the muffler, it’s just “warm”. You can put your bare hand on it and while you don’t want to leave it there long, it doesn’t burn you.

[great white]

Saggy plastic tub sides?



Not a problem anymore!

Had a significant sag in the tub right at the midpoint. I suspect it was either just age or a PO had strapped it down to a trailer across the middle at some point in it’s past.

But once I jacked it up in the center and bolted the upper body band rail to the lower 1/4” bottom plate, it straightened right out! It’s made even more “rigid” by the upper “grab rail”, which essentially makes the upper piece even stronger by it’s “ladder” type construction. Like a suspension bridge sort of deal-e-o.

So, sagging tub...BEGONE!

Lol!





Ps: the gap at the exhaust pipe isn’t even the entire length because the pipe has a slight “bow” in the middle. Can’t do a lot a about it, it’s just the way the pipe was formed.

[great white]

Ya know, I’m kinda warming up to the old kohler magnum in place of the V4.

Along with finishing up the rest of the build, I’ve been fine tuning the magnum’s running.

It’s beginning to purr quite nicely. But more than that, since I don’t have the battery installed, I’ve been using the pull start. I gotta say, I’m finding the ability to pull start the engine quite a handy feature. I can see it being very handy out in the boonies and you somehow end up with a dead battery or starter/electrical problem.

Speed is something that certainly is not going to be anything to write home about, but I’m thinking I can drop a tooth or two on the idler shaft and pick up 5 or 10 mph....

[great white]

Finished replacing all the chains today. Both the double 50’s and the double 40’s. Registration papers say “1986 Conquest” but that’s got to be a mistake as it’s all double 50 chain like an I/C and it looks exactly like an I/C (or at least it USED to, lol!)

What a miserable job!

Nothing like having to work down in the bottom of a bathtub for a couple hours. Not to mention, 30 years of nasty, gunky, smear on everything it touches, black grease. Add to that the smell of the varsol (trapped down in that bathtub with me) I had to use to get it clean enough to even work on.

Oh my achin’ back, my raw skin and choked up throat!

But, at the rate I use the Argo, that’s likely to be the last time I’ll have to do that job.

I did, unfortunately, run out of double 50 before I could get the RH forward short chain done. Biggest PITA about that is now I have to buy another 10 footer just to finish that short run. At least it’s wide open and easy to get to since I moved the battery to the rear of the Argo...

Bearings and seals are all done too, although I will probably end up changing seals a few more times as the years drag on. At least I won’t have to fight with sprockets and bearings that have been seized on by 30 years of neglect next time. I hate to admit it, but the guy who sold this rig to me saw me coming a mile off and I got taken...badly. Live and learn I guess....

I don’t mind building and modifying stuff, thats just fun.

But basic, slog through the misery maintenance stuff when the machine is definately not built to be maintnance freindly....yuck. Hate it.

Been thinking about the wheel rims. Originally, they were white, someone has painted them black.

I’m not a fan of either color. I think I’m going to paint them silver to go with the aluminum bits.

[great white]

Well, didn't have to wait long for a winch to go on sale.

Crappy tire had an in store clearance on a Champion 2500lb camo pattern winch:



Not too bad. At 150 bucks off, I couldn't help myself (well, I guess I did help myself, lol!).

The camo pattern? Meh, doesn't really do much for me. I would have been happy without it, but the price was too good to let that get in the way. Can of spray paint is only a couple bucks if it bugs me too much.

2500 is enough for my 1000 lb Argo. I tend to snatch and double up most times anyways. This one has a receiver mount, so I may find a way to use that so I can store it inside the Argo when not in use (IE: out of the elements) and I can also chose whether to mount it front or rear, depending on what my needs are at the time.

Sure, it's just a little "cheapy", but that's all I need for this rig anyways. It's only a "just in case" thing, I don't plan to be in many situations where it's going to mean getting back or not.

But offroad, well..... you just never know. And when you're out in the boonies, if you're not prepared as well as you can be, you just might not make it back that night.

More likely, I'll be hauling other guys out than using it myself......

[great white]

Well, didn't have to wait long for a winch to go on sale.

Crappy tire had an in store clearance on a Champion 2500lb camo pattern winch:



Not too bad. At 150 bucks off, I couldn't help myself (well, I guess I did help myself, lol!).

The camo pattern? Meh, doesn't really do much for me. I would have been happy without it, but the price was too good to let that get in the way. Can of spray paint is only a couple bucks if it bugs me too much.

2500 is enough for my 1000 lb Argo. I tend to snatch and double up most times anyways. This one has a receiver mount, so I may find a way to use that so I can store it inside the Argo when not in use (IE: out of the elements) and I can also chose whether to mount it front or rear, depending on what my needs are at the time.

Sure, it's just a little "cheapy", but that's all I need for this rig anyways. It's only a "just in case" thing, I don't plan to be in many situations where it's going to mean getting back or not.

But offroad, well..... you just never know. And when you're out in the boonies, if you're not prepared as well as you can be, you just might not make it back that night.

More likely, I'll be hauling other guys out than using it myself......