Amphicat advice

[AMPHINEWBIE]

Hi all,
I have always wanted an aatv since i was a kid. I just acquired an old amphicat with a sachs engine that needs lots of work. Is there anyone with lots of experience with these machines? I am going to need to do some abs repair. We are working on the engine now, I think it will go but i need some points and condenser. The tranny and chains and pulleys seem free. Any suggestions about where to find parts, or things I should watch for would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
Greg

[Mike]

Congratulations on your Amphicat. There are lots of people on the site that can help you out if you run into problems. If you have something specific just post back to this thread and if you need some parts try starting a new thread in the wanted forum. Post up some pictures of your 6x6 if you get a chance.

[AMPHINEWBIE]

thanks mike. I just spent the evening tearing the amphicat down. the body is worse than I thought. does anybody know if you can repair these abs bodies using fiberglass? I have worked with it in the past, and I know it would make the repairs stronger, but I dont know if it will stick to abs. or if anybody has a good amphicat body with a toasted drivetrain let me know. i'll also post in the wanted section.

[Mike]

There is a good plastic welding manual in our manual section on the front page of the site that may be helpful to you: How to weld ABS Plastic

[mikni]

I will try to post some amphicat restoration pics. I have seen a red bedliner applied to a body work finished body that really does marvels. It seems to be able to restore flex to the old brittle plastic.

[mikni]

I have seen the application of a red bedliner material to the body after the body work has been completed that seem to restore flexibility to the old brittle plastic. I will try to post some pics of a restored Amphicat soon. Is yours the older single speed with the cast iron trans or the newer 2 speed? Do you know if it is a Mobility Unlimited model or a BeeHoo?

Oops, seems I goofed up and posted twice...

[LarryW]

I have seen the application of a red bedliner material to the body after the body work has been completed that seem to restore flexibility to the old brittle plastic. I will try to post some pics of a restored Amphicat soon. Is yours the older single speed with the cast iron trans or the newer 2 speed? Do you know if it is a Mobility Unlimited model or a BeeHoo?

Oops, seems I goofed up and posted twice...

There is actually 3 different configs. That I know of. The ODG(yes Argo) F-N-R gear box style. The borg warner t-10? I think it is the tech name but mostly refered to as the plunger style. Then the cast aluminum setup with 2 speeds. The plunger style I hear is the best of the 3.

[AMPHINEWBIE]

my cat is not a beehoo. it has the plunger style tranny with the reverse loop. i hope to post some pics of the restore soon. it is completely torn apart now. i just got new bearings today. the drivetrain will be fairly easy to get up and running, but the body is another story. it is cracked badly. i have found a couple cats on craigs list, but am having a hard time getting people to respond to my calls.

[AMPHINEWBIE]

i just posted some pictures of my cat project.
check out my profile to see them

[mikni]

That actually looks like a pretty solid machine. There is no other 6x6 that is as cool in the water as a Cat. With the headlights mounted low like they are, they sit below the water level when floating. So at night they light up the water ahead of you. I always liked that.

[AMPHINEWBIE]

thanks, yeah mechanicaly its a good ole cat. the pictures dont really show how bad the body really is though. a body man i know said we can put some release agent on it and then lay resin and fiberglass mesh, and basically mold a new body. the problem is from some previous repairs the body is somewhat distorted, and mishaped. i'm still looking for another body, but in the meantime i'm going to try some repair with a putty made of m.e.k. with red airsoft pellets melted in it. i'll try to post some before and after pictures.