Deep Water Fording Kit

[msggunny]

Ok, i am wanting to set up my rig for trouble free deep water fording. I havent installed my snorkle yet but here is what i have and what i want to do. Most of the experience i have with this is from humvees and tanks so i tryed to apply that logic to setting up my SIII to ford some of the larger water holes here.

I know that diesels are much more adapt at doing this but i dont have one. I know that you can waterproof an petrol engine but i want to see if anyone out there has any experience with it before i sink my truck in a hole.

Electrics. As long as everything has been waterproofed then it shouldnt been too big a deal. the only exception is the alternator and battery. We routeenly submerge our 6 12V batteries in salt water and havent had a problem but i am not sure about the alternator.

What i have:

• Weber snorkle attachment for Weber 32/36DGV (in theory it will be plumbed to a Defender TDI air cleaner that is set up for a snorkle and routed to the roof outside the truck)
• Breather tubes for axles
• Water proofed the aux fuse box with silicone (all connections and bare wire has been encased in silicone)
• electric fan with shut off switch

What i want to do:

• Silicone the dist cap, drill hole in top and silicone a tube into top and route into snorkle. (this SHOULD waterproof it)
• Dielectric grease all sparkplug boots
• tape off breather hole on clutch master cylinder (just before entering water)
• Wire in new master fuse block and have contained in waterproof container in arm rest.
• Tape dipstick to tube.

Any and all comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[J!m]

You are on the right track, but have missed a few things.

First off, the clutch needs to be kept dry. The bell housing has a threaded hole in the bottom for the rear main seal's oil to leak out of, which has to be plugged prior to submersion, and the plug has to be removed after you make it to dry land again. A wet clutch can strand you as easily as a wet ignition.

The distributor is the obvious place to waterproof, but the coil and all wires to/from it also need to be isolated. Dirty water will easily allow the spark an easier path than the spark plugs, stalling the engine. A spare coil next to the one in use is an old military trick, that works.

The dip stick should have o-rings on it already; tape will leak. These are cheap, and should be replaced. The stick tube has a compression fitting at the base as well- make sure this is tight enough. If you truck is older (or just the engine) up-grade to the newer dip-stick.

All the engine seals need to be in top condition. If oil leaks out, water gets in (and a lot faster). Front main, rear main, pan gasket, rocker cover gasket (and the rubber washers under the cover hold-downs) as well as the copper washers under these nuts... EVERYTHING.

The engine breather (on the rocker cover) also has an o-ring. Use a breather from a late II-a or III which used the carbon canister. These vents are closed to atmosphere, and the hose can be routed to the carb, or into the snorkel. Also be sure your brake booster vacuum hose (if fitted) is not leaking. A spray of wd-40 or similar will cause the idle to change if there is a leak...

Dual military-style belt routing is essential. The belts will slip when wet, and you could have cooling issues from the water pump turning too slowly, and no cooling fan on. Get the Military parts. extended fording will fowl the belts. Carry a spare set at all times.

You have the axles vented (be sure they flow well) but what about the transmission and transfer box? These also need raised vents, as well as exceptional seals. The gaskets and felt washers at the end of the axle shafts should be renewed as well. If the metal hub caps are loose, replace them- a bit of aviation form-a-gasket on them helps too. The shifter seals are famous for leaking as well. These are not too easy to change in the truck, but need to be looked at carefully too...

prop shafts need to be greased with marine grease, because water WILL get into them. Splines as well, and greasing them immediately after fording will keep the u-joints lasting more than a year.

Frame drain holes should be clear, and if your frame is not galvanized, be sure to clean and Waxoil it inside to allow it to drain. Trapped water will destroy the frame quickly.

When you are done playing, be sure to dry everything thoroughly before parking the truck. Water will seep, and you will never find the root cause for not starting if you let it sit...

[scott]

the vents on top of the axles should be snork'd. pull off the mid seat lid and look at the plates on top of the tranny and transfr, there's a couple of small vent holes there too.

i can remember a shipmate that chose to leave a mike boat in a m151. i opted for a ride in a 5 ton. doc as the a driver and a lance coolie driving. off the end of the ramp and the lance jumps up, one foot on the steering wheel, hands on the top of the windscreen, only his head and shoulders showing and doc practicing his breath hold and cursing the newly added seat belts as they cruised to the beach.

[msggunny]

i can remember a shipmate that chose to leave a mike boat in a m151. i opted for a ride in a 5 ton. doc as the a driver and a lance coolie driving. off the end of the ramp and the lance jumps up, one foot on the steering wheel, hands on the top of the windscreen, only his head and shoulders showing and doc practicing his breath hold and cursing the newly added seat belts as they cruised to the beach.

The old M60 was known for being as water tight as a wicker basket when submerged above the drivers hatch. the M1 is not too much better, as long as the driver remembers to silicone the vision blocks and hatch seal there usually is only a small trickle. Had a driver loose a vision block because the dummy forgot to tighten it down during a long ford. dude almost lost his bearing and if it wasnt for the turret basket he would have crawled out of his position while we were fording. his drivers hole was completely soaked. He never made that mistake again!