I purchased this car in Dodge City, Kansas in about 2003 or 2004. I was purchased new in Emporia, Ks at Norms Sporting Goods.

The man who owned it originally had a pension for drinking. As his grandson put it, "grandpa liked to get drunk and bump into stuff." The dents on all side attest to that fact. He got trapped against a bridge in the Platte river flood of 1966. When the police rescued him and his Amphicar from the flood waters, they issued him a DUI. IN court the judge threw out the ticket as he was technically in a boat at the time and BUIs did not exist at the time.

This will be a correct nut/bolt restoration except the finish work will be of higher quality. It starts out as a solid car, but with many dents. Mechanically it needs some TLC, but remains mostly untouched. Had it not been dented as bad as it is, I would have not thought about a complete resto.

Slowly but surely she is coming together. The drips you see in the wheel well are factory installed (sealer.)

Hey John,

How in did you get that 400-4 Stage One Engine to fit in there?

Car is looking great.

Not sure how that pic got in there. It wasn't even one of mine! I removed it and reinserted the correct one. It would have been cool tho!

John for a person in your position I always amazed of the work you can do. I hope mine turns out just as well as your projects.

I was wondering man he sure yank that motor pretty quick

WOW!

I am curious as to exactly what "position", are you speaking of? He's just extreemly short, I AM just thrilled there is finally someone in the family over the age of 12, who is shorter then I!

Hi, John. Certainly one of the very nicest Amphicar restrations I have seen so far. You do fantastic work. That Triumph engine is as clean as it gets, and everything looks stock. (Which leads me to ask...)
Will you be doing the steering gear brace, or other improvements? I know they deviate from stock, but metal fatigue is a safety issue. Original Amphicar tires were very tall and skinny; offering better 'rudder' control, and perhaps a little less drag over modern style (wide and short) tires. The oem version always reminded me of VW bug tires. Which tires will you fit your Amphicar with? - Dave

Could that be my little sister Julieann?

Thanks for the kind words! I try to make them as nice as they can be and try to keep them authentic as possible. The poor welding and seam sealer runs in the last picture of the front suspension are all from the factory. I chose to preserve those flaws to keep in the spirit of the restoration. She'll be wearing 6.50 x 13 Coker classics with 2 1/4 WW because they are as close to originals as possible.

I won't be installing the steering brace just yet because this car won't spend lots of time on the road but will be swam and loved. I'd have it no other way! The metal has been inspected and there are no signs of fatigue.

Here are some new pics. I REALLY love the interior. Colors are an exact match. Seams also mimic the original welded seams.

John...All I can say is awesome!

John,
Looking at the pictures I see stainless lines and other lines that I normally wouldn't expect to see inside a car.

Do the Amphicars run everything inboard until they are close to where they need to be because of the water aspects of the car ?

Just wondering...

Thanks and great looking car.

Many thanks for your compliment, Bill! Everything is ran inboard. The only protrusions are for the drive axles, prop shafts, steering box and a fittings at each wheel for the brake lines. It protects it all from exposure to water but more importantly impact protection from debris and all those "pokey" things in the water.

She is all green with envy now! Just got to sand and buff her 3 times to make her really smooooooooooooooth!

Hi John. Beautiful resto job. I've always been fascinated by these cars. Have attended the annual car show in Lakeland, Fl for the past 3 years. It's a great show and always has 10 - 15 Amphi's in the lake. Would love to see yours in there. Keep up the good work. Jim

Hey John,

I saw one with same colors as yours last Friday at a local Cruise night (Downers Grove ILL.). Wonder if you know of them?

John - I am constantly amazed at how fast you get things accomplished! Great job.

Dave

Jim - I have been there the last 2 years but w/o my car. GREAT show, many very nice boats! Looks like this year at least one guy in a small amphib airplane forgot to put his gear up before landing on the water. He didn't get hurt, but that "landing" had to not be much fun.



Tom that was probably my friend Mike's car which happens to be a twin to this car. They both originally came from "Norm's sporting goods" in Emporia, Ks. and are both green and were nice original cars. This one is 98% completed. I deliver her on Monday. After I get back and try to recall what sleep was,I will post more photos of the completed resto and 1st swim.



Thanks! Sometimes I do actually get 'em going. Timing is everything! The help from upholstery, painter, and friends is greatly appreciated. I do 80% of the work by myself because sleep is over rated!

Ummm no, I am not your "little" sister, I am your TALLER , cuter, more charming sister!

Well, finally she is done and delivered. We dropped off the car and picked up another Amphi (parts car) while I was there. Several 16+ hour days and I forgot to take pictures! 12 hours there only to loose our rooms because we didn't get there until 5AM then had to go 25 miles to find another room because of a motocross event. The rooms were clean, but the beds and AC (noisy) were horrible. No sleep at all. Delivered the car, gave the nickel tour and drove 12 hours home. The next day I got on a plane and went to Celina, OH for our national convention.

This one shows the reflection of my white Amphi in the 1/4 panel of the green Amphi.


We missed a tornado by only minutes on the way home. Thankfully we needed gas or we would have been in the middle if it all! The 10 mins it took for gas ensured that we were not involved. I saw a total 6 trucks on their side and about a dozen cars involved. This was just South of Newton, Oklahoma. In one pic, you can see a truck on the right side and another in the on coming lane on the other side of the bridge. WHEW!