I stopped in to barns&noble a couple times & have checked out a few wheeln mags from overseas.they always have cool ideas, & seems the carry EVERYTHING:roof mounted tents,tools,even planks for make shift bridges. Which spawned my wacky idea. This is just a idea, as unfortunately I don't have a pontoon. Do you think a jeep would float with a say 2'x8' round pontoons fastened to rocker rub rails? Maybe 10'? 33"+ tires would only help also. Be pretty cool cruise to lake, take a couple pontoons off my roof rack n plunge in. I know it would be going nowhere fast but it would take river wheeln to a whole new level. I know I'm crazy.lol. Anyone have a old pontoon they wanna donate?Lmmfao!

 

I wouldn't see why it wouldn't be possible, you'd just have to make sure you have secure mounting points, enough pontoon to float at least a Cherokee and a half (Can't be too careful!) and make sure everything on your Jeep is water tight, like a very well sealed interior lift the engine out enough so it doesn't flood. Etc. Etc.

"The difficult we do first, the impossible takes slightly longer" -Philo T. Farnsworth

 

just need to figure out a way to fab up a prop run off the rear drive shaft or something. Would be crazy to see an XJ with a watercraft registration on it!

 

Tires spinning would propell ya probably about like a trolling motor. Lol. Have some shorter tubes with a special center notched in it for your front tires to sit in the middle.kinda like a donut? Lol. Or could have a pr of shorter ones under motor- bumper area along with side ones. Front tires could still steer you(which I'm sure you would be cutting any cookies).lol. If you wanted more power you could hook up a outboard between the two side rails(just have to have longer tubes to extend past the jeep a ft or so. Make a bracket off my hitch for outboard.

 

Lots of issues with this idea. First you have to seal the engine. Then you have to seal the body. Have you looked at how many holes are in a xj body and frame? Then you have figure out weight balance so the front doesnt want to dive under water.

As for drivetrain.. I would use a manual Trans with a PTO output, to use a propeller to make it move. A lot of work for a lil benefit

 

not exactly what you want to do but this might help stop you from messing with your xj to bad lol http://www.porta-bote.com/

 

I think the slider mount would work. To help with stability, make some out riggers for the pontoons. For locomotion have some sand tires. This isn't a project that would solve any jeep issues but it would be neat to see,

P.s. to steer have your buddy open the back hatch and have a rudder mounted on the tow reciever and he could steer.

 

i think if u put them under the rock rails it wouldnt hurt it anymore as driving thru water as it would sit out of the water a bit.
iv thought about it a little also

 

sure. why not.



i've seen a custom drive shaft with a propeller blade welded around the length of it. kinda like an auger.

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it be awesome if it can be done,but its crazy 4sure

 

You'd have to start with sealing the body from drainage holes, make sure the door are water tight. From there you'd want to reroute your exhaust higher up, run all your breathers (for axles, intake, etc) higher up. Make sure all your electronics are tightly sealed and your distributor is water proofed (even though we wouldn't want the motor sitting in the water; ideally your unibody frame would be above water so your torque converter isn't exposed to water).
Weight balance wouldn't be nearly as big of an issue, you can just have the front have more of the material used to make you float. It can rather be propelled by your tires or you can design something that disconnects your rear driveshaft and attaches to a propeller.

Possible, yes; practical, no.

 

haha Super fail. sadly its already been done. definitely not practical

 

My xj weighs 1000lbs less than that four door turd!

 

That old truck in the gulf of Mexico has 6-55gal drums on each side & maybe couple in the back. That truck probably weighs twice as much as my xj. If not more, looks like its loaded down too. Fill unibody with exspanding foam. Maybe silicone some 2-3" thick styrofoam up under floor boards. Huge sheet like 10$ I'm not gonna try this, I was just thinking about it outloud. Although I would if I had a old pontoon boat laying around.lol hmmm 55gal plastic drums are cheap & light.lmao.

 

I just did a lil research. One 55gal plastic drum will float 440lbs minus 22lbs for the barrel itself. So basically 420lbs per barrel. 10 barrels equels 4200lbs. That's 5 per side. Add 2 extra barrels under front end. That's just over 5000 lbs of float. Could even run 4 on each side, 2 under tank area, 2 under front end. Big ol mud tires have to help a lil bit also. Least cancel out a hundred maybe two hundred lbs(per the four). I know my jeep don't weigh no 5k lbs. My roof rack is big but it isn't holding 10-12 barrels. Lol.