Help with Bombardier Muskeg Differential

Long story short
I was crawling out of a bog and heard a loud "bang" from under my feet. It took 2 willy's, a cj jeep and a dodge truck to pull me out.

Now the input pinion spins freely, there is very little resistance and no grinding sounds/noises.

I would really appreciate any help I could get with identifying, pulling apart and sourcing parts for it!

I also am including a pic of what it came out of.
Thanks!!!

That is a truck or car differential.

Your machine appears to be completely homemade with a modified Muskeg cab.

Thanks Pixie!

Looks to be from an MGB- from the MOWOG group of suppliers. Try Moss Motors.

Awesome vintagebike, thanks!

I'm thinking I should probably look for an used original Bombardier if possible. I don't know how tough this one will be, if it broke out playing around I don't know how it will last with a load on chewing through swampy lakebeds. You seem to be familiar with them, what's your opinion?
Any idea where I might find a used Bombardier diff for it?

Thanks again for your help!

My highly modified 1979 MGB has a 215 Oldsmobile aluminum V8 plus a S10 Limited slip rear end and 5 speed transmission.


I'm Also putting a later Chevy S10 rear end with disc brakes in our RestoMod 1949 Tucker. Took out the limited slip bits and will use 'drift brakes' to help steer the ski equipped front end. ??? Steve

A Bombardier differential is different than a car/truck one. It has brake bands in it for steering and you would need to fab up something to support the outside ends of the axles since it's not in a similar housing. They are usually "married" to the frame/tub of the machine and not in a seperate housing (divorced).

Where are you that you are allowed to drive around in swamps ? Is it your own land ? I would be under arrest for that sort of thing in NH.

@vintagebike
Insane! I think I like you.
People thought I was crazy building a Austen Healy kit car with a 300hp sb Ford and jag rearend. Wanted an aluminium block but didn't have the coin.
Some things just have to be done by someone.

thanks Pixie!
It's definitely not what I would have done. I've driven and wrenched my share of Nodwells but never a Bombardier so you can imagine my surprise when I pulled the floor up on this one.
It's on a 13,500 acre ranch with about 4500 acres of lakebed that was drained 100 years ago. It still has natural springs in it and is about 60 feet deep of very swampy slurry with a thin layer of vegetation on top. A CAT got stuck on it and they made the mistake of not coming back for 2 days. When they did it had already disappeared below the surface and couldn't be retrieved. It's pretty cool standing on it when something drives past, you can feel the wave in the lake sludge below the vegetation mat.
We have a tracked tractor developed that only puts down 1-1/2 psi on the ground to harvest silage off it. It tows a trailer with 25 ton capacity behind it. the trailer can crab-walk, has articulated steering and hydraulic motors so it can pull the tractor backwards if it starts to get stuck. the box lifts up 12 feet so it can end-dump into other trailers. But it's not really suited for adventuring or that fun to drive!
On Sundays we usually head out in a couple Willy's, Jeep CJ's, and a Mahindra Roxor. Hopefully this unit also if I can get it sorted out.

I guess you haven't looked around this forum much. A Muskeg has 16 ( sixteen) wheels and 4 ( four ) drive sprockets.

Check out the machines that J5 Bombardier has refurbished/rebuilt to see what an actual J5 or Muskeg looks like.

Glad to hear you have your own land. I wouldn't do that to mine but to each his own.

Bombardier wide and narrow gauge used old Dodge rear ends 4-10 gears

snowcatt said:

Bombardier wide and narrow gauge used old Dodge rear ends 4-10 gears

Click to expand...

good catch that is likely where the undercarriage for that home built machine came from.

Just checked my machine its not a bombardier diff .i think there right english car of some sort