1972 Cj5 With A 1970 Tub

Hi!
New to CJ5s, but not new to Jeeps (I've had a '93 YJ for a while).

I recently picked up a 1972 CJ5 with 304 V8. The previous owner had it as a project and lost interest. The original 1972 tub was severely rusted, so the PO swapped it out with a 1970 tub that is in OK-ish shape...it still needs a good bit of work, but its WAY better than the original!
Being that a lot of evils can be solved with the judicious use of a welder, how do I go about making the 1970 tub compatible with the 1972 pedal arrangement? If I just cut out the old firewall and patch it, does anyone have a template/drawing (with measurements) for the appropriate 1972 firewall holes? Is there anything else I should consider in making this conversion?

I don't have $4k to drop on a new body tub.

 

Welcome from Oklahoma.

What you are asking about is commonly done, a hanging pedal conversion on an early CJ5 (1971 and prior). If you search for "hanging pedals" on this site you will see examples. The original factory heater would be in the way for most conversions, but you may not have to deal with that. Just put a blank plate on the firewall and have at it.

The steering column on 72 went through the dash at a different angle, but that should be easy to deal with.

Other than that the tub should be pretty much the same. AMC lengthened the CJ5 in 72, but they did it forward of the firewall, easy to see in the fenders.

 

on my boys 70 we cut the firewall around the swinging pedals and column out of the 73 parts rig and welded it into the 70 tub. the heater box out of the 73 will fit with a little work good luck

 

Thank you! Thats what I figured. I do have the original '72 fenders, hood, front clip, and dashboard. Only the body tub was replaced.

 

Thanks! Just need to find a donor now!

 

You may need to do some clutch work as well. 72 was supposed to be the last year for the clutch cable assembly, but you will want to check. This includes the pedal assembly also. If you have to swap over to the bellcrank, you will need the proper pedal assembly and cut another hole in the floor. If you swap over to the bellcrank/rod assembly, you will probably need to fabricate an added body mount on the drivers side.

 

Or use the opportunity to just go with a hydraulic clutch.