Tub replacement or fix

I was going to repair my tub however I'm looking at a giant ugly bright orange headache. The only salvage pieces are the cargo area, firewall, parts of the fender wells, and rollbar. Everything else is trashed, rusted (badly), bent, etc...I'm having trouble making up my mind, do I attempt to repair the tub I have, or buy a reproduction. My main concern with repairing the tub is where to start, it boggles my mind. Do I attempt to repair the tub "in place" one piece at a time, or do I cut out the good parts and assemble separately with the new pieces? Re-use hat channels, or replace? What do I do about broken captive nuts for the body mount bolts? I'm starting to run out of "fun" things to do with the rolling chassis, I'm going to have to deal with the tub sooner rather than later. It is staring me down and I don't like it. I'd greatly appreciate any input or ideas.

 

Unfortunately allot of folks get caught up with this same problem........A jeep looks good on the surface, but once it is looked at closely it's another case...............If you either don't have the equipment or the desire to fix this....................move on.
Buy a replacement or used tub and get it put back together. Look at Craig's list and also start looking at your local wrecking yards...........member Nickmil is in the Portland area and he may know where there may be one..........Call J&W Wreckers in Antelope ,Calif. east of Sacramento. They may have a tub available............Good Luck!

 

The first thing that comes to mind to me, would be to find a better tub.
The next thing I think of is getting a repro tub and splicing the good pieces into it, or find a used tub and splice the good pieces in.

 

I've been watching craigslist but so far I haven't found anything, seems like late model CJ-5 tubs are hard to come by.

 

I don't have any experience with repairing a body like this, but my impression from reading and watching is that you need to preserve the alignment of the tub as it sits. That means cutting out pieces and replacing them one at a time. If removing the panel compromises the structural integrity of the tub enough to allow the shape and alignment to change, you have to add bracing to keep the body in its current shape. Typically these are sticks of 1" square tubing, welded across the top and bottom of the body. So taking the body completely apart would seem like exactly the wrong thing to do.

I suggest you post up some pictures so we can get an idea of how bad the body really is.

A complete replacement body, steel or fiberglass, will be a few thousand dollars. In terms of time, this will be the easiest route.

It is quite possible to repair a very rusty body with enough time, effort, equipment and materials. Look around the web - projects like this are posted on car forums and such as autobody101.com and the SPI forum. Usually these cars are something rare though (R-code Galaxie for example, on the SPI forum) or have some sentimental attachment that warrants the heroic efforts. But it can be done. A Jeep body is very simple compared to most automobiles - few compound curves - so you should be able to make patch panels for most of the rusted areas. This is the only way you will beat the price of a replacement body.

There's always the option of cutting your losses and moving on. Part out or sell as-is the Jeep you have, and buy another one in better condition. Chalk it up to education.

 

Ok. looking at your pictures, the tub looks fairly rust-free by Massachusetts standards.







Looks like the floors are solid, and the only cancer I see is in the flat body sides. You could approach this piecemeal and spot-blast the rust, then chemical strip the rest when the repairs are done. However, I think you are going to have to strip the body and have it media blasted. Your standards for your previous work seem quite high, and a patch-here-patch-there approach may not be thorough enough for your standards.

If you media blast the body, that will remove all paint and surface rust. Even if the surface is rough, if you then paint with real automotive paints, it will not rust more. Really, I think you can media blast, fix the body sides, prime and paint, and it would be fine. If you insist on buying commercial patch panels, the side panels are available from Classic Enterprises. I believe they even sell just the lower half - cut a horizontal straight line just below the door opening and weld in. Planish the weld, grind level, prime, skim/surface as needed, and paint. These Jeeps were never show cars, so you don't have to make it perfect to match the OEM paint and body work.

 

Hi Numbersix

I got my 1947 flatfender Willys as a mostly complete rolling Jeep. I went out and priced everything up...it got scarey really really quick....those MD Juan tubs look really neat but darn they are not cheap....So I pulled the tub off set it on its top on 4 blocks of wood. Went to the steel store, ordered a sheet of 18 gauge and a length of 1x2 thin wall steel tube. Get everything lined up and level. Maybe weld some extra supports from some rebar once everything is square. Get some big sheets of cardboard (for templates) and start cutting and fitting. I rebuild my whole tub for $135.00 dollars worth of steel I probabaly burned thru 4 tanks of welding gas and I bet a dozen grinding and cutting wheels.



The above photo is what I started with in Jan of 2012. I worked 6 nights a week on it for 18 monthes..the tub was the cheapest part of the build...ending up over $6,000.00 when I finally got to drive it on the road...still not sure I really like the whole Jeep thing...I really did enjoy fixing the tub tho...

 

I'm with Timgr on this. It might be worth considering just looking for a better jeep altogether. Some pretty nice vehicles can be had for less than the money and aggravation of a total body re-do.

Some people love the satisfaction of doing all the restoration work themselves, but I think it rarely "pays" in the financial aspect.
You can often buy a vehicle that someone else has put a lot into for less than their cost. They lose, you win.

Another possibility is just do it quick-and-dirty and enjoy it as a 'rat' vehicle.

 

Here are some more pictures, you can view higher quality ones by click on my gallery link below.

https://picasaweb.google.com/117173455797671073843/CJ5?noredirect=1#





















Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'd completely hate working the the tub since it would save me money and time. I may be moving in about 10 months in which case I wouldn't be able to save enough to buy myself a newer tub. This if course means moving a project which I've done before and absolutely hate. I lost a M38A1 to my last move but that is another story.

 

I've been looking at some other projects / forums and I'm starting to think I should just bite the bullet and repair the tub. Some of the tubs being repaired are a lot worse off than mine. I should probably start by making some measurements of the tub,the frame was twisted so who knows how square this tub really is. I have no shortage of 1" square tubing from another project I'm working on, I suppose I could build some sore of brace as timgr suggested.

 

Well, there is more rust than shows in your original pictures. I would not be so discouraged by this amount of rust. I think that tub is quite repairable, and worth saving.

If I wanted it to be like new, I'd go ahead with the media blasting and then take a close look at the formerly rusty spots. Anywhere that it's rusted through, I would cut a patch and weld it in. Pretty sure you can repair this tub without buying any commercial patch panels. If you remove any rust and paint down to bright metal, then all you have to worry about is the structural integrity of the steel. If the steel is not rusted through, you can apply a primer/surfacer or skim coat it to get a nice smooth surface.

Regarding the timing of your potential move, you could patch the holes, spot-in the paint, and put it together. It would not be beautiful, but it would be stable and drivable. Then you could sell it or move it as a vehicle, if you needed to. That should be doable within 10 months.

 

I'm with Tim. On the Rhode Island coast that would be considered nearly Rust Free. POR-15 works great for anty unseen surface rust areas.

 

"On the Rhode Island coast that would be considered nearly Rust Free"

Ditto in NH. If that was my jeep. I'd just drive it as-is.

 

Good luck with the rusted mess. I found a decent condition 4WD hardware glass tub for $200 on Graig's. Needed new floor reinforcement (easy fix). So, the take away is KEEP scanning the internet, be willing to drive and most important... be patient, something will pop up that's useable.

Graig's list is your best friend in this search, remember that lots of folks with an old jeep tub sitting around ARE NOT on the Jeep and off road forums, they just want the stuff their ex-husband left behind out of their yards lol!!

 

keep looking there out there . here's one but way too far away
http://eastnc.craigslist.org/pts/4116230718.html

 

Wow, that is a hell of a deal wish it was closer.

 

Mmm. A quick look says that tub is more rusty than the one you have.

If you really want a plug-and-play replacement tub, contact J&W in Antelope CA. They are likely to have a California tub that will require little or no repair. But be prepared for sticker shock.

 

fix what you have it will build character. plus skill...

 

Absolutely. I'm thinking of the time I set my pickup on fire while welding the floorboards - on Christmas morning. You can't buy memories like that.

 

I would consider the one you have "solid" even for this neck of the woods. It may be more solid than my "replacement" tub.

Rome wasn't built in a day. Your tub is usable. If I were you I would let her ride for the next 10 months. Collect a welder if you dont have one already. Stock up on cutting discs, sanding discs, sheet metal, and hat channel material. Study what it takes to rebuild a tub to factory fresh condition. Save for paint and supplies. Best of luck fella!