MD Juan Tub Kit 1969 CJ5 4CLY (7/2016)

Finally, three weeks later, wheel problem ("Jeep" wheels' hub opening too small) is solved, and the chassi rolls again.



We rebuilt the turn signal switch Monday. It turned out much better than expected. 'Nice to have four hands. All the switches and wiring have been reworked as needed. The speedometer assembly is all that's left. After paint arrives, we'll paint the dash, wire it, live test the entire harness, and move to the body.

 

just a word of caution when checking speedo cluster . make sure it's grounded before you put 12 volts on it
progress looks good

 

The fuel gage was duplicated on the dash by a P.O. so we weren't hopeful that both gages in the speedometer could be used. We established and confirmed a good ground (thanks, Twin2) and with 12v on "I" we got 0v on "A" (should be 5v). We checked continuity on both gages; they both showed open circuits. We opened up both gages and found the second coil loop broken on one gage bi-metal strip heater,





and the feed to the current limiter bi-metal strip heater coil was broken on the other. One looked "cooked" with the gage bi-metal strip deformed and coil wires blackened.



Both are "trash" and will be replaced.

While waiting for gages and a few other parts, next week we'll start on the body (with photos!).

Just for fun... Can these coils be re-wound? ...with really, really small fingers?

 

Today, we assembled new gages in the speedometer housing, checked grounds, finished the assembly. The aftermarket fuel and temperature gages are a bit of an embarrassment. The artwork on the gage face is considerably displaced downward. The needle stops were bent and useless (as shipped) and the needle drive mechanism bumps into the gage housing. Once installed in the assembly, the gage's needle jammed on the speedometer face cut out edge. We had to add a shim between the speedometer mechanism and its housing to lift the speedometet face to clear the aftermarket gage needle. But we eventually got it all to fit together.

Then we moved to the MD Juan body.

First question, which dash to use, old (grey primer) or new (black)?




As you can see, the old has all the needed holes (plus a few extra). But it also has a crappy patched together glove box. And some dash mounting holes on the MD Juan cowl don't match on the original dash, but most do.

By the way, the MD Juan dash bolt mounting was acceptable, but all the nuts and bolts are loose. We'll most likely try to switch to captured Pem style caged nuts in the cowl behind the dash... Getting up in there to hold nuts for reassembly after all the wiring, heater and defrost vents are installed will be a major chore if we don't.

We checked the old dash fit on the new tub and it is pretty good but not perfect.



Both sides had small gaps at the overlap at the door frames... but fixable. My Jeep won't have doors but we'll likely try to improve this anyway.

Otherwise the old dash fit looked pretty good.



The new MD Juan dash came with no instrument holes and in particular, no speedometer hole... So, we decided to patch up the extra and misplaced holes and to fit the new glove box (below) on the old dash. I note we filled the extra 2" gage hole to the left of the steering support indent (above photo).



Later this week, we'll get everything drilled & shaped and check the fit, and disassemble for final prime and paint.

 

Today we swapped bodies on the spit; now we can spin the MD JUAN tub freely. The old tub stands easily on its side.



Then we moved the grill support rod brackets from the original tub firewall to the MD JUAN cowl firewall. The MDJ rain gutter on the upper edge of the firewall is much shallower and juts out further than the original's gutter. The original bracket's upper flange mounts on the front face of the gutter on the original tub, but to sit flat vertically it had to be slipped underneath the MDJ gutter. We welded them in rather than punch a bunch of new bolt holes through the upper firewall.



Also the large indent on the firewall face is slightly different on the MDJ. It seems to be unimportant with a little F134 engine, but we'll see better when we mount the MDJ tub on the frame.





Next we went to work on the spare tire bracket which is to be mounted on the outside of the passenger side rear fender. The MDJ tub passenger rear fender's inner support channel runs perpendicular to its location in the original tub. But we decided to leave the MDJ channel as-is and fabricate and add our own additional channel. The original tub spare tire bracket holes had been filled in by the PO. We punched them out and used a template to transfer pilot center holes to the MDJ fender... But the aftermarket spare tire bracket bolts didn't line up, so we had to weld the pilot holes closed, clean everything up, and start over from scratch.

So by the end of today, we had drilled the hole for the spare tire bumper, welded in it's 1/2" nut, and got all our spare tire mount parts and the fender drilled, cut, fitted, and painted. Tomorrow we'll weld in the added channel and tire mount brackets, and move on the fuel filler nozzle cut out in the other side ... I think.

We have to punch holes in the rear for lights, and holes in the floor and brackets for peddles etc, and in the firewall for cables, steering column and hoses etc. We also want to copy the welded-in soft top support rod center wells (which are missing from the MDJ tub). The old body has lots of extra holes we won't transfer to the MDJ body. Fortunately, we found a map on line that identifies all the firewall holes (so we can leave out the optional ones).



And, we've started talking about how we're going to transfer the original tub mounting hole locations to the MDJ tub (by using the shipping frame). With the old tub inverted, all the mounting hole locations are easy to identify and access... but getting them square on the MDJ tub (relative to the frame) is the most obvious challenge at this point. And we don't know yet if the MDJ tub itself is square or if it will have any interference points with the frame or with existing components or hardware.

'Lots of things to find out.

 

So, today we finished installing the spare tire mount supports and we move b to the fuel nozzle, and the holes needed in the removable sections of the front floor pans (access covers).

Remarkably, several of my original access covers in the front floor are completely clean. We considered using them but they differ enough from the MDJ pieces that they don't fit enough to bolt together seamlessly. So we will use all MDJ floor access pieces.



The MDJ floor access cover pans don't include most needed holes. So we had to transfer most of them. I spent $50 on a set of Harbor Freight hole saws to make the job easier. So far so good.



There is a lot of work going into these MDJ tubs which Willys-Overland offers to do for you with their tubs. We'll keep track of our hours and let you know how long it takes us to catch up. So far on the MDJ tub: 2 of us, about 4-5 hrs a day, 3 days... but we are retired, in no hurry what so ever, and enjoying every minute of it.

Here's the soft top bow well being added which was eclipsed by a new soft top bow mounting method in 1966 ( I just learned that today.) It is an artifact of an earlier need... kind of like your appendix.



And finally, here is the fuel nozzle going in. Layout:



And finished welding. (Grinding next)



Next week, more holes... Lots more holes.

 

This week, we kept moving on placing holes in the MD Juan body. I worked on the removable front floor pans and rear light holes while Joe worked on the seats and gas tank.









Placing holes in the removable front floor panels is a bit risky because the MD Juan floor panels are not identical to the original pans and because we don't know if the new body will fit on the frame in exactly the same way as the original body fit. The best I could do was to align the two holes the MDJ pans did have, with matching holes in the original pans and use those as a datum for all the rest of the holes I added to the MDJ tub.



Since I'm also locating the mounting holes in the MDJ tub, I hope I'll be able to make any needed adjustments with them (if any).

Just before quitting for the day, we started to locate the clutch peddle hole but it's location was blocked by a firewall support gusset. So we will have to remove it and move it slightly. The rear light holes I added (matched to the original tub hole locations) also interfered slightly with the rear frame mount brackets.

 

Your project is looking great - glad you got the wheel issue resolved. I bought a replacement body from D&L Bensinger for my 55 cj5 about 10 years ago (the project has been on hold). I cut out the firewall indent from my original body and welded it in (behind the air cleaner). I spent a lot of time reshaping the rain gutter to fit the grill support rod brackets as well. I have a dashboard I bought from a 68 to use (I did not want use theirs as I would have to create my own speedometer hole and mounting studs) I do not recall the dash being wider like yours but installing it revealed a dip in the cowl (where the windshield sits) of almost half an inch. Other issues I noticed in the cowl area were the windshield hinge holes were set for late model hinges, indents below the windshield hinges (like the late models) and the flat spots for the hood hinge mountings where wider than on the hood (at least using my original hood). I still have my original cowl section and will probably end up swapping that onto the new tub. In the rear the outer most body mounts are not in the right spot and do interfere with the tail light holes (I bought new body mount brackets from Classic Enterprises to install in the correct positions). The front floor pans are not flat and have the stampings like the intermediate Jeeps. I think the tool box in the repro body is intended for a flatfender and did not have the support channel for the front seat mounts and was cut with a torch to fit the cj5 door opening. I removed the toolbox and purchased an original off of ebay to use. My last gripe is that the hat channels are not installed where they should be so they do not line up with the body mount brackets on the frame. I will remove and reinstall the hat channels - not sure if I will fix the floorboards to remove the raised stampings. All my issues are fixable but added up to more time than I had to give. I look forward to seeing the rest of your project and how you deal with the body issues (hope you have fewer than me). Good Luck!

 

Yikes. No wonder WillysOverland made a little business out of fixing them!

We'll keep posting. 'Glad I'm retired with time to fix this body.

Hmmm...I could have stopped typing just after saying "Glad I'm retired."

 

After a minor hassle ("clerical error"), Performance Plus Tire just came through with the 100% refund, and they paid for local balancing/mounting of the replacement wheels I had to get elsewhere. They paid for return of their wheels.

They did deliver 100% on their fitment guarantee.

Their current 16x6.00 solid wheels will not fit over a WARN hub and don't currently match their sales photos.

 

'Still feeling holey...

We got the clutch peddle hole in and welded back the firewall base gusset. Joe fabricated and welded in the smaller top support rod wells in the top frame edge and patched firewall holes while I cut the heater holes and other holes in the firewall and floor.

The heater location got a lot of consideration. I bought an aftermarket heater from Summit and spent half an hour trying to locate it behind the dash. No location behind the dash felt right. So we started looking for room in the engine compartment. The "standard" heater box location up against the driver's side firewall is wide open in my 4 cyl, so we put it there... I hope it is dry enough.






Laer in the day Joe welded closed the extra square and round holes. I'll make a new hole later for the wiring harness.





Besides leaving the space clear behind the dash, we get to leave the coolant hoses in the engine compartment.

It isn't obvious here but the firewall has a slow ripple in it that prevents perfect face to face contact with the heater. Fortunately, the heater has two nozzles projecting out of the heater face. Only the nozzles penetrate the firewall. The nozzles are 3". Our local Home Depot/LOWE'S don't carry 3" flex tube but I hear Walmart & Kmart may have RV sanitary hose that should fit. (Update: Walmart had high mil 3" flex hose... $8 for 20').

I was unable to duplicate the passenger outboard seat belt mount location because MDJ located an interior hat channel support bracket 2" out of position. I wasn't willing to rip it out so I simply located my seatbelt mount 2" lower. I'm adding the attachment reinforcement myself anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.

More holes on Friday! We are creeping up on the frame mounts. They likely will be last since we probably have to pull the MDJ tub off the rotisserie to get at the existing mount holes. Maybe by the end of next week (?).

I bought a used 1970 "Jeep" brand top, doors and frame today. $225. Black. It needs work. The door vinyl and frames are in great shape; the top... not so much, but completely repairable. Mostly open seams, zipper detachment, and cloudy plastic windows. The black vinyl is actually in pretty good shape. (Our brother Dan does car upholstery ). It included the top support rods and hardware, ... but it is not quite the box style I really wanted. I may pull out all the stiching, use it as a base patern, make the changes I want, fab my own support rods, and (get Dan to) sew my own.

One other thing worth mentioning, I think... Gaps. Lots and lots of gaps. They are EVERYWHERE. The cowl meets the firewall in the gutter supporting the hood edge seal. Any water entering that gutter is immediately entering the interior and running down the inside face behind the dash. And all the floor sections, and tool box mating edges, etc, etc... all gappy and needing sealing.

Does anyone know what gap sealant is used in modern cars? I see it all the time in trunks and elsewhere under the carpet. it seems to last as long as the car without leaking.

 

there are a lot of products out there for seam sealing . I have always used 3M - 8656 brushable seam sealer . but it only comes in a quart can

 

I have used seam sealer which I believe is a 3M product. I purchased it at the FLAPS. Don't know if it is the best or cheapest but it worked.

 

looks great..

 

anything 3m i prefer brushable seam sealer but you can get it in a caulk tube.

 

Thanks, all for the sealant info.



Not much to show today. We worked all day on holes; closing half a dozen and making a score of new ones. Closed holes don't make much of a picture so you'll have to take my word for it. Most of today's holes had to be reinforced (seatbelts and rollbar). You see the pre-welded location of the seat belt reinforcement here. Joe had me chamfer all the edges of the seatbelt reinforcing plates and he installed them so they don't present a sharp edge against the sheet metal floor.

I punched holes for the speedometer cable and parking brake today. I think we are done with all the holes now except for the frame mount holes.

So then I went to work on the used top I mentioned Wednesday. I have a separate post about the used top. I'll update that other post about the top.

With Thanksgiving next week I'll likely have only one JEEP DAY next week... but we should finish the frame mounting holes Monday... After Thanksgiving we can perform any necessary cosmetic body work (and seal the gaps!).

Then painting begins.

Maybe we can have the body painted and mounted by Christmas!!!

 

Jim thinks the painting starts next week. What I didn't tell him is that we must assemble the entire body before we start to prep for painting. We will need to be sure that everything will fit together. We have not tried to line up any fenders yet, check hood alignment, check for fit of the windshield or tailgate, or even the fit of the old grill to the new body and fenders. Thats where I was at on my 33 pontiac when he bought this Jeep.( shown in the background of some of the pictures) We both love doing this Jeep. Brother Joe

 

'Nice to have an experienced brother to work with#