Replica tub advice

I'm at the point in my project where I'm ready for the body. By my standards mine is too far gone. So I've decided on a replacement. I'd like to hear from members who have used replica tubs and thier experence, with suppliers, installation, compatability, and fit and finish.

I'm restoring a '61 CJ-5 to as original as I can get it condition. It won't be 100%. The only thing from the original body I can use are the grill, hood, and windshield frame (maybe). I'm going to try and rebuild a fender, but I don't have high hopes, what isn't rusted is dented.

Do the repli-tubs come with the 3 piece transmission/ accelerator peddle covers? Or do you need to reuse the old? Mine are not healthy. Willys-Overland says they go over the tub and fix the known issues. Thats great, but they aren't charging anymore than anyone else. How can this be? They're work has to be worth something.

I'm looking for as much information as I can get. I have and will continue to use the search bar, just looking for more.

Thanks, Joe

 

If you don't want to fix up the bpdy on this Jeep, you have to wonder whether starting with a better example might be the prudent route.

The only source for a steel tub today is MD Juan in the PI, AFAIK. All the sellers of tubs are importing the MD Juan bodies and selling them under their own names. As I recall, these bodies require a lot of tinkering and finishing up in order to make them a suitable replacement for a factory body.

I think your only other reasonable alternative, if you want steel, is to fix up your tub or buy another OEM tub and fix it up. Classic Enterprises is known for its high-quality replacement body parts, though they aren't cheap. Not the same as buying a ready-to-go tub, but you may end up spending as much time and effort on a repop tub

If you search this site for MD Juan on Google you'll find lots to read. http://www.google.com/search?q=site...fficial&client=firefox-a&source=hp&channel=np

 

I have seen a few early cj-5's on craigs list that are low priced due to engine/drive train issues that would make decent parts jeeps for your project. Searching around the southwestern state's craig's lists(west texas/ok to ca) you can find cj5's occasionally that have very low-rust bodies. I see them from $500-1500, people just trying to get rid of them. You might find a jeep that has body components you need in decent shape.

 

OP is in Pennsylvania, so shipping from the SW is going to be ca $1000, IME. Still could be cheaper than buying a repop tub.

It is not unknown for members to go and look at vehicles for other members (thanks Bill). If you spot a hot prospect, post it up and ask if somebody in the area can go and look in person.

 

When I was younger, had no wife and kids, and had more money than sense, I bought jeep and jeep body parts from JC whitney. Before the days of the internet they were mail order. I would read page-by-page every catalog they sent me. At one time you could buy enough parts, including re-manufactured engines, to build a complete jeep. I think the frame rails would be all you needed to have. You could buy stainless, carbon steel or fiberglass bodies at a good price. I just looked at their website, things have changed. Not so many options now, and for the price you could buy a pretty decent complete jeep from ebay or craigs list.

 

I've spent many weekends checking out jeeps in my neck of the woods(PA). 90% need as much work as mine. Some look good but still need alot of work under all the bondo and glass. I would need every panel Classic Enterprise makes a few they don't to make mine whole again. Plus my body work skills are novice at best.

 

I'd also recommend looking for a better original tub. They're out there, and as Tim said, will likely cost no more than a repro tub even if it isn't close to you.

This one's out west, but it looks like a really good deal from the pic:
http://merced.craigslist.org/pts/2797109011.html

Once again, this one's in CO, but for $220 I think you could get it shipped back to you for well under what a new one would cost (providing the seller would ship it):
http://denver.craigslist.org/pts/2830451470.html

 

I too wanted an as-original-as-possible tub, for my '62. Cant' afford a new tub and didn't want one because of how much OEM detail they lack.

Being from the northeast as well (northern NJ), i found a worthy tub here on the for sale section. The jeep was originally from Texas, but had been brought to Virgina. We borrowed a jeep-friend's pickup & trailer and the wife & i made a weekend roadtrip out of picking it up.

It needs a bit of straighening, but it is solid & 98% rust free. The best part is that i have made the $$ spent on the trip & Jeep back, by selling off all of the un-needed parts.

Definitely get someone or yourself to give any long distance purchase a very good looking over!

cell post

 

This one is about a 1/2 hour from me. If you are interested in researching the shipping I could check it out for you next weekend. Shoot me a pm if you're interested.

 

I went with a new tub from WO for my '59. The work they did to it was all necessary but it was not enough. They relocate the pedal holes in the floor (but not accurately, I had to redo mine even after they "fixed" them) and relocate the misaligned mounting holes, which they did fairly accurately. But here are my issues with a reproduction tub. You can read my blog for specifics http://59willys.blog.com/

GOOD THINGS
1. Decent quality steel, as thick as the original.
2. Includes center floor pan pieces. These are not 100% match of the original shapes but close enough to where most people would never know.
3. It looks exactly like an original body to the lay person. A purist would be able to spot it unless you do some work to it like add the faux battery box cover on the cowl (see #2 below.)
4. Decent quality overall for the money. To me, it was worth it not having to weld in new floor panels and do other body work. Many may disagree, but I am happy with my decision to buy a replacement versus fixing the old one.
5. Comes with the tool box.
6. Can get the "JEEP" stamped on the sides for a few extra dollars.

BAD THINGS
1. No master cylinder hole cutout
2. No faux battery box cover on the cowl. You can cut the one out from your old body and weld it in place if you wanted to 100% authentic.
3. Still has the wood supports in the hat channels so it will rust out in about 3 years of daily driver use. Mine is not a daily driver so I'm not too concerned about it.
4. Firewall is not right and will not allow the fitment of the original oil bath air cleaner without some fabrication. See http://59willys.blog.com/2011/07/27/ran-into-a-problem-air-cleaner-doesnt-fit/
5. Fit is a big problem! None of the holes are correct, even after WO does their treatment. Plan on spending a LOT of time getting it to fit properly. Also plan on welding lots of holes shut and redrilling them. Do not expect it to be a plug-and-play operation. Even the freakin' windshield hinge holes are off...way off.
6. Dash comes as a solid piece of sheet metal, doesn't even include the cutout for the steering column. Fortunately, my original dash was in perfect shape so I was able to reuse it. Surprisingly, it fit the mounting holes! (I was shocked.)
7. The primer that comes on it is thick and of poor quality. Plan on doing tons of sanding/stripping. If you are looking for show quality, plan on doing lots of dolly/hammer/filler work to get the sides straight and even.

I'm not convinced that the work WO does is worth it since I had to redo much of it anyway. So, that said, you can get the exact same body from a variety of different online vendors and many of them run specials periodically where you can get free shipping. Check out my blog, I tried to document the process.

 

Stout, looking foward to reading your blog latter this evening. Great information so far.

Mike, Not sure where to begin with shipping, however it's something i'm going to have to investigate. I'll let you know.

Thanks

 

Stout great job with your Jeep and documentation. I do have a suggestion for you. One advantage of using epoxy primer is the ability to spray the color coat in a wet-on-wet fashion. For what you do up to the point of having the primer block/wet sanded for final primer and paint . . you are doing fine. But when you have everything ready, only the many sand throughs of the primer during wet sanding etc . . do it like this. Spray a coat of epoxy thinned 20% with urethane reducer. This will allow the epoxy to flow better. Usually 30-60 minutes after spraying the thinned epoxy, it can be top coated. Thus, no extra sanding. It saves you a big important step, especially trying to sand all the nooks in the tub of a Jeep ! This procedure is called wet-on-wet because you are spraying the base coat or single stage, after the epoxy has flashed. You get great adhesion this way to; chemical adhesion as opposed to mechanical only. I use this procedure a lot, works great.

 

After reading Stouts post and checking out his blog there doesn't seem to be a reason to use Willys-Overlands "corrected" tub. Might as well just fix it myself, unless the uncorrected tubs are really really bad. I've been using Kaiser Willys and have been satisfied so far.

Blevisay, what issues did you have with Willys-Overland?

I'm not shooting for show quality just a clean restore.

 

There is one point I neglected to mention that is in favor of WO. They do some work on the body mounting holes and weld in crush sleeves so that when you tighten the body bolts, you are not smashing the hat channels and wood. I don't know if this is worth it but, from the looks of it, they did a nice job on that part. They also had to move one of the rear hat channels several inches. If you can weld and fabricate then these things may not be a big deal but they were a help to me. I was just disappointed in how I had to refab the pedal holes after they supposedly made them "perfect" but they may have done some other things that saved me a ton of time.

Trent9, thanks for the advice on the primer I may give that a try. I have my painting technique down pretty well now so if I can spray on the thin coat of primer without having to sand it then I'll be tickled.

 

Ouch! Never understood how buisnesses could let something like that happen. Handled well repeat buisness is almost guaranteed. And word of mouth is the best advertising.

I'm not afraid of fabrication. I have some experience, but I am looking to save some time. I suppose moving hat channels would require cutting the spot welds. Not too bad when starting with new metal, but definetly frustrating.

Stout did you use seam sealer on the new tub? If so, does it go on after primer and before paint?

 

There are a few areas that require seam sealer or durable caulk. Where the cowl meets the windshield shelf, where the inner fenders meet the floor, and a few other places. I put it on before primer. I thought about caulking the hat channels to prevent the wood from getting wet but I was afraid it would do more harm than good by trapping moisture. Besides, mine is not a daily driver so it won't see inclimate weather.

 

Stout, you said you used your original dash, was your original welded in? Mine is and in good condition. One of the few parts of the body that's good. That and the cowl. If so can it be cut out easily? Did the one on the repli-tub have to be cut out? I would also like to reuse the battery cover on the cowl. Was this dificult? Are you planning on using the bow pockets for the top?