CJ6 Body Advice Requested

Hello!
My wife and I recently purchased a used '74 CJ6 as a project vehicle. We are having difficulty locating a year appropriate replacement STEEL tub for our CJ6. The most recent model year replacement steel tub that we can find is for a '71 CJ6. Would the '71 steel tub fit our '74 CJ6? If not, would it require relocating only the fuel tank, or would it require relocation of the body mounts? Any and all advice and direction would be vastly appreciated!
Ed

 

the 71 tub *should* fit but the 72-74 nose is specific.

 

Right, the front clip is different (hood, fenders, grille) but the '71 body is basically the same as a 72-75 body. A '71 has the same rear fuel tank as your '74 Jeep does. The holes in the firewall will be different, and you may have to modify the firewall some to accommodate the '74's suspended brake and clutch pedals.

What's wrong with the body you have now? All the body panels are the same between the CJ-5 and CJ-6 except for the section in the middle where the CJ-6 has been lengthened, so repairing the body you have might not be as hard as you think. Plus, the aftermarket bodies are all made by MD Juan in the PI, and are said to require some 'refinement' in order to make them fit right. Look in the archives for questions about MD Juan and replacement bodies, and post up a question about the quality of replacement bodies if your search doesn't tell you what you want to know.

Where are you located? Who were you thinking of buying the body from? If you have pictures, we can comment more specifically.

Welcome from Boston!

 

Hi!
We are from southern (coastal) NJ ... Oscar came from Michigan! It is safe to say Oscar's body is well ventilated ... both inside and out! At this point, Oscar needs fenders (left and right), a tub, and a windshield frame. We think we would be looking at getting the parts we need from Vintage Jeep Parts: http://www.vintagejeepparts.com/Parts_Body_07.asp .
Thanks, Ed

 

For that much money, I'd search the Jeep-only wrecking yards for a replacement factory body. Try J&W in Antelope CA, or Scotty's in Fontana CA... there are others. Even with shipping, it should be less than $3395. Another point - the purchase price of my CJ-6 was not much more than the cost of your replacement body ... it might be worthwhile to look around for a donor or better starting point rather than spend that much on a replacement body. Just a suggestion.

<edit> Oh, and your Jeep doesn't look that bad in your avatar pic. We tend to be overly optimistic, but nonetheless our comments will help you assess how bad the original body is. Almost all of these Jeeps need some degree of floor and hat channel (floor support) repair. Factory fenders are relatively easy to source, since all CJ fenders after 1972 will fit. Again, the factory parts will be stronger and fit better if you can find them. Same with a windshield frame - search the archives for experiences with the replacement windshield frames.

 

Hi Tim,

The body has a fair amount of visible cancer on the back end. I have a replacement pan for the passenger floorboard. Under the "jack box" under the passenger seat there's only about 10% metal, the rest is a clear view to the road. From under the hood most of the body structure that attaches to the body mounts is gone.

If I try a bone-yard to get donor parts (especially at such a distance as California) can the suppliers be trusted to provide good donors?

We are not in an immediate hurry to get this all done since it is also providing therapy for recovery from my accident and surgeries.

Thanks,
Ed

 

Ed, I think you can check out a replacement body enough via photos to be sure of what you are getting. Also, if you find a body or donor Jeep somewhere, ECJ5 has members all over the country, and most will be happy to go and check it out for you. An OEM body will have some flaws, but on balance I think you'd be better off with a good factory body. Another possibility is to find a good CJ-5 body and use the pieces to fix your CJ-6. Only the side filler panels, floor filler panel, and diagonal braces (under the floor) are different from a CJ-6.

I don't know what they will want for it, but it would be worthwhile to call J&W and/or Scotty's and talk to them about how much they want for a body and how much it would be to ship it. There's also a place in Georgia that has a bunch of Jeeps, but I didn't save the name/location... maybe someone here will know. There are some big yards in Colorado also.

Here's J&W http://www.jwjeep.com/ and Scotty's http://www.scottysjeepand4x4.com/ - the body parts pictures there are interesting.

Used parts are always cheapest from a private party. Some good places to look for a tub or donor vehicle are eBay, here (WTB in Classifieds), WillysTech http://www.willystech.com/parts/board.shtml and the Jeep/4x4 related boards like Pirate 4x4, Jeeps Unlimited, and CJ Offroad.

hth! Tim

 

Another place to check out is John at Border Parts in Southern California. Don't have the contact info but a search would probably yield the info too. The places and info Timgr posted is dead on. Another difference with the '72-'75 CJ's is the heater/fresh air inlet in the cowl area.