body types

[reptile610]

so i have a CJ7 and the body is in pretty bad shape, going to sand it down this summer and see exactly how much damage it has. if i end up replacing the tub whats everyones recomendations? i see the cheapest is a fiberglass tub, next would be aluminum, and the most expensive would be a stamped steel tub. i hear fiberglass is pretty strong and light but that you have to do alot of extra work to ground your electrical, aluminum i work with at work and not sure which type it is but i personally think it's pretty soft and but it's lighter than steel. a steel tub is obviously heavy and they're about 3k for replacements. whats everyone have and was wondering what the inputs are for pros and cons.

 

[mtnwhlr]

You might see if you can find I good used YJ tub. I have seen alot of people go that way because they don't rust as bad as the CJ ones.

 

[mylittlecj5]

One more option for you is a YJ tub replacement. A few small mods and its the same as a CJ7 tub.

 

[reptile610]

One more option for you is a YJ tub replacement. A few small mods and its the same as a CJ7 tub.

if i do that then i still want the drop down gate

 

[BlueBeast]

The choice depends on what you're looking for and how much you intend to spend.
things to consider:
1)NOISE - the lighter the material the more noise you'll have in the cabin
2)DURABILITY - is this a street jeep or one you plan on having fun with. If you do plan on taking on the trail, will it be for mudding or rock climbing?
street -fiberglass+
muddin - aluminum+
rocks - steel+
3)REPAIRS - god forbid that someone bumps in to your jeep or that you hit an unexpected tree/rock/whatever. What are you more comfortable working with, resin and cloth or bodyfiller? Remember you can't use the standard stud gun for dents (need a specific one for aluminum), and welding aluminum takes more refinement and the necessary welder.

I hope this helps your decision matrix.

Personally I'd go with steel tub, but I'm old fashioned.

Happy Trails

 

[reptile610]

The choice depends on what you're looking for and how much you intend to spend.
things to consider:
1)NOISE - the lighter the material the more noise you'll have in the cabin
2)DURABILITY - is this a street jeep or one you plan on having fun with. If you do plan on taking on the trail, will it be for mudding or rock climbing?
street -fiberglass+
muddin - aluminum+
rocks - steel+
3)REPAIRS - god forbid that someone bumps in to your jeep or that you hit an unexpected tree/rock/whatever. What are you more comfortable working with, resin and cloth or bodyfiller? Remember you can't use the standard stud gun for dents (need a specific one for aluminum), and welding aluminum takes more refinement and the necessary welder.

I hope this helps your decision matrix.

Personally I'd go with steel tub, but I'm old fashioned.

Happy Trails

this jeep will do everything, drive around town, hit the trails, climb a few rocks, and drive me back home. not a big fan of mudding though, don't like finding out whats underneath. i want to do a steel tub but it is really hard justifying 3k for one, maybe i could find one with less cancer and holes. i have a flux welder i bought specifically for body repair and can weld decently with it so we'll see what happens.

 

[mtnwhlr]

if i do that then i still want the drop down gate

You can change it over so the tailgate drops down no big deal.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

if i do that then i still want the drop down gate

Here You Go!

http://www.swagoffroad.com/TJ_YJ_Tail_Gate.html

 

[johnbilt]

When I was rebuilding my tub, I found that the steel replacements were expensive and of lesser quality than the original tub. I ended up repairing my tub. But I really think an aluminum tub would be great. No more rust and lighter weight. I would guess they a cost a pretty penny.

I did use kevlar front fenders from Shell Valley. I don't know if they still offer jeep tubs.

 

[OldC7]

I was going the YJ route with a CJ front clip. I found a better jeep CJ searching for a tub and now just fixing mechanical issues and swapping my parts from the old jeep I was working on.

 

[PaRenegade]

16 year ago when I redid the body and paint on mine I said I'll put a fiberglass one on it after the next 15 years. Well that time has come and I'm rebuilding the whole Jeep, but I've changed my mind on the fiberglass body and the reason is this. A fiberglass body will run me $3300+ and a steel one even more, plus all the labor to make it work. I could buy, but I don't have to, about every individual piece much cheaper. So far I've spent $290 on new front and rear floor panels and maybe another $30 in misc. sheetmetal. I still have to do the labor, and while probably more, not much more. So it's cheaper to repair what I have. Plus you can't buy that sense of accomplishment that comes with it when finished.
Here's what shape mine is in after sandblasting most of it. I also didn't blast where I'll be cutting out the bad metal.

These are $290 (shipped) worth of repair metal.

 

[reptile610]

16 year ago when I redid the body and paint on mine I said I'll put a fiberglass one on it after the next 15 years. Well that time has come and I'm rebuilding the whole Jeep, but I've changed my mind on the fiberglass body and the reason is this. A fiberglass body will run me $3300+ and a steel one even more, plus all the labor to make it work. I could buy, but I don't have to, about every individual piece much cheaper. So far I've spent $290 on new front and rear floor panels and maybe another $30 in misc. sheetmetal. I still have to do the labor, and while probably more, not much more. So it's cheaper to repair what I have. Plus you can't buy that sense of accomplishment that comes with it when finished.
Here's what shape mine is in after sandblasting most of it. I also didn't blast where I'll be cutting out the bad metal.

These are $290 (shipped) worth of repair metal.

i'd like to do that to mine. i have a flux welder but im down to either using paint stripper on the entire thing or DA sanding it. i wonder how much it'd cost to have the body sandblasted.

 

[73CJ]

Steel =rust
Fiberglass = cracks
Aluminum = expensive

Depends on how long you think you will own it.

I love my aluminum.

I just got tired of patching. Go with sand blasting if you stay steel.

 

[reptile610]

I had a friend of mine use something at home depot that once u put it on u can use a paint Scrapper to scrap everything off to bate metal. Used it on his nova. I'd like to sandblast but I don't have one. Nor do I have a truck to haul the body somewhere. Unfortunately I'm very Limited by no truck/trailer and a 1 car garage.

 

[PaRenegade]

I haven't touched the paint side yet. I'd like to use a stripper....:drool:... the paint removing type, for the paint. I'm thinking it might be quicker but probably messier. Sandblasting can warp the metal if it doesn't come off quick.

 

[johnbilt]

I have some chemical stripper, but haven't used it. I wasn't sure about the mess and runoff.

I used a 4-1/2" grinder with scotch-brite pads. 3M sells an industrial hook and loop adapter for the grinder and several different grades of scotch-brite disks which are easily changed. These are handy for lots of metal cleaning tasks including gasket surfaces and weld clean-up. The don't dig in, but they remove paint and old filler real quick and clean.

Important Tip: Make sure you have a fan and a box of dust masks!

John

 

[reptile610]

I may look into this. Thanks

 

[PaRenegade]

Yes, I may also. I can still use stripper in the hard to sand areas and won't have as much mess / runoff. Where did you pick up the velcro adapter at?

 

[reptile610]

I was going the YJ route with a CJ front clip. I found a better jeep CJ searching for a tub and now just fixing mechanical issues and swapping my parts from the old jeep I was working on.

This brings up my only problem which is space and time. No space to store a second jeep and not enough time to swap parts and get rid of scrap b4 the city would kick my door down.

 

[Niedhogg]

This brings up my only problem which is space and time. No space to store a second jeep and not enough time to swap parts and get rid of scrap b4 the city would kick my door down.

I got my YJ tub already separated from the donor vehicle, then set it up on a couple saw horses while I made the modifications to the tub. I did all this in my back yard and just covered it when I wasn't working on it. You could do the same thing if you had a garage or carport, the other thing about the YJ tub swap is, you have to modify a couple body mounts on your CJ frame which is also very simple. I built my entire Jeep in about 3-1/2 months starting with just a frame and driveline, working 60-80 hrs a week at my regular job, working on the CJ on the nights and weekends it wasn't raining (I did the whole thing in my back yard), or that I was running all over the state of PA to pick up parts... you could probably modify and swap a tub in just a couple weeks, if you put your mind to it, and I'd bet by the time someone noticed or complained about what what was going on to the city, it would be at least a month before they would take any action or send out any letters to the effect. When they push me, is when I push back...

Good luck!