Replacement body panels

[Huesmatg]

to those who know more than me.....

I have just purchased a 76 CJ5 from my in-laws, upon its delivery and some cleaning and dismantle, i have some great surprises!

1) the astroturf carpet was hiding both front floor pans that are patched with flimsy metal and sheetmetal screws.
2) the rear bed is SHOT on the back end....


3)The rear of the tub had a piece of metal screwed on hiding this! Almost all of the screws had rusted so it was easy to remove, it was hidden by the spare tire, the license plate and cleverly placed stickers!



I am about to order some replacement panels and I need to know if the last picture is the rear valence? that seems to be the only thing i can find in replacement parts but I cant seem to get a picture with parts labeled.

Also, I am going to replace the body bushings as the ones on the jeep are shot, seems there are A LOT of choices of kits out there, as this is my first jeep, are there any brands i should look for or should stay away from?

any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Hedgehog]

Didn't you say you got this from family? Were they aware of these problems?

No big deal, this is why many of us hate carpet in a Jeep. Sure it might look nice, but it creates more trouble than it's worth. Most rust like yours has been found under a carpet of some sort.

'76 body parts are relatively easy to find. If you're at least a little adventurous the job can be done your self. If you haven't got one, get a 4.5" grinder along with an assortment of wire wheels and plenty of cut off wheels. Then get a decent MIG wire feed welder. I did some work with a stick welder before finally plunking the money down for a pawn shop wire feed. This thing was the best investment of my life. Love it.

 

[PaRenegade]

Yes, that is the rear valance. Here's a place that sells pretty good quality pieces and is used by many for restoration.
Classic Enterprises - Restoration, Reproduction Parts for Studebaker, Jeep & Ford

 

[Huesmatg]

Didn't you say you got this from family? Were they aware of these problems?

No big deal, this is why many of us hate carpet in a Jeep. Sure it might look nice, but it creates more trouble than it's worth. Most rust like yours has been found under a carpet of some sort.

'76 body parts are relatively easy to find. If you're at least a little adventurous the job can be done your self. If you haven't got one, get a 4.5" grinder along with an assortment of wire wheels and plenty of cut off wheels. Then get a decent MIG wire feed welder. I did some work with a stick welder before finally plunking the money down for a pawn shop wire feed. This thing was the best investment of my life. Love it.

I have some body and welding experience so I feel pretty comfortable with doing this work. I have a few neighbors that are car guys and I think between us we have just about every tool needed to do almost anything.

My inlaws bought this thing something like 15-20yrs ago for the sole purpose of driving around on their property (about a 1/2mi long jeep trail between their shop and a pond) for camping purposes. I asked my father in law last week what all he had ever done on the jeep and in all that time all he ever did was replace the exhaust o-ring. I replaced the gas tank about 10yrs ago but it wasnt my jeep at the time and i didnt pay any attention to anything else. All the cover ups and bondo were done before the jeep got into the family and noone really cared enough to fix anything.

PaRenegade - I have a cart full of parts from Quadratec, floor pans, rear valence etc., I had never heard of classic before, I will give them a look before i make any decisions.... need to figure out the body bushings now and decide if i want a little body lift.

 

[Hedgehog]

Sorry about the sloppy first sentence. I was reaching for a bit of a family joke.....

Yeah I figured it wasn't a vehicle they paid much attention to and I figured you knew it so you had some idea about what you were getting yourself into. Where is the bondo? The outside of the Jeep looks pretty good at least from the pictures. If it were my Jeep with all the rear end repair needed, I'd look seriously at adding a tail gate

 

[Huesmatg]

Sorry about the sloppy first sentence. I was reaching for a bit of a family joke.....

Yeah I figured it wasn't a vehicle they paid much attention to and I figured you knew it so you had some idea about what you were getting yourself into. Where is the bondo? The outside of the Jeep looks pretty good at least from the pictures. If it were my Jeep with all the rear end repair needed, I'd look seriously at adding a tail gate

Haha, no apology needed. Trust me I tried to get some of my money back once I uncovered all of this. It was delivered over 500mi for free so I at least got that goin for me.

If the back end were bigger and I wasn't planning on putting the back seat back in, then I would be there with you on the tailgate, but I don't think I would use it. I would like to beef up that rear panel though, I'm not sure how the spare tire ever stayed on.

 

[johnnyreb]

id do the tailgate and lift the rear seat for storage. you'd be surprised how much you'd use it.