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If
you are restoring an older Jeep and have finally
decided that rust, damage and age have finally
gotten the best of your project, you need to
consider a replacement body tub and panels.
Thankfully,
almost every model of Willys, MB, CJ, YJ and
TJ have the same body tubs and replacement panels
(between models) - such commonality across chassis
makes replacing things easy. (And it gives you
an idea how cheap and easy these things were
to manufacture.)
- Remove
wiring
- Unbolt
grill & fenders
- Remove
steering wheel
- Remove
seats, carpet and tail lights
- Unbolt
the tub
- Lift,
replace, reverse the order for install
That's
a pretty simplified version of the whole process,
but it gives you the basic idea - it's not hard
to replace that old body tub with a spanky new
one - and you get a choice now, too. Originally
you had steel - now you can have fibreglass
(with the color baked right in) or aluminum,
to cut down on weight. Only you, your body-man
and wallet need know what it really is.
Replacing
a Jeep body tub is not for everyone. They're
not cheap, averaging around $2,000 USD for just
the tub, unfinished. They are expensive to ship
and you need lots of space to work on them.
You'd better be pretty handy, too, because they
normally don't come pre-drilled for anything
- like lights, windshield frames, steering columns,
shifters - you get the idea.
On
the other hand, if you're restoring a crusty
character with a solid frame, a new body tub
might be just the ticket - it's certainly better
than more Bondo every spring.
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