Got my new tub

I picked up my new tub from Willys Overland in Toledo. I've read many mixed reviews of these new tubs, some said they were the greatest thing ever and others were disappointed with the quality.

Though I have yet to dry fit it on my frame, I will say that the quality seems good. Personally, I think it was worth the extra money to have them fix the holes and mounting points. Assuming they line up.

Overall the quality seems nice. The included instructions claim that the new primer being used by the factory is now of decent quality and they no longer recommend stripping it. A local paint expert tested the new primer and passed it, according to their instruction sheet.

I was disappointed that it does not include the wheelhouse baffle for supporting the side-mounted spare tire. One can be welded in easily enough but it should be included from the factory.

The WO shop was a dream house, I could actually take my vacation in there. Tons of new and used Jeep parts spanning all the decades. Their prices for used stuff is a little steep, though.

I'm hoping to line up some help to get the tub set on my frame today for dry fitting, I'll post pictures.

 

Here are pictures of the new tub test fit on the frame. The grill and fenders are straight out of media blasting and still require some dent repairs (but they are 100% rust-free!)

The body fits so-so. The front floor mounts line up properly but the ones over the rear bed floor are off by a fraction. I may be able to drill them out slightly larger and get them to line up that way. However, the mounts over the rear bumper are off by a mile! I don't know yet how I will fix those.

Sadly, the holes for the pedals are also off by a mile. I find this odd since WO charges extra to ensure those things line up properly.

 

Tub looks good!! And my understanding is it is fairly common for the holes to not line up. But at least you got a couple that you can start with. You can make it work.

 

Clutch hole doesn't look too bad, the Ross box is adjustable front to rear and also can be shimmed off the frame to cure the side to side. Brake hole not so much good there.

 

Been there, done that. Here is what you do to get the holes to line up. Get a bunch of screw drivers and put in the holes; start from the front and work your way back. The ones along the rear cross member WILL NOT line up. Those are the ones drilled by MD Juan. If you notice, Jay probably marked where the holes need to go, he just didn't drill them. I called him because he markets them as "bolt on"..he said, "Oh yea, I don't drill the ones along the rear crossmember because the locations weren't standardized; I guess I need to put that info in the instructions." APPARENTLY, he didn't do that. Once you have the ones all up front cleared, crawl up underneath the rear and mark through the frame to the braces where they need to go, then drill.

Another thing to look for is if you have a dual M/C. The hat channel on the driver's side hit it. I had to grind off a bunch of that hat channel. You may have to check this before you line up the body.

Check the holes for the windshield hinges. You will probably have to weld those up and re-drill them. They were way off on mine. Matter of fact, the more I looked at them, I couln't figure out what exactly they used for a jig to drill those holes...lol.

 

Drilling the body mount holes is not a big deal at all, what upsets me is how off the holes for the pedals are. It's not a big deal, I was just hoping those holes would line up since they are so large, it's not as easy to weld them up and re drill them.

The clutch pedal hits the front hat channel so I'll have to do some grinding on that, not a huge deal. I haven't tried the windshield hinges yet. It seems like it would be better if they didn't drill those at all and just let the buyer use his own hinges as the jig for marking the holes.

Speaking of master cylinders, it's funny that the access hole for it does not exist, although it looks like it once did and was filled/welded closed. It's easy enough to cut out, though.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with my purchase and I wasn't expecting a direct bolt on installation, I'm just surprised at how much some of the holes are off. On the positive side, the fenders seem to fit well.

 

Update on my new tub fit. I spent some time last night jockeying it into position, measuring each corner from the frame to the edge of the body until I got it square. The front fender now lines up with the shock mount, which it didn't before.

But the body holes still do not line up with the frame mounts. At first I figured I'll just drill the holes in the body out larger and use fender washers, however WO welded in crush sleeves so I cannot do that. I guess I'll have to drill the frame mounts out larger.

Now I'm thinking about removing the body, welding all of my frame body mounts closed, placing the body back on and drilling them out based on the holes in the body.

On the plus side, the pedals almost line up now, at least they are much better than before.

Question: has anybody used stainless bolts for the body mounts? I would like to for obvious reasons but I'm concerned about strength, stainless bolts are inherently weak. But do they really get that much strain on them?

 

I've always heard grade 5 bolts are best for body mounts, for their "shear" strength. As you said, stainless is weaker...I think around grade 2. It only matters if you have a wreck or roll over I guess.

 

I used stainless on the 3B, but most of them are now 1/2". The majority of 304 (18-8) stainless bolts are about the same strength as grade 2 and I suspect you will still pull the washers through the sheet metal before the bolts break.

 

Stainless fasteners are not necessarily weaker. Check out the link below. An 18-8 SS fastener in the size typical for your application can have a minimum yield and tensile strength in the range of a Grade 2 (typical hardware store variety bolt), but can also be purchased (almost) equivalent to a Grade 5 (100-125k tensile). Just costs a little more, and a little harder to find. A good fastener shop will have 'em. Be sure and use anti-sieze, though, to prevent galling. They use them in industrial applications in corrosive environments, where a high yield application is necessary.

http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/materials-and-grades/bolt-grade-chart.aspx

 

I used stainless bolts with steel self-locking nuts.

 

JMO - I would use plain plated steel bolts for this application. If you are worried about being able to take them apart again, the anti-seize will help with that.

My opinion - you're never going to see the benefit of stainless hardware. This Jeep will never see another 50 years of use like it saw from 1959 to present. In the next 50 years, it will either be wrecked and/or scrapped, or it will be preserved as an antique. Planning for durability beyond what you'd get from plated hardware is just a waste of time and money. IMO.

 

Was the mud of the past less corrosive than the mud of the future will be?

 

New update. Last night I tried to fit the tub again. I started with the two front mounts (at the passenger floor boards) and worked my way back. I kept close measurements from the frame to the edge of the body at several positions. It is now about 1/16" off on the front corners but that could be contributed to sheetmetal imperfections.

The problem remains at the rear, over the rear bumper. None of those four holes come anywhere close to lining up. And I cannot drill them out any larger. If I stick a pry bar up through and pull the holes together, it pushes in on the side panels of the body, which cosmetically is not a problem but I'm concerned it will create too much stress on the sheetmetal.

The pedals are also still way off but I can "waller" those holes out larger.

The body mounts that WO sold me are the thick hockey puck design, which raises the body off the frame an inch or more. I ordered the correct flat rubber ones from kaiser and will start the fitting process again when they arrive.

 

Don't "waller" the holes out till you get the thinner mount pads. Lowering the tub with the thinner pads will change the pedal to hole relationship.

 

Overall, I am pleased with the quality of the tub. I paid extra to get the "JEEP" stamp in the sides and it appears to be 100% correct.

 

Don't drill out the new holes larger, drill new holes. You are right, they are way off.

I filled in that triangle indention on the hinge mount. That was on the later CJ's, they just didn't change the press molds for the older body

 

Thanks for the pics!

 

Still fighting with fitting the new tub. How close does the motor sit to the firewall? I got the tub sitting where I think it should then I set in the motor in. There is a plug on the back of the head that comes darn near touching the firewall, probably only a quarter of an inch away from it. Is that normal?



Here's a closeup of the plug, sorry for the blurry pic.

 

Wow, I thought the v6's were the only ones with that new body problem. On the original v6 bodies, they had a concave dish cut out and welded in that place on the firewall because of that problem.

I figure as long as it's not hitting, it's ok. After everything is bolted up, you should only get slight side to side movement from the engine running.

I had to grind off the lip where the floor mounts on the firewall in that spot. I've got < 1/2" clearance and it hasn't hit yet