how much is too much?

Finally got the $ to start rebuilding my 1960 cj5. (bittersweet thank you to hurricane sandy).

After about 6 years of sitting i pulled out the tub to find a lot of rot. I cut out the entire floor behind the seats, have to re-do the wheel wells, may have to eliminate the passenger seat tool box, and have to fix where the floor pans slant up towards the firewall.

The tub is a bondo box, but i'm trying to keep the budget low. How much rot is too much rot? when do i throw in the towel and just buy a whole new tub?

 

I think the answer depends on your skills. All the panels are replaceable and if you have the welding and fabrication skills, everything can be repaired. I opted for a new tub even though my original one was in pretty good condition because I can't weld to save my life. But there is also the money side. By the time you buy replacement front and rear floor pans, toolbox, etc., you may be reaching the cost of a new tub.

 

i am in no way looking for a resto or anything that resembles one. I was going to buy a sheet of 1/16" diamond plate and have at it. A very good friend of mine is a fabricator that builds all that type of custom crap on fire trucks so the skills and tools are available. or i could get a new fiberglass tub...

 

If it"s going to be a daily driver and you don't care about a restoration job, fiberglass might be your best bet. Salt water, salt air, and salt on the roads in the winter.

 

check out my cj-5 build page . http://www.earlycj5.net/forums/showthread.php?57642-Make-room-we-got-a-fresh-one-) an old jeep tub is just about the most straight forward design possible. a few pannels and your done. just keep in mind its always easier to cut the whole mess out and replace the whole area rather than patch pannels in . Diamond plate is a hell of alot more expensive than flat pannels last time i checked