Fiberglass Tub questions

ok, i am now thinking the best route for me to take with the body is fiberglass. what are peoples thoughts on these?
where do i look? can i use my metal hood and fenders?
what do these run?
thanks

Hi Waylon, I would think twice about that decision. What are your plans for your rig? If it involves off-road and winter travel, I would advise against it. I say this through experience. The fiberglass looks cheesy (in my opinion) and it does not last long. They get "stress cracks" and cause the paint to chip and flake. If you have a decent cowl, I would suggest you go with a phase 2 Aluminum Tub from Aqualu Industries. They are stronger and lighter than the origional tub or the fiberglass. It is also a less labor intesive job. With fiberglass you will have to remove and re-install all of your dash,wiring,steering colum etc. Then theres the fit and finish. I hear Gozzard has the best fiberglass tub, but you have to be put on a waiting list for it. (and its still fiberglass)You also have to be careful when installing things like the roll bar. You have to make sure you use a mounting plate underneath or the nuts could pull throught the glass tub. Seriously man, do some reasearch and think long and hard about what you want your cruiser to be. If its a going to be a Mall Cruiser or boulavard machine, then fiberglass will be..ok. If you want it to be an off-road machine and snow bomber, then go with aluminum. Go to www.Aqualu.com and check it out. (no affiliation, just a glass-hater)

well heck, thats what i kinda thought about the fiberglass to.. this guy i met in mass sort of convinced me otherwise... he didn't look like the off roader type though. anyways, i am not to sure about the front of my tub.. i will have to spend some time and go over it.. i am planning on blasting the entire frame so i would have the whole body off anyways. the name of the game with this restoration is going to be strength, so if fiberglass is really that wussy forget about it. i have seen the aluminum tub you mentioned, and i was not really liking that idea.. don't they make a whole tub? how do u weld aluminum?i thought that was really hard to do, no? what is the price of aluminum?
anyways thanks for steering me away from the fiberglass
Waylon

Hi Waylon, I gotta tell ya, If your cowl is in good condition, the Aluminum tub is sooo easy. You dont weld it. It is mounted to the cowl with Stainless bolts and sikaflex sealant system. (marine adhesive) There are two prices for the Aluminum tubs. The phase 1: does not look stock, the doors/top dont fit flush. The phase 2: Looks stock, doors/top mount flush. The phase1 is $1428 and the phase2 is $1851. May seem pricey, but a "good" fiberglass tub will be well over that. Plus all off the headaches involved with fiberglass. You will have to mount your roll cage to the frame, you will have to add reinforcements just about everywhere. door hinges,windshield hinges,seatbrackets. The labor cost of switching a whole fiberglass tub will be big $. Im not a land cruiser expert, not am I a brain surgeon, but I installed my aluminum tub myself. There is NO way I could have installed a glass tub. I was just reading an article about a guy who bought a Gozzard glass tub. (supposedly the best) He was saying that the fittment on the frame was bad and it needed lots of reinforcements at extra cost. I had a jeep with a fiberglass tub (it sucked)My present cruiser came with a one piece fiberglass front end (it totally sucks)In the process of buying all new metal panels. It was purchased by the previous owner about 2yrs ago, and the thing is all cracked, the paint is falling off, it flapps in the wind at highway speeds. You get the point. There is a full Aluminum cowl, but you will not need it unless your cowl is in really bad shape. The full cowl costs about $1700 $1851 for the tub. Thats $3500 or so for the whole body. Pricey, but I doubt you will need a cowl. Look at these web pages: WWW.AQUALU.COM, WWW.LANDCRUISERSOLUTIONS.COM,JTOUTFITTERS.COM (ALSO LOOK AT JT'S FAQ FORUM) There is a discussion about Aluminum vs Fiberglass. (guess which one wins the debate)? These are my opinions and mine only. PLEASE do your reasearch before you buy. You could also check out WWW.COOLCRUISERS.COM They have metal replacement body panels, but if you choose that route you will still have to worry about those N.Y winters and salty roads! Aluminum is cheaper in the long run and it only weighs 175lbs. (a lot less weight for our tired 2f's to pull around) Think about it..Do you want your cruiser made out of plywood and plastic or a strong lightweight metal? Just to let you know there is a downside to aluminum.
~Special prep/painting technique (any body shop worth the vapors they sniff will know how to prep/paint it properly)

No matter what you choose, Ill still wheel with ya next spring!! Take Care.

Sean
Salisbury, Ma.
78FJ40