This is what it looks like now. You can just make out the rear bed portion as well, it's 1/8" diamondplate (weighs in at 165 pounds by itself). The green paint is Hammerite (it was free). Also note the absence of any lips or places dirt can accumulate (except for the stock section in the middle).

Yes, it's been a long road, but for those of you in like situations, keep striving forwards, someday it'll be done and you'll be glad you did the work.

JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205 twinstick/7" Lift/33" Swampers/REP 8000/RS9000's/Scout II D44's F&R w/4.10's & Lockrights

 

I think when you get done your Jeep will out last all of us. I wish you would of worked for Jeep in the early 80's. My Jeep would still be on the road and not torn down right now. Nice job.

 

You wanna come out to Illinois for a few days and do mine? /wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif
I'll take some pics of what's left of my tub this weekend while I'm working on the suspension. I think mine is actually worse than your's was.

 

It's taken me a long time to get it just to this stage. Worse? Wow, in hindsight I wish I'd saved and bought another tub. So when are you picking up your welder?

JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205 twinstick/7" Lift/33" Swampers/REP 8000/RS9000's/Scout II D44's F&R w/4.10's & Lockrights

 

i think that for a person who is going to buy a jeep to build for a trail rig then a rough body is not an issue. patch it up and go because it'll get abused anyway. however when doing this it makes it more important to securely mount your rollcage to the frame.

brian wilson
80 cj5 "high 5"
stretched to 100" wb
efi351w/np435/d300/d44/d60/detroits/4.56/35tsl's/

 

I agree...that's why I'm not springing for a new tub. However, solid floors and body mounts are kinda critical /wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

 

yeah but you can patch it up.

brian wilson
80 cj5 "high 5"
stretched to 100" wb
efi351w/np435/d300/d44/d60/detroits/4.56/35tsl's/

 

Yeah, I think mine is actually worse. The area behind the windshield hinges is swiss-cheese, the lower portions of the braces in front of the door openings are gone, several fist sized holes in the rocker panels, front floors are gone and cheesily replaced with some thin sheetmetal, firewall is starting to separate from the floor pan on the passenger side, second body mount plates from the front are gone on both sides, entire rear floor and tops of wheelhouses are swiss cheese, driver side wheelhouse is about 1/3 of the way gone, holes in rear corners near the body mounts.
My buddy left his arc welder for me to practice with and if I get the raise that I want next week and they don't jerk me on making it retro-active, I'll probably buy a mig as soon as I get that first fat check in my hands.

 

Yep, I think yours is worse. My firewall only had one small section that needed to be replaced, the floor pans, seat mounts, rear bed, and rear floor were all shot. The body mounts all needed to be redone as well, as you can see from the pics. The rear wheelhouses were OK, but rusted through next to the body, so they weren't connected to the outside wall. The sides had some holes through them, which I patched, and the supports in front of the seats had the base missing as well. All in all it sounds like they were pretty similarly gone. I don't envy you starting a project like that, I'm glad I'm almost done with it. Remember, the more you dig into it, the more you'll find wrong, so what you can see isn't all there is.

After next weekend (this weekend I'm going away, Pumpkin Festival in Keene, NH) I'll have the tub done (and a BIG party to celebrate!), and then I'm moving onto the frame. I have to strip and paint it, run new brake lines, fuel lines, vent lines, mount the shock towers F/R, install the DJ grill, fabricate a new rear support section, and weld 2 cracks. Then it's time for reassembly!

For the body metal, a 110V mig would work fine, no need to go 220V. They're also pretty cheap. Never used an arc welder, are they hard to get a good bead on?

JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205 twinstick/7" Lift/33" Swampers/REP 8000/RS9000's/Scout II D44's F&R w/4.10's & Lockrights

 

Well, according to my buddy, pretty much any trained monkey can do basic mig with a little practice (I'm feeling more like an untrained seal right now). Obviously you'd need more skill & practice before you started doing stuff like roll cages. He said that arc welding requires more skill & practice to get right and lay a good bead. I think my biggest issue with the whole thing is just how the heck do you see what you're doing through the glare shield. I think once I get that straight, I'll be okay other than potentially burning a few holes through practice material until I learn how to properly select settings. I'll probably go with a 220v unit. I'm sure I'll eventually need that much, so no point in spending $300-400 on a 110v that could've gone toward the 220v.

 

hey where did you get the pictures of the underside of my jeep?LOL.the after pix are really nice.it's projects like this,looking at other peoples ways of fixing this kinda stuff that i keep looking at this bbs day after day after day after day.thanks for your insight!!!!!

'78 cj-5....if it's 2 loud you're 2 old!!

 

Waaal, hummm ....
It seems to me that JEEPIN's turtle green under tub and Jeepskate's hot dog red frame were made for each other ...
Then, throw in baby Jeepskate's neon buggy toy colors for the tub and ... my eyes are squeezing shut! ... or glued wide open!
But, if rolled over and needing help in a very out-of-the-way spot ... lighting up a flare should not be necessary!
Hummm... wonder if Hammerite comes is purple ...?

Just kidding, guys ... /wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif

JAF
http://www.monsterslayer.com/jeep

 

Man you guys make me realize just how lucky I am to live down in the desert south west were I don't have to deal with the rust problem.

 

I like how you did your front body mounts. I should have did the same, would have taken less time than building new ones. Keep up the good work.

 

WOW, and to think I was complaining about my bent up body. At least mine is relitivly rust free.

Thanks, Ray

 

When I removed my tub the rust was so bad that it wasn't even a resistance against the Hi-Lift. Yes I removed my tub with a Hi-Lift jack! Most of the body mounts were rusted away and the bolts would only turn the mounting plates within the rusty tub.
I'm sure the only thing holding the body on was the steering column and the wiring harness! /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif Didn't want to deal with it again so a 4WD Hardware tub is comming next spring. Nice Job though, makes me feel like a lazy bum for going the route I am! /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

Mike H.
1983 CJ-7 Laredo, Down to the bare frame...parts everywhere!
2000 Durango SLT

I can't go to work today...the voices said "Stay home and clean your guns!"

 

Yes, you can get Hammerite in Purple. Green, red, and tan, now that would be a combo!

Jeepskate:

Get an auto-darkening lens, they're a little pricey, but well worth every penny. Ours has been going for 6 years now, it's been dropped, frozen, wet, and even melted from slag, still works great. No fumbling around. You'll be glad you spent the money. A 220V mig is awesome, and welding great beads can be done in little time.

Smokngun

I removed my tub by running the 2 ton, twin gear, all cast iron Come-Along up to the rafters in the barn, then taking a strain. Then I used a Sawzall to cut the body mounts away. I forgot 2 of them, and noticed when the rear tires were 4" off the floor. Cut the last 2 away and the chassis hit the floor and bounced. Then I was able to lift the tub up about 5' and push the chassis forward out from underneath it. The tub I put in the back of a truck and took it outside to weld on it. Too bad the house we're at now doesn't have a large enough space to do that, but at least I can weld inside.

JEEPN
Winter Harbor, Maine
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
It's a Jeep, Chevy, IHC kinda thing!