New Tub Arrived

[Steve]

MD Juan Tub and other parts arrived today. It is going to be a few weeks prior to my mounting it to the frame.

This tub must have been made after June of 2013 because it has the improvements that were listed on the MD Jaun Tub thread.� I did a quick measurement of the transmission cutout compared to my original tub and it looks like they have made the fix (note the weld seam in the picture, they may be making the fix late in the manufacturing process). Of course, I will not know for sure until it gets mounted. Gas tank opening might be correct as well. I will keep folks posted as to how things turn out and the issues, or lack thereof with this latest generation of stuff. I bought the complete kit, so there will be plenty to report. Generally, a quick scan of the Tub didn't reveal any major fit and finish issues.

If you have questions about the tub, the other parts, want to see pictures, etc., I will do my best to provide the information. The only caveat is that I generally only have time on weekends to work on the Jeep.

Steve

[1955CJ-5]

Holy Toledo!

A new tub....! It looks fantastic...

Any pictures you care to post are welcome. I'd like to see how the hat channels line up to the frame mounts when you get that far....so you got the fenders/hood and tailgate?...wow..

Do the gauges fit?

[Steve]

Got the whole shooting match: hood, fenders, windshield, and tailgate. Not where I planned to be, but rusted out fenders, cracked tailgate, a CJ2A hood with serious issues, tub with major rust in various regions and really bad prior attempts at repair have forced the issue.

[calvinhunt]

Steve,
Good job.  I envy your late-production tub.  I received mine about 7 years ago now.  Many problems.  Very many problems.  Because of several warnings I completely assembled my entire Jeep before paint.  Several components didn't fit at first. I didn't want to do any cutting, grinding or welding after paint (and I had a lot of that to do).  Then I completely removed all the body parts and painted them separately.  Final assembly then went without difficulty.

[BMIC]

Looking forward to the assembly process Steve. I made the choice to continue on with the original rusted out tub mainly because of the Juan production issues sighted in this and the 2A forum. In hindsight given the production corrections at Juan I think you made the smarter, and likely less costly choice.
I think yours is the latest corrected (hopefully) tub that we will have a chance to view, your project may be the game changer....

[1955CJ-5]

Got the whole shooting match: hood, fenders, windshield, and tailgate. Not where I planned to be, but rusted out fenders, cracked tailgate, a CJ2A hood with serious issues, tub with major rust in various regions and really bad prior attempts at repair have forced the issue.

I'm sure you will have an excellent result. I easily spent more than a replacement tub cost in repairing my old tub....

I'm sure you know this, but keep all the old body parts. You never know when you may have to measure the location of a bolt hole or a bracket of some sort.....and when it's all said and done the old tub will be worth something to somebody...It is in better condition than mine was....

[johnrb3b]

Rotated the pics for you.
They made me dizzy. 

[Steve]

Sorry I made you dizzy I anticipate that it will be a couple of weeks when I get the chance to get the tub on the frame. Of course, I first need to get the holes for the pedals done.

Sometime this weekend, I will take a bunch of pictures of the various parts and post them in this thread. If you want me to take a photo of a particular part, or from a certain angle, just let me know. I figure the pictures will be a goo reference for that time when things don't go together as planned.

I am in no hurry to get rid of the old tub for just the reasons that have been mentioned.

Steve

[James P]

I am definitely watching this thread because at this point for me the only save able parts on my jeep are the dash, the cowl, and the grill. At least of the body parts, really love 60 Years of road salt and what it does to a vehicle.

By the way Willys Overland is having a sale on tubs and kits till January 31st only need to come up with 3500 or more for a kit. :0

[Steve]

Here are some pictures of various parts of the new tub.

[Steve]

More....

[Steve]

and it for now.  As soon as I get some assistance, I will take a few pictures of the bottom. Overall, the primer paint job looks pretty good, smooth and blemish free. The sheet metal work appears to be pretty good as well.

[athawk11]

From what I can see, it looks pretty good.� There still seems to be a little �mixing� going on.�

The key switch hole is the 2A location, as are the punch outs on the firewall for a heater.� Punch outs for a 3A would normally be on the passenger side.

The tool box latch looks 3A, along with the water rail around the edge.� Did they install the drain channel and hole at the back of the tool box compartment?

It really does look good.� If you get a chance, add a photo looking down on the top of the wheel houses, and a shot of the hat channel supports on the underside.

This should be a fun one to watch.� Thanks for sharing.
�
Tim�

[macrisel]

As I'm sure Calvin would agree, your tub is miles ahead of the tubs we had to start with already!  I'll be watching this thread with great interest as your build proceeds.  It is great to see MD Juan finally listen to customer feedback and fix some of their simple problems.  Good for them!

I think you will be pleased with buying the complete body kit.  A lot of the difficulty others have had was were original parts were fitted to aftermarket parts.  I too used the entire kit (except for one fender and the grille) and most of the parts fit very well.  The one original piece I reeeallly wish I could have reused was the tailgate.  The aftermarket tailgate is just not as stout as the original.

Take lots of photos!

[Steve]

The BIG DAY, attempting to get the tub on the frame, hoping for not to many issues.

The Good:
The tub hat channels all aligned with the mounting points on the frame. The two center mounting points on the rear bumper lined up perfectly, the outside ones on the left and right were off a bit, but given the bumper has been bashed around, not surprising. Easy fix to make the holes in the braces a bit larger.
 
Drilled holes for mounting and everything seems OK. Steering column is not an issue and the pedals are well aligned with the holes I cut. Probably a little additional elongation of the brake and clutch pedal holes will be needed, but this will be in spec of the original tub.

The Bad:
Left fender top bolt hole will have to be elongated a bit in order to line up with the captive bolts.

The transfer case short shifter just touches the frame when moved forward. Not going to do anything about this one, because things will probably settle in a bit when the vehicle becomes operational. Final solution might be to bend things a tad.

The Ugly:
Right front fender does not want to fit. It looks like the brace is a little about 1/2-3/4 inches forward of where it needs to be in order for things to fit. Contemplation time to see what the simplest remedy will be. Any thoughts would be appreciated.