Am I a potential source for steel FJ40 tubs?

[JohnnyC]

I don't see any big advantage in ss, fiberglass or aluminum from what I have read.

You never been in the upper north east or Canada ? The land cruiser is king of the road in all other regions of the world ... Not here... The king of the road here is RUST

Love to here of new entrepreneurs ... Prayers are with you to succeed !

 

[CHAS404]

Yes. the inherent weakness of these fabulous trucks is RUST. Amazing to see ones down here with 300k to 400k miles on them running up the mountain 30 to 40 years later.

Tubs are new new new with new steel. I think they only do 1/2 tubs though. but they have rocker panels and windshields and i think the orignal half doors that are rare up there.

Thanks for the support. The original idea of capitalism is to serve your neighbor. I have to fly back to Florida soon but I will be pursuing this. Will know more in about a month.

Hopefully I can ship one in with my FJ as a trial run.

 

[kruisinkid]

I dont think i would be interested in anything less than 16 gauge unfortunately, but am still curious how yours turns out. Are they able to do 16 with their tooling?

 

[alberta mac]

No doubt the work is affordable down there but the cruiser is made of 16 and 18ga steel.
20 ga. would be too thin. and in areas like the fender supports you need 1/8th.
There is nothing wrong with just going 16ga on 1/4 panels instead of original 18ga.
16ga is approx 1/16 and 14ga is close to 1/8th

fwiw
Cheers

 

[kruisinkid]

i believe 14ga is .0747" thick. 1/8" thick sheet metal is between 10 and 11 gauge. still, i wouldnt replace any parts on my cruiser with less than 16ga. coolerman i believe had a rear bed made out of 16 without the OEM "ribbing" and it was very flexy and needed supports welded to the underside.

 

[CHAS404]

I was under the impression the later tubs were thinner gauge. The tub in the picture is different from the one factory I am talking with. Go to "Esmeralda" on the search and you can see the work. They had to add back a lot of 1979 later tub details bec the tub we used was an earlier or one size fits all tub. In the end I am happy bec we reused some original tub details and used up some labor.

I want to go to see the factory other tubs I think I can source. They do have both the pre and post 1979 tubs.

All i can say for now is I saw my truck today and the bodywork looks great. It will be painted soon and can't wait to see how it turns out.

I have to get back to the USA but will be back soon and I will investigate in great detail the tub options with photos.

 

[CHAS404]

CCOT panels are made with heavy 16 gauge cold rolled steel. Factory steel was 18 gauge (thinner) from 1975 to 1984. Older FJ40s (1974 to 1958) were made with heavier 16 gauge steel. Heavier gauge steel forms smoother and requires less finish work than 18 gauge panels.
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Comment above from CCOT. This is just the comment regarding the fender wells. I believe my contact makes the fenders in 18 gauge and the tubs in 18 or 20. I won't be able to meet with him until October.

Great idea on the tooling for 16 gauge. Honestly I have no idea what gauge my different factory new tub is.

Are the later model 1980s FJ40 factory tubs all 18 gauge? I think they are. All I know is that my original tub had a hidden little pocket of rust in the rear section that you could not see until they tore it apart.

I like the idea of new metal sanded down bare and painted in 5 coats of modern paint 2 of which are anti-corrosion. I think if we can source the correct tubs for the correct years there won't be much finish work.

I will find out more details soon thanks.

 

[esh]

I am interested for a '79-'84 (16 gauge would really tip the scale here) steel tub if you get that far. Send a PM if you get to that point and I'll try to keep an eye on this thread.

The inherent weakness on my tub was PO driving (thrashing) ability.

Quality is the driving factor for me.. 3/4 tub would be really nice. Really nice. Like worth paying more for nice, but 1/2 tub would probably work better for shipping. Separate floor pans and rockers would be good too.

 

[KY Longhunter]

CCOT used Pilgrim tubs till he got in a dispute with them. I bought my 3/4 tub from him directly from him and imported at least 4 more tubs.

As is very well known, Paul is MIA.

There are other companies importing Colombian tubs here in the USA (check the vendor section).

I don't want to ruin your venture, but thought you should know before sinking a ton of $$$ in this.

p.s. what happened to your tub with cut fenders? If not toast, it would bring some cash here stateside. Hmm...

 

[CHAS404]

Guys go to the search and type in "Esmeralda" to see my project. I just painted my truck. The tub we used was from a different provider than the one I am going to inspect with the factory representative. But atleast you can see the install process on a Colombian made half tub. We burned up a lot of labor by using a pre 79 or one size fits all tub as Chamba noted. In the end they added back the details and I think it looks great.

 

[CHAS404]

I may now be ready to import some tubs. My primary mission is to import finished high quality trucks. The time and cost to operate down there dictates that I do these nicer trucks for now. 4th and 5th truck since early 2014 are arriving now. I have 4 more trucks in process. Here is a photo of an FJ43 tub that I can buy (FJ40 would be same quality). The distributor says the metal thickness is the same as the 79 and up tubs. He has the earlier models too (same thickness). I am restoring a 1961 and the metal is THICK!

I am not certain what the quality compared to some of the tubs I have seen online for $1800 to $3000. This grey one is actually nicer than the one used above for my green truck (it turned out fine but there was a lot of labor put into to it).

I can get the tubs into Tampa. From there would need to deal with crating etc etc. A LOT of the cost is shipping.

If there is someone in the Florida area who needs one let me know. I don't mind bringing one in either just to get opinions on quality.

Again this is not my primary mission but I can easily bring in tubs as I am already shipping 2 trucks in a 40 foot container with a LOT of extra room.

I can probably be around $1200 or less for an FJ40 tub sitting in Tampa. again this is a 79 and up FJ43 tub.

 

[CHAS404]

They are thin metal but seem to be similar to the 1979 and up. They need a touch of body finish work but I am guessing they are all like that. Having overseen the 83 FJ40 restoration and now the 1961 FJ40 if I were doing a restoration myself I would much rather replace the tub than try to piece tother and repair it. Depends on the condition ofcourse.

I probably should just buy one and bring it in and sell it locally to see how it goes.

I do believe after speaking with a distributor that many of those tubs you see online up in Canada or in the USA are coming from the same source I found. Either Colombia or maybe some other central or south american factory.

 

[SteveH]

You're right to be concerned about quality. The Columbian rear quarter I got was a disaster, and the replacement one (sent to address the shortcomings of the first one) was better in some areas and worse in others - but still far from correct. The Columbian folks may have better luck building an entire tub, rather than single panels.

 

[White Stripe]

I may now be ready to import some tubs. My primary mission is to import finished high quality trucks. The time and cost to operate down there dictates that I do these nicer trucks for now. 4th and 5th truck since early 2014 are arriving now. I have 4 more trucks in process. Here is a photo of an FJ43 tub that I can buy (FJ40 would be same quality). The distributor says the metal thickness is the same as the 79 and up tubs. He has the earlier models too (same thickness). I am restoring a 1961 and the metal is THICK!

I am not certain what the quality compared to some of the tubs I have seen online for $1800 to $3000. This grey one is actually nicer than the one used above for my green truck (it turned out fine but there was a lot of labor put into to it).

I can get the tubs into Tampa. From there would need to deal with crating etc etc. A LOT of the cost is shipping.

If there is someone in the Florida area who needs one let me know. I don't mind bringing one in either just to get opinions on quality.

Again this is not my primary mission but I can easily bring in tubs as I am already shipping 2 trucks in a 40 foot container with a LOT of extra room.

I can probably be around $1200 or less for an FJ40 tub sitting in Tampa. again this is a 79 and up FJ43 tub.

View attachment 923982 View attachment 923983

I would be very interested in getting a 1/2 pre 79 fj40 tub. 3/4 would be better. I would drive to tampa to pick it up myself. But I prefer it be out of 16 gauge. 18 gauge minimum.

 

[White Stripe]

Any updated for us??

 

[1sick73]

I'm interested as well.

 

[CHAS404]

Thanks guys. I am in Tampa now marketing trucks 6 and 7 for the year and have 4 more trucks in process. I am one year into the business so I am working overtime to close out the year with 10 restored trucks imported and sold. Quality is everything with me if you see my trucks you will see that. I just changed an interior provider and soft top provider to continue to improve quality. It looks like I need to further investigate the tubs as there seems to be a real need. My approach to the body parts would be the same. I would contract to get the quality that meets my requirements or I change provider. Same as in any business. Per the quarter panel yes... in Colombia they have access to good used parts so they would either find a good used tub or just order the entire tub. Also the body/metal workers are amazing. They can just form something if they need to. In the US we rely more on kits/special parts in order to save time on labor.

 

[CHAS404]

I go back in a few weeks and will go see a few sources and bring in a tub next shipment of trucks I have in December. I have one or two guys that want something. I could be wrong but all the tubs/body panels you see for sale on the internet now I believe are made in Colombia.

 

[CHAS404]

Need to confirm this quote I had posted above. If anyone knows the millimeter thickness please let me know here. I can then confirm that as I talk with providers.

CCOT panels are made with heavy 16 gauge cold rolled steel. Factory steel was 18 gauge (thinner) from 1975 to 1984. Older FJ40s (1974 to 1958) were made with heavier 16 gauge steel. Heavier gauge steel forms smoother and requires less finish work than 18 gauge panels.

I think the above is right because I restored a 1974 and it had thicker tub. The later 1980s trucks are indeed lighter. Personally I would use whatever the factory had even if lighter but maybe I am thinking too much about resale value. There are all only 3 or 4 providers anyhow so we are limited to what they produce.

1. the green truck we used some tub from the "coast". I think looking back it was not either the right year or was a cheaper brand. the body guy though who modified it spent plenty of labor on it and made the truck beautiful. Truck was later sold via my dealer/buyer for $54,000. There is no question that steel is the way to go in my mind.

2. the trailer I built used an FJ43 tub that was OK quality.

3. the gray primer FJ43 tub above is the best so far I have seen and I would use it. There is another provider out there I want to meet with but keep in mind Colombia is a big country so some of these decisions are made on logistics/shipping etc.

4. I am thinking of possibly adding a value added product which would be a 3/4 tub or a full tub that we prep and prime and THEN ship. Capitalize on lower cost/ high quality body and paint guys I have. This in the long run would save the US buyer/restorer time and money.

5. my issue now is I am busy with trucks and do not have sales/infrastructure set up. Although I am getting my Florida dealer's license any day now and rented a small office and good sized garage for storage.

 

[CHAS404]

This is the trailer we made from an FJ43 tub. It is in Tampa now. I am having a Florida titled new trailer 'base' built for this tub/trailer. My body/metal guy that does my trucks made the storage box and a matching rear tailgate. There was some prep time in doing this tub same as if it were a truck.