I have teamed up with a local manufacturer to help me create an exact replica complete with ribs and out of 16 gauge cold rolled steel.
What type of response could I see if I were to create this tub in 16 gauge steel?
16 gauge bodies would make these things a tank.
I don't get why you guys are stewing about using 16 gauge steel. It seems like a no brainer. That's what Toyota used for FJ40 bodies until 1979, when they reverted to using crappy 18 gauge sheet metal. All the FJ40 replacement panels manufactured and sold by Real Steel are 16 gauge, as are most of CCOT's panels. I've used them from both vendors while repairing my '82 and they're far more substantial than the wimpy 18 gauge panels that we removed. The FJ40 is already a tank. It's just the later models that have tin can thickness sheet metal. IMO you'd get a great response from 40 owners. For pre-'79 trucks, it's the original spec thickness. For '79+, it's an upgrade.