New skin over old tub!

[bigneily]

I'm sure i'm not the first but i'm going to just cover my old tub outside with new steel, 2 questions tho can i simply just start and be able to bend the sheet metal by hand around the rear corners or should i try and have them rolled at a fab shop? gonna probably go with 18 gauge on the outside then 16 gauge on tub floor and inside rear fender wells. last question , should i weld it all on or go with pop rivets?. I know its not the proper way to the job but the tub is pretty much shot, it is just my hunting , four wheeling machine so i'm not to worried about the appearance. Just wanna get rid of the old rust bucket look. Thanx Neil

 

[45Kevin]

Put an ad in the classifieds asking for the aluminum checkerplate panels. I'm sure someone has a used set laying around.

 

[bigneily]

Not really into the aluminum panels, i'm just gonna do the same idea out of steel and most likely gonna weld them on. I have some other small rust holes in the fender well areas and also the front fenders above the mounting bracket that i'm looking forward to trying my hand at bodywork welding.

 

[fieldsken1]

use the alum panels for a template for the curve

 

[FJsnoozer]

what about buying panels from a vendor and welding them over? Is that way too pricy?


I really like your idea of welding for a trail rig. It will look far better than rivets, and will look great on the outside. with a rattlecan spray job.

 

[bigneily]

Exactly, trying to keep as cheap as possible. I just picked up a 5ft by 4ft piece of 16 gauge and am tracing out a template for the rear panels from cardboard, then i'm gonna cut out the pieces with a jig saw measure out where the bend around the rear section is and then most likely have someone else roll the corners for me. The only issue i have is a local fab shop guy has a minimum charge of 80 skins for any job , can't seem to think this would be very involved to justify 80 bucks. Probably any heating duct work outfit should be able to handle a job like this i'm thinking gotta make a call or two. Thanx Neil

 

[brian]

Exactly, trying to keep as cheap as possible. I just picked up a 5ft by 4ft piece of 16 gauge and am tracing out a template for the rear panels from cardboard, then i'm gonna cut out the pieces with a jig saw measure out where the bend around the rear section is and then most likely have someone else roll the corners for me. The only issue i have is a local fab shop guy has a minimum charge of 80 skins for any job , can't seem to think this would be very involved to justify 80 bucks. Probably any heating duct work outfit should be able to handle a job like this i'm thinking gotta make a call or two. Thanx Neil

probably a one hour minimum charge rate. it's likely a 1/2 hour job if nobody else is already rolling stuff. you'll also want to give them a roll radius. if you can't a decent number err on a larger radi, it'll be easier to push it in, then pull a tight bend out.

 

[bigneily]

I drew a template of the rear corner bend, From the rear tailgate edge around the corner to where it straightens out along the outside edge. the fit is almost spot on so i plan on taking this jig with me when the panels are rolled and using it to set the right bend. Hope this makes sense, also stopped at a furnace duct work outfit and they do small cash jobs. Thanx Neil