Stainless steel 1/2 tubs

[alberta mac]

Wondering if there is any interest in a half tub in #304 stainless steel which will include rockers ?
The first aspect is it will be in Canadian Pesos.The outer quarter panels in this pic have been cut larger to flow with the front fender height and have the right look for 31'' to 33'' tires as an option. The process was tig welded for full penetration.

I did my first gen half tub in 95 of my 83 bj42. and is still holding up as the day it was built back in the day.
I acquired a 79 fj40 that has sadly suffered many Canadian winters with neglect and a second gen stainless tub is in the making.
As Aqualuu is making an aluminum tub, the stainless tub will also not have the ribs on the inner floor and inner fenders but will have an optional trunk in the floor area. Muffler is then moved.

 

[Skreddy]

Good sense tells me not to respond but the whiskey is winning….

Are you trying to sell the tub pictured? The 2 pics provided are terrible and show no details of craftsmanship, let alone every mild steel panel is rusting away.

Why do quarter panels need to be cut different to flow with 33’s?

I don’t doubt there’s a market for a stainless 40 tub, but I think it’ll take a lot more to convince people to buy than 2 pretty poor pics of a rusty cruiser with multiple colors and jeep rear lights and no price or real description of what’s offered….

 

[alberta mac]

History : Back in 95 I happened to see a horrific 1983 bj42 that was so riddled with rust it wouldn't have been surpriseing to see the roof rusted even thou it is fibreglass. As mine was rusting out, as a momentary thought about steel. I was working as a stainless fitter welder and without a second thought rebuilt my 83bj42 in #304 stainless steel.
My rig was my daily driver 1hr to work and on weekends camping and off roading, she is no parking lot queen and not afraid of war wounds on trails in the bush ! Stainless is twice the strength of steel so why not make the switch and costs nothing in milage ? As it is I got tired, surprisingly to myself of the look of stainless steel so I went to my local auto supply and bought a rattle can of beige which I painted the 1/2 tub and rockers, it took well and as it was a trail truck I was not put out if it needed respraying though it did not. However there is a stainless etching primer that one can use to have a more permanent finishing coat.
Labour of love: These things are ugly but yet undeniably reliable. A pleasure off road and will return you home after ward saving others on the adventure. It is because of this love that one can only think of stainless as being it's equal to longevity.
I am excited to embark on the second gen 79-84 half tub.
The new tub will be an asset to those wanting to use it off road and those who want an iconic legend that will exist without rust.

 

[alberta mac]

Good sense tells me not to respond but the whiskey is winning….

Are you trying to sell the tub pictured? The 2 pics provided are terrible and show no details of craftsmanship, let alone every mild steel panel is rusting away.

Why do quarter panels need to be cut different to flow with 33’s?

I don’t doubt there’s a market for a stainless 40 tub, but I think it’ll take a lot more to convince people to buy than 2 pretty poor pics of a rusty cruiser with multiple colours and jeep rear lights and no price or real description of what’s offered….

Very good points ! the pics are old, Not selling the pictured tub, the post is gauging if there is interest in a tub. the new tub is in the making so Pics will come as I'm fabricating and will be detailed. The rusty images are not of 1/2 tub but of rear doors and jeep tail lights were all I had at the time though yes jeep tail lights really suck ! As for height and cutting the rear 1/4 panels, I had a 4'' bds suspension lift and ran 33'' tires. when I looked at the side profile it looked off so I cut about 2'' of height out of the rear 1/4 height to match the front. ''Multiple colours'' beige on beige, one stock Toyota 464 and the other rattle can beige and hey it's holding up and looks decent for a trail truck !
I appreciate your comments , thank you !
I will be reproducing the next tub and will post up pics of the process once things start rolling.
The next 1979 fj stainless will be for sale or the 1/2 tub.

 

[bikersmurf]

Bottom line will come down to cost for many of us.

Myself, I rebuilt the rear 1/4 tub with 1/8" steel back in '92. Technically rear sill, mid crossmember, floor, and inner fenders. There'd be no point in replacing these areas as they are as solid as the day I fabricated them in a Gravel driveway in Radium hot springs.

I have sheets of salvaged and offcuts of stainless steel waiting to be turned into a new floor, door sill, and rockers. If I could buy stainless rear quarters, and door jams/sills I'd give it some serious thought. Compared to many out there I'm cheap. I bought my 40 for $1250 CDN and probably only have a total of $15k CDN into it after 33 years of ownership.

My 16 year old son has also expressed an interest in learning to weld, and wants to learn how to fix all of the bodywork. After the stainless is welded in we'll move onto painting it... likely with Tremclad rust paint... although most of it would survive fine if left as bare metal.

Cheers and best of luck with your project. It's this sort of innovation that lead to Aqualu building Aluminum tubs. At the time Aluminum was more cost effective... but hot so much now.

 

[wimberosa]

Skip the under-bed tool box and think about floor ribs closely. In general people replacing tubs
are thinking about saving time and effort. Affordability and originality come in close seconds.
So even though moving the muffler is an option, it requires fab'ing new brackets and rear
exhaust re-routing which can be a PITA depending on regulations you may be following. Additionally
if "saving time and effort" is indeed of paramount concern...the fitment has to be "spot on" so that
people can (with a minimum of welds) fit everything up properly and get the rig back on the road
without leaving it torn apart for years.

 

[bikersmurf]

The number of 40 owners that are wheeling and driving their rigs has been decreasing, but they still do exist. If Ribs could be added to the floor for minimal extra cost, go for it. However, I suspect that's not the case. If ribs aren't an option with the equipment you have, or they would double or triple the cost then stick with your original plan. Smooth tubs aren't for everyone, but there would still be a market for them.

Aqualu tubs are smooth, but they have still sold thousands.

Fitment is far more important than ribs in my opinion. If you model them to fit an actual 40 frame and have attention to detail you should be fine. I built my floor/tub on top of my original '74 Fj40 frame and then a year or two later it was a perfect fit on a '77 frame from a completely different Fj40 frame. Could it have been off by 1/16" here or an 1/8" there... certainly, but 40s were built as a utility vehicle and there is plenty of leeway to handle small differences. An inch off, or 3" off and someone will be pissed.

The tubs that are being sold as an "exact match" to original, but are way off, aren't winning any favor by saying the part's that were obviously welded together wrong are because of differences in 40 series frames tolerances. I've heard of the odd Aqualu tub being somewhat off where the gas tank whole interferes with the frame... but overall, they are a direct bolt on with minimal finessing and fudging. So I feel confident it can be done easily enough.

 

[peesalot]

After seeing the rust Canada puts on vehicles, the SS tub would be on my radar for sure. Not much interest down here , maybe Oregon, Wash, Mont, Idaho and back east where they salt roads. I find SS to be a PITA to attach anything to, drilla hole, bend, cut, alum much mo friendly on tools & the wallet.

 

[bikersmurf]

After seeing the rust Canada puts on vehicles, the SS tub would be on my radar for sure. Not much interest down here , maybe Oregon, Wash, Mont, Idaho and back east where they salt roads. I find SS to be a PITA to attach anything to, drilla hole, bend, cut, alum much mo friendly on tools & the wallet.

The key with stainless is to not let it heat up. Sharp bit, possibly oil, and moderate pressure. If it gets hot your sharp bit quickly becomes a dull bit and you end up with a big headache.

Thick Canadian steel also holds up well. OEM steel… not so much.

 

[3_puppies]

I remember 30+ years ago an old flat fender jeep having a complete SS body, maybe from the Philippines??
it was in Fourwheeler mag or similar
I just liked the shiny not painted surface and the owner wheeled it.

 

[Chungas Revenge]

A metric ton of stainless Jeeps in the Philippines AKA the “jeepney”.

https://www.autoindustriya.com/auto-industry-news/this-owner-type-jeep-has-a-heart-of-a-tesla.html

I remember 30+ years ago an old flat fender jeep having a complete SS body, maybe from the Philippines??
it was in Fourwheeler mag or similar
I just liked the shiny not painted surface and the owner wheeled it.

 

[alberta mac]

Good sense tells me not to respond but the whiskey is winning….

Are you trying to sell the tub pictured? The 2 pics provided are terrible and show no details of craftsmanship, let alone every mild steel panel is rusting away.

Why do quarter panels need to be cut different to flow with 33’s?

I don’t doubt there’s a market for a stainless 40 tub, but I think it’ll take a lot more to convince people to buy than 2 pretty poor pics of a rusty cruiser with multiple colors and jeep rear lights and no price or real description of what’s offered….

guaging interest. As I found another fj40 I was inspired to reproduce another stainless steel tub. I really don't believe in parting something out reducing the population that is out there. So I committed myself to review my details and make some improvements. I wheeled for ten years including other camping trips while it served as my daily driver, ventured south to Smokey Mountains and the Catamount Cruiser Challenge wheeling with our American brothers and while a 40 doesn't hold much room one has to pack smart and we all know repacking and bring it so you don't need it ! If you are going to rebuild it then why not rebuild it with the improvements one can enjoy ?
No pics as of yet as revising and making mods have taken some time. Pics will come ...

 

[alberta mac]

The number of 40 owners that are wheeling and driving their rigs has been decreasing, but they still do exist. If Ribs could be added to the floor for minimal extra cost, go for it. However, I suspect that's not the case. If ribs aren't an option with the equipment you have, or they would double or triple the cost then stick with your original plan. Smooth tubs aren't for everyone, but there would still be a market for them.

Aqualu tubs are smooth, but they have still sold thousands.

Fitment is far more important than ribs in my opinion. If you model them to fit an actual 40 frame and have attention to detail you should be fine. I built my floor/tub on top of my original '74 Fj40 frame and then a year or two later it was a perfect fit on a '77 frame from a completely different Fj40 frame. Could it have been off by 1/16" here or an 1/8" there... certainly, but 40s were built as a utility vehicle and there is plenty of leeway to handle small differences. An inch off, or 3" off and someone will be pissed.

The tubs that are being sold as an "exact match" to original, but are way off, aren't winning any favor by saying the part's that were obviously welded together wrong are because of differences in 40 series frames tolerances. I've heard of the odd Aqualu tub being somewhat off where the gas tank whole interferes with the frame... but overall, they are a direct bolt on with minimal finessing and fudging. So I feel confident it can be done easily enough.

Mine is a direct bolt on but it's from the A pillar to rear 1979 and up.