Steel Tub experience

[Soul_Man]

Anyone out there install a steel tub?

I've done a search, and haven't found anyone who has any real experience with one of the assembled steel tubs.

My tub is shot, bad rust in whole tub including crossmembers. was going to weld-up a CCOT tub from parts, but I think that will be real hard to do with nothing to really start with as a template.

Anyone with a steel replacement tub: overall satisfaction? Easy/hard to install and align? Do they come pre-drilled for rollbar, spare tire, tranny hump etc. mounts? If they are pre-drilled, do they have nuts welded in place like the stock tub?

 

[Velocity2]

just find a nice OEM! i have here for 800 bucks....it also includes a nice cowl!

 

[Chase77]

If your willing to try out doing a full steel tub why not Aluminum? No more rust = Good right? It would definitely be a little more $$ and work than finding a used tub like Velocity did but even then you still have to deal with surface rust and any PO issues. Just my .02 though. Good luck.

 

[TexomaFJ40]

Agree with Chase. I just finished redoing a steel tub and welding metal and new panels onto the existing frame. At the end of the work I kept saying "I should have bought a new tub".

Time vs. Money, Finished product and perfect paint vs. "you get what you get"

 

[TexomaFJ40]

PS: There is nothing perfect about a CCOT replacement panel...Expect to do alot of grinding and bending and cussing.

 

[Velocity2]

anyways about aluminum tub- to do it correctly you have to re-wire. I was looking at getting one to just for ease of bolt on. But you lose all your body lines the able to put a ground right to the body and the you always have to deal with elctorlosis (spelling not sure) but with steel and a good steel tub and some good undercoating etc should last you forahwile unless yo dip it in salt water then mud for years at a time!

 

[rabid]

I had a steel tub built for mine from a friend in vermont. He does a bunch of tubs a year, all 3/16ths sides with thicker floors and supports.

Shouldn't rust.

He builds them for each vehicle, too many idiosyncracies from one to another to say a one tub fits all approach works. He builds his so that the top fits well, doors close easilly, etc.

The problem is that he only does them one at a time, and in his shop only.

I love my tub, and it cost probably about the same as an aluminum one.

 

[dd113]

The alumn is OK but more of a PITA to install than a steel tub. Opinions vary but I think a steel tub is worth more on the truck than alumn. Install is easy. I have not used any of the aftm steel tubs but they cant be hard to install. I would look for a another truck with a good tub and use the rest of it for parts. SOR has LOTS of good tubs and not really expensive for what you get. Shipping will hurt though but I bet you can get a more or less rust free tub to your door from SOR for less than 2K.

 

[Cards81fan]

I have always wondered why grounds don't work in Al tubs. FIberglass makes sense, but I always thought aluminum was a nice conductor??

 

[Soul_Man]

Not interested in aluminum of fiberglass. I'm set on steel.

Nobody has any experience with an aftermarket steel tub?
The SOR tubs sound promising, but I was hoping to start with virgin steel that had never seen ANY rust.

 

[DocB]

I wonder why nobody has new one piece steel tubs/cowls (complete) for sale like they have Jeep tubs. They would sell a million of them. It's a PITA for your average backyard cruiser mechanic to weld panels together or have it done right. You could blow all that money on panels and time on labor and end up with a half ass job if it is your first time. Somebody please produce these! at a reasonable cost.

 

[cruiserbrett]

Not interested in aluminum of fiberglass. I'm set on steel.

Nobody has any experience with an aftermarket steel tub?
The SOR tubs sound promising, but I was hoping to start with virgin steel that had never seen ANY rust.

what aftermarket steel tubs are you talking about? Even the steel tubs availible that I know of are really just rebuilt original ones, meaning they require the hardtop tub rail and some other misc parts to start from.

 

[usmcruiser]

Liquidoffroad offers a "3/4 tub" it is everything from the front cowl back.

http://www.liquidoffroad.com/steelbodypanels.htm

The down side is it is $3600.00

 

[NJFJ40]

Hey Dave (dd113) - I trust you know this given your cruiser knowledge but how did you find out that SOR sells used steel tubs? The only thing on their site for sale is fiberglass tubs and their steel body panel section doesn't have much of anything from what I've seen.

Just curious as I am also looking for a steel replacement tub and prefer to go steel over aluminum for overall ease of mtce and to stay original/stock. The only 3/4 steel tubs I've found are the ones Liquid sells (others sell the same ones - apparently made somewhere in TX with some old and some new steel panels as Brett says).

Velocity - you can ground directly to an Aluminum Tub - I think you were referring to a fiberglass tub which cannot be used as ground (for obvious reasons).

 

[usmcruiser]

here is a great article written by Jeff Zepp on the pains of aluminum tubs and fiberglass. Not all the information in here is current, like the unavalability of steel tubs ( as I stated in my last post). But none the less very informative

http://store.yahoo.com/coolfj40/tubchoicpros.html

because of this article I chose not to purchase a alum. tub. I instead opted to do what Lance did at iron pig offroad in VA.

http://www.ironpigoffroad.com/index.jsp?page=FJ40 Tub Replacement

 

[Soul_Man]

what aftermarket steel tubs are you talking about? Even the steel tubs availible that I know of are really just rebuilt original ones, meaning they require the hardtop tub rail and some other misc parts to start from.

Liquid off road has them and Rocky Mountain Cruisers. The pictures on both those web sites are the same, so I suspect they get them supplied by someone.

 

[Wherlwind]

Does anyone know if someone makes steel tubs for 45s?
pete

 

[usmcruiser]

not that I have seen. They are unfortunitly a dying breed.