Description
The cornerstone of our product line is of course the body tub. We didn’t want to do the typical fiberglass tub you’ve seen where it’s got a shiny gelcoat finish on one side and a rough resin/fiber surface on the opposite side. Bodies like this are typically, a single heavy layer of chopped glass with reinforcing plates and cross members bonded to the underside with more chop and resin. As long as the reinforcing materials are impervious to water and rot, that’s fine. If a body is cored with plywood, end grain balsa or other cellulose based materials, it (the core), will eventually rot and turn to mush. We’ve seen it more times than we can count.
We wanted ours to look like a factory tub as much as possible while remembering that we are working with fiberglass which has completely different characteristics than steel. All of our parts are made from two matched molds finishing the outside and inside surfaces. It requires a much higher degree of precision so that everything fits as it should and takes a lot longer to tool. You may be looking at the floor saying to yourself “Where’s the floor ribs like the factory body?” Our philosophy is that strength is more important than cosmetics. This is a big mistake that others make trying to make fiberglass do what metal does. What they may not understand is that they are creating points of failure in the composite matrix when they pre-bend the fibers. In composite boats and aircraft where strength is paramount, you never see crisp angles and ribs because as a force is transferred through the skin, the crease acts like an interruption or dam in the flow of pressure or tension. A smooth surface insures that the load moves smoothly through the skin rather than interrupting it creating a stress point. Remember the trick where you stand on a soda can and it will hold your weight UNTIL you tap the side causing a buckle which immediately collapses the can under you. Preformed ribs in fiberglass have the same potential especially in a rollover where pressure comes from the sides of the body inward. Our structure is designed around the material not the other way around. Another benefit of smooth surfaces are fewer flaws from entrapped air and voids typically found in the edges and corners of complex surfaces.
When you wet out the fiberglass, there is always air trapped between it and the backside of the gelcoat. You have two options; either manually roll the air out with a special ribbed roller some call a “bubble buster” or you can apply a bag over the cloth and remove the air with a vacuum pump. We do it the old fashioned way right now but we’re getting ready to go the vacuum bag route once we evaluate whether its cost effective or not. Bottom line, when someone tells you how they make a xerox copy of a metal part, its probably not as strong, subject to weakness, and may contain air voids because it couldn’t be easily rolled out. No structural engineer will debate this fact. Our tub is composed of six major pieces. There are molds for the inner body, outer body, underbody, inner and outer engine compartment, and inner radiator core support. Inside them is a full steel frame providing vertical mounting posts for the door hinges, door striker, tailgate pivots and latching pins. The posts also serve another purpose. Since they stop just beneath the outer skin of the quarters, access openings can be cut in to “plug in” upper hoops to complete a full cage system that uses zero floor space and carries the loads directly to the body mounts and frame. It also serves as the roof supports for the hard top and half cab so the sides can be removed to use them as hard safari tops.
The tub has uncut fenders for a number of reasons. There are people who want a retro original look which in not available in fiberglass. It’s relatively easy to cut the quarters and install flares if you want that look or need the clearance. Repairing or replacing a removable cracked flare is far simpler than repairing a quarter w/ a blended flare. Paint scheme options are limited if there’s no dividing line between the fender and the flare if you want contrasting colors. When assembling the body, it is actually fitted to a factory frame for final assembly to assure proper fit and save you time.
Ordering
Because we can’t predict when orders will come in, it is impossible to estimate delivery dates, please contact us for the current backlog status before ordering. We can give you an approximate delivery date at that time for you to determine if you want to place an order. We require a $500 deposit with the balance due at the start of production. If you are ready to order, choose the tub deposit option from the drop down menu and complete the checkout process. Someone will be in touch to confirm the tub style and the estimated production date. If for some reason you choose to cancel a tub order there is a $150 cancelation fee.
***The current price increases are due to raw material and steel price increases. Most of our materials have risen 75-100% or more. This is supposed to be getting better later this year. We have no control over the material costs and cannot absorb these drastic increases on our tubs. There simply isn’t the margin for us to. We apologize for these increases but they are out of our control. Once our material costs come back down, we will adjust the prices accordingly.
Shipping
We’ve had a number of requests for shipping quotes. We can get you a quote in a few different ways, freight, uShip, and independent carriers. We have solicited bids on Uship.com and were surprised at the bids I received for tubs on a pallet to destinations like Florida and the Rocky Mountain states of around $500-900 each. Uship is probably cheaper but your delivery is based on the truckers schedule not yours. If you want your tub shipped, we have to make a custom pallet and deliver it to a terminal that you designate for loading since we don’t have a truck height loading dock. Since our time is best spent making product not pallets, I have to charge an additional $300 for materials, making the pallet, and transporting it to the terminal. Shipping dimensions are: 72″ wide, 150″ long, 42″ high and less than 600 lbs. My suggestion is that if you’re anywhere east of the Mississippi, to rent a Uhaul car hauler for the local day rate if you don’t have access to a trailer, put your rolling chassis on it and we’ll mount the body to your frame when you get here for a safe ride back home. (You supply the body mount kit). Theres no reason you couldn’t do it in a long weekend.
Related
Body Tub
$500.00 – $9,645.00
Description
The cornerstone of our product line is of course the body tub. We didn’t want to do the typical fiberglass tub you’ve seen where it’s got a shiny gelcoat finish on one side and a rough resin/fiber surface on the opposite side. Bodies like this are typically, a single heavy layer of chopped glass with reinforcing plates and cross members bonded to the underside with more chop and resin. As long as the reinforcing materials are impervious to water and rot, that’s fine. If a body is cored with plywood, end grain balsa or other cellulose based materials, it (the core), will eventually rot and turn to mush. We’ve seen it more times than we can count.
We wanted ours to look like a factory tub as much as possible while remembering that we are working with fiberglass which has completely different characteristics than steel. All of our parts are made from two matched molds finishing the outside and inside surfaces. It requires a much higher degree of precision so that everything fits as it should and takes a lot longer to tool. You may be looking at the floor saying to yourself “Where’s the floor ribs like the factory body?” Our philosophy is that strength is more important than cosmetics. This is a big mistake that others make trying to make fiberglass do what metal does. What they may not understand is that they are creating points of failure in the composite matrix when they pre-bend the fibers. In composite boats and aircraft where strength is paramount, you never see crisp angles and ribs because as a force is transferred through the skin, the crease acts like an interruption or dam in the flow of pressure or tension. A smooth surface insures that the load moves smoothly through the skin rather than interrupting it creating a stress point. Remember the trick where you stand on a soda can and it will hold your weight UNTIL you tap the side causing a buckle which immediately collapses the can under you. Preformed ribs in fiberglass have the same potential especially in a rollover where pressure comes from the sides of the body inward. Our structure is designed around the material not the other way around. Another benefit of smooth surfaces are fewer flaws from entrapped air and voids typically found in the edges and corners of complex surfaces.
When you wet out the fiberglass, there is always air trapped between it and the backside of the gelcoat. You have two options; either manually roll the air out with a special ribbed roller some call a “bubble buster” or you can apply a bag over the cloth and remove the air with a vacuum pump. We do it the old fashioned way right now but we’re getting ready to go the vacuum bag route once we evaluate whether its cost effective or not. Bottom line, when someone tells you how they make a xerox copy of a metal part, its probably not as strong, subject to weakness, and may contain air voids because it couldn’t be easily rolled out. No structural engineer will debate this fact. Our tub is composed of six major pieces. There are molds for the inner body, outer body, underbody, inner and outer engine compartment, and inner radiator core support. Inside them is a full steel frame providing vertical mounting posts for the door hinges, door striker, tailgate pivots and latching pins. The posts also serve another purpose. Since they stop just beneath the outer skin of the quarters, access openings can be cut in to “plug in” upper hoops to complete a full cage system that uses zero floor space and carries the loads directly to the body mounts and frame. It also serves as the roof supports for the hard top and half cab so the sides can be removed to use them as hard safari tops.
The tub has uncut fenders for a number of reasons. There are people who want a retro original look which in not available in fiberglass. It’s relatively easy to cut the quarters and install flares if you want that look or need the clearance. Repairing or replacing a removable cracked flare is far simpler than repairing a quarter w/ a blended flare. Paint scheme options are limited if there’s no dividing line between the fender and the flare if you want contrasting colors. When assembling the body, it is actually fitted to a factory frame for final assembly to assure proper fit and save you time.
Ordering
Because we can’t predict when orders will come in, it is impossible to estimate delivery dates, please contact us for the current backlog status before ordering. We can give you an approximate delivery date at that time for you to determine if you want to place an order. We require a $500 deposit with the balance due at the start of production. If you are ready to order, choose the tub deposit option from the drop down menu and complete the checkout process. Someone will be in touch to confirm the tub style and the estimated production date. If for some reason you choose to cancel a tub order there is a $150 cancelation fee.
***The current price increases are due to raw material and steel price increases. Most of our materials have risen 75-100% or more. This is supposed to be getting better later this year. We have no control over the material costs and cannot absorb these drastic increases on our tubs. There simply isn’t the margin for us to. We apologize for these increases but they are out of our control. Once our material costs come back down, we will adjust the prices accordingly.
Shipping
We’ve had a number of requests for shipping quotes. We can get you a quote in a few different ways, freight, uShip, and independent carriers. We have solicited bids on Uship.com and were surprised at the bids I received for tubs on a pallet to destinations like Florida and the Rocky Mountain states of around $500-900 each. Uship is probably cheaper but your delivery is based on the truckers schedule not yours. If you want your tub shipped, we have to make a custom pallet and deliver it to a terminal that you designate for loading since we don’t have a truck height loading dock. Since our time is best spent making product not pallets, I have to charge an additional $300 for materials, making the pallet, and transporting it to the terminal. Shipping dimensions are: 72″ wide, 150″ long, 42″ high and less than 600 lbs. My suggestion is that if you’re anywhere east of the Mississippi, to rent a Uhaul car hauler for the local day rate if you don’t have access to a trailer, put your rolling chassis on it and we’ll mount the body to your frame when you get here for a safe ride back home. (You supply the body mount kit). Theres no reason you couldn’t do it in a long weekend.
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Additional information
1977 Tub, Flared Street, Street, stretch, Trail, Tub Deposit
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