JBG's #14180 Steel Body Tub Kit?

[jn2630]

I kinda want to build one of these like you have now, looks fun!

 

[midlifeclassics]

We've done it! The body tub assembly has been completed! Pretty much everything went together better than we expected. Sure, there was a lot of trimming and some cutting, but the only parts that were just completely unacceptable were the cheap import rocker panels that came with the kit from JBG. After battling with the ones in the kit for a while, we ordered a pair of domestic rockers made from Ford OEM tooling.

With the purchase of new reproduction front fenders and doors, the only original body parts left on this Bronco are the grill, hood, taigate and hardtop.

Overall the quality of the build is on-par with just about any Bronco you'll see out there. The door gaps are all about 3/16" or less. The tailgate gaps are just a bit bigger. Considering that this "new" Bronco tub has been built using all reproduction parts (aside from the rockers) from various manufacturers, it's quite amazing that it came together as easily as it did. Sure, some of the body lines aren't perfect - like the how the rear corner style lines don't exactly match the quarter panels, but those pieces are about as good as you're going to find anywhere.

We're just waiting for the client to come by to inspect and approve our work before moving on to the next steps - seam sealing, primer, body prep and paint.

Would we do this again? Sure! And next time we'll be more efficient because we now know what to expect and how to get everything just right.

The entire story - along with more photos and an animated slideshow of each body piece being added to the frame - can be found at: http://www.midlifeclassics.com/swampthing.html

 

[midlifeclassics]

More photos of the completed body:

 

[asinor]

That looks great!

And thats one hell of a job for an 11k price tag!

 

[Heus33]

Hell yeah! Great photos - thanks for taking the time to put that together.

 

[lowbush]

That looks great!

And thats one hell of a job for an 11k price tag!

I think if someone took the time to assemble some patterns and jigs and put these things together as a body replacement they could make some good coin. It would not convert me off of my carbon fiber / composite body plans, but I know there are a lot of guys on here that are metal fans and would probably spend the coin for one that has had all of the headaches taken care of. I am sure someone could get it down to a science after 3-4 of them.

 

[77bronco_ed]

Looks great! Get that down to a science and I am sure that there is work to be had...

 

[beaux312]

That brings back memories. What ya got about 1000 spot welds;D It looks good great job.

 

[broncosbybart]

Thank you for sharing the info and pictures with us all. Great work guys!

I'm curious- what are your plans for sealing/painting the metal to prevent future rust issues? I'm mainly thinking of the channels and areas that you can't just shoot.

 

[ky-resto]

This is an inspiration to all of us living the American dream in the rust belt;D;D. Please continue to document the build in detail. Many thanks for posting.

 

[midlifeclassics]

Thanks everyone for the compliments. We're really proud of our work on this. While we didn't stay within our projected costs, we could probably turn out the next one for $12-13K.

As for the number of welds, who knows? Waaay more than anyone really wants to have to do, but it certainly will never fall apart. The spot welder got REAL heavy!

For corrosion prevention, we shot all hidden metal that wasn't e-coated with weld-through primer prior to assembly. After seam sealing, we'll likely use POR-15 on the underbody, wheel wells and floorboard. The remaining exposed steel will be shot with PPG DPX171 corrosion-inhibitiing self-etching primer prior to applying build primer.

I'll be updating the project's webpage (http://www.midlifeclassics.com/swampthing.html) in the next day or two, but here are some profile shots that give a good look at the door gaps and overall fit.

 

[midlifeclassics]

Apparently the moderators/administrators have pulled the images I posted of the completed body kit build. I've just updated the project's webpage with slideshows of all the work.

http://www.midlifeclassics.com/swampthing.html

-Bob