Old Fiberglass Tub?

[wsager]

Well, unfortunately my dad passed away. I have now officially inherited his 73 u15. It has a very old fiberglass body (I can remember it since I was a kid); it has to be from the late 70's or very early 80's. Dad bought it because apparently the rust was getting bad and he thought he could Michigan proof it. Well, with all the other things that come up in life, he never had the time to put it back together until he was too ill to be able to do it. Now I'm wondering what to do.

Looking for opinions and advice. I've heard the old fiberglass bodies used wood based materials inside them and can be subject to warping and rot. It also has the tailgate molded in, which I'm not a fan of (I would like to be able to use the tailgate). It will live in Florida and mainly be street/beach driven.

What are your guys thoughts on:
build the existing fiberglass body?
buy a new fiberglass body?
buy a used steel tub from somewhere?
buy all the steel pieces new and try to assemble it?

The hood, tailgate, fenders, and doors are steel and are in great shape. The top appears to be in good shape. The front clip/core support is rough from sitting outside all this time. Frame looks good.

 

[bronconut73]

Start on the frame.
Pull it out and start to restore it first.
The FG body is prolly fine or fixable.

Its a long row to hoe


Sorry about your Dad Bud.

 

[Glass Pony]

I'm sorry about your Dad passing.
I hear you on the tailgate thing. I guess it depends on your budget which direction to go. Take a look at the Bronco Design bodies, they are sweet.
http://www.broncodesign.com/

 

[jmangi62]

Start on the frame.
Pull it out and start to restore it first.
The FG body is prolly fine or fixable.

Its a long row to hoe


Sorry about your Dad Bud.

Same, very sorry about your Dad, if it were me I would fix up what you got, it all looks to be in decent shape, hell mine was way worse than that, looks to be a nice project, I like the molded flares on the tub.

 

[grant_71]

Sorry to hear of your father's passing.

I built mine from similar parts, I have an old Kentrol tub on mine, although mine has a real tailgate and the inner fenders and core support are all part of the tub.

Mine had steel supports glassed in around the tailgate, cowl/ dash, and core support that all needed to be replaced. I cut the glass back with a cutoff wheel, fabricated new supports from the proper size tubing, primed it, and glassed it back in. Definitely fixable. If it lasts another 30-40 years I call it a win, but since mine never sees winter, it will probably last much longer.

Unless you have tons of cash to burn on new parts, I think what you have will be easily fixable.

 

[broncokak]

Sorry to hear about your Dad. It would be a nice tribute to him to finish it for him.

 

[chuckyb]

Sorry for your loss. Would be great to see you fix it up in his memory. I am also working on a family truck in similar condition -shot tub but good doors, hood, roof, fenders, quarters. I am opting for the build a new tub approach, with professional help. Take a look at the one piece replacement metal floor pans some of the vendors offer. Being in FL, you may be able to pick one up from NPD and avoid shipping. Good luck!

 

[wsager]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I have seen a build thread on here where someone cut the rear section off and added steel sheet metal with steel supports and a tailgate. It was a lot of fab work, but did look great in the end. Anyone have any ideas on incorporating a tailgate into the current tub? I guess it's always time or money, well I guess that should be more money. I've definitely considered the broncodesign tub option.

 

[BroncoDesignTN]

Sorry to hear about your dad! If you can get some better pics of the tailgate area and the area behind the taillights, I would be glad to take a look and see if I have any ideas for you on making a tailgate work. Has the tub been stored inside or out?

 

[wsager]

Sorry to hear about your dad! If you can get some better pics of the tailgate area and the area behind the taillights, I would be glad to take a look and see if I have any ideas for you on making a tailgate work. Has the tub been stored inside or out?

Thanks Corey. Unfortunately, I'm in Florida and the tub is in Michigan right now. I will attach the best pics I have of that area. You can't really see the part of the "tailgate" closest to the floor as their is some junk in the way. It also appears that their is an inner panel that is affixed. Good news is that it has been stored inside all of these years!

 

[Rustytruck]

Im sure your dad will be with you as you bring the truck back to life. He will be there in spirit and in your heart. Nothing better than working on his truck and using his old tools and hopefully sharing his passios with your family.

 

[grant_71]

Thanks Corey. Unfortunately, I'm in Florida and the tub is in Michigan right now. I will attach the best pics I have of that area. You can't really see the part of the "tailgate" closest to the floor as their is some junk in the way. It also appears that their is an inner panel that is affixed. Good news is that it has been stored inside all of these years!

Where about's in the mitten are you from?

 

[Glass Pony]

Thanks Corey. Unfortunately, I'm in Florida and the tub is in Michigan right now. I will attach the best pics I have of that area. You can't really see the part of the "tailgate" closest to the floor as their is some junk in the way. It also appears that their is an inner panel that is affixed. Good news is that it has been stored inside all of these years!

It appears to be an older Malotte tub like the one I am running.

 

[Eoth]

If the tailgate is a "must have" then you probably need a different body. The amount of fabrication to add the necessary structure is pretty significant. Although the modern fiberglass bodies are superior, there are plenty of people who would take that body off your hands at the right price.
If it were me, I would part-out the tub and steel and go with a complete Bronco Designs body.
**Warning** Keep in mind that projects rarely stall when things are going smoothly.

 

[Crush]

Be sure to listen to Corey (bronco design). He has made many improvements to his tubs over the years. Mostly from customer feedback. But he will definately steer you in the right direction. Also, There is a thread on here somewhere where someone out west was doing this exact mod. His shop has outside lifts. I cant remeber the user name but he has shown a step by step process for doing it

 

[wsager]

Where about's in the mitten are you from?

The Lansing area, you know, right in the middle of the palm.

 

[wsager]

It appears to be an older Malotte tub like the one I am running.

Thanks for the pics and info. Nice to see what it could look like. Have to decide how much I want that tailgate.

 

[TAC71]

That is an old Malotte tub. I bought my Malotte tub new in 1990 and still have it, although its quite modified now. What you want to do to the old body really comes down to your fabrication skills. Fiberglass is very easy to work with once you get used to it and changing the body to add a tailgate can be done. You will have to add some structural reinforcement to the rear to keep the body together.
My truck is a daily driver and I live on the "wet" coast. The plywood that was in the floor of my body rotted out a few years ago. So during the last rebuild I replaced the plywood with aluminum framework and glassed it in. Besides the "No Rust" feature , it is also very trail durable.
Heres a pic of mine, as it looks now.

 

[BroncoDesignTN]

Thanks Corey. Unfortunately, I'm in Florida and the tub is in Michigan right now. I will attach the best pics I have of that area. You can't really see the part of the "tailgate" closest to the floor as their is some junk in the way. It also appears that their is an inner panel that is affixed. Good news is that it has been stored inside all of these years!

As everyone else has mentioned, it boils down to how bad you want the tailgate to function, on that tub. I'd bet since your dad has stored it inside all these years the tub itself is in pretty good shape. You shouldn't have to worry about the wood being ok!

Let us all know when you start the build!

 

[RPM289]

That is an old Malotte tub. I bought my Malotte tub new in 1990 and still have it, although its quite modified now. What you want to do to the old body really comes down to your fabrication skills. Fiberglass is very easy to work with once you get used to it and changing the body to add a tailgate can be done. You will have to add some structural reinforcement to the rear to keep the body together.
My truck is a daily driver and I live on the "wet" coast. The plywood that was in the floor of my body rotted out a few years ago. So during the last rebuild I replaced the plywood with aluminum framework and glassed it in. Besides the "No Rust" feature , it is also very trail durable.
Heres a pic of mine, as it looks now.

Great looking bronco!!! Can I get some more pics of your nose hood set up? I have a old Malone tub and 1 pc glass nose and want to modify it so I can open the hood looks like you did it from pic!