new bronco body tub/welding help.

[nate213]

i just ordered a new steel body tub from bronco graveyard. I'm wondering how much welding is involved in putting it together?

 

[bknbronco]

HOLY MOLY BAT MAN!!! TONS!!! probably a few thousand spot welds.

If you got a huge spotwelder then your in luck, if not then its gona take alot of work. I got a new steel front clip from jeffs and it took a few weeks just to get that assembled. I think jeffs body parts are coated with weld through primer, but if not thats another thing to consider to protect your investment, as well as seam sealer. Also i added welds to the parts that were already welded because they didnt have enough spot welds for my liking.

I considered that route until i talked to a few body shops and they said its a few hundred hours of labor (and they said thed never touch such a project with a ten foot pole), so i chose a glass tub. Id hate to spend all that time just to see rust in 10 years.

Good luck and please start a build thread for us when the boxes arive

 

[nate213]

i have a friend who welds for a living. im just wondering which parts need to be welded together. at first, i thought it would be a few parts welded together with the outside parts bolted on. now it seems like its going to be a big undertaking.

 

[bknbronco]

Just because your friend is a welder dont mean he can assemble a sheet metal bronco! My buddy did contract work for the navy doing underwater welding and now welds huge pipes at a local oil refinery. Sure hes the best of the best at that type of welding, but hed never consider assembling a sheetmetal tub.

And big undertaking is a understatement. Id start by first assembling with sheet metal screws, then adjust, adjust, adjust until its together. Then tear down and start welding. I hope your jobless because its gona take alot of hours. Dont weld anything until the entire bronco is assembled with screws and mounted on a frame.

A few parts need welding??? YA just my inner front clip was around 15 pieces that all needed weld through primer, welding, sealer, and seam sealor.

Im not trying to be mean, i actually admire the hard work its gona take you and cant wait to watch it develop. If you was closer id be over helping you during your 60 hour work weeks on this thing!

Here is how i started my inner front clip! cheep $1.99 walmart vise grips and sheet metal screws are your friend! The rest of the pics are for insperation!

 

[bknbronco]

It looks like alot of jeffs stuff is pre assembled and primed now adays. 5 years ago when i looked into it there were no sub assemblies like it looks like jeff has available to you. But even Jesse James would have fun assembling that mess. If you can pull this off then your a better fabricator than half the bronco brothers on this forum.

Fly me out to beautiful Utah and lets get goen on this thing!

 

[nate213]

so the tub that you put together wasnt assembled like this one?

 

[bknbronco]

i opted for a kentrol fiberglass tub. But years ago jeffs pic didnt look like that. It was at least 3 times as many pieces. The new pic i just looked at show a few subasemblies (such as the front cowl area) that back when were another pile of loose parts.

The only thing i assembled was a steel inner front clip to mate to the glass tub. It was alot of work but turned out freeking ausome!

None of them parts in the pic get bolted on, all that needs welding.

Thats why i opted for a kentrol glass tub. Same price and already assembled, and pretty much rust proof.

 

[nate213]

i was going to order the fiberglass tub, but the same welder friend suggested against it. now im kind of wishing i did get the fiberglass one.

 

[bknbronco]

FYI: the glass tub isnt a turn key operation either. I got probably 3 weeks of 80 hours a week into mine, to get it assembled. Glass is easyer to work with than steel i think, but still alot of work!

I hope your welding buddy plans on renting a room from you and quiting his job for a month of two?

What kind of welding does he do? When did you place the order to jeffs? How talanted are you when it comes to fabrication work? Are you a good welder? Are you a good painter? Do you have another body on hand to use as a pattern?

I think i paid $4500 for a kentrol tub and front fenders, and i drove to ohio to pick it up which saved me probably a grand in shipping and crating fees. Of course i had a few tanks of gas, a hotel room for a nite, and about $120 in tole fees to get through chicago. Nice thing is the glass tubs and fenders already have larger wheel wells and molded in flares. I used stock hood, doors, tailgate, grill, and as stated above a new steel inner front clip.

I wish you luck and would love to see the process in action! In the end youll have a ausome steel rust free tub. GOOD LUCK and have fun with the build.

 

[allenfahey]

Even getting it in sub assemblies is going to be a nightmare to put together. There will be alot of work ahead even for a seasoned bodyman. You have to keep in mind you are working with aftermarket parts which never fit like OEM. It's good to see some of those parts are in e-coat (black parts) but would be nice if they were all in e-coat. Take plenty of pictures as you go!

 

[nate213]

my buddy does fabrication for commercial properties and high end housing. railing,spiral staircases, artistic metal design stuff. i have plenty of time to work on the bronco too. im a single dude with no kids.

 

[nate213]

ill put pics up as soon as i get started.

 

[sp71eb]

Hopefully (Lots of snow in Iowa right now, back logged 3 weeks at work) later this month I'm gonna start welding up my lower qts, tail light pockets, floor boards, rockers and front clip with a Prospot I4 resistance spot welder. I'll try to take a lot of pictures and hopefully give you some good advise along the way. Its not easy, you have to realize that every panel affects the fit of the others. Anyone can weld a tub together but to make it fit and to have your doors, tailgate, and hood open and close with straight gaps takes time and patience. Your going to need lots of visegrips. Also I'm gonna skin my drivers door this weekend and am going to try to get a picture by picture write up on it.

 

[wantone]

I'm welding my tub back together, and I think there are a lot of good welders, but the hard part is getting everything lined up. If you don't get it right, you're screwed. I would recommend starting with plenty of clamps and sheet metal screws until you're sure it's ready to weld.

 

[broncohalfcab66]

Then you have to get your quarter panels.You need the measurements.You just can't slap it together.You need a bronco to get measurements.

 

[allenfahey]

Hopefully (Lots of snow in Iowa right now, back logged 3 weeks at work) later this month I'm gonna start welding up my lower qts, tail light pockets, floor boards, rockers and front clip with a Prospot I4 resistance spot welder. I'll try to take a lot of pictures and hopefully give you some good advise along the way. Its not easy, you have to realize that every panel affects the fit of the others. Anyone can weld a tub together but to make it fit and to have your doors, tailgate, and hood open and close with straight gaps takes time and patience. Your going to need lots of visegrips. Also I'm gonna skin my drivers door this weekend and am going to try to get a picture by picture write up on it.

We have a Prospot I4 at work. That is one nice welder but at around 20K+ for one, not too many get to use them.

 

[sp71eb]

We have a Prospot I4 at work. That is one nice welder but at around 20K+ for one, not too many get to use them.

Took about 3 years of bodymen bitching to get it. Its a pretty amazing machine. I would say it cuts a qt replacement time down about 3 hours. I'm sure there aren't alot of broncos out there that have used a strsw to replace body panels.

 

[nate213]

updated pics on the build.

 

[BRONCOBERT]

I previously read in another thread that no one has done this yet Haha! are you the first?

 

[nate213]

I previously read in another thread that no one has done this yet Haha! are you the first?

i might be. im slowly learning as i go.