Repli-tub deficiencies
- Thread starter walkerhoundvm
- Start date
Going to add a few last items for all to consider with the MD Juan tub for deficiencies. My jeep is complete and on the road and I am ultimately happy with it now, but here's a few more issues I had to contend with to get it done.
Tailgate hole not perfect. I'm using the original scrambler tailgate and it simply will not align perfectly in the window cut out of the tub. either the holes are wrong or the opening...it's close enough, works fine, and seals well, but you can see it's not in there right.
I went to install a full bestop softop and my original scrambler doors. What I expected to be an afternoon turned into 3 full 8-hour days. For the soft top, I had to make 3/4" extensions to the hardware prop that mounts just behind the doors. I had to drill out the rivets holding the front set of those arms and make 1" inward offsets to bring the whole thing in narrower. At the windshield, I had to instead of mounting that arm to the outside, I had to ad a 1/4" spacer and mount to the inside.
For the original doors and hinges, I did the best I could possibly do in aligning the windshield frame and doors. They open and close fine, but you can see the door is not perfectly aligned The door should move back more and clock more but it simply is out of adjustment. I even went so far as to loosen the upper and lower windshield hinges and lay the windshield down to get it. Simply put the door cutouts are not as good as the original. For the door strikers, I had to remove the rivets and make up my own 1/4" plates to move the striker out about 3/8" further than the originals would let me and stack 4 washers to deal with the door not coming back to fill that gap. I'm happy with the results as the door closes flush but wish the door fit in the pocket better.
I stand by my recommendation to NOT buy an MD Juan tub.
Tailgate hole not perfect. I'm using the original scrambler tailgate and it simply will not align perfectly in the window cut out of the tub. either the holes are wrong or the opening...it's close enough, works fine, and seals well, but you can see it's not in there right.
I went to install a full bestop softop and my original scrambler doors. What I expected to be an afternoon turned into 3 full 8-hour days. For the soft top, I had to make 3/4" extensions to the hardware prop that mounts just behind the doors. I had to drill out the rivets holding the front set of those arms and make 1" inward offsets to bring the whole thing in narrower. At the windshield, I had to instead of mounting that arm to the outside, I had to ad a 1/4" spacer and mount to the inside.
For the original doors and hinges, I did the best I could possibly do in aligning the windshield frame and doors. They open and close fine, but you can see the door is not perfectly aligned The door should move back more and clock more but it simply is out of adjustment. I even went so far as to loosen the upper and lower windshield hinges and lay the windshield down to get it. Simply put the door cutouts are not as good as the original. For the door strikers, I had to remove the rivets and make up my own 1/4" plates to move the striker out about 3/8" further than the originals would let me and stack 4 washers to deal with the door not coming back to fill that gap. I'm happy with the results as the door closes flush but wish the door fit in the pocket better.
I stand by my recommendation to NOT buy an MD Juan tub.
alittleoff
Basic User
- City
- camp hill
- State
- pa
I am in the middle of a non-fixed MD Juan tub replacement and have encountered most of the discussed issues. I tried to test fit the roll bar and half hard top today. The front roll bar mounting holes line up OK but the rear ones are waaaaay off. They aren't threaded, but their proximity to the under bed support is going to be problematic at best. Had to walk away and I'll sleep on it. Additionally, the roll bar sits too high. the shoulder belt mount is almost an inch too high relative to the hole in the half cab. Not sure how I'm going to fix that. Have to agree with jmarkel. I can't recommend this thing. I find myself continually looking at my old one and thinking about trying to fix it. I keep coming to the same conclusion, that it's too far gone. I looked for a couple of years for a decent stock one. No luck.
alittleoff
Basic User
- City
- camp hill
- State
- pa
After "sleeping on it" ,since January apparently, I'm back at it and tried again. With the bulkhead installed, the top sits a full 1/2 inch above the sides of the body. I made some comparison measurements to my old tub. The distance from the bed of the floor to the top of the sides of the body is 16 1/2 inches. On the new one, it's only 16 inches. It is the correct height relative to the floor of the cab however, so my entire floor is too high relative to the sides of the tub. Does anyone have any experience with this particular issue? How did you resolve it?
- City
- Molalla
- State
- Or
Sounds like you need to shorten the bulkhead by half an inch.
Hello All, I'm at the point where I need to get rust dealt with. I've been reading about the MD tubs and it doesn't seem like most have glowing reviews. I would imagine cutting proper holes can be done by any body shop but I'm most concerned about doors and hood ect not fitting. I would like to keep my original tub. There is a weld patch in the driver floor board, rust as eaten thru both sides under the Jeep side tags and I can see minor rust around the bed plus surface rust underneath. I'm going thru all the options: acid dip, blasting, and MD tub. One concern I have is the entire cab and bed is bed lined. Acid dip will remove it all, blasting might melt it and it might be hiding more rust if they work around it.
Any new experiences with MD Juan and WO? It's been 3 years since this post. Curious about your thoughts and advice, Thanks
84 CJ8
304 AMC
Any new experiences with MD Juan and WO? It's been 3 years since this post. Curious about your thoughts and advice, Thanks
84 CJ8
304 AMC
Attachments
- City
- East Norriton
- State
- PA
Not sure how blasting works on bedliner. Acid diping might take it off and reveal a swiss cheese tub. Most body shops near me only want to do insurance work. Might have to a find a custom or hotrod shop to do rust repair. Maybe contact Rudy's in Findlay for shop recommendations in the area if your are in Xenia. Post some picture here.
Chamba
Not obsessed: focused.
- City
- Vero Beach
- State
- FL
That's a great looking 8. What condition is your frame in? Ohio is pretty hard on frames. I would be more inclined to spend the money on a TDK frame and then patch what you've got. If you're tub is salvageable I think you're always better off with factory than with MD Jua
The Aqualu is another great option if you do need a tub. I've never dealt with their Jeep tubs but u helped a friend put one over his FJ40 and I was really impressed with it.
The Aqualu is another great option if you do need a tub. I've never dealt with their Jeep tubs but u helped a friend put one over his FJ40 and I was really impressed with it.
Good Morning,
I'm in the beginning stages of trying to figure out the best way to deal with rust and rot. I simply can't find anyone in my area willing to do this kind of bodywork. They appear to want the insurance check. I get it but it's frustrating. I keep coming back to the WO's CJ8 tub. If I could trouble you with a few questions:
WO guarantees the tub will fit on the frame in an hour. What did they say when you told them you had to cut the back mounts?
Did you buy the "fixed" tub? I can't seem to verify that in your posts. You mention needing to fix holes that were off a bit here and there. I'm curious if you are fixing their fixes. I understand some fixes will be needed but was it a lot of rework of the "fixes"?
Is $2400 a typo? It looks like it's $4695 for the tub only plus $250 for the Jeep stamp. How did you get everything for $2400?
I won't be doing the work myself. It will be hired out. My only other option is having the original tub dipped for $3600. Of course, plus the labor to have it removed, whatever they find and patch/repair then reinstalled and painted.
I really appreciate any response you can offer. Thanks, Lee
- City
- Bedford
- State
- NH
He wrote it in Mar 2020, so that was 3 year ago pricing, but I agree, that seems cheap.Good Morning,
I'm in the beginning stages of trying to figure out the best way to deal with rust and rot. I simply can't find anyone in my area willing to do this kind of bodywork. They appear to want the insurance check. I get it but it's frustrating. I keep coming back to the WO's CJ8 tub. If I could trouble you with a few questions:
WO guarantees the tub will fit on the frame in an hour. What did they say when you told them you had to cut the back mounts?
Did you buy the "fixed" tub? I can't seem to verify that in your posts. You mention needing to fix holes that were off a bit here and there. I'm curious if you are fixing their fixes. I understand some fixes will be needed but was it a lot of rework of the "fixes"?
Is $2400 a typo? It looks like it's $4695 for the tub only plus $250 for the Jeep stamp. How did you get everything for $2400?
I won't be doing the work myself. It will be hired out. My only other option is having the original tub dipped for $3600. Of course, plus the labor to have it removed, whatever they find and patch/repair then reinstalled and painted.
I really appreciate any response you can offer. Thanks, Lee
I see them all over eBay for $4K and up, unless "slightly damaged" and that is $3500 and then shipping.
The pricing these days to fix a donor tub I have written about in other threads.
If you ordered/shipped/labor all the parts from Classic/Keyparts that you would need, it is going to be a lot more than $2400.
The problem bascially is that you can't find good clean OEM tubs anymore... and if you somehow do, they are just as expensive as the new ones that need "fixes"
cb
To quote his post..."2. It was cheap. I got the whole thing shipped for $2400 new. That included tub, fenders, hood, grill, tailgate, and windshield along with a set of windshield hinges. And it arrived without any damage."
Hopefully JMarkel responds but I'm shocked he get all of that for $2400 3 years ago?
I want to keep my Jeep so it is what it is I guess. Won't say my hand is forced but don't want to spend the money I am in the wrong direction. I am not a purist just want to be smart.
I will look for the thread you mentioned. Thanks
laffman
CJ-8 Member
- City
- Imlay City
- State
- MI
I bought my WO tub in July '20. I paid $4745 and drove down to Toledo to pick it up. So I didn't have a shipping charge.
All of the WO tubs are "fixed". The body mounts did line up, kind of. I was able to get all the body mount bolts installed. But they are not centered with the frame holes. So the washers between the tub and bushing are off center from the bushing.
They do "fix" other holes. But we had to fix their fixes. One example, WO moved the holes for the heater core lines and blower through the firewall. But they did not line up with my heater box. We had to patch them and cut new ones. I don't know if the original holes would have lined up either. But we had to fix the WO fix.
They do not fix everything wrong with the tub. These are still MD Juan tubs. And are a basket case, which is well documented. Some issues we had:
No nut tabs anywhere on the tub. These are the tabs spot welded to the tub with a threaded hole. Some examples are the bolts for holding the dash panel to the tub, for the gas pedal.
Tubs are shipped from the factory on their side. And it screwed up the B pillars. We had to install the rollbar and use a hydraulic ram to push/pull the pillars back to 90° to the floor.
Quarter panels had more waves in them than the North Shore. We determined they welded the wheel wells to the floor first. Then clamped the quarter panels to the floor and wheel wells and welded them without checking the fit. We cut the wheel wells parallel to the quarter panels. The panels popped out 1/2" after we cut them. We welded a strip of metal to the fill the gap in the wheel well.
I could go on with all the issues. My friend and I estimated we put in 400+ hours fixing the tub, doors, hood, fenders and grill. And he was a body man for 20 years, so he knew what he was doing. But some of the work he was being a little bit a perfectionist, so that added hours. So you do the math on what a shop might charge you to fix the tub for you. I don't intend to discourage you. But you should be prepared for what you're getting into. I guess it all depends on how much work you want the shop to do and how nice you want the tub to be.
I will say, based on everything I read in my research, the WO tubs are an improvement over the "straight off the boat" MD tubs. But they're not perfect.
All of the WO tubs are "fixed". The body mounts did line up, kind of. I was able to get all the body mount bolts installed. But they are not centered with the frame holes. So the washers between the tub and bushing are off center from the bushing.
They do "fix" other holes. But we had to fix their fixes. One example, WO moved the holes for the heater core lines and blower through the firewall. But they did not line up with my heater box. We had to patch them and cut new ones. I don't know if the original holes would have lined up either. But we had to fix the WO fix.
They do not fix everything wrong with the tub. These are still MD Juan tubs. And are a basket case, which is well documented. Some issues we had:
No nut tabs anywhere on the tub. These are the tabs spot welded to the tub with a threaded hole. Some examples are the bolts for holding the dash panel to the tub, for the gas pedal.
Tubs are shipped from the factory on their side. And it screwed up the B pillars. We had to install the rollbar and use a hydraulic ram to push/pull the pillars back to 90° to the floor.
Quarter panels had more waves in them than the North Shore. We determined they welded the wheel wells to the floor first. Then clamped the quarter panels to the floor and wheel wells and welded them without checking the fit. We cut the wheel wells parallel to the quarter panels. The panels popped out 1/2" after we cut them. We welded a strip of metal to the fill the gap in the wheel well.
I could go on with all the issues. My friend and I estimated we put in 400+ hours fixing the tub, doors, hood, fenders and grill. And he was a body man for 20 years, so he knew what he was doing. But some of the work he was being a little bit a perfectionist, so that added hours. So you do the math on what a shop might charge you to fix the tub for you. I don't intend to discourage you. But you should be prepared for what you're getting into. I guess it all depends on how much work you want the shop to do and how nice you want the tub to be.
I will say, based on everything I read in my research, the WO tubs are an improvement over the "straight off the boat" MD tubs. But they're not perfect.
Thank you sir! This is exactly the kind of feedback I need. I don't mind buying the tub, it's just the body work that I'm concerned about. Knowing it can be 400 hours is very good information. Curious if it's worth having the WO fix or not? I assume this photo is "off the boat"? Is is unrealistic to swap out firewalls?
I appreciate your time, thanks again
- City
- Bedford
- State
- NH
I have swapped firewalls for a LHD to a RHD conversion... it can be done, but it is time consuming. If you are farming this out, I would see what the shop rate is and multiply that by 400... I think it becomes a question of "is it worth it"? even at $50 an hour, which is very cheap, that becomes a $20K tub and "non-original".
I know you said you weren't a purist, but I think for a fraction of that kind of money, you can find a good used one that someone is willing to part
with.
cb
laffman
CJ-8 Member
- City
- Imlay City
- State
- MI
I guess I should have stated my goal was a restoration and not a trail rig. If it was just a trail rig, we probably would not have put anywhere near that much time into fixing the tub. We probably would have only fixed what we needed to get it back together and slap some paint on it. It all depends on your goal. I think the WO tub is worth the money. Especially when we see the same tubs without any fix from Omix and other companies without any of the fixes that WO does and they want more money.
Last edited:
- City
- Molalla
- State
- Or
Depending on how bad the body is, it would seem that using Classic panels to fix the original tub would be better than trying to re-do the foreign one.
Hello, all. I took delivery of my MD tub 11 months ago and, initially, was impressed. However, I am in the final phases of my restoration and wish I had gone a different direction. The firewall was the only piece of the old tub worth keeping. I will, upon completion of my Scrambler, purchase all of the sheet metal necessary and build a new tub to install on a TDK frame with an LS motor. The quality control will then be in my hands and the completed tub will reflect that. Knowing that the Alumatub guys are liquidating their stock might have been a factor in my purchase, if I had only known a year ago. Good luck, guys.
To be clear...you are starting over with a new tub you are building and removing the MD tub?
Yes and no. When I bought my current Scrambler, it was a rust bucket. Most of the rust was hidden by disgusting amounts of bed liner. That being said, the cowl/firewall/A pillar area is in great condition. So, my long-term plan is to completely rebuild the old tub while driving the MD tub. Once the rebuild is finished, I will find the TDK chassis and LS setup and start another build. One of my boys will probably inherit the MD tubbed Scrambler. Ironically, my initials are MD as are both of my sons. Kinda cool.