Jeep CJ bodies

[js5020 111]

Shot in the dark here on a tractor forum but.  Anyone put a fiberglass body on their CJ?  How did you like it?  How has it held up?  Seems the only suppliers around are Shell Valley, Us body source, and the JC Whitney types, or at least that's all I can find anyone have another source?  I'm aware there are replacement steel and aluminum but I'm not real interested in either, steel will just rust away again and the aluminum is to spendy. 

[Achto 29,391]

I installed a couple fiberglass CJ bodies when I worked as a body man years ago. I do not remember the manufacture of the ones that I installed. I do remember the installation to be fairly easy. Most difficult item was making sure that every thing had a ground wire running to it, (most electrical items on the truck are normally just grounded to the body).

I have no idea what ever happened to the trucks that I did so I can not tell you how well the bodies held up over time.

 

A close friend of mine did have a CJ7 with a glass body that had been on the truck long enough for the paint to be all faded out. The body had a few minor stress cracks in the gel coat, that you really had to look to find but the structure was in great shape. His had a glass top on it when he purchased it, We replaced it with a Best Top, Soft Top without fitment issues.

 

Have you checked this site out? https://www.4wd.com  

I know that my friend got a lot of his CJ parts from this site.

 

[js5020 111]

Thanks for sharing your experiences.  I've gotten more insight on this topic on tractor forums than on jeep forums.  I don't wheel with vehicles anymore, I have quads to fulfill that desire, they are much less stress when one breaks as you don't need it for everyday transportation.

 

Currently I see glass as the most economical solution as a steel replacement is 2x the money and would start the rust process all over as soon as it hit the road.  If I would damage a replacement steel one the repairs at a shop would likely approach the cost of a new glass one anyways as it doesn't take long to run up a bill.  I'm really thinking glass is the best approach.