Under-seat tool box

[idiocrates]

Does anyone have a source for a good under-seat tool box for the M38A-1? I've e-mailed several vendors and they all report that the quality on the imported tool box is quite low and that in order to fix the box to an A-1 it has to be modified. Does anyone have any experience with this modification and would you care to describe what was necessary? Just fyi where I'm coming from.......I've already replaced the entire front and rear floor pans.....the mid-riser and wheelhouses and rocker panels.....so a little modification to make the tool box fit won't shock me into a coronary....just as long as no breaking or shaping of metal is required (beyond a simple ninety degree lip). Thanks in advance any and all replies.
_________________
Jim

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'?? - M38A-1

[wesk]

Check with Classic Enterprises and see if they have a pattern available to build you one.

http://www.classicent.com/jeep.php#car5175
715-537-5422
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Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100

Mjeeps photo album: http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules.php?set_albumName=Wes-Knettle&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

[idiocrates]

Looks like a strike out all the way around......even Lamont at Classic Enterprises couldn't help with a box or a set of construction drawings. It was bad enough having to reuse my badly rusted and cracked transmission console/hump floor pan....but at least it was repairable. Now to find out there is no tool box available....and apparently no plans exist from which to build one....well...it just sucks. Wonder why these two parts are not manufactured......I'd have bought both. Which brings me to my next request.......anybody out there have an other wise rotted tub I could cut the tool box out of to retrofit to my tub....or at least use as a pattern to fabricate me a new one?
_________________
Jim

***********************
'?? - M38A-1

[acengraver]

What part of your toolbox is rusted out? I tried unsuccessfully to find a replacement for my toolbox. I even bought two different ones and when I started trying to fit one of the replacements I realized it was not going to adapt. I made a new front for my toolbox and also I replaced the part of the toolbox that attaches to the riser, including the center section of the "gutter" where the lid seals. When It was finished it was virtually unnoticeable. I am much happier now than I would have been with a poor fitting replacement.
If you are interested I'll try to find my pictures of the repairs.

[idiocrates]

Any visual aids would be greatly appreciated. When I got this jeep the previous owner had welded the door on the tool box to the lid...or somebody did.....and then, I guess realizing one of the tub hold-down bolts was in the floor of the tool box.....cut a gaping hole in the front edge of the tool box about the size of a standard business envelope. I guess this so weakened the tool box that he had to abandone the normal passenger seat and decked the toolbox with a sheet of 1/4" metal....supported it from the floor on its own legs and mounted a bucket seat to the plate. The top of the tool box was pretty well rotted from being under the deck steel....but had I known no replacement was available I'd have made a whole lot better effort at saving the tool box then I did.

I've been trying to convince myself that I needed a box break and a shrinker/stretcher for a while......maybe this just made up my mind.
_________________
Jim

***********************
'?? - M38A-1

[acengraver]

I'll dig up my photos but it probably won't be til Saturday AM.

[wesk]

Jim,

Have you browsed all the M38A1 photo albums on our album page?
_________________
Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100

Mjeeps photo album: http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules.php?set_albumName=Wes-Knettle&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

[idiocrates]

I've looked through a pretty good bunch of them...and I have some pictures of mine before I cut it out. The biggest problem I'm going to have are the stiffeners pressed into the top so what I may do is build a frame out of light angle iron and just weld flat plates of sheet metal to it. I'm guessing that the box is the same height at the front edge as it is where it overlaps the mid-floor riser? And I have the remains of the spot welds I ground off on the transmission hump to gauge how wide it should be and how far to come forward.......it may not look original but I bet I can get close enough for a standard seat frame and parking brake lever to mount.
_________________
Jim

***********************
'?? - M38A-1

[DaveM38A1]

I took out mine to replace the floorboards. Got a replacement a long time ago from Kaiser Willys. It will need some fabricating to make it fit. Not as good as the original. I will probably use the old lid. Looking at getting a Woodward Fab bead roller. Got a sheet metal brake. Not sure how to go about it, but I never threw anything away from the rusted parts for patterns.

For the center hump, a lot of big Vise Grip pliers, boards, and tack welds made it look right. It took a while. Still got more to do.

Good luck, I'll see what pics I have as well.

Thanks,

Dave

[BullRun]

The A1 has a 6 rib top while all the repro's have seven. Also the brake handle area is reinforced underneigth with 1/4" plate and the lid has the recessed gasket lip for the lid. A really technical part to make even for Willys.

I have never found any suitable replacements. But a CJ 5 friend swears some of the CJ 5's came with the A1 tool box. I have a tool box cut out from him that he says came from his collection of junk CJ 5's. So maybe that is a clue to finding one. He has continuously owned and driven CJ 5's since about 1962 so I don't doubt him.

As far as fabricating one I am sure it can be done but if you don't have the specialized equipment it is going to be really difficult to do at home. I would draw it out instead and shop it out to a prototyping shop or a sheetmetal fabrication shop with some big presses for the ribbing.

I feel your pain