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If your frame is attached to the rotisserie and you build your body off of that I imagine you need to verify your frame is straight before you start otherwise you may be building a body that will only fit one frame.

I know mine was tweaked pretty bad. Had it straightened for 200 bucks but it was worth it. I then used my frame to mark the holes I drilled in the new hat channels.

Yes, that is true.

Before I mount the frame to the rotisserie I measure everything against a a flat concrete floor to make sure there is no twisting in the frame. It is not the most accurate method by todays standards but works OK if I take my time and am careful. Fortunately, I have never encountered a twisted frame... yet.

If I do, we have a frame repair shop for trucks in my area that wiil put the vehicle on a computerized truck size table/jig that will allow the twists to be worked out, back to the original specs.

They are not very expensive either, fortunately.

Beyond all the technical stuff a rotisserie will reduce the likelyhood of a back injury which is the most important thing as you don't have to manhandle the tub by yourself as the rotisserie does all the work for you.

Hey everyone,

This has been a great discussion, and I appreciate all the good info. I count myself very fortunate that my frame is in very good condition. I had to straighten the v shaped piece at the rear cross member, and now I've blasted and painted it so it is in really good shape. You can see in the pics my excuse for a rotisserie which worked for the frame but obviously would not work for the body.

I have another process question. What would you consider the best way to get the old hat channels off? Parts of my front floors need replacing, but not necessarily the entire floor panel. In fact on the drivers side the only bad area is about where your heels rest. Most of the passenger side from the toe board to the front of the tool box needs replacing. All of the hat channels need replacing. If I'm going to replace only the parts that are bad, then I need to get the old hat channels free from the parts of the floor that are still good.

Best thing to do it cut out the spot welds with a spot weld cutter. It would be best to cut loose the tool box also. Rust and thin spots can hide very well. If you hat channels are bad, the economy way is to have a local shop bend some lengths for you and you cut to size. Just the thing I'm doing tomorrow actually. Fortunately my middle channel and tub in the area are solid due to grease underneath so I only have to redo the outer lengths and the foot flats. Body work on these Jeeps is a good place to learn if you've never done bw before as most everything is flat.

Here are some pics from when I did mine.

http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... c&start=60

You can see the condition of the metal under the channels in my pictures. You may want to at least replace it in the sections that MWM sells because rust has probably run all the way up the channel. I only had to do part of the floor that covers the channels so I just welded in some patches.

Mine didn't turn out show quality and you can see weld marks but I'm pleased I did it myself and it's solid.

I didn't use a rotisserie but it would have helped. I did all the body work on top of the tub while it was on the frame then pulled it off, flipped it over and did the bottom. If I had to flip it I just rolled it up on the side and back over. My tub wasn't that bad so I could get away with that.

X2 on the spot weld cutter.

I just noticed you removed your rear cross member. They are a pain to replace and you can read about my solution in the link I provided. May not be for everyone but it worked for me.

One note is you need to do some welding after you install it so plan on a little touch up painting where the pintle hook attaches.

Yes, I did have to pull that cross member off. The old one was bent up and that bent the v shaped piece.

I have already bought one of MWM's new replacement crossmember kits to replace it. Fortunately the rest of the frame was not damaged in any way by what ever bent the rear piece. I tend to forget that it really is a piece of the frame and not just a bumper.

The front bumper is also bent on one wing, but I am pretty sure I can straighten that out with no problems.

To clarify my earlier comments... in replacing floor pans. Lets assume both front pans and rear floor need replaced and the front floor hump is OK. This is the usual rust on a jeep.

My rotisserie attaches to the front bumper and rear cross member. The chassis acts as the frame for the tub and fenders etc. If your body bolts are missing or damaged now is the time to replace them before you can spin the body onto it's side. I use Grade 8 for these.

I repair one section at a time so the overall structure of the tub does not twist or sag. I remove the bolts that will get in the way as I repair each section. Next I trim out the rusted metal back to good. Then I cut the floor pan to fit this shape allowing room to do a Butt Weld on the seam with short alternating tack welds on the "inside" to prevent heat build up and distortion. The hat channels can be fitted underneith with the body turned on it's side and aligned to the bolt holes. Reinsert the body bolts through the drilled out floor pan and hat channels and get everything lined up.

Next use sheet metal screws or CLECO PINS in predrilled holes (about 2" spacing between plug welds) to hold the hat channel to the floor pan from what is the underneith side and plug weld the hat channel to the floor pan. Grind everything so it looks correct. If done properly you will not be able to tell it was repaired.

The metal surfaces can be pretreated with rust proofer and weld- through primer too.

This is simplified but can be used in the other areas too with variations of technique. A good welding book will explain the same technique in greater detail if more information is desired.

I hope that explains things a little more clearly.

The best advice I ever got on repair work was from a body shop guy who said " I have been doing this work for over 20 years and have learned that there is no perfect method to body repair. Whatever works is what works"