willysmjeeps.com

Subject: M Series Body Panels
Status: reproduction : made by Jeep Panels Plus, Midwest Military, MD Juan, Classic Enterprises, others
Sold By: everyone

Review:

Shape/ Appearance:
I don't know much about MD Juan panels or other manufacturers. MWM makes good individual front floor panel sections from what I have been told. I have heard mixed results from Jeep Panels Plus and Classic Enterprises.
I helped install a rear floor pan from Classic Enterprises a few years ago. Fit was OK, small details like the holes for the mount to frame under the rear seat were round instead of square and a few other small things were different.

Fit/Function:
Panels take some work and it depends on if you are using a patch panel or a complete skin. I am not aware of any complete subassmeblies (rear quarters, floor, etc.) that are currently being produced to factory specifications.

Summary:
Anyone with experience on these let us know and post it here. I think it is still worth the effort to repair an original tub rather than buy an MD Juan replacement. With that said, experience level in working with sheet metal panels will affect your preference.

Rating:

HAS ANYONE HAD EXPERIENCE WITH THE M-38 HOOD MFG BY MD JUAN??
MY ORIG HOOD IS BEYOND REPAIR..THX, RICK

I can tell you all now that the M-38 hood mfg by MD-JUAN
does not have the "dimple" provision to allow the B/O light
harness to fit between the fender and hood without pinching
it.

Another MD Juan original.....

THe MD Juan hood is ok. Dimple missing and the seam is a little higher in the middle. No holes for hood blocks or hold downs either....
Rick

The M-38 hood (MD JUAN) has no dimple for the B/O lite
harness but we were able to make one-looks pretty good.
I purchased it from Walck's, it was damaged in shipping
due to poor packaging, but to Carl's credit he made it
right with me. Walck's stood behind the sale.

Well, my replacement body panels arrived last weekend (of the finest MD Juan quality ). So here's my review. If you really want to, you can view photos of the items on pages 2 & 3 of my photo album here:

http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... php&page=2

Cowl battery box
OK, it's hardly MWM quality, but it was cheap. Correct guage. The fixings used leave a bit to be desired, and the circuit breaker bracket is missing. There are also extra holes drilled into the battery tray. It fits like a glove though, and the only one who'll see the battery tray is me. On the whole, not bad. 7/10.

Rear wheelhouses (driver & passenger side)
Nice heavy guage, and the brackets that should be rivetted on are there. No footman loops (or holes), but I can live with that. The rear panels (where the tail lights go) were welded on too, which was nice. The supports for the front seats are much thicker than original (look about 2-3mm plate!), but that's no bad thing. 8/10.

Side panels (driver & passenger side)
Again, good heavy guage, and the dimensions seem to be correct (I'll know more when it comes to installing them!). My jeep's side panels were home-made from the rear axle backover, so I compared the curvature on the back quarters to a GPW tub (should be similar) and they match perfectly. The folds along the top are not as sharp as the original panels, but some gentle persuasion should sort that. No holes drilled for brackets, footmans etc. Also no holes or weld nuts for the fuel cap guard. . Judging by the weld nuts used on the cowl box, this might not be a bad thing after all. 7/10.

Rear floor (complete)
Good heavy guage, and all the stampings look pretty good (much better than the flat sheet that's in my jeep at the moment). However, when I order a complete floor, I'd expect a bit more than just the pan. Hat channels? Nope. Riser panels? Nope. Not a lot to show for £295 (about $465). Suffice to say, I was less than pleased. Need to check with the dealer tomorrow, so this review might change. Currently 3/10 (7 points for the quality of the pan, -4 points for the missing bits). (EDIT 0/10)

Feel free to agree/disagree/ridicule the above review. The rear floor aside, I'm very pleased with the quality of the panels. Would I use MD Juan again? Yep. (EDIT: you must be joking!) Nowhere near as bad as I was expecting. (EDIT: no, it was worse!)

Wbr,
Owen.

Edit on 18/11/2011

Ok, after much arguing with MD Juan, their official line is "the rear floor is what it is. Tough."

So, $465 for a flat plate with a few ribs stamped in it. Not quite the outcome I'd hoped for. However, I've learnt my lesson; MD Juan won't be getting any more of my cash.

I've ordered the missing parts (plus a few others) from Classic Enterprises. The stuff on their website looks pretty good, and LaMonte is a great guy to deal with. I'll post a review when his parts arrive.

A word of caution: if you buy from MD Juan, be sure you get in writing exactly what you've ordered. This is from a guy that learned the hard way.

Wbr,
Owen.

Ok, all the M38 bits that were missing from the MD Juan order arrived from Classic Enterprises today. Well pleased with the items.

Rear floor top hat stiffeners



Lower tailgate surround




Rear valance panel





Side reinforcings (front of wheelhouse to side panels)



Top hat for inner wheelhouse baffle (the brace where the side-mount spare wheel carrier fits).



Some of the items are non-standard on his website (example: the wheelhouse baffle is shown as both the baffle and top hat, but I only needed the top hat). LaMonte was very helpful, and provided just the parts I needed instead of trying to make more money by selling me the complete items. Excellent service and very good quality; so much better than MD Juan. Why did I not use Classic Enterprises to start with?!

A shame LaMonte doesn't do more M38 parts!

Overall verdict 10/10. And worth every dollar.