How to Remove a TJ Body Tub

by Nathan Fisher

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Manufactured by Chrysler Motor Corporation, the Jeep Wrangler TJ model series is a class of four-wheel drive vehicle produced from 1997 to 2006. Also referred to as the “tub,” the Jeep Wrangler TJ body was constructed with a one-piece, unitized design. Like its predecessors, the Jeep CJ and YJ model series, the body tub of the Wrangler TJ must be removed from the vehicle frame in a single piece.

Step 1

Place the vehicle under a hoist.

Step 2

Unplug the wiring harness at the firewall, inside the engine compartment.

Step 3

Remove the coolant hoses from the heater assembly with a wrench and flat-head screwdriver.

Step 4

Disconnect any accessories, such as the window washer fluid reservoir and the coolant recovery tank, that are attached to the fender walls inside the engine compartment with the appropriate wrench or screwdriver.

Step 5

Disconnect the drive train grounding cable from the body fender wall, if present, with a wrench.

Step 6

Disconnect the steer wheel linkage, at the base of the lower union knuckle, with a wrench.

Step 7

Remove the chassis bolts, holding the body tub to the vehicle frame, with a wrench. If the bolts cannot be removed with a wrench because of rust, cut the nuts off the bolts with a grinding or cutoff wheel.

Step 8

Release the windshield latches with your hand and fold the windshield forward over the hood.

Step 9

Tie one end of four individual 12-foot sections of rope together at one end, creating a fulcrum at one end of the rope sections. Hang the knotted ends of the rope over the hook of the hoist.

Step 10

Tie one 3-inch S-hook to the free end of each rope section. Arrange the S-hooks under the bumper mounting brackets of the front and rear bumpers, attaching one rope to each bracket on each side of each bumper. When connected correctly, there will be one rope attached to each corner of the Jeep body tub.

Step 11

Raise the hoist, lifting the body tub off the frame. Push the vehicle out from under the raised body and lower the body tub to the ground or onto a trailer.

References

Things You'll Need

Warnings