Jeep is contemplating (but not for certain) producing a modification kit for Wranglers. This is what's on the drawing board:

I like it.

Looks like a good way to ensure insolvency AGAIN.

That's some pretty heavy modification with the portal axles and all. Looks like a UNIMOG with Jeep badging.

I like it.

I wonder where the engine went. Under the bed like the old '50's VW pickups? This bed looks like them, very shallow with fold down sides. Look familiar?

If that thing was a four door it would be perfect

Hell has anyone looked at the sticker on one of the new Jeep pickups. Good luck selling any. My cousin bought a new SRT Challenger. Said that the price of those trucks were within a grand of his Challenger at the lot he was at.

I bet the engine is in the original location.

The Jeep Gladiator is one COOL lookin' ride. Mute this vid.

If they make one of those I would seriously consider buying one. There really is'nt much in the American made off road selection.

Looks for the FC 150 and 170's!

Jeep (willys?) had a pickup like that in the late 50's. or early 60's.

The gear shift linkages got pretty wobbly after a while, I think. You could really see the rocks you were driving over, though.

Sycamore

I'd forgotten about those. I haven't seen one in many years. Ford, I think, had a very similar one but I don't know if came in 4x4.

I once had a 1970�s Ford farm truck that was easy to see all the rocks I was driving over.

I just looked down between my knees and my feet on the floorboard.

This was the Ford version. IIRC, they were crap. It was basically just a sawed off van.

I know where one of those is. It's in VERY good condition, just needs a little TLC to put it back on the road.

My daughter got a flier in the mail from Jeep a short while back about these kits and it said that you could by the components now from Jeep's off-road catalog of parts. The cost would add over $25K to an existing Wrangler!

Ed

I had a '65 Econoline Pick Up , 170 CI 6 cylinder. I wouldn't call it crap , it was what it was. Worked for me.

Mike

How on earth would you climb in that thing without a ladder. Think of a lady in a dress getting in.

You'd probably get up on the nerf bar then step on the fender. Reminds me of a tall, slender young lady in our church who brought her boyfriend to church with her. The arrived in a jacked up pickup about 3' off the ground. She was wearing a skin tight skirt. Watching her get back in was entertaining for everyone.

If the GVW on that rig would allow for something like a 4BT diesel that would be an awesome rig, done right, that would last for decades. Awesome camper hauler.

Chevrolet also made a pick truck in a cab-over version based on their rear engine Corvair line.

Subaru should start making that again, in pink.

dodge had the baddest

They're all cool as hell.

Makes me think "Unimog" or "Pinzgauer"

Looks like a suicide vehicle if you happen to rear end anyone or hit a big tree....

Yup, Been thinking about that....I'm sure most of the guys here would be on the passenger side helping her up.

Should increase their rollover ratings.....

looks to me like it has portal axles like the Unimog..

but i'd not hold my breath waiting for one. Jeep always does some really cool looking concept rigs that never materalize.

I agree. Problem is that all those Jeep emblems will preclude it from being worth a schit.


Travis

This looks a lot more like a photoshop rig than a concept rig to me.

Might be photoshopped but if so, Foxnews did it. Foxnews can't possibly be wrong, can they? JEEP CONVERSION

had a 90s Chevy crew cab pull up next to me at the light earlier today, had cummins torbo diesal tags on the fender. rolled the window down sure enough it had one. one way to fix a Chevy.

There is an outfit somewhere in MT that specializes in dropping 12V Cummins engines into F250's with the junker 6.0's

I'm wondering too, as it has portal axles.

we've toyed with the idea of dropping one in my buddy's ram charger.

It sure handled that..... errrrr.... gnarly dirt road!



I dunno, I loved my TJ Wrangler but the further they get from a short wheelbase and I6 engine, the less it's a Jeep. That just looks like an extended cab truck to me.

Kinda Scrambler-esque?

I dig it.

There is a place in Great Falls that puts them into older Suburbans. For 10 g's I think.

In that case it might be called a sports car.

Since we're all over the map I might as well add I found a company willing to convert my 60K mile 1978 Toyota 2x into 4x, for $10K! Whatever hahahahahahahahhahahahahahashahahahahahahahaahah

nope not photoshopped, every year Jeep builds a couple of out there rigs for the Easter Jeep Safari at Moab....thats one of the rigs they built last year.....generally they build them with off the shelf parts and very lil actual one off parts built so any nut that wants to build there own generally can if they have the cash....

Way back when, I had a '73 Datsun pickup. They only came in 2x4 then but a 4x4 conversion kit was available that only cost about a grand more than the truck cost new.

That spare tire located where it's at would be a blindspot for the driver especially with the wide tires commonly used today.

That with a tray back, diesel heart, and a Toyota sticker across the grill would be terrific in the paddock.

Seat sits right over the front axle, rides like a dream I bet....grin

Won't happen. They would sell 3

that is what I was also thinking... I remember those... always thought they were kind of cool...

the prototype of the new one looks cooler..

Actually, that is just one concept truck that Jeep built. There is an article in this months Peterson's Offroad.

Where's the elevator?

If I had that kind of cash I would find an old Dodge Power Wagon of the 40's or 50's and rebuild that puppy. Now there's a 4X4 truck.

What a new idea!!!!

Not sure of the terminology in the States, but over here, these designs are known as "Forward Control"..but don't ask me why! I like the look of that Jeep and I am not sure why this type of design is not more popular with the general public..

Land Rover has had a couple of version over the years, mostly for the military





They are often converted into campers or expedition vehicles:



These days the British army tends to use Pinzgauer's for the same role, in either a 4 x4 or 6x6 configuration:





These are actually quite small as can be seen in the clip below.



Bottom one shows a 6x6 in stock condition used for rock climbing:

Lot of advantages to being positioned over the front axle.


Travis

The design shows up a lot of places. Here's how to take a whole lot of your buddies hunting.

A small school district near here (Dixie) has a 4 wheel drive short bus with dually's in the rear (would one call that a 6 wheel drive?) that calls "Ultimate War Wagon camper!" to me every time I see it. Picturing gun portals on all side's and the rear with bunk beds and some kind of bathroom facilities set up inside and painted in a Zebra camo pattern.

Many small rural school districts will have a 4x4 bus to get kids in remote areas. I haven't seen one with the forward design that I can remember, though. With all the required safety equipment, buses are pretty heavy. It doesn't take much length before duals are needed.

Have you ever tried to chain duals? Single chains will work on hard roads, but if it's at all soft, you absolutely have to have double chains. Otherwise the chained wheel will quickly dig a trench and inside wheel will hold the truck up to where the chain can't grab. If you spin it, you can get you nicely stuck in a half turn of the tires. Putting on double chains is a real 'pleasure'.

Ironically, not for the military as it tends to leave the driver very vulnerable to landmines..:-(

Somebody mentioned 1950's VW's..

Not sure if they are still in production but a guy who was in our hunting club had 1990's vintage 4x4 military spec VW T25 similar to the one below:



They have a relatively small 1.7 diesel engine, but he found it did everything he wanted, was very reliable and better than expected off-road..

Pete - where is the engine in that VW? Is it under the bed or between the front seats?

I saw one of these tool bed at the Grocery store the other day and admittedly, I need to get out more but, it was the first one that I had seen or noticed. miles

That might be availiable as an after market kit to Wrangler Unlimited owners. But the one that is likely to see production is a two door version of the Wrangler Unlimited with a small, basic pickup box in the back half of the vehicle. Fourwheeler magazine has run articles on both. E

Oh yes. How could I have forgotten to mention the downside to 4X4ing around landmines when the cab is over the front axle?


Travis

Under the bed I believe..I think you can access through side panels to get at most of the important stuff but I'm not sure how you get at it from above ie whether it had additional panels in the bed, or whether you have to remove the whole bed.

The cab was very well laid out with lots of space. The one I saw had a flat chequer plate floor and truck style pedestal front seats..There was enough space, and the floor was clear enough, that you could walk between the front seats into the back.

The rear seat was a bench type and the space underneath could be accessed from hatches either side. I didn't look closely, but I suspect you could slide a couple of hard rifle cases in there..

Regards,

Peter