Bespoke Jeep Pickup Is Probably the Coolest Thing You’ll See Today
Jeep YJ truck might not look very pretty, but there’s a lot more than meets the eye with this one.
What happens when you have a passion for cars, own a shop, and have a little bit too much time on your hands? Pretty amazing projects come to life. This crazy YJ Jeep Wrangler is no exception. Let us introduce you to “Shop Truck” and its owner, Ian Johnson, the owner of Big Tire Garage. Thanks to the HeavyMetalConcepts YouTube channel, we get to take a closer look at what makes this YJ so special.
According to Ian, this truck has “a little bit of Jeep in it”, but the majority of the vehicle is custom. The idea for this Jeep came originally from an event called Easter Jeep Safari, which is held in Moab, Utah. The event has been around for decades, but has grown substantially in recent years. Originally, Big Tire Garage had been going out to this event in VW buggies, but Ian felt it just wasn’t as special or cool if it wasn’t done in a Jeep. The result is this amazing YJ.
The body and bed of the YJ are made out of aluminum. This bespoke body fits on top of a completely hand-built custom frame. Ian lets us know that the only actual Jeep parts left on the Shop Truck are the grill, the hood, the windshield frame, and the brake pedal bracket. The VIN number was also left accessible simply due to the fact that they wouldn’t be able to register it if they removed it.
Ian states that when building the YJ, he imagined that he was in the ’80s and owned a Jeep shop and his job was to build a truck for that shop. As a result, he uses a handful of ’80s tech when building the YJ. The YJ has leaf-spring rears and radius-arm front suspension. For the engine, Ian is running a 5.3-liter truck-based GM V8 with a TH400 automatic transmission, running a Dana 300 transfer case with a 4-1 kit. For axles, the YJ is running a 14-bolt rear and custom 14-bolt in the front.
Since building the truck, Ian says he’s essentially driven it coast to coast and has enjoyed every moment with it, even if it’s essentially “driving an aluminum pod.” If you want to hear more about this YJ and its adventures, please watch the full video. Does this truck inspire you guys to finish up your project? Let us know in the comments below.
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