Widened Cherokee on a Suburban Chassis Is Ready for Jurassic Park

By Arison Knapp - January 26, 2016

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Who doesn’t have heightened suspicion when a Craigslist ad is short on description? But even from this ad’s brief overview, I’m sure this custom “Jurassic” Jeep Cherokee will blow your boots off.

The description says the “Cherokee” bodywork was built atop a Chevrolet Suburban chassis. The owner also widened a Cherokee body and interior to fit, with a 14-inch widened Jeep Cherokee (XJ model) four-door from the 1980s. It now takes on an appearance more like a Humvee. Yup, it’s a marvel to look at, and I bet even better to drive.

I figured the owner probably used a beefed-up powertrain, perhaps a small block Chevy or Ford engine, but, oh no. He wanted to retain all the Jeep sensory, so he maintained the Limited model’s 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine, truly keeping the Jeep spirit.

The seller makes note of a “Jurassic Truck Kit,” which is listed as a $15,000 mod. It appears to be unavailable today from any tuning house. In fact, I can’t find much information about these old kits at all. I haven’t found any company website, history, similar vehicles for sale, or anything written about. Plenty of Hummer replica reviews pertaining to a Jurassic Truck Kit, but nothing about this Jeep kit. This must be a full custom job.

The exterior has been almost fully retouched as well as the interior. Take a look inside to see the extra components. It’s not perfect, but it is clean for a non-factory job. Take a gander at the dark gray, plastic extra-extension piece on the dash in front of the passenger, which connects the center console with the left side.

It’s not listed whether or not there are any stress bars or reinforcements to the body. Hopefully he has added some to tighten up that doctored chassis.

I’m not sure $25,000 is the right value for this piece of art. For the sweat and tears that came from this project, I think this gentleman might deserve more. But what would you pay for this big boy toy Jurassic Jeep Cherokee?