At
the 2011 Moab Easter Jeep Safari preview Thursday morning,
Mopar® brand unveiled a new JK-8 kit that will allow four-door Jeep® Wrangler owners to
transform their ride into a Wrangler pickup.
With "excitement" in the marketpalce for pickup trucks, and more than 500,000 Jeep Wrangler vehicles on the road, Mopar CEO Pietro Gorlier said the kit will meet a this growing demand.
Head of Mopar Sales & Marketing Jim Sassorossi (above) said the JK-8 kit also was "inspired" from Jeep enthusiasts' reaction to past pickup trucks, like the Jeep Scrambler CJ-8 from the mid 1980s, the Jeep Nukizer unveiled last year, and the J-8 military Jeep currently in operation.
Sassorossi said DIYers can transfrom their four-door Wrangler using the JK-8 kit in as little as a weekend. (Though, Sassorossi said they'd have to hurry to do so.) Or, Wrangler owners can have a dealer do it. During the Easter Jeep Safari preview, the JK-8 kit was showcased with a Wranger JK-8 Independence.
Sassorossi said Mopar is still getting feedback from its dealer network on pricing, and looking for more feedback from the 2011 Moab Easter Jeep Safari before finalizing all details -- with planned release during late summer.
For specs on the JK-8 kit and what you can do with it:
- The bed length (right) is 50 inches and the width
between wheel wells is 44 inches. The Mopar team created body
panels to cover the second-row entrance and removed all of the
interior parts behind the front seats—transforming the
vehicle into a two-seater with just enough room for gear inside,
and a pickup style bed to be used for outside cargo.
- JK-8 drivetrain is fitted with a Mopar/Dynatrac ProRock 44
front axle and stock Dana 44 rear axle, both spun with 4.88 gears.
Linking the axles to the frame is a 4.5-inch long-arm suspension
kit and 37-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain KM2 tires make the
connection to the ground.
- JK-8 kit includes bed floor, inner/outer body panels, half hard top (works with Freedom Top panels), and a new bulkhead.
