zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Trucks
/
The Jeep Wagoneer Roadtrip Is What Happens When You Take An Old Jeep And Add Perfection
The Jeep Wagoneer Roadtrip Is What Happens When You Take An Old Jeep And Add Perfection-December 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:11

The concepts just debuted at the brand’s headquarters in Auburn Hills, and the star of the show—by far—is this 1965 Jeep Wagoneer with a Hemi V8 and the most beautiful and tasteful modifications ever done to an old SJ-platform Jeep.

Head Jeep designer Mark Allen and his team went out and bought this 1965 Wagoneer from “out west,” and then resto-modded it without ruining its classic looks. They threw in the powertrain from an old Ram pickup, meaning there’s a 5.7-liter V8 under the hood sending torque through a four-speed automatic. The C-channel frame has been boxed, the power steering is from a JK (the outgoing Wrangler), and the leaf springs are now gone, having been replaced by coilovers bolted to wide Dana 44 axles with lockers.

One thing you’ll notice is that the original vehicle that Jeep bought from Craigslist had the square-shape “Rhino” grille. It’s a beautiful and classic look, but Jeep decided to remove it and use the long Razor grille—a move that will cause a bit of controversy among Wagoneer enthusiasts, though everyone will admit that the Razor still looks fantastic.

What also looks fantastic is the interior, which, like the outside, is coated in “Mintage Green” paint. Take in the “Oxblood” bench seat, the white steering wheel with a horn ring and the lovely white gauge cluster. This interior is perfection.

The wheelbase has been stretched five inches, and the flares have been raised six inches to accommodate the 33-inch mud-terrain tires on 17-inch steel wheels. But, remarkably, despite these significant modifications, the Jeep doesn’t look that far from stock, which is why it works so well aesthetically, I think.

Jeep always likes to throw in a few quirky touches, and this concept is no different. There’s a fake dog hanging its head out of the window to enjoy the breeze, the luggage in the back has been converted to a cooler, and there’s a valve cover from the Jeep’s original engine, the 230 Tornado inline-six, acting as the lid for a tool kit:

The fact that my hideous is built on the same platform as this concept is mind-boggling. But who knows, maybe my Jeep will see its potential when the two meet at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab next week.

Maybe.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Trucks
Turn Any Normal Jeep Into A Truly Unstoppable Off-Roader In 15 Minutes
Turn Any Normal Jeep Into A Truly Unstoppable Off-Roader In 15 Minutes
Don’t waste your time ruining your SUV’s on-road dynamics by perverting the air suspension into some kind of lift. Heck why even bother with knobby tires when you can just drive right on to a set of treads? You’re witnessing the “Track-N-Go” portable truck-tread system, which is so undeniably awesome...
Dec 13, 2025
The Maserati Parts Bin Trickles The Wrong Way
The Maserati Parts Bin Trickles The Wrong Way
The , an Italian SUV with a name that’s all like LEVANTE!, apparently has a lot of parts that are from a pickup trup with a name like, well, Ram. Also, according to our own David Tracy, former Fiat Chrysler engineer, they look very similar to parts in the Chrysler...
Dec 13, 2025
This Ford Bronco Is Still Cooler Than All The Others
This Ford Bronco Is Still Cooler Than All The Others
Rod Hall is one of the founding fathers of off-road racing in Baja, Mexico. Over 40 years ago he made his first peninsula run before GPS, cell towers or decent safety equipment. And the mensch isn’t slowing down: next week he’s doing his 50th 1,000 mile Baja race in a...
Dec 13, 2025
Queen Elizabeth II Has The Range Rover Convertible You Actually Want
Queen Elizabeth II Has The Range Rover Convertible You Actually Want
Queen Elizabeth II, England’s longest-reigning monarch, celebrated her 90th birthday today with festivities that included a cannon salute and a motorcade tour through part of London. More importantly, she rolls in a very badass custom Range Rover. As you can see, the long wheelbase Range Rover has had its standard...
Dec 13, 2025
This Ford Model T Just Embarrassed Your Lifted Jeep
This Ford Model T Just Embarrassed Your Lifted Jeep
Sit your butt down and pay respect to how great granddaddy could off-road back before the original Willy’s Jeep was so much as a sketch on a bar napkin. What you’re looking at is Ramp Travel Index (RTI) test. It’s as simple as it seems–you drive your truck’s left or...
Dec 13, 2025
Follow This Flow Chart To Find Out How XXXtreme You Are
Follow This Flow Chart To Find Out How XXXtreme You Are
Did you just have an adventure? Well the first question to ask is “was it hard or dirty or uncertain at times?” If yes, the you might be on to something. Check out this handy chart to further validate your badassity. At first I wasn’t sure where exactly this Adventure...
Dec 13, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved