The 60s Live On In Jeep's New "Wagoneer Roadtrip" Restomod
What do you think of when you imagine the archetypal restomod build process? If you’re anything like me, your first thoughts are of individuals or small groups of close-knit guys and girls working in a greasy garage. It probably isn’t a massive, well-oiled machine of a production, such as you’d find at huge corporations. More and more often, though, that’s happening. Big, established companies are putting out restomods of their own models from the past. Such is the way of the world when these marques have long histories, I suppose. Whether you see it as big business muscling in on hobbyists’ territory or a natural evolution, one thing’s for sure: cool vehicles are being made. Such is the case with Jeep’s new “Wagoneer Roadtrip” concept.
Making its debut appearance at this year’s Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, it’s clear a lot of thought went into this restomod. The Jeep was built around a single sentence inspiration: “a perfect road trip going to Yellowstone Park in the 1960s,” according to designer Mark Allen. The aim was concrete, all that was needed was a truck. One trip on to Craigslist later, and the designers had their hands on a 1965 Wagoneer. It wasn’t in the best shape, with Allen saying “it looked and smelled terrible but was largely rust free.”
So, what has been done to this Jeep to drag it into the modern age while keeping that mid-century spirit alive? For a start, the truck’s wheelbase is now five inches longer, the frame has been reinforced, and the ageing axles have been swapped out for Dana 44 lockers. The antique leaf spring suspension has been modernized, transformed into a four-link coilover set up. New 17-inch wheels bear 33-inch BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain tires, letting the truck challenge basically any frontier it wants to.
The old Rhino grill has been removed, replaced with a razor grill. It’s not traditional, but it looks damn good. Behind this grille, there’s something even less traditional, and even more interesting. The original’s powertrain has been replaced with one from a Dodge Ram, with a 5.7 liter Hemi V8 hooked up to a four-speed auto transmission. There’s power steering too, from a JK model Wrangler, and the frame has been boxed.
How was the truck rounded off? Check out the luggage in the back. It’s not the innocent-looking suitcase it may first appear to be, no, it’s a cooler. I’ve got to say, Jeep did a bang up job on this truck.
