Those of you that fancy turning your four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a two-door pickup truck will be happy to know that the firm’s much-talked about JK-8 Kit is available for order now through Mopar at Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram dealerships, with pricing set at $5,499.
However, Jeep does note that the JK-8 kit, which comes with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, is for “skilled do-it-yourselfers”. For the less handy amongst us, the company said that the kit may be purchased and installed at a Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge or Ram dealership.
Revealed for the first time to the public at this year’s Moab Jeep Safari, the JK-8 package borrows its styling cues from the 1980’s Jeep Scrambler CJ-8. The kit includes a steel bed, inner and outer bedsides, sport bar extensions, freedom panel assemblies, fiberglass hardtop and bulkhead.
Here’s how Mopar describes the two basic processes involved in the conversion and which concern disassembly and reassembly:
“In disassembly, each rear door is removed. Next, the rear-bumper assembly, hard top and Freedom Panels are removed, followed by the rear portion of the interior, which includes seats and carpeting. Exterior trim parts are removed and preserved; inner and outer body panels are removed by drilling out the spot welds, which allows the panels to fall away and avoids having to cut into the sheet metal. The rear sport bar is cut away and removed along with B-pillars.
Reassembly into a two-door pickup truck begins with installation of the B-pillars, cross member, floor-pan assembly (truck bed), and the inner and outer quarter panels (welding is involved in assembly). Next to be installed is the bulkhead reinforcement assembly and sport bar extensions, and finally the installation of the fiberglass bulkhead itself. The kit, with components delivered e-coated, is then prepped for paint. Windows are installed to the hard top, which is then installed on the vehicle. Exterior trim parts are then reinstalled.”
Mopar JK8 Body Weld Kit Complete (All parts are sold together in one complete kit)Freedom Panels: Fiberglass panels over front seats.Hardtop: Made from fiberglass, the hard top may be removed and features a sliding rear window.Bulkhead: The bulkhead for the kit is made of fiberglass and separates the cab from the bed of the truck, and permanently attaches to the vehicle.Bed: The spacious 44-inch by 50-inch bed features strong steel construction.Inner/Outer Bed Panels: Bed panels are stamped sheet metal and provide durability and functionality.Sport Bar Extensions: New sport bar extensions replace the rear portion of the sport bar that is removed for the conversion. These bars complement the structure of the vehicle.
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