It may be the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, but it already smells like Christmas for Jeep fans, who will be able to order a pickup truck conversion kit for the old Grand Cherokee.
Made by SmythKitCars, it’s available for the WJ generation of the SUV, which was made from 1999 to 2004, and was the last of its kind to feature live axles – a good enough reason for selecting it, should you ask us.
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Don’t worry about the structural rigidity, as after chopping the Grand Cherokee, the U.S. company will reinforce the B pillars with plates and add a subfloor bracing system. The rear window and third brake light were sourced from the Chevrolet Colorado, while the taillights were cut and modified to fit the new design.
At around 5.5’ long and 5’ wide, the bed is big enough to accommodate different cargo. The bedsides are made from aluminum, and connect the aforementioned plates to the wheel well and spring perch.
For the money part, you’re looking at $2,990 for each of the first 50 kits, with shipping to commence in mid-May. They’re already accepting $500 online deposits, and the cost doesn’t include the donor vehicle. Still, with countless examples on sale today, it shouldn’t be hard to find one that’s rust-free and doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of miles on the clock. And with less than $10,000 spent on the whole project, it sure is a nice alternative to paying a minimum of $33,545 for the base Jeep Gladiator, isn’t it?
