| The Few, the Proud, the Brutes: Special Ops for Jeep Wranglers IN 1993, Dave Harriton decided to cut his Jeep in half to make it longer. It was almost eight years before I started making a living at it. I really struggled. For a long time, he added, his profits were so small, he survived by living in his shop. V. I found a guy with a welder who would do it for $500. He realizes now that was a probably dumb decision, particularly given his almost total lack of mechanical knowledge. now offers a broad range of options and add-ons, including suspension modifications, lift kits, axle replacements, Hemi V-8 conversions and accessories. "For whatever reason, I went the opposite of common sense," he said. "After I got done with it, a lot of people liked it," Mr. "So, I thought, 'Maybe I'll start doing a few of these for clients. And after his long, slow start, the prices his creations now command - some $60,000 to $100,000 for a finished Brute, dependant on options - are an indication of the esteem Jeep aficionados have for the A. "I didn't know how I would ever repay that much money," he said. "When I went to lift it, the increased driveshaft angles caused problems," he said. "So sitting around dreaming one night I realized that I could either sell the Jeep or stretch it to repair all the issues. The Brute, a pickup version of the Wrangler originally designed by A. E. 's latest creation, the Brute Double Cab, is a pickup version of the four-door Wrangler Unlimited. , as the company is known, has become a leader in the huge Jeep aftermarket equipment industry. Mr. He decided to refit the Jeep - it actually belonged to his parents - to fit his lifestyle. "It was absolutely horrible. From that humble beginning, A. "I really wanted a D90 or D110, but that was out of my price range," he recalled, referring to versions of the Land Rover Defender. The short wheelbase made it ride rougher than I really liked. The Few, the Proud, the Brutes: Special Ops for Jeep Wranglers |
Saturday, 28 April 2012
The Few, the Proud, the Brutes: Special Ops for Jeep Wranglers
