It’s been quite a while since I posted here – The stress of everyday life has a way of wreaking havoc in my spare time. Plus, it has to be said, I had not come across an interesting classic for some time. But the other day, I stumbled upon a widely familiar (well, familiar here at CC) yet oddly different classic, so I made time to share it with you.
As usual (for me), it started with my trusty dash-cam, which captured this whilst on my way to the doctors’ (don’t worry, it’s just a routine checkup). As I was about to turn into the designated street, I saw this:
No music this time, just the radio on.
Alright then, I’ll park and head back for a closer look.
Heading towards the Jeep, something felt a bit strange; I’m certainly no authority in Wagoneers, but I don’t remember there was a pick-up with such short wheelbase amongst the range. And in any case, the Gladiator was the Jeep “truck”. Perhaps there was a detachable half-roof version (similar to the K5 Blazer), and I’m missing the rear seats from this position. So get closer:
From the front it’s all Wagoneer, of the Kaiser years- sorry, beats me as to the specific model year. License plate defines it as a recent import to Israel and not an original one from the Sixties, although according to the numbers’ combination, this Jeep could have arrived in the country as much as fifteen years ago.
Well, body panels are definitely Wagoneer’s- that’s no Gladiator. And that B (C?) pillar is weird. This is starting to look like a self-made-private-garage project. Let’s take to the back:
Ok, this definitely started out as a Wagoneer, as if I needed an assurance (just look above the license plate). But this “Quadra-Trac” emblem again has me puzzled; according to Wikipedia, it was used on Wagoneers starting from 1973. This featured Jeep should be much older. Curiouser and curiouser… And look at the cabin – judging by the heating elements inserted in the rear window (and its surrounding sheet-metal), I’d say it’s decades younger than the car it’s attached to, and there’s nothing Jeep about it – it probably came from another car altogether.
Too much glare to see anything, but I’ve added this photo anyway so that you could witness the modern seats (not a bad idea in my book, regardless of this weird creation).
I rounded it once more to take this side photo, in which the off, unrelated rear of the cabin is more prominent. And this view also shows its condition is less than ideal- look at the body panels ahead of both wheels.
Eventually I crossed the street, sat down on a nearby bench and took this photo. Well, that was weird. I wonder who came up with this, and why. Maybe I’m wrong and there was such a Wagoneer pick-up version in its day that I’m unaware of, but all my Googling came up with nothing, and this has too many signs of a self-made job.
As ever, any CC readers’ input is welcomed.
A professionally chopped 2 door Wagoneer would be my guess. I Like it!
I am likewise not a Jeep expert, but I’m pretty sure the stamping for the radiator header never changed. You can mount the grille and headlights form a 1990 onto a 1963, and vice versa.
I’m not a Jeep expert either, but I recall someone commented on another Wagoneer post a while back saying that it’s not uncommon for Jeep fans to mount the grille and lights from an older Wagoneer on a newer one.
Judging from the pictures, I’d say it was originally a Jeep Wagoneer that had the top removed and the body has been shortened. Looks like parts from a Wagoneer and Gladiator were combined in a sort of Frankenstein creation.
Nice job of ute-ification. The angled B-pillar looks natural. Brooks Stevens would approve.
Very unusual find, thanks for sharing! Does anyone else see the rear doors, with the rounded front lower corners, rocker gap, and rear cut line welded/filled?
Sorry Guys, but I just had to share this, on a somewhat related note:
https://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/cto/d/1986-chevy-silverado-pick-up/6664067783.html
The side marker light on the front fender says 1974 and newer, while the location of the front turnsignals indicates I beleive 1977 or newer.
The header panel didn’t change So somewhere along the line someone found an earlier grill removed the factory grille, or maybe it was already missing and started the conversion to the early look by installing the early grille, but they still don’t have the vent grilles.
Clearly this is a late 70s “beater” Wagoneer. Destined for the scrapyard until Johnny-blowtorch got a hold of it. Not a bad conversion, but still a beater, nonetheless. As to the Kaiser-era grille, the core support stamping never changed during the nearly 30 year run; all grilles will interchange.
El Wagoneer-O?
AMC utes are Cowboys, so an AMC era Wagoneer is a Cowboy, I guess.
AMC built a couple of Hornet pickups, and considered selling them as Jeep Cowboys.
My $0.02 says this started out as a 2-door Cherokee. While its not completely impossible to weld up and smooth over the rear doors of a Wagoneer (or 4 door Cherokee, which DID exist), it would take a skilled bodyman to completely erase all evidence they were ever there. The B pillar is clearly the C pillar just cut loose and relocated behind the doors to make for a generous single cab with a snazzy shape. Too bad it was left kind of beater-ish, because the idea is there and the craftsmanship is pretty damn good. The interior of the bed looks like this was done pretty professionally. So this MAY have been done while this rig was still pretty new and pristine.
One wildcard possibility is this COULD have been some localized item that was mass produced. Considering how many varations of common American vehicles were slightly re-worked for overseas use (those Brazilian 4 door sedan F series come to mind) its not unthinkable that this is just rare and unknown outside some small locale.
Enlarge the pic of the bed, it was a 4dr when it left the factory.
DERP!!! Youre right…I wasn’t even looking at the front bedrails. Still…helluva job they did on this.
My first thought was that this was one of those odd early Wagoneer derivatives like the 2 door, rear barn door sedan delivery/panel truck, but closer inspection reveals it to be a blow torch and Sawzall job – a pretty good one save for the unfortunately shaped rear window. I don’t think a removable-roof Bronco/Blazer/Scout type thing was ever made anywhere in the world by Jeep themselves (though that was my first thought when I saw it). My only real question is whether this is a one-off conversion made by the owner or one of several made by a third-party company (as with, for example, ’70s Cadillac pickup truck or wagon conversions).
If it’s an owner-modified vehicle, I always wonder what prompted the owner to do the surgical job on vehicles like these. Surely it would have been much easier and cheaper to just find a pickup truck if that’s what you wanted and trade in the Jeep. So are these done by owners because they want something unique, or did the owner just need a pickup but already had a Wagoneer or Cherokee so did this?
Is the front door from a 2-door or 4-door Jeep?
It is a Wagoneer (4dr) and not a Cherokee (2dr) if you click in and zoom on the shot of the bed you’ll see remains of the rear doors that were welded shut.
Why would the owner do this?
Well, think of it this way. Perhaps you cook. You have certain ingredients in your cupboard and fridge handy. You have the skills needed to cook. And you have $0 in your pocket. What do you do? You make what you can out of what you have.
That is the ethos of the “Built, not Bought” crowd. They prefer something they made themselves. It’s not necessarily better, or worse, but it is their preference.
That’s a snazzy gas cap…
Easy access, doubles as a washcloth on hot, sweaty days.
Must have picked it up from the ‘As Seen on TV’ shelf.
A little more skill with the spray putty and sanding block required to fully disguise its origins needed on that, I can see the rear door joins black is the best colour for highlighting imperfections, shoulda painted it white, but a nice conversion all the same.