For those unfamiliar, the Jeep J8 is a military-only product, stamped out in Jeep's Toledo assembly plant and shipped to Egypt for final assembly and distribution. It's designed to a durability standard three times that of the civilian version and comes with a built Dana 44 front axle, Dana 60 rear, leaf springs in the rear, pintle hitches, a reinforced frame and body and stripped amenities. The only problem is, Chrysler doesn't offer it to US civilian buyers. American Expedition Vehicles saw this opportunity and contracted with Chrysler to obtain up to 120 vehicle kits a year, which they assemble and sell as a rolling chassis to rabid Wrangler fans who will supply their own motivation, installed at an approved dealer. We just had to know what it could do off-road, so along with Mike Levine of PickupTrucks.com, we decided to find out.

Michigan's Island Lake State Park is little more than an also-ran to it's more flashy fraternal twin across the I-96 freeway, Kensington Metropark. But Island Lake holds a secret — a 1000 acre off-road park normally off-limits to the public due to liability issues. Chrysler donates engineering vehicles to the park for patrol duty and, in return, they get wink-wink, nod-nod access to the massive facility. In a former life, it was home to a concrete and gravel business, now it's a mélange of high hills and low ponds all covered in a slippery sand and pea gravel surface material — perfect to test the merits of a hairy-knuckled Jeep.

This particular J8 is equipped with a VM Motori 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel — definitely not an engine you'd be able to purchase in a production Jeep state-side — so what we've got here is a real torque monster. Great for crawling rocks and powering through muck, but tough to get a lot of entertaining wheelspin going. That doesn't mean we didn't have a hoot tossing it into disconcertingly deep water and then covering it with sand in the hills. The J8 was totally in its element here; crawling, traversing, bogging, crushing, bashing... it was the perfect tool to have a lot of fun.

The bare interior is awesomely functional. Nobody was concerned about how long it would take to get the mud out of the carpets, there are no carpets. The radio didn't drown out the turbo whine, there is no radio. It was, at times, problematic. Let's just say bashing your elbow into the raw steel interior panels takes some getting used to. We're not saying we'd wuss out and order one with stuff like "roll cage padding" or "B-pillar panels," just that we need to toughen up our elbows a bit. The MILSPEC is raw, it doesn't even come with floor mats and the assembly rivets poke through the floor, making this a no-flip-flop zone.

The MILSPEC took everything we threw at it and didn't even blink. In fact, we thought we heard it yawn. It's like a billy goat with an attitude. As we left our magical off-limits, off-roading heaven, we drew stares from the onlookers as we bombed along at freeway speeds where engine, tire, and road noise serenaded us sweetly. There was even the occasional rubber-necking Wrangler owner. The AEV J8 MILSPEC is every part the beefy and unique machine it's intended to be. It's a wolf in wolf's clothing.

Having said that, it's hard to justify the approximate $50,000 you'd need to put together a complete model, more if you want a fancier engine. The AEV Hemi Wrangler would make a better toy, while AEV's own Brute Conversion adds just $8,995 to the price of a previous-generation TJ Wrangler, endowing it with similar functionality from pickup bed and beefed up running gear. Sure, it's more Russian gangster than African mercenary, but the savings will buy a whole bed full of semi-legal apocalypse survival gear.

When the Jeep Wrangler J8 was unveiled at Jeep Camp 2008 in Germany, there were howls of protest from Jeep aficionados the world over. Here were a pair of pared-down, utilitarian Wranglers with augmented build quality to stand up to foreign military durability requirements, a diesel and Dana axles. To add insult to injury, the two-door model rode on the Wrangler unlimited chassis resulting in the defacto rebirth of the Scrambler. And yet, it wasn't for sale, not to civilians anyway. It was to be assembled in Egypt and only available for sale to foreign militaries. Mud, meet eye. Spit, meet soup.

However, not all is lost, American Expedition Vehicles is listening. Hearing the outcry, they've negotiated with Chrysler to bring the J8 to the US market, if only in very, very limited numbers. The deal works like this: AEV has acquired the rights to buy the complete knockdown kits directly from Chrysler, which are diverted on their path to Egypt from Toledo and delivered directly to AEV's doorstep. AEV assembles the vehicles by hand, right down to the windshield washer fluid. What they don't do is install the engine and transmission. The truck is delivered to the customer as a very complete rolling chassis set up for either a VM Motori 2.8-liter four cylinder diesel good for 174 HP, 339 lb-ft of torque, or the 5.7 liter HEMI V8 kit package from AEV which starts at 330 HP and 375 lb-ft of torque and goes from there or, actually, whatever you want. The customer then takes it to a Chrysler dealer, where their choice of engine and transmission is installed. Why this way? AEV doesn't want to be the manufacturer of record, which opens them up for legalities they aren't interested in shouldering. The dealer is then named on the title as the manufacturer of record and you're on the road with a military grade jeep built to your exact specification.

But what do you get with your rolling chassis? The base chassis is a thoroughly massaged Wrangler unit, braced and reinforced to endure durability roughly three times as demanding as the regular Wrangler. We were invited to a behind-the-scenes look after we snagged our spy photos, and can attest to the upgrades. Reinforcement patches live on class-A surfaces with the kind of reckless disregard for aesthetics that makes military vehicles awesome. Underneath you get a heavy duty, custom-built pair of Dana axles, a Dana 44 up front and a Dana 60 at the rear with Dodge Ram brakes attached at the ends. The rear is perched on leaf springs versus the coils on the regular Wrangler, which pushes payload up to 2,557 lbs and towing capacity to 3,500 lbs. Front and rear bumpers are properly heavy duty, plenty thick enough to make short work of your nearest peasant uprising or Geo Metro and you get beefy tow loops (rated for helicopter lifting) and a pintle hitch at the rear. It also comes plumbed with a exterior snorkel hooked to a severe duty air filter capable of running five hours in zero-visibility sand storms. Like we said, it's exactly what gets shipped to Egypt.

Inside the vehicle is properly spartan. You get a steering wheel and a dashboard, seats, optional air conditioning and... that's about it. There's no radio, no sound deadening, no amenities. It doesn't even have carpet, the wiring loom runs down the distal side of the driver's footwell. It takes the hose-down principle to the ragged extreme.

Barring the chassis and body reinforcement, leaf springs and built axles, the Unlimited version seems like something anyone could build, but the truck version is lust-worthy. It's got a corrugated bed plate, though no bulkhead separating cargo from cabin, the version we saw was equipped with a remote two-battery 24V charge system which had the batteries mounted just in front of the rear wheel wells.

All of this is fantastic, but what about the bad news? Well, AEV is contractually limited to only 120 copies per year, making them a rare bird indeed and, because of the labor intensive assembly process, the price for a fully complete model is approximated at a very steep $50,000. Ouch. You can also order whatever extra goodies you want, like the bigger BFGoodrich tires, AEV hood and and the swing-away spare tire mount pictured here . Now, it's easy to balk, but the most brutal, ultimate expression of the factory Wrangler is going to be a small market to begin with, and we suspect they'll be able to sell all the J8's they build. Why? Because they're badass. Bad. Ass.

Stay tuned too, as we've been promised the keys when the trucks return from their formal debut at Easter Jeep Safari out in Moab. Full press release below:

J8 MILSPEC Press Release -

The J8 is one of the toughest vehicles in the world and, until now, it was only sold to foreign militaries and governments. A very limited number of 2010 J8's will be made available to enthusiasts in the United States exclusively from American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) as the AEV J8 MILSPEC.

"Hardcore off-road enthusiasts have been asking for a vehicle like this for years, no frills and setup for a choice of diesel or V8 power and built with extra heavy-duty components," said Dave Harriton, CEO of American Expedition Vehicles. "It's certainly not for everyone, but that's all part of the appeal. Being able to offer even limited quantities to the American public is really a dream come true for AEV. First, it's a perfect match with our niche manufacturing and distribution channels, and second, the J8 is a unique part of history that we're proud to be part of."

The AEV J8 MILSPEC will be sold as a component rolling chassis. The vehicle is meant for off-road use, and as typical for component vehicles the engine and transmission will be installed by the buyer or at the buyer's direction by an independent contractor. Although AEV does not provide the powertrain, there are a number of independent AEV dealers that can supply and install either a 2.8-liter diesel engine or a 5.7-liter V-8 HEMI® engine and transmission package.

The J8 MILSPEC will be assembled in Detroit by AEV. The complete rolling chassis will be delivered painted, upholstered, fully instrumented and will include ABS brakes, heavy duty suspension and axles, exhaust, wheels and tires.

Designed for military use, the J8 was designed to pass one of the world's toughest durability cycles, which is three times more severe than what civilian applications must endure. The axles are both beefed up to a heavy duty Dana 44 front and a Dana 60 rear axle equipped with Dodge Ram brakes. The frame is built for severe use and the rear suspension uses leaf springs to facilitate more than a 2,500 lb. payload capacity and a 3,500 lb. tow rating. The J8 MILSPEC will accept two powertrain options, either a VM 2.8-liter diesel engine rated at 174 hp and 339 lb.-ft.of torque or a 5.7-liter V-8 HEMI rated at 330 hp and 375 lb.-ft. of torque. Both engine choices will use a 5 speed automatic transmission. The vehicles also have a number of military-specific components, including tow loops that are rated for helicopter use, an air filter capable of running as long as five hours in zero visibility dust storms and remote-mounted batteries. Don't look for satellite navigation or leather seats, options are limited to paint color (Desert Sand or Military Green), a choice of a three door or five door body styles and air conditioning.

The J8 MILSPEC will only be sold and warranted through AEV and its authorized network.

Interested enthusiasts can contact American Expedition Vehicles to learn more or to place an order, www.aev-conversions.com / 248-926-0256. Owners should expect to invest approximately $50,000 for a complete running vehicle, chassis plus powertrain.

Just as we were putting our camera away after shooting the green Wrangler Unlimited, the tan extended-wheelbase Scambler-like truck version Wrangler pulls up so back at it we went. These seem to be outfitted with the same specification as the non-civilian Wrangler J8 unveiled in Germany last year for foreign military duty. They get the heavy duty BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A's a beefy front and rear bumper with high grade shackles and a military-style pintle hitch and a "J8" badge on the side. We can't say if they get the same diesel engines the military J8's get, but we did get a hood-up shot, so if there are any hardcore Jeepers out there so skilled, see if you can identify what's powering these babies.

We've got a call in with the big boss over at AEV, Michael Chetcuti. Stay tuned for more.
UPDATE: We were just looking at the pics a bit closer and noticed these even have the rear leaf springs from the J8 versus the coils the regular Wrangler has!

The only thing that got more gawks than the gals manning the booths was the front suspension on this WARN-equipped AEV Brute-conversioned Wrangler. And why shouldn't it? We hear the suspension's a multi-thousand-dollar kit from Portal-Tek. Don't worry, we'll grab some more pics later today.

Before we even talk about how the thing drives, it's worth noting the almost ridiculous level of build quality on this conversion. If you didn't know better, you'd think the HEMI was original equipment; in fact, thanks to AEV's connections to Chrysler, it's built using a lot of the same suppliers Chrysler uses. The wiring harness comes pre-tested and everything plugs up to the point that if you patch in a technician's scanner, it'll read as a Wrangler with a HEMI. It's literally as good as if it came from the factory.

But what the HEMI Wrangler is all about is performance, and let's get one thing out of the way right off the bat: The price of admission for the AEV conversion kit is worth the exhaust note alone. Firing up that big V8 fills the little cabin with intoxicating levels of awesomeness. Out on the asphalt, the big bad JT actually rides really well for what is in essence a purpose-built rock crawler. That's not to say anyone will mistake it for a sports car, but it certainly will get you where you're going quickly. Since this is Michigan and not Moab, the most off-roading we could do in our short test drive involved some back-country dirt roads — the kind that would swallow a passenger car into its ruts and holes, but only rough enough to test the assembly quality of a rock hopper and not much more.

Up against this measly test, the Wrangler didn't even flinch, providing an almost disturbingly smooth ride. Even with the huge tires, the excellent turning radius found on a stock Wrangler is unaffected. Ride and drive, exhaust note, nice leather seats — that stuff is all well and good, but you know what's really fun? Four-wheel dirt burnouts. Not that we did any of those, or dirt road brake stands. We'd never do stuff like that. But if we did, we would probably report AEV's HEMI V8 conversion turns a stock Wrangler Rubicon, which is pretty good on it's own, into a fire-breathing, mud-spitting, swaggering, snorting, off-road superstar.

AEV Installs 6.4L HEMI on Jeep JK Wrangler; Vehicle to Appear at 2007 SEMA Show

Premier Jeep aftermarket supplier American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) will show a custom Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JK in the Chrysler display at SEMA 2007. The vehicle will feature an AEV conversion to a 6.4L HEMI engine. AEV also announces plans to provide customers with turnkey 5.7L and 6.1L HEMI conversions for all JK Wranglers "in the very near future."

Missoula, MT (PRWEB) October 25, 2007 — Jeep aftermarket supplier American Expedition Vehicles(AEV), in conjunction with the Chrysler Corporation, will debut a monster 6.4L 392 HEMI engine in a Jeep Four Door show vehicle for the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show.

Does this mean a similar HEMI conversion is coming for the new Wrangler JK model?

You bet. AEV founder Dave Harriton confirms that AEV will announce the availability of turnkey 5.7L and 6.1L HEMI conversions for the popular new Wranglers.

The Montana and Michigan-based AEV has already performed hundreds of HEMI conversions on the Jeep Wrangler TJ model. Customers have been strongly requesting a HEMI for JK. Harriton took greater pains to integrate the new JK with the HEMI powertrains to lower costs and ease production.

"Our new JK HEMIs will set the standard for engine conversions," says Harriton. "We tooled up many new parts specifically for this application. It looks and feels like it came from the factory."

AEV has earned a reputation for making a splash at the annual SEMA show, and their HEMI conversion on the Jeep JK should not disappoint.

The 6.4L, 525 hp HEMI Wrangler will show as a concept vehicle in the Chrysler display. The Mopar Performance crate engine will feature a fully-integrated OE-style electronics module developed by AEV. The truck will also have an AEV HEMI-integrated heat-reduction hood. AEV has built a strong working relationship with the Jeep brand, and has won four Chrysler Design Excellence Awards in the last ten years.

Asked if the 6.4L will be offered to AEV customers (in addition to the 5.7 and 6.1), Harriton said: "We'll gauge the interest. The technology is already there to properly integrate the stand-alone engine package with the OE electronics on the vehicle, so it wouldn't be that difficult to offer."

AEV will have a further SEMA presence at the Kicker Audio OEM display. The Kicker vehicle will feature a JK Wrangler Unlimited with AEV's Expedition and Appearance packages, including an AEV bumper, hood, wheels, skid plate, and a custom appearance group option.

AEV's JK Wrangler packages have been extremely popular with customers. Turnkey vehicles feature a number of AEV's high-quality stamped steel components create an attractive road vehicle that can handle the most extreme off-road driving conditions.

Kicker will equip the Jeep with its latest in car audio products, including two sets of Kicker OEM 6.5" two-way speakers; each set will include its own 200 watt subwoofer and 4.2 channel amp.

Across the aisle at the Katzkin Leather display, a Chrysler owned 4-door JK Unlimited will be featured with an AEV bumper and hood.

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. It will be held Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, 2007 in Las Vegas.

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Related:
Spy Photos: 2007 Jeep "Scrambler" Wrangler-Based Pickup? [internal]

[2006 SEMA Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Gallery]

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