Jeep doesn’t currently offer a Wrangler V8 or a pickup, but that hasn’t stopped the aftermarket from offering both. Bruiser Conversions offers four different Jeep Wrangler-based pickups. It even has V8 and diesel power plant options for some impressive custom Jeep truck builds.
The world has clamored for a Jeep pickup ever since the last one rolled off the assembly line in 1992. The AEV Brute Jeep Wrangler pickup conversion received a lot of attention over the years, and rightly so. But it’s no longer available.
Enter Bruiser Conversions in Clearwater, Fla. It’s carved a niche for Jeep conversions, creating some impressive V8-powered, off-road Jeep pickup monsters. It offers a full line of Jeep Wrangler JK truck conversions, with multiple engine options.
So if you’re hungry for some jaw-dropping Jeep eye candy, or you’re in the market for a Jeep pickup of your own, check out what Bruiser can do.
Bruiser Conversions: More Power
Bruiser Conversions is known for LS, Hemi, and Cummins diesel swaps specifically for the Jeep JK Wrangler platform. The company offers full builds in its shop. It also makes conversion kits that can be shipped to your home garage or favorite local mechanic.
Some might say that a GM LS V8 power plant is sacrilege to put into a Jeep, as a Hemi V8 would be keeping the engine upgrade within the family. Bruiser offers both, but the LS motors are popular. They’re extremely reliable, inexpensive, easy to work on, easily upgraded. And they offer a near plug-and-play option for many platforms, not to mention the two-year/50,000-mile warranty.
Bruiser Jeep Pickups
Bruiser Conversions offers four different Jeep Wrangler pickup models in two different wheelbases. Basically, you can choose either two or four doors and fleetside or step-side pickup beds. Bruiser will turn your 2007-2018 Jeep Wrangler JK into the off-road-capable pickup of your dreams.
Bruiser Conversions builds Jeep trucks to customer specs, from mild to wild. It offers a host of off-road and luxury upgrades for your build — think custom axles, suspension, bumpers, interior, paint, tires, and wheels.
It also, of course, offers a variety of engine options, from the base Pentastar V6 all the way up to a supercharged LS V8. If a Cummins diesel is more your style, Bruiser can accommodate that as well.
Both the Bruiser Crew Fleet Side and Crew Step Side conversions begin life as four-door Jeep JKU Wranglers. Bruiser then adds its special sauce and creates impressive four-door Jeep Wrangler pickups.
They have a removable hard top and a 139-inch wheelbase, and conversions start at $35,000. The Fleet Side offers a vertical sidewall truck bed for maximum cargo capacity. The Step Side offers a narrow step-side style truck bed with aggressive, pronounced fenders.
The Bruiser Honcho conversion is possibly the ultimate 4×4 Jeep truck. It is similar in most ways to the other Bruiser four-door Jeep truck conversions, but it adds a unique Chris Durham Motorsports Gladiator front clip and an integrated roll bar in the truck bed.
The Gladiator front clip makes this Jeep pickup truly stand out from the crowd. The styling is derived from the classic full-size Jeep trucks of the ’60s and early ’70s. Prices for the Honcho conversion start at $40,000.
The final Bruiser Jeep truck conversion option is the Super Cab. It’s based on the two-door Jeep Wrangler. It is nimbler than the other Bruiser truck conversions, as it only has a 127.5-inch wheelbase. The Super Cab features a removable soft top and the choice of a fleet or step-side style truck bed. Conversions start at $35,000.
With Bruiser truck conversions starting at $35,000 and the LS V8 engine kits starting at $22,500, a Bruiser Jeep Wrangler pickup is not an inexpensive vehicle! If you factor in the price of a new Jeep Wrangler JKU with hardtop, your all-in price on one of these four-door pickups is $85,000 — and up.
Bruiser 6×6 Jeep Wrangler Pickup
Quite possibly the ultimate Jeep pickup ever is the custom one-off Bruiser 6×6 that debuted at SEMA 2017 as part of SEMA’s Battle of the Builders contest. It’s a 2016 Jeep Wrangler JKU-based vehicle with a stretched frame, six-wheel drive, and a massive LS3 V8 under the hood.
With 40-inch tires mounted on 17-inch bead-lock wheels, this massive Jeep should roll over just about anything in its path. The LS3 V8 under the hood is supercharged and puts out 480 horsepower. The front axle is a Spicer Ultimate Dana 60. The rear axles are custom Ford 9-inchers with 4.88 gears and Detroit lockers. The custom long travel suspension should also give this monster a plush ride on and off road.
The “spare no expense” mentality behind this 6×6 is evident throughout the build; the spec sheet goes on and on. At around 6,800 pounds and almost 20 feet long, this isn’t a small vehicle. For sure, Bruiser knocked this one out of the park, building a vehicle capable of competing with the Mercedes G63 AMG 6×6 and Hennessey Ford VelociRaptor 6×6.
2019 Jeep JL Pickup
For those without the extra income to customize a Jeep Wrangler into a pickup, Jeep will finally offer a pickup from the factory again in 2019. You should start seeing Jeep JL pickups on your local Jeep dealers’ lots sometime in the spring of 2019.
Don’t expect Jeep’s factory pick to be cheap, but it’s sure to be much less expensive than the custom-built conversions on offer today. It will, of course, sell well. But can it dethrone the midsize U.S. truck king, the Toyota Tacoma?
The new Jeep pickup will be ripe for many of the upgrades companies like Bruiser and AEV already perform. The biggest upgrade will be the engine swap, as a V8 under the hood of the new Jeep pickup is very unlikely. We can hope and dream for a Hemi under the hood from the factory — but don’t hold your breath. Rumors of a small, efficient diesel option abound, however, so we might see that option from the factory in the next few years.
