Behind the Wheel of the Wildest CJ Jeep Ever Built

See what it’s like to drive a low-slung diesel-powered rat rod CJ with huge axles and 32 forward gears.

Transcript

00:00 I'm Christian Hazel, editor-in-chief of Peterson's 4-Wheeling Off-Road, and we are going to take

00:05 you behind the wheel of the UA CJ60.

00:08 This is a vehicle we built for the 2017 Ultimate Adventure.

00:18 So the vehicles we built not only have to be super capable off-road, but they have to

00:24 be able to go down the highway straight at 65, 70 miles an hour for hours and hours and

00:31 hours with no problem.

00:32 And this thing's kind of a hodgepodge of old and new.

00:38 You've got the body, which is a 1971 CJ6.

00:42 You've got a modern Jeep Wrangler frame, which has been shortened about 10 inches.

00:48 Brand new Ultimate Dana 60 crate axles.

00:52 You've got a brand new Cummins crate engine.

00:56 Right now we're just going down the highway.

00:58 For instance, at 60 or 65, I've got one hand on the wheel.

01:03 Good times.

01:10 Off we go.

01:11 It just creeps and crawls over wherever you point it.

01:15 As long as you're not putting the differentials right into a rock, this thing will get up

01:19 and over it.

01:20 You've got some really good 38-inch Falken tires.

01:25 Real 17 by 8.5 trail-ready beadlocks, so you can run real low air pressures.

01:32 Front and rear locking differentials.

01:33 488 gears front and rear.

01:36 Super heavy-duty Burley stuff.

01:37 I've got a whole array of communications just in case something does go wrong.

01:43 I've got my rugged radios here with the headset.

01:47 I can get out to help if I need it.

01:50 For me, the best part about this vehicle is how analog it is.

01:57 There's no traction control.

01:59 There's no electronic nannies.

02:02 There's not even an automatic transmission.

02:05 It's me, the steering wheel, the throttle, and the brakes.

02:12 That's how we get through the trail.

02:14 I imagine it's a lot like what an equestrian feels when he's riding a trusted horse.

02:20 I can tell what it's doing.

02:21 I can feel it creeping.

02:23 I know where it's leaning.

02:25 No, it's not just a machine.

02:27 It's a buddy.

02:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:35 you