Mopar offers pickup conversion for the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

Off-road king Jeep is offering a new kit that transforms a four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a two-door Jeep pickup truck. The Mopar JK-8 kit will cost $5,499.

The kit can be installed by a dealer, according to Jeep, or by skilled shade-tree mechanics. The setup comes in one Mopar-stamped crate containing a steel bed, inner and outer bed sides, sport-bar extensions, Freedom panel assemblies, a fiberglass hardtop and bulkhead. It comes with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty.

Mopar first revealed the JK-8 kit at this year's Moab Jeep Safari in Utah.

The kit is based on the popular Jeep Scrambler CJ-8 from the 1980s. The steel pickup bed measures 44 inches by 50 inches, and the fiberglass hardtop is removable for an open-air experience. A special badge is featured on the left rear quarter-panel of each kit, signifying the heritage of the Scrambler.

Jeep gives a quick rundown on disassembly and reassembly, and it seems the only difficult parts are drilling out the spot welds and removing the rear sport bar along the B-pillars. During reassembly, there is some welding required.

The components of the kit are delivered unfinished and will need to be painted.

It appears to be not much more than a weekend of wrenching, and maybe less.

By Jake Lingeman