I just got back from SEMA, where I briefly hung out with the folks at Quatratec, where I often buy Jeep parts when I can’t find them at the junkyard, on Facebook marketplace, or buried in my backyard somewhere. The company has on display a “JTe,” which was built by custom-Jeep shop Unofficial Use Only. I don’t know much about it or its founder Greg Henderson, but I am familiar with some of his SEMA builds, including the YJL: And the XJ-nosed Jeep JK called “Project Pathkiller“: And actually, I saw Henderson at an off-road event at Rocks & Valleys in Michigan around eight years ago. There, he was auctioning off his TJ Unlimited-Wrangler-based “Frankenbrute” Jeep build for charity:
Anyway, this year, Henderson brought a two-door Gladiator to SEMA, and Jeep has been posting about it on Instagram.
“Half the doors, all the fun,” writes the company in a caption. That’s right, Jeep. You get it!
The Instagram Stories post above is the primary subject of this article. “Are we missing something?” the caption reads. “Should we add a 2-door Gladiator to our lineup” reads a poll below. First off, the answer to both questions is: Obviously! We all know that the four-door Gladiator looks a bit weird around that C-pillar, plus it’s too damn big to be great off-roading. Seriously, watch the Jeep truck try dragging its oversized arse over the Rubicon Trail; it ain’t pretty:
This two-door just looks right, and it’d be the most capable off-road pickup on the market, by far. I hope Jeep realizes that just asking that question about building a regular-cab Gladiator is dangerous, and I’m praying it wasn’t just posted by a 21 year-old social media intern. These are hopes and dreams we’re dealing with, here, Jeep. If you’re going to ask that question, you better be serious!
Eighty-eight percent of people are onboard with a Henry VIII Gladiator (get it, Tudor?), though I can’t help but wonder what the heck is going on in the head of the folks in the 12 “no” bracket. Surely they’re just old-timers who don’t know how to work an “app,” right? I hope so; otherwise, they should seek counseling. Anyway, a bit more about the SEMA truck. The “JTe” actually started out as a plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4Xe Rubicon; it got chopped up, and a stretched version of the factory Gladiator bed was mounted behind the cab. Here, let Quadratec break it down: It looks great both inside and out. Here’s a closer look, via the Jeep parts supplier: […] …its bed is 10.5-inches longer than a standard Gladiator, which will provide plenty of space for Tread Lightly! trail project cleanups over the next two years.” The Quadratec “JTe” is outfitted with a Lynx 2.5-inch Suspension Lift with adjustable control arms and Steersmarts steering components. It features bronze 17-inch Lynx TrailGunner wheels wrapped in 37-inch Nitto Recon Grappler tires for improved performance over rough terrain and upgraded Carnivore front and rear bumpers.
A post shared by Quadratec (@quadratec) The best part of the Jeep is on the inside — specifically on the doorcards. My friend Liam, a young engineer who may or may not have been involved in the development of the JL Wrangler’s interior door trim, saw a pain point in the JL ownership experience. Specifically, he and many others noticed that the netting on the doors very often got caught on an occupant’s boot as they disembarked from the vehicle. Even when that didn’t happen, storing even fairly-lightweight items in that netting stretched it out, and made it look janky.
So Liam’s manufactured some plastic netting replacements — little storage cubbies that don’t hold a ton, but look great and offer some flexibility. No, not the literal kind like the netting does, the figurative kind since the product has provisions that allow one to snap on accessories. Here, have a look at me shamelessly shilling for my friend:
A post shared by Unofficial Use Only (@unofficialuseonly) Anyway, the point here is: JL owners, support Liam by commenting on the Instagram post above if you’re tired of getting your boot caught in your door netting. And Jeep, just build the damn two-door. Offer it in green with a tan top and tan half-door uppers, and the world will be right. Don’t tease us like this. My take: It would do well. Don’t think of it as having to compete with other Jeeps for showroom attention. This vehicle would be the ONLY choice for anyone who wanted a 2-door midsize truck for any reason. They wouldn’t all need to have Rubicon gear; I could see tons of base versions selling to farmers, maintenance fleets, haulers — basically whatever industries used to buy 2-door pickups, but no longer can. I predict they’ll sell about 3 of them if they go into production. :-/ https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/the-jeep-j6-a-two-2-door-jeep-truck-concept-for-ejs-2019.20739/ This is a tamer version of the JT, and a lot of people would love to have one. Myself included. But as truck manufacturers have influenced buyers that an ‘all-in-one’ vehicle is the norm, they’ve pushed these four-door trucks onto the public, to maximize their profits, and ensure easier production. Ever see a two-door truck recently? It’s stretched because it’s on a four-door truck platform. I’d encourage people to not comment on an Instagram post. It’ll not be as effective as writing an email to the company with your intentions. Tell them if they make it you’ll buy it. Don’t believe me? I told Dodge I’d buy a Challenger if they made it, I’m pretty sure there must have been a lot more emails than mine as they did build it, and I have one in my garage. Regardless, I’m keeping my two-door Dakota until it rusts away completely. They just don’t make trucks like that any more. https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/10/how-cafe-killed-compact-trucks-and-station-wagons/ https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/10/how-cafe-killed-compact-trucks-and-station-wagons/
