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Hummm? ... It's a Jeep
What Do You Do If You Have Five Kids And Your Recreational Vehicle Is A Jeep YJ?
by Allen Merritt photos
by Scott Lingquist & Allen Merritt
The most eye-catching 4x4 at Mile-Hi-Jeep Club’s 2004 All-4-Fun Week in Georgetown, Colorado left everyone asking, “What in the world is it?”
Scott Lingquist of Whitecourt, Alberta had a big problem. He likes to take his wife and five kids on off-road adventures. But, his recreational vehicle was a bit too-small ’90 Jeep YJ. However, as an autobody technician and owner of Whitecourt Collision, he remembered a project that his off-roading friend, Ken Obertowich, planned but never started. The plan was to cut a Jeep body apart, and then widen and lengthen it to fit on a full-sized pickup chassis.
This is the Jeep body Scott cut up to build the HUMMM Jeep. We wonder what he may build to put back on Jeep chassis.
Scott had a ’93 GMC 3/4-ton pickup with a good 454 engine and drivetrain. He removed the Chevy’s body and started measuring, planning, and cutting. He shortened the GMC frame 30-inches and straightened the frame’s over-the-axle hump. He moved the rear axle forward 12 inches before installing a 6-inch Pro Comp lift and shocks to clear 38.5x15.5/16 Boggers on 16” wheels. He repositioned the stock 30-gallon gas tank to just behind the axle.
After positioning the Jeep quarters on the GM truck chassis, Scott welded sheet metal into the empty spaces. |
Here we see where Scott welded in 20-inches of new sheet metal to fill in behind the engine. |
Next, Scott sawed the Jeep body in half lengthways. Then he cut the two halves in two behind the doors. He clamped the quartered Jeep body at the corners of the GM chassis and started welding in sheet metal to fill in the gaps. The reassembled Jeep body was 20-inches wider and 36-inches longer than the original YJ. While fabricating the new dash, Scott took special care to get the defrost duct passages right. The custom windshield uses three Jeep wipers and he grafted a Dodge truck hood scoop into the Jeep’s hood. The HUMMM Jeep uses three full bucket seats up front and a full bench seat in the back. Scott widened the YJ’s hardtop and ragtop to fit the HUMMM Jeep.
The widened Jeep body on the GM chassis. |
Scott cut the axle-hump out of the frame, moved the axle forward and repositioned the gas tank. |
Scott painted his creation, which he calls “His Mistress,” lime green with yellow pearl tri-coat RM unpolished paint. He took a vo-tech class in airbrush painting before painting the graphics over the lime green paint.
A 454 looks great in a YJ. Note the Dodge truck hood scoop that added 20-inches width to the Jeep hood.
At All-4-Fun, some observers speculated that Scott’s stretched Jeep would be too big for the narrow mountain trails, but he pointed out that his rig was no wider than other Jeeps running on uncut truck axles. And on the rock-crawling trails, the HUMMM Jeep’s long-wheelbase had a distinct advantage on many climbs.
Scott took extra care fabricating a dash with good defrost ducts for use during the long Canadian winters.
In All-4-Fun camp, Scott said, “Off-road, my creation does what I want it to do. It grabs attention everywhere I go. And there’s lots of controversy over weather its a Hummer or a Jeep. In shows, I hear people say, ‘Oh! Its just a Hummer.’ But as they walk on by, they see the Jeep emblem on the side, then they have to stop and check it out. On the highway, people hang out their windows taking pictures of it.”
The hardtop makes the Jeep even more Hummer-like.
During the 700 hours Scott spent building his magnificent creation, he had to work through many frustrations. But, he came up with several new ideas during the project. He said. “I hope to apply some of what I learned building the prototype in building a second HUMMM Jeep using an solid axle front suspension GM truck as a base vehicle.”
The HUMMM Jeep is huge beside a stock YJ.
Specifications:
| The HUMM Jeep | |
|---|---|
| Models: | F-250 / F-350 |
| Cab style: | Regular Cab, SuperCab & SuperCrew |
| Drive type: | Two- and four-wheel-drive |
| Trim levels: | XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch & Harley-Davidson |
| Engines: | 300-hp 5.4L Triton V-8 (Std.) 355-hp 6.8L Triton V-10 (opt.) 325-hp 6.0L Power Stroke Diesel (opt.) |
| Transmissions: | 6-speed manual; 5-speed automatic (opt.) |
| Price range: | $22,390 - $53,000 |
| Frame: | Welded/fully boxed |
| Suspension: | Front: IFS (4x2) or monobeam w/ coil (4x4); Rear: solid axle w/ leafs |
| Steering: | Power recirculating ball |
| Wheels: | 17” std; 18” & 20” (opt.) |
| 4-wheel disc w/ ABS | 4-wheel disc w/ ABS |
| Bed length: | 6.75’ or 8’ |
| Fuel capacity: | 40 gals. (19 gal auxiliary optional) |
| Standard tow rating: | Conventional Weight Distribution 5th Wheel |
| F-250/F-350 SRW: | 5,000 lbs 12,500 lbs 17,000 lbs |
| F-350 DRW: | 6,000 lbs 15,000 lbs 16,700 lbs |
| Max payload: | F-250: 3,100 lbs |
| F-350 SRW: | 4,400 lbs |
| F-350 DRW: | 5,800 lbs |
| Axle ratios: | 5.4L: 3.73 / 4.10 6.8L: 4.10 / 4.30 6.0L: 3.73 / 4.10 (DRW) |