Every Jeep has a story.
For someone out there it may be the result of a long-held promise to graduate college. For another, it might be Saturday nights delivering meals to the less fortunate. Maybe your story is something you’ve experienced with your Jeep club or a cross-country trip with friends.
All these stories bind us. Captivate us. They prove to us that these iconic vehicles are something more than just hunks of metal clogging our driveways or invading our garages. In the process, they generate memories that last forever.
At The Quadratec Channel, we are all about the story. And we realize these great products we send out everyday to Jeep owners around the world can help make every story better – one shipment at a time.
Welcome to Tuesday's Tale - a Quadratec Channel Exclusive. On select Tuesdays in 2017, we will share someone's personal and passionate Jeep story in their own words. So come along for the ride and read all about what makes these vehicles so great for other Jeep enthusiasts. Or, even better, tell us your story: [email protected].
-----This week we are featuring a vehicle we here at Quadratec were honored to help sponsor a few years ago. A truly unique vehicle that mashed up the highly customizable Jeep Wrangler TJ, AEV's popular Brute TJ Pickup Conversion kit, and a bit of Jeep history with a 1949 Willys Pickup. But while the vehicle is certainly unique, the story behind it is intensely personal for renowned Jeep builder and engineer Greg Henderson.
In his words:
MEET THE FRANKENBRUTE, an idea born from a Jeep lover (me, Greg Henderson) who needed a way to help his son. A blend of three Jeeps very well known in the 4x4 world - the first being a 2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ. Well known as one of the most customizable platforms ever, with a true following in the Jeep world. The second, an AEV Brute, with it's own following among the Jeep culture, it is built on the 1997-2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ, yet it really has taken on a life of it's own. Lastly a 1949 Willy's Pick Up Truck. If you are a true, card carrying member of the lunatic fringe section of Jeep lovers, you know all about the Willy's Jeeps and trucks.
The FrankenBrute is a blend of these three vehicles, stealing designs from each, in order to build a one of a kind "Recovery Vehicle" to help children everywhere, but one in particular.
My son.
The idea of the FrankenBrute had been rolling around in my mind for a couple of years, but I never thought I would really build it. Then one day (a year and a half after my son was injured) a friend mentioned that I should hold a fundraiser to help with my son's recovery. I called one of the top 4x4 destinations in my home state (rocks&valleys) to question them about holding a fundraiser for my son, and was given a date 3.5 months out.
This is my son's story (Baby Liam) and why I decided to built this Jeep.
When I (Liam) was seven-months-old I arrived at the hospital in an ambulance just before noon, in mid-December. I was in the emergency room with a flurry of activity; doctors and nurses performing countless tests to determine what was wrong with me. My skin had turned blue, and my eyes were swollen shut. After a couple hours my parents finally got to come in to the room to see me for the first time since 6:00 that morning.
One of the head doctors showed my parents my CT scan which showed massive bleeding in my brain. They were informed that I had retinal hemorrhaging along with brain hemorrhaging, and that the next 24 hours would be very critical.
For the next several hours, I would undergo many more tests, and a surgery to place a pressure monitor inside my brain. I was on a ventilator and placed into a medically induced coma to help prevent further damage to my brain. Because I was in the PICU, I had a team of doctors, and a 24 hour nurse at the end of my bed. In the morning one of the neurosurgeons in the hospital informed my parents that my diagnosis was a severe traumatic brain injury (T.B.I.) also known as Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Weeks later when I was finally released from the hospital, I was blind (due to the eye hemorrhaging, caused from my brain smashing into the back of my eyes), and paralyzed on the left side of my body (When my brain smashed back and forth inside my skull, it caused massive bleeding which built pressure inside my brain. The pressure and the trauma from the rapid deceleration against my skull caused extensive damage to my brain).
I had lost everything that I had learned up until that day I was admitted to the hospital. I had to relearn everything such as how to eat, how to drink from a bottle, how to hold my head up. I had even lost the simplest tasks like sucking on pacifier. I was basically a newborn again, just this time with very severe disabilities. The doctors even told my parents “Do not expect him to improve, he may never get any better.”
My parents and I refused to give up on me. We decided to not believe that “it is, what it is.” So we began searching for the top specialists in our state. Since then I have been in physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, I have my own teacher, and I go to countless doctor’s appointments. I go to several hospitals across the state to see various doctors. I've seen multiple neurologists, and neurosurgeons along with multiple vision specialists.
My pediatrician, whom I've known since the day I was born, still smiles every time I enter his office to show him the new things that I am doing. I've met and been seen by more doctors and nurses than I could count, and every one of them, along with all of my wonderful therapists, have done their part in helping me get better.
When I left the hospital that first time the doctors told my parents not to expect me to get much better, however with the guidance of my parents, all my therapists, and doctors I continue to amaze everyone. My vision has mostly returned, even though I have to wear glasses now. I also have been working really hard to retrain myself how to use my left side.
Due to the extent of my injury, my neurologist has told my parents and me that I will never be able to play sports or do any other activity where I might fall down or take a hit to the head. I can’t partake in any activities which might include any rapid acceleration or deceleration to my brain. So this means no bounce houses, trampolines or roller coasters for me as I get older.
Playing on a playground is a nightmare right now for my parents for fear that another child could crash into me. Any of these things could land me back in the hospital or worse. We won't know for many years how badly my cognitive ability was affected, or how much I will be able to recover, but neither my parents, nor myself will ever stop fighting to give me the best chance.
It is a shame, but due to lack of physical evidence the person who did this to me may never be brought to justice or prosecuted. Many children who receive an injury like mine are too young to be able to point a finger at the person who injured them. So without a confession, often times no one is ever found guilty, or prosecuted. Then the family of the child is left to bear the burden of one careless, heartless individual who was trusted with the care of such a precious innocent baby.
Anyone and everyone who reads this, please like and share my story. Do everything in your power to protect, and prevent this type of injury from ever happening to another child. No child has been hurt from crying, but shaking a baby out of frustration will damage them for the rest of their life.
Back to the Jeep.
While discussing the date of the fundraiser with a friend later that week, another friend mentioned that I should also build a Jeep to raffle off. And so it began, within two weeks I had a plan and was getting ready to make a 700-mile round trip to round up the major body parts that would start the project.
I made two stops in Ohio, the first was at Manley ORV to pick one of their trailers that I would modify as the bed. The second stop was at DaveysJeep, to get the 2006 Jeep TJ Unlimited that would be converted into the FrankenBrute.
The major part of the build took three months of nights and weekends, with a bunch of help from some great friends, and a ton of companies. In fact most of the major parts that became the FrankenBrute were donated. Lights from Truck-Lite, Dana 60 and 70 axles from RockSolid Performance, Atlas transfer case, PitBull tires, Leather seats, sPOD, Poison Spyder Custom's fenders, Premier Power Welder, Superwinch winch, Matrix paint, Tom Woods Custom Driveshafts, BDS, and many more items were all donated to help build this one of a kind Jeep.
As this build was a fundraiser for my son, I couldn't afford to purchase a Brute Kit from AEV, and I knew how much I was going to alter the Brute platform anyway. So the rear section of the TJ was moved forward, and the only part needed from AEV was the top kit. Luckily I got my hands on the old top that was damaged on Project Teal Brute, so it was used instead of a new top after some repairs, and a major reshape.
The bed is a complete Manley ORV trailer. I frenched the Manley frame into the 27" stretched TJ frame, so that I could keep the light locations from the trailer. An added bonus being that with the new bed removed, the FrankenBrute becomes a flat bed pickup. I also modified the fenders of the bed to flow better with the body lines of the FrankenBrute. And a good friend made the carbon fiber Jeep logo for the tailgate. Other modifications to the bed, are the custom under bed trunk, and the ammo boxes recessed into the frame for more dry storage.
Due to all of the added beef of the rear portion of the frame, I added 1.5" of new frame to the top of the factory frame, turning it into a fully boxed I beam style frame. Doing this added to the strength of the frame to prevent any flex, because a TJ is a unitized body on frame, and after cutting the body in half the frame will flex. So even though the countless hours on all the frame modifications are not really seen, they do make this truck useable, and drivable.
After the frame and bed modifications were mostly complete, I moved on to the front of the Jeep. I wanted the FrankenBrute to resemble a 1949 Willys pick up truck, so I contacted the team over at Poison Spyder Customs. Their TJ-DeFender-XC-3-Tapered-Flares in steel have a very strong resemblance to the flat fenders on the '49 so I knew that I had to use them.
After the fenders were installed my attention was put into the re-design of the factory TJ hood. This was my first attempt at clay work, so it took some time, but the end result is just what I was looking for. The clay work was then used to make a fiberglass mold, which was then used to make a carbon fiber overlay for the final hood design.
Once the hood was complete, it was time to move on to the hardtop. The same attention was given to the hardtop to reshape it from the standard AEV design, to resemble the '49 top. Then all of the body panels went off to paint.
Only two weeks before the unveil at my son's fundraiser, the project was only a bare frame and many of the parts had yet to arrive. Every waking hour was spent either at my day job, or working non-stop on the build.
As the body parts came back from paint, they had to be assembled right away. In fact I didn't even start the suspension work until just a few days before the event, so a few changes had to be made later. Having only a 1-inch lift to clear 37" tires is a real feat once you add a Dana 60 front and Dana 70 rear axle.
You can view all of the build photos here
In early October 2014, Liam drew the winning raffle ticket for the FrankenBrute, which went to the owner of Lifted Ladies. She chose not to accept the Jeep and instead decided to leave it with Liam so that it would continue to raise awareness for Shaken Baby Syndrome.
