Many of you have seen photos of our SEMA build that we have named, FREEZe - which is a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe that we cut up and turned into an Off Road Ice Cream Truck! While plenty of photos have been making the rounds, we haven't gone through and given a full run down of the parts that make up this super capable Ice Cream Truck!
The first partner that helped make all of this possible was Jeep. We brought an idea and proposal to the team at Jeep and explained what we wanted to achieve and they really liked what we had to say and wanted to get on board with us. So once we had worked out the details, it was time to start cutting and fabricating a frame for our rear box!
With Jeep, another prevalent Brand Partner who stepped in was Mopar, who had a number of contributions for the vehicle, most notably, their new 2.5" lift with Bilstein shocks!
Brand partners Nemesis Industries is one that we've worked with on many of our builds in the past, generally with helping us out in the fender department, but when they heard what we were planning this year, they said they were on board however they could help, and help they did! They were custom fabricating parts for this build since so much of what was going on wasn't in a catalog. They helped us out with their maximum clearance high-line front fenders, frame sliders, and rear bumper, which were all direct from their catalog of products, but they custom made us tub armor. rear fenders, a license plate bracket, and all of the corner armor for the new box! We couldn't have been more happy with all of the help they provided and they loved the final outcome.
We got ahold of our friends at Mickey Thompson and told them what we had up our sleeves and they jumped on board, sending us a set of their 43x15R20 Baja Pro XD Tires, which helped to give this vehicle a super wide and formidable linebacker stance -- now we just had to make them fit!
Detroit Steel Wheel Co. is another Michigan based company that we've been friends with for quite some time, so when we were trying to figure out what wheels would work best for our 8-bit retro themed Ice Cream Jeep, it seemed most appropriate to give them a call! They loved the idea and we decided to run their Detroit Smoothie in 20x11 and the combination has been something that everyone commented on. We customized the center caps to make sure everyone knew who made these rad wheels!
To help handle all of the additional stress and unsprung weight created by the monster tires and massive wheels, we knew axles were a necessity, and thats when we reached out to our friends at Dana / Spicer and asked if they would be interested in partnering with us for the build. A set of front and rear Ultimate Dana 60's was just what the doctor ordered and paired perfectly with our Yeti XD™ steering components and would also handle the extra loads from the wheels/tires. We also did front and rear Rock Jock AntiRock sway bars in their heavy duty flavor to help keep the Ice Cream from getting all over the place with the higher center of gravity. The AntiRock system also pairs perfectly with our sway bar end links. Additionally we got in touch with our friends over at PSC Steering and upgraded the 4xe to their big bore steering box as well as their hydraulic assist to help move these massive 43" Baja Pros when trying to navigate the gnarly terrain. PSC has been a long time Brand partner and is another of many big name brands that utilizer our Steer Smarts Yeti XD steering components on their own rigs.
When it came to getting power to the axles, we got ahold of Adams Driveshaft, a company who we've trusted on our builds since our first one many years ago. When they heard Ice Cream, they said, "How fast do you need them?"
Sticking underneath the 4xe, we wanted to improve air flow a little and also add a little bit of an exhaust note, so we reached out to our friends at Magnaflow and got their Overland Series exhaust, which tucks up nicely under the rear of the Jeep and gives a nice tone at the same time!
Improving the interior sounds, we turned to none other than our friends at Kicker Audio, who couldn't wait to help us blast an 8-bit version of the Ice Cream Song! Phase one of the audio transformation included powered subwoofers, upgraded stock location speakers, and some external UTV speakers to let everyone know the Ice Cream Jeep is coming!
