May 11, 2015
By Mike Schoby
I have been testing an American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) JK350 for over a year and have been blown away by the quality of the build. So when I decided to pick a vehicle for my Border To Border excursion, choosing AEV was a no brainer. All told, this trip is going to stretch across 6,000 miles of the roughest terrain in North America; from harsh deserts to high mountain passes to rain forests — so this vehicle had to be tough. While the JK350 I have been testing would handle this trip with ease, I am towing a trailer loaded down with lots of hunting gear for the 45 day excursion, so the 6.4 Liter AEV Brute Double Cab made more sense.
This Brute started off life as a standard Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JK, but quickly was transformed to arguably the most capable off road vehicle in the world. After the chassis was lengthened to a 139-inch wheelbase and a cored composite bed installed, a 6.4-liter Hemi was dropped under the hood for a whopping 470 horses (nearly 200 more horses than a standard jeep) and 465 ft. lbs. of torque. To handle the power Dana 60s were installed both front and rear, as were E-lockers. Top off the Brute with such features as a soft cover over the Rhino-lined bed, a snorkel for deep water wading, a 3.5 inch lift with AEV's progressive Dual Sport suspension to accommodate 37 inch tires, Savegre wheels, a heat reduction hood, AEV bumpers fore and aft and a Warn winch and you have a vehicle that is ideal for hunters. aev-conversions.com
*AEV Wheels and 35" tires are an optional upgrade on a DC250.
*Capability specs based on standard DC350 trim.
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Layout: 4WD 5-Passenger, 4-Door Pickup
This Brute started off life as a standard Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JK
Tucked below the Brute's bed is a hidden Under Mount Tire Carrier to securely hold your spare tire. A hand operated winch allows for easy lowering and removal of the spare tire, should you need to use it.
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