We had a great response from our first Fan Created Rides piece, Jason Rawley's ECTO-1X. Shortly after the story ran I was contacted by a number of people to do stories about their cars. One of the first to contact was Kevin Henry of the Denver Ghostbusters. Kevin is also a member of a movie car replica group called Colorado Movie Cars. Kevin sent me pictures of his ECTO-2K Dodge Magnum and his Jurassic Park Jeep. Since our first FCR was about a Ghostbusters themed ride, I decided to feature Kevin's Jurassic Park Jeep. If you're not familiar with the Jeeps from Jurassic park. Then check out last week's post about about the Jurassic Park Jeeps. Let's move on to Kevin's story.
Kevin first came up with the idea for creating this ride shortly after building his first Ghostbusters movie car. He wanted a movie car that was 4-wheel drive and had an open top. Then it was born! A practical off-road vehicle, but yet a movie car replica for the masses! A Jeep Wrangler from Jurassic Park! Kevin quickly searched the internet over for a Jeep from the correct time period. His search ended when he found a white 1990 Jeep Wrangler near by for $4000.
Kevin planned his conversion by looking over the pieces needed to turn his base Jeep into a Jurassic Park Jeep. But first he needed to upgrade his 1990 Jeep Wrangler to a 1992 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. To do this, he needed to find the correct roll-cage, wheels, side steps, seats and front fog lights. Many of the parts came from local junkyards in the Denver area. Then the work began.
Days were spent sanding. Kevin said the previous owner must have had a crash or rollover. The Jeep was riddled with bad body work. Him and his crew worked through the mess and redid the body work. Most of the body was taken to bare metal, primed and painted. Kevin debated colors between gray and slight champagne color. He settled on gray. He says he's very happy with the results. Next came the stripes.
Kevin masked off the stripes with newspaper and masking tape. Then did a pass or two with red paint. The interior got a full treatment as well. The carpet was pulled and the floor and interior walls are treated with Rhino Liner. Kevin can clean out this dino-runner anytime with a garden hose. Great tip for Jeep owners! Next came the wheels. The wheels were replaced with the correct factory wheels with BFGoodrich AT Tires. However to get them to JP Jeep specs, he sanded and sprayed the wheels red as well. Just like the ones in the movie. After paint came decals. Kevin ordered decals for the side doors, fenders and hood. All the graphics are placed in the same locations as the movie Jeep. Factory 4.0 Liter decals were also applied.
Kevin started putting the pieces back on the Jeep. Then came the first opportunity to show off the Jeep. Kevin scrambled to get the rest of the Jeep together for Nan Desu Kan Am, Anime Convention. The day of the convention Kevin and friends finished the Jeep including props! He pieced together some cases that resemble the emergency kit props from the movie. The Jeep was near completion and went on display. Near completion? Looks good to me. Kevin said it needed a few more pieces to be complete. He later added the winch, side steps, and light bar.
Since that first show, Kevin has shown the vehicle in countless other shows and events. But that doesn't mean this Jeep isn't just a show piece! Kevin takes it off road regularly. From the pictures you can tell he's not afraid to take this Jeep through mud, snow or high water! Hey what's the point of having Jeep and not using it? Kevin says from behind most people don't realize it's not a regular Jeep. It's when they see it from the sides or front, that they get the full effect. Kevin has a few more plans for the Jeep. Including adding extra speakers to blast out dinosaur noises. I'm sure wherever he goes, a JP fan some where notices.
As for advice, Kevin recommends utilizing online resources like the Jurassic Jeep Forums and other great Jeep sites. This is not the last Fan Created Ride we'll see from Kevin and his friends. We're looking forward to covering other FCRs from Colorado Movie Cars as well. However we're open to suggestions on any Fan Created Rides. If you have or know someone who has a tv/movie car, drop us a line via our contact page. Till next time, keep those dinosaurs at bay!
If you had dinosaur ranch on a remote island what vehicle would you use to get around? The Jeep Wrangler was Universal's answer as to the vehicle of choice for Jurassic Park's staff transportation. You know, the Jeep is perfect for getting up and down through terrain, transporting stolen embryos and running from dinosaurs. At least that was the case for the Wranglers in the film.
Base Jeep
The base vehicle for Jurassic Park Jeeps were 1992 Jeep Wranglers (YJ). The Jeeps were the "Sahara" trim level which included a few exterior extras such as alloyed wheels, colored fender flares, step board and front bumper mounted fog lamps. Interior options were special trail-cloth seats and removable doors with pockets. All 1992 Saharas came with the 4.0 liter 6 cylinder standard.* All the Jeeps used in the film appear to have manual transmissions. However automatic transmissions magically appear from time to time (kinda like how the General Lee switches back and forth through the Dukes of Hazzard series).*
Jeep 18
Jurassic Park Jeep
What makes the JP Jeeps special? Well let's start with the paint scheme and graphics. The paint scheme consists of a Sand Beige Poly background with two red diagonal stripes through the body.* Each Jeep is numbered on hood, on the side and on front/back license plates.* There is also a id tag hanging from the rear-view mirror. The park logo is on the doors. The windshield frame is red with light bar hoop on top. However from my research only Jeep number 12 features lights on the light bar (maybe removable?). Don't shoot me down with hate mail if I'm wrong. The rear tail lights lights have additional amber lights on the top. The wheels are alloy, however they're painted red to match the stripes. All of the JP Jeeps are equip with winches and ride on BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires.
Jeep 29: Very little screen time for this Jeep.
Jeep 10: Note the missing top. Used in the scene where they escape from the T-Rex. Later used to escape to the chopper.
Jeep 12: Used to by Dennis Nedry in attempt to escape the ranch with stolen embryos.
Jeep 12: Can Dennis not drive? Note the Lightbar.
Jeep 12: Final scene for Jeep 12, Dennis is killed by a Dilophosaurus.
Final Thoughts
Above is a clip from our favorite scene from the movie. In this scene the visitors are being chased by the a T-Rex. For comic relief the camera pans to the side rear view mirror. On the mirror you can see a warning label that says "Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear." The T-Rex in the mirror is looking a little too close for comfort. I still crack up when I see this scene. The Jurassic Park Jeeps are pretty neat. I think it would be a fairly easy movie car to clone. However it may not be one of the easier base vehicles to find. But they're around. If you're interested in creating one of your own, the guys at JurassicParkJeep.com forums maybe able to help ya out. It looks like a great community. Till next time, drive safe and watch out for dinos! Don't forget to register and chat with us in the forums!
* Updated: 03/05/2010 with some great info from the guys at JurassicParkJeep.com
Since Toyota has been in the news recently with the huge recall on gas pedal assemblies. I thought I would do a quick post about my favorite Toyota Truck ever featured in film, Marty's 1985 Toyota 4x4 Xtra Cab Truck from the Back to the Future Trilogy.
Haven't seen Back to the Future? You can find it in our store!
Early in the first Back to the Future film, Marty McFly nearly falls over after seeing the truck above for the first time. His reaction "Check-out that 4x4!" He told his girlfriend, Jennifer that he would love throw a few sleeping bags in the back of the truck and take it up to the lake. He told her, someday that truck would be his. Little did he know that it would later happen, but only after trip to the past changes his future. When he arrived home from 1955, it was sitting in the garage with a single-coat wax job by Biff Tannen.
The truck made a short return in the beginning of Back to the Future II as well. The scene pretty much just connected the two films. However the truck does comes up in conversion. The future McFly family is sitting around the table, talking about how Marty broke his hand in an auto accident during a street drag race. The conversion serves as some foreshadowing as to what happens at the end of Back to the Future III.
The truck got it's big break near the end of the final movie. Marty and Jennifer are shown riding through the suburbs in the truck. They're on their way to the crash site of the Delorean. While stopped at a red light, Needles Tannen Douglas J. Needles challenges Marty to a race. The light turns green and Marty floors it in reverse and does a 180. Looking back, the couple watches Needle's near miss with a Rolls Royce. Marty changed the future by avoiding the accident that would have cost him his music career.
Staged up and ready to roll...
...in reverse! Do you think Michael J. Fox did his own stunt driving?
Note the license plate and KC light-covers.
Notice the missing front license plate? What about the double bars on the light bar uprights?
Yeah... That would have hurt.
Final Thoughts
I give the truck's appearance two thumbs up. I like the wheels and all the extras. I think it was a good fit for Marty's character. It would be a fairly easy truck to replicate and show as a movie vehicle clone. There were a lot of these trucks made. Who knows, I might get around to making one someday. It wouldn't be my first Toyota truck! Till next time, remember "...the future is what you make it...so make it a good one!" See ya in the future!
Varsity Blues a movie about football, girls, parties and the glory days of high school. Oh yea and trucks! Good ole Billy Bob drove one of the baddest '73 - '87 Chevrolet Trucks ever featured in a Hollywood movie. The only thing bigger than Billy Bob's character was his 1973 Chevrolet 4x4 Truck. It was big enough to pack half the football team, Billy Bob and his prized pig.
Quote from Billy Bob about his pig: "I sure do love that dog."
Features
The truck is a long wheel base truck. The front end features a factory grill shell with aftermarket grill insert. The bumper is tubular with a integrated push bar and fog lamps. Note the head lights are round. Until 1981 all Chevrolet trucks had round headlights. The fenders have the fender extensions/guards. They're real important when you're running from the law through the bushes. Ya don't wanta get your truck scratched up.
From the side you can get a better view of the big "69" number decal on the side of the doors. Right above the decal on the driver's door is Billy Bob's name hand-brushed. You can also see the crew in the back. There is also a hand-brushed "Coyote Powered" script on the tailgate as well. The tailgate also features the tail-panel band insert. The rear bumper is tubular just as the front. There is also a light bar. You can also see the tubular step-bars in this shot. It's hard to judge the size of the lift kit. But you can tell it is lifted. My guess would be around 4" - 6" inch lift kit was used. The tires are in the neighborhood of 35" - 38" inches.
Goof
According to a post on moviemistakes.com the front drive shaft is missing. I haven't seen this for myself, so I'm gonna have to watch it again to verify. But It wouldn't surprise me that a detail like this goes unnoticed in a Hollywood production. I find it kinda funny. But it doesn't take away from the sheer awesomeness of the truck or the movie!
Final Thoughts
I chose to do this post, because my brother had a 1984 Chevrolet 4x4 Pickup (SWB) in the early '90s. It was a close replica of Billy Bob's truck, long before the movie was made. It had a sweet looking hand-brushed script that said "Summertime Blues" on the tailgate. The color was an exact match. Other than the fact the years and wheelbase were not the same, it could have been the movie truck! Every time I see something about Varsity Blues, it reminds me of the truck my brother had. Till next time, keep on trucking! We'll be working on another On Screen Cars post!
