Jeep Gladiator Becomes 6×6 with Hellcat Power

Gladiator features a lengthened frame, an extra axle, a Hellcat Hemi and custom body work.

The Jeep Gladiator is one of the most capable midsized trucks sold in America, but it falls well short of the Hellcat-powered Ram 1500 TRX. YouTuber The Stradman is looking to narrow the gap between the Gladiator and the TRX with the help of Agility Customs. The build is obviously not complete, but in the video below, we get a chance to watch and listen as this lifted, Hellcat-powered 6×6 hits the road for the first time.

Frankly, for those who don’t really need a bed, this Jeep Gladiator with Hellcat power looks like it is ready to hit the trails, but the owner wants a full body. As a result, we will have to wait a bit longer for the finished product, but the current progress shows that this is going to be one badass Jeep.

Hellcat-powered Jeep 6×6

In the video below, The Stradman begins by talking about how his Lamborghini Aventador has a dead battery. That leads to typical YouTuber shenanigans and eventually, of course, he gets the Lamborghini running. He then heads out to Agility Customs to see his Hellcat-powered Jeep Gladiator. For those with no interest in the saga of the Aventador with the dead battery, you can jump ahead to just past the five-minute-mark to get right to the good stuff.

We get a pretty good look at the custom rear suspension and chassis setup of the Jeep Gladiator. The extended portion of the frame is obvious, as it is different metal from the stock frame and it is unpainted. More importantly, below the new frame is an intricate suspension system and two heavy duty axles. All that really remains is to have the bed lengthened to fit on the stretched frame, but the majority of the key upgrades have been completed.

We never actually see the Hellcat Hemi, but thanks to the straight pipe revving and the short cruise on the road, it is clear that this Jeep is powered by a supercharged V8. It sounds amazing without a full exhaust system and it clearly pulls very hard. Best of all, when they get back to the shop, we are treated to a couple short burnouts with four of the six wheels.

First Drive

After giving us a good look at the 6×6 Jeep Gladiator, Stradman heads out of the shop to let the Hellcat Hemi stretch its legs. They make a couple soft, mid-range pulls, but they don’t want to break anything before the build is complete. Really, the goal of this first drive is to get some rolling photography and some early footage of the beast in action.

The host talks about how nicely it drives, but in the end, his key focus is how great is sounds and how hard the midsized Jeep pickup accelerates with the Hellcat Hemi. While there is work left to be done on this project, we are definitely liking the look of this build. When it is finished, it will certainly be one of the nastiest Gladiators on the road. Will it rival a Ram 1500 TRX? We don’t know for sure, but it certainly packs similar cool factor.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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