How To Build Your Own Jurassic Park Jeep

The 90's Baby

Oj Simpson trial, Bill Clintons rendezvous with Monica Lewinsky, The Power Rangers, Saved By The Bell, Waynes World and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Feeling Nostalgic yet? I know we are! The 90's were a great time for pop culture and cinematic adventures.

Films like Jurassic Park created by Steven Spielberg changed the filmmaking landscape for good. Spielberg proved that Computer Generated Images (CGI) had a spot in filmmaking for years to come diminishing the noticeable differences between CGI and reality on the big screen. The sight of a CGI Dinasours slamming their feet down gave chillis throughout movie theaters across the globe. It was a statement film for the 90's and a foresight of technology to come.

You may ask how this all ties in with a remanufactured tire company like TreadWright. Well, recently we sought ways to help us relive 90's without smelling like teen spirit, and it led us to Kris Peters who transformed his Jeep Wrangler YJ Sahara into a "beefed" up version of the Jurassic Park Vehicles. After Interviewing Kris, we have found what it takes to make the transformation for people trying to relive the good ole days in fashion.

Build Your Own Jurassic Park Jeep

Source a vehicle

• The base vehicle is a 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport with a 4.0L and automatic transmission. You can find this on Craigslist or AutoTrader, but be sure the vehicle is in somewhat good condition if possible. 

Automotive Parts

• NP231 Transfer Case with advance adapters Slip Yoke Eliminator - Shop Now 
• Rear axle is a Ford Explorer 8.8 rear axle conversion with 4.88 Yukon gears and Spartan Locker - Shop Now
• Front axle is stock Dana 30 High Pinion with 4.88 Yukon Gears and Spartan Locker - Shop Now
• Driveshafts are by Tom Woods - Shop Now
• TJ Rubicon "Moab" style 16" rims with TreadWright GuardDog 315x75r16 8ply Tires - Shop Now 

• Rear leaf springs are 3.5" - Shop Now 
• Front coils are 4" - Shop Now
• CavFab front Alpha Series 3 Link (pending installation) - Shop Now 
• CavFab Crossover Steering (pending installation) - Shop Now
• Front Bumper is an ARB with Warn 8000 series Winch - Shop Now 
• KC HiLites - Shop Now
• Rear Bumper is a Tire Carrier - Shop Now
• Rear Bumper High Lift Jack - Shop Now
• JCR Lower Rear Quarter Guard Armor (pending installation) - Shop Now
• Bushwacker Flat style fender flares painted to match body - Shop Now
• Custom 2x6 Rocker Panel Replacement
• Baja Style Spotlight - Shop Now
• Taillight Guards - Shop Now
• ARB Twin OnBoard Air Compressor - Shop Now 
• Custom "008" Jurassic Park mirror tag by Adam Mark - Shop Now
• Custom "08" Jurassic Park license plate by Celebrity Machines - Shop Now

Q&A with Jurassic Park Jeep Builder Kris Peters

What Made You Decide to Do the Jurassic Park Build?

We asked builder Kris Peters what made him decide to take on such an epic build and below is his response. 

Builder Kris Peters - I have always been a fan of the films and owning one of the vehicles has always been a dream of mine. In 2015 when the latest movie "Jurassic World" was released and the kids went to the old park and found the old jeeps I fell in love with them again. The next day I tracked down a Jeep Wrangler YJ Sahara on craigslist, went to Chicago to buy it and started the conversion process which took me about six months. Earlier this year I began working on my second Jurassic vehicle build, the 1999 Jeep Cherokee made to look like one of the Ford Explorers from the film.

Challenges when taking on the Jurassic Park Build

We asked builder Kris Peters what challenges he faced when taking on such an extraordinary build and here is his response.

Builder Kris Peters - Finding the right colors for the green and yellow was actually a bit harder than you might think. There are a few replica builders for the Ford Explorers but most of them are wrapped and not painted. I reached out to a friend in Orlando who built a very accurate replica explorer and he actually sent me paint samples which I had scanned and custom made at a local shop. Also laying out the stripes also proved difficult. I tried to use a projector but the quality was poor. I actually went and converted the digital wrap file to black and white and printed off an entire Ford Explorer slightly scaled down to fit the Cherokee. The whole thing was on 8.5x11 sheets of paper which I then taped together and then cut the stripes out and masked them on the Jeep, that part was the most time-consuming.

The 90's Don't Go Extinct 

Kris and his Jurassic Park Jeep build have been the epitome of the child inside all of us. Exactly what we were looking for when we went on a mission to revisit our inner 90's. His iconic build turns heads everywhere it goes and offers an escape back to when things were a little less fast paced.  Many of 90's hits have subsided to father time, but for now, Kris and his Jurassic Park Jeep are revitalizing the 90's for decades refusing to go extinct.

You can follow Kris and his build on Instagram at @JurassicKP