This Wild G-Wagon Pickup Conversion Has The Crazy Axles All Serious Trucks Need

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On the imply streets of Los Angeles, Mercedes-Benz’s iconic G-Wagon way back transitioned right into a mainstream standing image for the wealthy and well-known. Seemingly round each nook, one other boxy SUV with tinted home windows hides influencers and celebs, taking over half of Rodeo Drive or crowding compact spots within the Whole Foods car parking zone.

But as soon as upon a time, the G-Wagon boasted true off-road cred, again when Benz first started promoting a rugged army 4×4 constructed by Steyr-Puch. Mercedes-Benz nonetheless builds the G with that functionality simply begging to be unleashed, even when 99% of consumers won’t ever truly hit any form of grime at any form of velocity. But with over 60,000 G-Wagons offered within the US since Benz first shipped the burly truck right here in 2001, fractions of massive numbers are nonetheless massive numbers, in spite of everything—so a handful of aftermarket corporations construct hardcore off-roaders out of those German stalwarts in the present day.

Pit26 Motorsports of Beverly Hills delivers the form of customized G-Wagons that may bridge each worlds, with severe presence on metropolis streets and severe chops within the deserts across the LA Basin. But Pit26’s newest creation takes an enormous step previous simply an ordinary carry or a set of knobby tires—as a substitute, the chassis has been chopped and stretched for a pickup mattress conversion after which, most significantly, a set of portal axles put in to offer extra floor and tire clearance concurrently.

To show the truck’s bonafides, Pit26 founder Sammi Shaaya let me climb behind the wheel for a spirited run up and down Mulholland, together with an extended break to go over the engineering R&D behind the undertaking.

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For these questioning what, precisely, portal axles are and the way they’ll add to an already monstrous G-Wagon construct, relaxation assured that this straightforward system leads to large enhancements to floor clearance and gearing. Essentially, putting in portal axles takes a carry far past taller springs, longer shocks, and/or chassis spacers—relying on the way you have a look at it, portal axles both drop the wheels or carry your complete car by including a easy gearbox to every wheel hub.

Now, the drive axles run effectively above the middle of every wheel, as seen the place the CV boots connect to the portal hub within the photograph above. Installing portal axles allowed Shaaya to mount gargantuan 38-inch Toyo tires on this G-Wagon with out sacrificing energy or risking tire rub contained in the wheel wells. And as anybody who has ever pushed a lifted Jeep off-road can attest, each inch issues with regards to tire measurement.

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Of course, Mercedes-Benz is aware of all about portal axles and truly put in an identical setup on each the 4×4² and the utterly absurd (and undeniably superior) manufacturing unit 6×6 variations. More traditionally important, surely, is essentially the most well-known manufacturing unit car to ever make use of portal axles: the Unimog, arguably essentially the most hardcore off-roader ever offered by an automotive OEM.

A Unimog may be capable to lumber over nearly any impediment—and as much as world-record heights within the Chilean Andes, besides—however no one would make the error of calling such an enormous cab-over quick in any sense of the phrase. Not so for Pit26’s portal-axle truck, which started life as a mannequin yr 2021 G63 AMG geared up with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 pumping 577 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque by way of a nine-speed automated transmission. Shaaya’s background as a rock-crawling fanatic shines by way of, however surprisingly, the portal axle’s inside gearing additionally enable him to maintain that sporty AMG spirit alive regardless of loads of further weight and larger tires.

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Shaaya’s proclivities differentiate Pit26 from extra typical Beverly Hills auto aficionados, who may personal a few RS Porsches, a Ferrari or, extra not too long ago, a limited-edition McLaren. Instead, he realized to drive in an 80 Series Toyota Land Cruiser—which he truly reacquired later in life as a result of he liked it a lot.

But love for the Toyota itself does not fairly clarify why that 80 Series now sports activities an uncovered roll cage with no roof, 40-inch tires, and mismatched physique panel paint. He’s taken the Land Cruiser on the Rubicon Trail and right down to Baja California, and two completely different rollovers alongside the way in which taught Shaaya rather a lot about, you guessed it, rebuilding and modifying off-roaders. The battle-worn Toyota now waits for extra enjoyable within the storage whereas Shaaya harbors desires of coming into a G-Wagon within the Baja 500 or 1000.

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That dream started manifesting again in 2015, when Shaaya first began constructing his personal private G-Wagon undertaking. After all, think about a devoted off-roader who loves boxy solid-axle SUVs with loads of articulation, energy, and presence—however who cannot purchase the epic 4×4² model offered in Europe as a result of Benz took years earlier than committing to market one thing so aggressive within the US.

Instead of ready or discovering a grey market import loophole, Shaaya took issues into his personal fingers, however the truck we drove is definitely for a consumer who skilled one thing comparable after seeing a Brabus 800 XLP on-line, which was additionally not offered within the US. The undertaking started in earnest in 2021, by which level Shaaya had already made a reputation for himself changing G-Wagons with portal axles swaps, a lot in order that he even offered kits individually from the builds themselves.

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This truck began life as a W463A, inside nomenclature that interprets to a second-gen G with impartial entrance suspension and rack-and-pinion steering (learn: far more every day driveable, however barely much less hardcore than a solid-front-axle first-gen).

First issues first, Pit26 chopped the G behind its C-pillar and stretched the body simply shy of 20 inches. Next, the truck acquired a set of portal axles from the Australian producer GForce Engineering. (Shaaya used to make use of and promote portals from Tibus Offroad however later switched to GForce.) He additionally additional decreased the portal axles’ gearing this time round, from 1.21 to 1.26 to compensate for the elevated tire diameter’s mandatory drop in wheel torque.

Because the portal axles primarily re-gear the G, Pit26 can retain the inventory twin-turbo V8 and transmission with out concern of overloading componentry. Those manufacturing unit scores of 577 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque exit the window, although. We’re now within the realm of real-world wheel-horsepower, as I study nearly instantly.

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Having beforehand pushed loads of constructed off-roaders with massive tires and no revised gearing, I lean into the throttle maybe too aggressively off the primary purple gentle—and nearly launch straight over the intersection. A burbling exhaust lives as much as the highly effective potential of the driveline with out an excessive amount of fanfare, courtesy of a Magnaflow system that turned mandatory as a result of the considerably increased trip made robotically retracting aspect steps one thing of essential.

Even earlier than firing up the engine, although, simply climbing up into Pit26’s truck turns each drive right into a ceremony. As we drove by way of Beverly Hills, we handed a few inventory G-Wagon and laughed whereas trying down, actually, on their rooftops. But on the within, the truck retains all of the traditional Mercedes-Benz creature comforts—comfortable leather-based upholstery, brushed aluminum trim, an enormous mixed gauge cluster and infotainment show. Swaddled in luxurious and pulling away from site visitors (as soon as I realized my lesson about throttle response), the truck truly feels surprisingly comfy to drive, too, regardless of the apparent improve in measurement and scale.

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I attribute a part of the convenience that I discovered behind the wheel to Mercedes-Benz’s cussed refusal to excessively work over the second-gen G-Wagon’s design, which suggests the brand new fashions nonetheless retain a slender hood, in distinction to the oversquare entrance ends from Ram, Ford, Chevy, and even Toyota as of late. Fender flares extra akin to a Jeep or, dare I say, a Nineties Toyota or Mitsubishi assist with viewing angles over the nostril.

And out again, the G’s upright home windows present an inexpensive quantity of visibility for altering lanes or navigating on tighter, twistier canyon roads. Now simply think about having the ability to see obstacles whereas off-roading, while not having a bevvy of various digital camera angles that inevitably flip off on the worst doable second.

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As we drove as much as Mulholland, Shaaya instructed me that when the primary parts of this construct wrapped up, his consumer picked the truck up and—fully with out warning—proceeded to promptly drive the truck over 6,000 miles spherical journey to Wyoming and Montana. Talk about sudden torture testing, however an incredible alternative for Pit26 to study from any potential considerations that cropped up.

Shaaya talked about that after the street journey, he centered extra on the management arms and steering knuckles, which do cope with extra load when utilizing portal axles as half and parcel of the impartial entrance suspension system—that very same IFS that makes the second-gen G a lot extra comfy to drive on that precise form of a 6,000-mile street journey.

So far, the unnamed consumer and Shaaya (and now me) have collectively racked up over 10,000 miles on the construct. Even at a full six inches wider than inventory, the truck barely clunks and rattles—aside from a number of retorts over bigger bumps from the TruckVault drawers and bike rack setup within the mattress. Part of the graceful trip comes, little doubt, from the tall sidewalls of 38-inch Toyos mounted on 18-inch wheels, but additionally the two.65-inch Bilstein shocks which might be truly beefier than a manufacturing unit 4×4².

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Hold on, solely 18-inch wheels? Yep, this consumer shares the identical preferences as Shaaya and myself with regards to mounting larger tires on smaller wheels. Choosing 18-inch wheels required swapping on a set of G550 brakes, somewhat than the bigger AMG items, however braking energy feels surprisingly unfazed—in all probability thanks once more to the gearing.

Even the robotically inflating seat bolsters nonetheless hugged my torso throughout arduous cornering. That’s no small feat, Shaaya proved by pulling the backseat’s seatback ahead to disclose that the G-Wagon leaves the manufacturing unit with a grand whole of 72 completely different computer systems that management all of the vital electrical elements (suppose the airbag ECU, battery regulation, the seat bolsters and changes, plus now these automated steps and aftermarket stereo amplifier).

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Hustling alongside Mulholland in an enormous matte grey G-Wagon, site visitors round us slows down a bit to stare. To be truthful, the darkish grey appears nearer to black on a cloudy day. And the murdered-out wheels, tinted home windows, and black racks in again all complement the stereotypical Beverly Hills G-Wagon aesthetic. Only this one is extra, in each method, particularly for these fanatics who may truly take a peek beneath in any respect the customized suspension elements, skid plates, bumpers, and naturally, the portal axles.

The large mud terrains do not even create an excessive amount of street noise, as a testomony to Mercedes-Benz’s sound deadening in what has change into, undoubtedly, a peak luxurious car. (The Magnaflow exhaust and my enthusiastic proper foot may need helped drown out the hum of rubber, too.) After the arduous launch, hammering the throttle at velocity brings up respectable, if not breathtaking, acceleration effectively previous 70 miles per hour. I requested Shaaya how a lot the truck weighs, all in, however he hasn’t taken it to a scale but. And do not ask about gas financial system, which I’d guess is now within the mid-single digits.

No undertaking automobile ever reaches true completion and Shaaya is aware of that even 1,100 hours into this construct, he can nonetheless good the recipe. Personally, I might need a barely higher turning radius, much less of a four-door short-bed format, and softer suspension. But the realities of modifying after which every day driving a customized conversion like this dictate each resolution alongside the way in which, particularly after the portal axles.

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The essential drawback of portal axles is unsprung weight: every provides 80 kilos to every wheel hub. Plus, the larger tires and beefed-up bumpers, skids, and suspension elements all sit effectively beneath the cabin degree. Understeer understandably provides up the sooner I enter corners and regardless of minimal physique roll, a planted wheelbase someway interprets to a little bit of an “up here and down there” feeling as two facilities of mass react to one another.

But I write this totally conscious that I’m speaking about arduous cornering in an enormous, lifted, stretched G-Wagon. If Shaaya desires to take a G-Wagon to Baja and win a race in any class, then extra suspension journey, extra tire clearance, and extra damping with out portals will nearly actually enter the combination. Current plans to spice up output to 1,1000 horsepower, relocating the intercoolers to permit for larger wheel and tire combos, and additional torture testing for the customized suspension elements ought to assist.

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Take a have a look at any trophy truck and clearly, unsprung weight shouldn’t be nice for blasting by way of whoops, silty ruts, and avoiding flats in a number of the most treacherous terrain on the planet. Shaaya is aware of all this, which supplies me hope. And within the meantime, in need of racing in Mexico, he is discovered the proper consumer who fortunately comprehends what constructing nearly essentially the most hardcore G-Wagon doable requires.

Short of showy carbon-fiber physique panels or underbody lights or jumbo twin-turbos spitting fireplace by way of straight-piped exhaust, that is the place 1,100 man-hours devoted to actual engineering improvement will get you—proper as much as the highest of Mulholland, lickety-split. But the desert beckons from over the mountains, the place this G-Wagon would actually shine.