Direct answer: RubiTrux says it began converting 2004-2006 Wrangler Unlimiteds into compact pickups in 2004. The conversion retained the factory LJ platform while adding an AEV Brute half cab, a custom RubiTrux bulkhead, a lined cargo bed, matching paint, and eventually a dedicated TruXedo Lo Pro 540501 tonneau cover. Archived retail pages show that the idea became a repeatable product rather than a single custom build.
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The Jeep truck that did not require a frame stretch
The RubiTrux half cab and the AEV Brute solved the same desire in different ways. RubiTrux started with Jeep’s factory-stretched 2004-2006 Wrangler Unlimited. An AEV Brute half cab was adapted to the LJ, while a custom bulkhead separated the passenger compartment from the newly open cargo area. The AEV Brute was a more extensive pickup conversion with a lengthened frame and separate steel bed.
The Jeeps that made RubiTrux famous
A June 2014 archived category page uses that description for the LJ half cabs. It identifies the AEV top, custom RubiTrux bulkhead, Line-X bedliner, labor, and matching paint; lists five conversion vehicles; and gives a then-current conversion price of $4,750. That page turns a remembered shop specialty into dated retail evidence.
The bed-cover clue is now a part number
A surviving product record identifies TruXedo Lo Pro 540501 as fitting the 2004-2006 Wrangler with the RubiTrux half cab. Eric remembered Extang assigning the application. A federal filing shows Extang and TruXedo were acquired and merged under common ownership in November 2007, which may explain the remembered brand connection, but no Extang-branded RubiTrux cover has yet been documented.
From builder to complete-vehicle retailer
By 2014, RubiTrux presented separate categories for its own half-cab Jeeps, AEV Brutes, and HEMI conversions. A 2015 archived Brute listing names Reggie Perry, records a $45,500 sold price, and credits Magento optimization to EKG Marketing. The pages preserve the whole operating chain: conversion work, vehicle inventory, ecommerce, direct sales, marketing, and customer support.
AEV built the idea; RubiTrux helped put it in driveways
AEV repeatedly engineered configurations before comparable factory Wranglers existed: stretched Jeeps before the LJ, Wrangler-based pickups before the modern Gladiator, and dealer-sold 6.4-liter JKs before the factory Rubicon 392. RubiTrux belongs in that history as a builder, installer, marketer, and seller that translated specialty engineering into customer vehicles.
What remains firsthand
Eric recalls that RubiTrux came from the phrase Rubicon truck and that the number of half-cab builds prompted the dedicated cover application. The product and cover are now documented; the name origin, first completed vehicle, annual build counts, and supplier conversations still require interviews or internal records.
Timeline
- RubiTrux says its LJ half-cab conversion program begins as Jeep introduces the long-wheelbase Wrangler Unlimited.
- The Wayback inventory preserves a RubiTrux conversions page, confirming an established conversion offering.
- RubiTrux operates dedicated AEV Brute, HEMI, vehicle-inventory, and Go4x4It web sections.
- Archived category pages separate AEV Brutes, RubiTrux half cabs, and HEMI conversions into formal retail programs.
- A sold 2006 black AEV Brute is listed at $45,500, with similar-build inquiries directed to Reggie Perry.
- RubiTrux currently reports more than 600 Wrangler and Gladiator HEMI swaps since 2013; the total remains a company claim pending internal records.
Sources and research trail
This article cites 6 public records, period publications, organizer histories, and other identified sources. External links open the underlying evidence.
- Wayback: 2014 RubiTrux half-cab conversion category (opens in a new tab)
- Wayback: 2014 RubiTrux AEV Brute category (opens in a new tab)
- Wayback: 2015 black AEV Brute listing (opens in a new tab)
- TruXedo Lo Pro 540501 RubiTrux fitment (opens in a new tab)
- SEC filing: Extang and TruXedo ownership history (opens in a new tab)
- Current RubiTrux half-cab listing (opens in a new tab)
Corrections and updates
This page is part of a living research project. Substantive corrections are recorded with a date and source. Submit or review a correction.