After Jay Leno drove an insane Jeep Gladiator 6x6 conversion on his YouTube channel this past August, I needed to know more. Figuring that this would probably be a one-off build serving mostly as a marketing effort, I reached out to Apocalypse 6x6 and discovered that the Florida-based shop constantly cranks out these monsters for customers all over the world. Plus, Leno didn't even get the full supercharged Hellcat experience, instead driving only the "regular" naturally aspirated LS3-swapped "Hellfire" version.
Made to order based on a Jeep Gladiator that receives a true six-wheel-drive conversion, either the Hellcat or Corvette powerplant, and a laundry list of other custom touches like a marine leather interior and even a zombie-spotting thermal imaging camera, the Apocalypse 6x6 certainly lives up to its aggressive moniker. Happy to prove the build's potential, Apocalypse 6x6 founder and owner Joe Gattas invited me down to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to visit his facilities and get some seat time in one of the wildest Jeep builds the world has ever seen.
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Climb Aboard The Apocalypse 6x6
Not every Apocalypse 6x6 starts its life as a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, but the specific truck that Gattas handed me the keys to drive will eventually serve as a promotional vehicle throughout the Middle East for Pegasus Automotive Group. As such, Gattas chose the maxed-out factory pickup and then threw just about his whole catalog at it, including a host of drivetrain upgrades to go along with the custom exterior and interior work.
Gattas originally made a name building extreme off-roading Wranglers with his company SoFlo Jeeps, of which Apocalypse 6x6 is something of a subsidiary, but he eventually transitioned to using the Gladiator as a base for even more hardcore products because it leaves the factory with a longer chassis and heavier-duty Dana 44 axles, rather than the Dana 30s and 35s that base Wranglers might employ. The Rubicon package also means this specific Apocalypse 6x6 retains the locking front and rear differentials—more on that later.
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Swapping In A Hellcat Hemi
Those beefier original axles become all the more necessary in the Hellcat-powered Apocalypse, with a tuned Mopar crate engine pumping out an estimated 750 horsepower through a Ram 3500's heavy-duty eight-speed automatic. Gattas hasn't put one on a dynamometer (because nobody he knows has a six-wheel dyno) but everybody knows the 6.2-liter Hemi can support well in excess of 750 horses with ease. Plus, the supercharger's whine makes it much more fun, even if the burble of the LS3 might actually be a bit louder. And believe it or not, even in a stretched truck with a beefed-up drivetrain and an extra axle, that Hellcat engine can still spin all four rear wheels with ease at each mash of the accelerator pedal.
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A True Six-Wheel Drive Conversion
Yep, the Apocalypse 6x6 burns all four rear tires—not just two of them like a few others 6x6 conversions out there—because it employs true six-wheel drive. Gattas and his crew fabricate a fully in-house-designed center axle and move the Gladiator's original axle to the rearmost set of wheels. The center axle then gets a nine-inch Ford differential with another splined shaft running to the third axle. An Eaton ELocker at the rear means that with the click of the Gladiator's original locking diff button, all four rear wheels also lock side-to-side.
New axle shafts help to support the additional torque required to sustainably put power to the ground, while a shorter 5.55 final drive ratio helps motivate the enormous 40-inch knobbies. Gattas will also ship trucks with more "tame" 38-inchers for customers who don't want the 40s.
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Suspension Revisions And A Mild Lift
The Apocalypse 6x6 definitely looks a lot bigger than a stock Gladiator, but the truth is that the conversion only stretches the original chassis by four inches before bolting on the third axle and longer bed. Gattas explained that they actually cut the bed twice to allow for almost eight feet of length, with a shorter segment hanging off the tail to improve upon the Gladiator's factory departure angle. The distance between the two rear axles measures in at 41 inches, which leaves a scant one inch between the two 40-inch tires on my ride.
A host of suspension modifications support the chassis stretch and upgraded wheel-and-tire combo. Most notably, Falcon monotube shocks and Evo springs allow for three inches of lift—a relatively tame number in aftermarket Jeep terms. Each Apocalypse 6x6 buyer can also opt for remote reservoir shocks, too.
But just lifting the Gladiator would create iffy suspension and steering geometry, so Gattas worked out custom control arm brackets that allow for optimal driving dynamics because the upper control arms still point upward at the same angle as Jeep's original design.
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Marine Leather Interior Upgrades
That focus on factory-original quality takes a big step forward for the Gladiator on the interior, which in my experience leaves a lot to be desired from the showroom floor. For the truck I drove, Apocalypse 6x6 went whole-hog and added bright red quilted marine leather with white accents—even on the roof panels—and a custom center screen. The display conversion loses a bit of Jeep's original 4x4 infographics but retains almost all the original buttons and switchgear, plus customers can download a range of aftermarket apps to the new system if they want.
Most importantly for both Florida and the Middle East, dropping in the Hellcat did not require deleting the air conditioning, which somehow seems to blow even colder thanks to the use of a Dodge Charger's AC compressor.
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Infrared Camera For Zombie Defense
No matter how hot or cold it gets inside, though, one of the best features of the Apocalypse 6x6 has to be the thermal imaging camera. Mounted up top above the cabin, the camera can swivel 360 degrees, as well as up and down, and provides up to three miles of range picking up heat signatures. Multiple different color schemes create the impression of night vision but really, it works just as well during the day because the system is built for finding fish underwater. Out of just about every detail, being able to see bodies and vehicles at night mostly perfectly bears out the Apocalypse name.
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An Impressive Build
Of course, all the suspension components and techy gadgets can only go so far if the Apocalypse 6x6 drives like a harsh military truck, so I really looked forward to blasting around Fortt Lauderdale, both on the tarmac and off, to experience whether Gattas and his crew managed to retain the Gladiator Rubicon's excellent driving dynamics. After all, the truth remains that most customers want an eye-catching build like this not so much to go tearing around the desert but to turn heads at every opportunity.
I've spent many days behind the wheel of a Gladiator Rubicon with Mopar's in-house two-inch lift and can report that the Apocalypse 6x6 feels just as factory original as that truck. At times, I even forgot there was a stretched bed and third axle behind me in traffic—the Gladiator's visibility issues worsened by a bed box and windshield cowl probably helped with that sensation. But truly, despite 40-inch knobbies, a heavier engine, and plenty of added weight, the truck handles just as well—if not better—in town compared to most other large pickup trucks. And then, every little touch of the throttle spools up the supercharger whine and lights up the rear end, bringing an immediate grin to the faces of anyone within 50 yards. During my time in Ft Lauderdale, a guy in a stock Gladiator even chased me down to ask what was going on, since he'd watched me burn out with all four wheels and knew the original Pentastar V6 couldn't ever come close to doing such a thing.
I did specifically take the Apocalypse 6x6 to a small rock quarry to try a bit of off-roading. I'd love to get it out for some real trail time, though in the short run, it performed admirably without much in the way of creaks and rattles. Somehow, the turning radius isn't even that bad—and speaking of steering, the Apocalypse 6x6 actually offers much better steering feel than a factory-original Jeep because Gattas replaces the electronic assist with a true hydraulic pump relocated due to space concerns in the engine bay.
The toughness factor of a truck like this during off-roading comes to mind. How durable will the Apocalypse 6x6's modifications prove in the long term? Well, Gattas let me check out their paint room, where a truck with a damaged tailgate was getting some repairs. Somehow, the dimpled kevlar Line-X paint (to which Apocalypse 6x6 adds a bit of extra UV protection) showed absolutely zero damage despite the force required to put a grapefruit-sized dent in the metal. So forget about desert pinstripes—and Gattas told me one of his customers, an MLB star, puts tens of thousands of miles on his Apocalypse 6x6 in the Southwestern US and when it comes in for service, the shop takes it all apart to check for wear and tear. That kind of prototyping leads to Gattas then sending out upgraded parts to previous customers, so that they can rest assured their massive 6x6 will continue to drive perfectly over the years. And he even covers the trucks with a three-year/unlimited-mileage warranty!
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What's Next For SoFlo Jeeps & Apocalypse 6x6
With the rear bed extended by over two feet, plus that custom-built bed cover highly reminiscent of the Tesla Cybertruck, I had to ask Gattas if a potential Apocalypse 6x6 overlander might be in the works. The off-roading community would love for Jeep to build a two-door Gladiator with a bed long enough to sleep in but for now, Gattas does have plans for a full overlander conversion complete with air-conditioned living quarters.
When that will materialize remains a mystery because his company's busy schedule currently includes cranking out orders for converted Gladiators, as well as the Ram TRX-based Warlord 6x6, a G-Wagen 6x6, and even a potential new Bronco project once Ford can begin regular deliveries (so far, they've already built over 120 Apocalypse 6x6s). Meanwhile, Gattas also runs SoFlo Jeeps, which consistently turns out "normal" Jeep builds at a rate of around 80 per month. Another goal on the horizon for Gattas and his crew is to get the Apocalypse 6x6 its own VIN number, since so little of the original Gladiator remains—and which might make shipping to the Middle East a bit easier.
After driving the Apocalypse 6x6, I definitely felt addicted to the big power and supercharger whine of the Hellcat, so I had to ask how much a "sleeper" Gladiator with just the drivetrain swap might run. Gattas told me about $55,000 all-in with the Hellcat Hemi, the Ram 3500 trans, and complementary upgrades to fueling and ECU tuning. That's a steep price on top of buying the truck itself, which can easily top $60,000 in Rubicon trim (and you gotta have Rubicon, seriously). But the full pricetag of around $200,000 for the truck I drove or the cheapest model at $150,000 (both including the base Gladiator) sounds almost too good to be true—especially compared to the builds coming out of the likes of Hennessey and Shelby.
Adding the Hemi, the third axle, and the stretched bed somehow doesn't add too much weight but I'd still hate to think about the Apocalypse 6x6's fuel economy figures during an actual apocalypse when finding gas might prove challenging. In reality, though, when you buy a $200,000 custom truck with a Hellcat V8 swap and 6x6 conversion, you don't worry about your MPG ratings, do you?
Excessive, unnecessary, and aggressive—all three terms describe the Apocalypse 6x6 perfectly. It's the exact opposite of a Toyota Prius or the eco-conscious marketing of today's EV revolution. But that supercharger, the build quality, and the sheer attention an Apocalypse 6x6 gets driving around town all stood out for me—and given the rate Gattas is building them, his customer base has taken note, as well.
Sources: apocalypse6x6.com, youtube.com, jeep.com, pegasusbrands.co.uk, soflojeeps.com, and mopar.com.
