https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icp2Pb5uoME
Is there no limit to what a Jeep can do?
Well, technically yes, but that doesn't mean we mere mortals won't spend a lot of time and energy figuring out how to push those boundaries.
On this episode of Dirt Every Day on the MotorTrend Channel, host and re-engineer extraordinaire Fred Williams decides to take his 1997 Jeep Wrangler TJ-- affectionately known as Tube Sock -- out for a swim.
Now, Jeeps of all types have been fording water since the beginning of Jeepdom. Splashing through a little puddle here and there is hardly YouTube worthy (but incredibly fun!). What Fred actually means is that he is going to attempt to drive Tube Sock across a 12-foot-deep pond, across the actual bottom. In a sense, they're less going "swimming," and more going "snorkeling."
Before you can even find someone to ask to hold your beer, take note: Fred is not only really knowledgeable about what it takes to make a Jeep function underwater, but he's also a certified SCUBA diver. As hare-brained as this plan might seem, it has "safety" written all over it.
In fact, the first thing Fred does to prepare Tube Sock for the dive is remove the cage and the seats. He wants to make sure that in the event something goes wrong, he can easily get out and swim to safety.
And then they get to the fun part: Putting together the Ultimate Diving Jeep. First, they add a 540-pound Cummins 4-cylinder ISF 2.8L diesel engine, which is most commonly used in industrial equipment, not Jeeps, and definitely not in Jeep submarines. Stock specs for this engine run around 160 horsepower and 267 lb/ft of low-end torque. While the electric and computers need to be water sealed with dialectic grease to keep out moisture, this engine should provide enough power to plow through whatever muck awaits at the bottom of the pond, especially when paired with giant Maxxis Trepador tires.
Additionally, a Jeep needs to breathe in order to work, so Fred invents the "exhorkel," or exhaust snorkel, as well as the intake snorkel (inorkel?).
While things don't go entirely as planned, the surprise ending, with its mermaids and fuzzy pink beasts, is definitely worth watching. And once again, a Jeep does something amazing.
