Tired of your old beat-up Beijing 2020? Thinking of giving it a make over for those cool summer months? Then why not make it into a fake Jeep Wrangler? China Car Times will show you how, thanks to some photos we found on the Autohome forums. The Beijing Jeep 2020 is quite popular with ex-pats living in China, we have no idea why though - its loud, its slow, its terribly hard to keep running (so we hear) and its hardly a chick magnet, is it?
We wonder if any members of the Peoples Liberation Army are reading? Perhaps they can convert their 2020’s into Wranglers? More after the jump.
Take your old beat up 2020, cut the roof off. You dont need it anymore.
Stick a new roof on from a hard top 2020!
Add a few minor cosmetic adjustments to the front bullbar.
Strip off all of the paint.
Make a few new parts out of what looks like fiberglass. Gloves or other protective equipment really aren’t necessary.
Add said Fiber glass bits to jeep.
Great - starting to take shape now!
Dont forget to add a sunroof.
Make sure you smoke, preferably with the cigarette hanging casually from your mouth.
Apply Jeep logo, however, make sure it isn’t wonky.
Remove rear seats, throw in camping equipment to make it look like you live a true outdoor life.
China Car Times thinks this is a great conversion - except for the wonky Jeep logo. Overall the transformation is pretty good!
Gotta love how they don’t sweat the headlight alignment, too. One’s at 45 degrees from the other. For better roadside sign illumination, maybe?
This further points up why I work hard to not buy anything labeled “Made in China!” Whatever it is, it’s either junk or nearly so.
they also took a chunk out the wheelbase length, hope it doesn’t break in half.
seriously, a good effort from the lads.
i used to have a 2020. it’s kind of a convenient form of classic car ownership - all the intrigue in the way it drives and falls apart, but only just out of production and all the spares easily available and dead cheap.
great car for cruising round the city, but a bit worrying to go too far from civilisation in case it broke down.
Nice green grass carpet in the back of this RubiCLON(E)
OHHH! So that’s what happens when you sentence a part maori part chinese chop shop owner from East Tamaki to home detention
Just think what would happen if this “jeep” got stolen and sent to a chop shop!
Just like trying to make honey out of dog shit!! The flavour is almost right, but the texture is all wrong!
i actually like the army jeeps i would just put a better motor tranny and gears in it maybe ac and call it a day lol
A few years ago (10 in fact)in Shanghai I was given one of these as a company car, not much choice then. It was the worst vehicle I have ever driven -everthing was wrong and out of balance, the tyres, wheels, engine, driveshaft. clutch and even the bloody heater fan!! We had 6 in the ‘fleet’ and all were as bad. After driving one for an hour you neded a 30 minute rest to recover and to stop the body (mine) from vibrating to bits.Luckily I lent mine to one of my staff who ditched it and I then ended up with a Sultana.
If you want one of these you must be a masochist or have no quality of life or etc.
Quite impressive job, still looks a bit weird but you never notice the car that was before. Anyway there is a kind of charm in classic cars, as Jeffinchina said I would make the adjust and improvement to avoid the miserable driving that Dog tucker mentioned and keep the same military look. Its always good keep the things original.
I saw a BJ2020 twin cab pick up truck today.
It looked great! Maybe I should get one to get around the Qingdao banning of pick up trucks. I need something thats big enough to carry bikes + people but isnt a pick up truck or a bus…..
Yes that kind of cars are very versatile and practical, and the best thing is that is really easy to make them look cool, you dont need to many things to make it look really nice. The only problem with this kind of cars is the toughness in the driving, the suspension, transmission and the steering could be exhausting. With the right improvements this is a great and very usefull car.
Actually this cuold be a very cool club with classic military car owners.
Wouldn’t it be cheaper/easier to just buy a real Wrangler??
Hi, I have a BJ2020s,95 model that is in urgent need of a recon gearbox,transfer box and hopefully a steering box, I have a friend in Beijing who is trying to deal with the manufactures and getting nowhere, judging from your blog you my be able to me or at least know somebody who can.
Help !!! Dave.
Dave Ailward!
Don’t despair time to do a major change out on your Beijing…Go to International Beijing Owners Club and check out my 97′ with the heart of a 69′ Bronco. It’s the only way you are going to keep it running…Trust me, I rebuilt the 4 cylinder piece of crap head banger and it made no dif. Now she runs all day at 70 mph…10 MPG but lots of looks. Jim
I am reading this and thinking back to the good old days with my 212, which was the predecessor to the 2020. I drove the thing for 3 years and I must say it was a blast! While I owned it I replaced the engine with a 110HP Chinese engine, replaced the transmission and transfer box with a unified 5 speed that was under development by Beijing Gears but I don’t think ever went into mass production. Of course I replaced the drive shafts and the exhaust, replaced the roof, replaced the seats, changed the color, put in a roll bar, added front and rear bumper guards. When I sold it the top speed would cruise at 120KPH. It was a fantastic car. I drove the dickens out of it and drove it all over northern China, from Beijing all the way to Harbin and to Xanadu, and I have the pictures to prove it. So for all of you who have never driven a Beijing Jeep don’t knock it. For those of you expats complaining about the 2020 if you have one I would be glad to take it off your hands. I loved that car and hated to sell it. And to Dave Ailward leave a comment here and I can fix you up with the parts you need.
Ive driven a BJ2020, its like driving a canal barge through a treacle river, and very frustrating when everyone overtakes you at the traffic lights
I dont care what you do to a 2020 its still a heap of crap and always will be. Doing a paddys axe routine to it just proves it. You would have to be into a severe form of mental masturbation or extreme self flagellation to think otherwise!
see: http://www.beijingjeep.org/membersrides/
Erik,
I cant get this website to open from China
If any car embodies the spirit of the old CCP mentality I’d say it’s the BJ 2020. Hang onto it Jim Corty…it’s a classic…..minor modifications not withstanding.
Hey Jim may as well find a couple of Lada’s as well (not the Niva tho-that would be cheating)or other dreadful ‘classics’.
In fact find something else that the CCP copied as well- the base 2020 is after all a UIZ and of course those terrible ex pre ww2 BMW oppossed twins complete with side chair copies ex Russia, that even after spending fast sums of money on ‘major modifications’still manage to perform like a dead whale on a slalom course. Why would anyone with half a brain and any sort of self esteem bother to collect, save, restore, spend money on or even drive a 2020 unless they were forced to?????
Yo Dog!
Have a Lancia Zagoto in the garage and a 65 Mustang and a 53 Ford F100 restored. Sounds to me like an 42 ish UAW worker on comp with not 2 much to do but implode and stroke the prostrate. The UAW jobs are gone, no more extra boards or paid PT time. A Lada no thanks, Vega Cosworth maybe. PS My wife drives a 2003 Jaguar with a 120k miles on it with only oil changes and no down time. Yup We don’t build like we used 2…Somebody else figured out how 2 use the can opener the right way. SOL buddy.
And I bet you’d vote for Obama yo momma 2; No The guy for the down trodden John (Scissor Hands) Edwards…WOS.
Gidday Jim mate, well you must have a big garage, but why fill it with 2020 crap? It seems you know a wee bit about cars and are reasonably intelligent, so maybe you have a sense of humour and can see the funny side of owning a Bj 2020?
I too have an extensive list of cars from a Porsche 356 Carrera to a Devaux, but would never pollute them (and myself) by exposing all to such a nasty piece of work. But then I guess Im a little biased as my first company ‘car’ in China was a BJ2020, now matter how hard I tried to find something to like about it I couldnt!
Who the hell is Obama, some type of yankee muppet? I can tell you I didnt vote for Rudd if thats any help!!
That BJ2020 you had once owned clearly did more psychological damage to you more than any woman ever did.
I’d have a BJ2020 as a beater if I could find somewhere to park it.
Right-at least with a women you couild try to reason with it (result unknown of course)But that bloody BJ2020 (and it got nicknamed BJ!) was the lowest form of life, until my assistant at the time ditched and wrote the bastard off! We had a celebration that night!
Replaced it with a Sultana, it was like moving up from a Fergie tractor to a Rolls (well almost- the fergie is a far superior beast to the BJ!)
Women I can handle but I admit that 2020 (and others since) had beaten me!! And Ashley thats why I think you need one as a beater - because you cant beat your wife??
I just want something that can knock into taxis, everytime they cut me up!
It would also be a good MTB carrier, although Im not entirely convinced of its offroad abilities, if any?
My wife is stubborn Dongbei girl, and often beats me.
Dog?
What do you do for a living? I read your blogs and I’m confused, sometimes you sound like a mass muderer, other times like Jay Leno, what gives. Yeah maybe I am a little off, okay way off, for transforming the 2020 into a Frankenstein, but what the hell the landfills have enough toxic trash in them already. At least the Damn thing will go from point A to B without crapping out now with the 302 V8 I can do 80 mph all day. the old 2020 could only do that over a tall cliff. I’ve heard a million horror stories about the crappy drive train. A four banger that needed a crucifix and a Rabbi just to keep the faith. At least now I can drive it anywhere without the Rabbi or a chinese tibetan tech(ha ha)in the back seat. The whole surgery only took two weekends and a couple of 6 packs of cold Sam Adams. Hell the beer made it fun. Be good dog. Porche 356…Cool.
PS Oboma is the half white guy claiming to be black that’s running for prez here in the US. It’s either him or the Blonde Clinton with the big thick ankles and no b_ _ bs..That is except for Bill.
B good ol boy. JC
JC, My cover is blown!! Yes Im a mass murderer, Im involved in the ever growing Chinese motoring industry, ensuring that millions will die on Chinese roads! Seriously the company I head in PRC is part of a global Corp that establishes production lines for new vehicles (cars and trucks), and as you can imagine we have been very busy here since the early 90s.
Im pulling your tit a bit re the 2020 and appreciate the transformation you have made - as we say ‘trying to make honey out of dog shit’- you may well do it yet! Now the Sam Adams I can appreciate! One of the best beers in the US of A out a selection of fairly bland watery donky pee brands that you do have.
The 356 is cool- trouble is its 1000s of miles away- but Im going home for a good holiday next week, so the cobwebs will be blown!
Oh that Obama - from a distance and as confused as I am re Yank politics (as everyone seems to be) I dont think you have a lot of choice, apart from getting rid of that imcumbent twot that you have at present.
Chin up and box on old chap!
Confused.
The book on Beijing Jeep said Jeep couldn’t build a 4 door jeep, but the 2020 exists. I even saw one in HongKong the other day.
So is it a copy of the Russian beast, or is it a reworked copy of the 2 door Jeep circa 1980s? Did BJJeep just reverse the process above, stretch the wheelbase and change th e body?
I once drove a Mahindra for a day, but classics do have some appeal, someone’s gotta keep one.
Dave Nevin
Dave, go to the link above and you’ll get a little bit of info. The chinese version is a derivative of the russian one which ws copied from the original willy’s from WWII. confusing yes but that’s the line. Jim
There’s a russian one for sale in Ebay for 12k…Steep.
Maybe for 3k but not 12k.