Vigilante’s restomod Cherokee blends the best of new-digital and old-analog

Vigilante Customs is located about 50 miles from Austin, deep in the Texas Hill Country, in the tiny locale of Johnson City. It was the home of Lyndon Johnson, our 36th U.S. President, but contrary to popular belief, wasn’t named for him, and it may seem an unlikely spot for a lively auto restoration business.

Jeep restoration is Vigilante’s focus, and the firm primarily deals with the Jeep Cherokee (1974–1983), Jeep Wagoneer (1964–1991) and Jeep J-truck (1964–1983). Indeed, the “restoration” part of the business is quite serious. “Our rule: As much as possible, each element is either replaced with New Old Stock, remanufactured from scratch or completely restored,” says Daniel van Doveren, who founded Vigilante along with his wife, Rachel.

The latest Jeep project from Vigilante: a custom 1977 Cherokee S restomod. While thoroughly modern inside, the Cherokee S looks—amazingly—like a period piece from Jeep history.

“Vigilante strives to not affect the soul of each vehicle’s original design, and our new 1977 Cherokee is another pristine example of this. Our team goes to extreme lengths to ensure our customers are getting an authentic Jeep driving experience. While we do provide high-level modifications and improvements to make these vehicles suitable for modern driving conditions, we ensure our customers still feel like they’re getting behind the wheel of an iconic ’70s-era Jeep,” said Rachel van Doveren.

This Cherokee S “is special for many reasons, but none more than the fact that it looks near-original to how it did in the 1970’s. The client requested minimal technology inside of the actual Cherokee body, so we kept this as close to possible to the original 1977 design,” she said.

Nonetheless, it’s all up to date under the hood, where there’s a crate 392 Hemi SRT-8 engine mated to a Bowler Performance 4L80E automatic transmission. Stopping power is improved with Baer six-piston disc brakes. The front axle is a Dana 44, with a Dana 60 in back, along with Eibach coil springs and adjustable Fox Racing shock absorbers to replace the original leaf spring suspension. There’s an Advance Adapter Atlas II transfer case. The Cherokee rides on 17×9-inch Vigilante wheels machined out of billet aluminum. Seats are leather.

If all that sounds more “mod” than “resto,” it is, until you look inside the cabin. The client specified a minimal use of modern electronics visible to the eye. Designed to mirror the 1977 Cherokee’s original analog design, Vigilante integrated hand-crank windows and manual locks. Even the Cherokee’s digital gauges and clock are blended in to look as close to original as possible. Three-point belts, however, were added for safety.

The original outside mirrors were known for rattling and shaking, so Vigilante created mirrors built from CNC-milled aluminum to make sure they stayed steady. The exterior is painted Midnight Blue, and replacing the period’s wood grain paneling that adorned a lot of Wagoneers is a Glacier White stripe.

None of this comes cheap, of course: All Vigilante builds start at $295,000. There are definitely flashier ways to spend that kind of cash, but for the consummate Jeep fanatic these restomods might be the classiest.

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