A ONE-OF-A-KIND JEEP
KALABER CREATIONS’ J1 IS A JEEP WORTH CELEBRATING
With lots of imagination, common sense, and guts, Mark Tetreau of Arizona-based Kalaber Creations started building a ’71 Kalaber “J1” Jeep in 1995. The lack of tools, engineering education, resources, and money didn’t stop him from starting this distinctive project. Throughout the last 24 years, this “masterpiece on four wheels” gained many hidden secrets and cool features that’ll make you want to build your own.
Not only does Tetreau build his own off-road rides, his main bread and butter is selling Ural motorcycles and sidecars under the Kalaber Creations name. Along with Kalaber (the name comes from his daughters Kali and Amber), he and his wife, Jill, own and run a used car dealership called Scooter and Auto Source.
Tetreau has always been an automotive enthusiast. He was raised on a small farm in Michigan; he learned the magic behind trucks and off-road vehicles at an early age. Over time, he became a “MacGyver man” fixing everything with a Leatherman and his wits.
One Man, One Vision
A self-taught fabricator, Tetreau jokingly says he received a degree in automotive modifications from the “University of Life.” If something needed to be fixed, he’d do it himself or have a friend help. This unique Jeep was aptly named J1 after his wife: “J” for Jill and “1” as she’s one-of-a-kind.
Tetreau started building J1 after he moved from Michigan to Arizona. He joined the Yavapai County Sheriff Department’s Jeep Posse group as a volunteer search and rescue team member (from 1984 to 2002); however, he needed a reliable 4x4 vehicle large enough to fit their needs. At the time, no four-door Jeeps were available in the U.S. Nevertheless, as a used car dealer, Tetreau owned about 13 Jeeps and had many spare parts lying around. The idea for J1 was born and he enlisted the help of key friends to help make it happen.
“When I was with search and rescue, we needed a vehicle with four doors and long enough to fit a Stokes basket stretcher,” Tetreau states. “The old Scrambler we used was too short.” He couldn’t afford an H1 but instead made J1 come to life. He built a capable four-door Jeep large enough to handle recoveries, including those with wounded people on stretchers.
Being a car dealer for more than 41 years— along with piloting motorcycles and off-road vehicles since 1965—Tetreau chopped up junk Jeeps and pulled every old, used, or scrap part imaginable to make J1. He found the perfect chassis, which ended up being a used ’79 Dodge 3/4-ton truck that measured 7 feet by 2 inches wide with a 131-inch-long wheelbase. He also found beat-up old Jeeps with which he would build the J1’s body.
“WITH NOTHING BUT DESIRE, HE STARTED SLICING, STRETCHING, AND WELDING EVERYTHING TOGETHER.”
“THE LACK OF TOOLS, ENGINEERING EDUCATION, RESOURCES, AND MONEY DIDN’T STOP [TETREAU] FROM STARTING THIS DISTINCTIVE PROJECT.”
With nothing but desire, he started slicing, stretching, and welding everything together. He felt this combination of vehicles would be large and robust enough for him.
A Collection of Jeeps Like None Other
After the chassis was ready, Tetreau sourced a Dodge 440 engine and combined it with a Mopar 727 transmission with front and rear ARB lockers in Dana 60 differentials. Over the next two years, Tetreau continued the build of the massive Jeep out of several other Jeeps, like CJ7s, CJ8s, and even a ’56 Willys Jeep station wagon.
Two separate Jeep grilles were used to masterfully construct the unique 12-bar/13-slot grille. Two CJ7 hoods were pieced together to form the oversized hood to cover the engine compartment. Two CJ8 fenders were used for the rear of the 4x4. They are well inserted in the CJ7 half-tub to only show the CJ8 lips. Four Wrangler doors with slider windows were sourced, with rear doors modified, to create the first-ever four-door Jeep of its kind. The rear-most side windows were reconstructed from a rear liftgate of a CJ7.
Additionally, a custom double-wide tailgate folds flat onto the rear military-style bumper built by Prescott Arizona’s Proto Fab so it doesn’t impede the J1’s pull-out 40-inch spare tire system. Tetreau worked with Tim Beal and his son Chris on the body. He partnered with John Winn on the spare tire mount and custom
racks. Meanwhile, mechanical help was given by Steve McKenney and his son Shane.
Additional items were self-fabricated to make J1 a king of the trails. Rock sliders and a 1/2-inch steel skid plate were added to cover the underside of the engine, transmission, and transfer case. The Kalaber J1 Jeep even requires three windshield wipers because of its width—double that of a stock Jeep.
The J1 Jeep rolls on 17-inch Raceline/Allied wheels shod with 40x13.5R17 Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tires. A one-off long-arm through-frame front suspension gives the massive Jeep a solid range of articulation. An exhaust brake was installed for stopping when towing heavy loads and dual front and rear Warn winches ensure successful recoveries when the going gets rough.
The interior dons a self-fabricated custom rollcage from two CJ7 Jeeps, Mastercraft high-back seats, ARB fridge, and Tuffy Security lockable storage compartments. Odyssey batteries and a dual-battery inverter give juice to the fridge and other items Tetreau has on board. Steve McKenney and Chris Beal assisted with interior build-out efforts.
Ample Upgrades
From 1995 to 2004, J1 lived with a ’79 3/4-ton Dodge base. The original 440 engine commanded the J1 through many adventures and recoveries until major changes upgraded it in 2004. Tetreau lifted J1’s body off the existing chassis. The body was then put on a shortened ’04 Dodge chassis that boasted a 5.9 Cummins diesel powerplant, shortened 2 inches to accommodate the existing body. In addition, the engine, transmission, and transfer case were moved back 21 inches to fit under the length of a standard CJ hood. A one-off fabricated intercooler, radiator, and transmission cooler were also installed.
Additionally, a custom aluminum fuel tank was made for the conversion. Warn hubs, AAM differentials with 4.88 gears, ARB front and Posi-Track rear lockers, as well as an Atlas 4:1 twin-stick transfer case, round out the revised build and make the J1 a fierce competitor in a variety of tricky terrain.
“Since this is a daily driver vehicle, I modify it as my needs change,” Tetreau exclaims with a smile. “Most likely I will find a new need that requires a modification to be made; therefore I do not waste time giving it a shiny finish.” He uses and abuses his truck. “It is not a display/ show-off vehicle.”
Tetreau pulls his 8-foot or 31-foot camping trailer with it, and takes it on overlanding adventures or to shows, like Overland Expo West. His favorite places to take J1 are Moab, towing the houseboat to Lake Powell, or anywhere else he can take their trailers.
Tetreau’s most favorite parts of J1 are his wife’s electric step to help her get in it, the
Mark Tetreau built a customized Ural and sidecar from used, forgotten, and scrap parts he had lying around. Its name is U1. “U” is born from his love of Ural motorcycles and “1” means the first-ever Ural of its kind. Kalaber Creations not only sells Urals but also a line of custom-made off-road accessories for them—perfect for showcasing on this one-of-a-kind build.
The U1 Ural took approximately three years of weekends to build. Now complete, it makes appearances at events like Overland Expo West, but it’s happiest carrying Mark and his wife Jill around Prescott and neighboring areas.
Married for 44 years, Mark built U1 to pay tribute to Jill. It’s a way they can spend time together. U1 is made from a variety of Jeep, motorcycle, and various adventure rig parts. It’s a conglomeration of mastery, skill, and dedication to his craft. Since Mark’s specialty is customizing everything with an engine, he started accumulating many shelves of parts, pieces, and oddities. Mark is a saver; he might need said pieces, so he kept them all in anticipation of giving them a second life as part of a future build.
U1 first came to be as a ’99 two-wheeldrive Ural Patrol. It was a neglected trade-in, missing parts after being someone’s hobby project; it wasn’t even operational. Mark saw this as the perfect chance to give it a second lease on adventure. He fitted the Ural with a rebuilt motor and transmission, and the rest came from his magic shelves of spare parts. From oddball wheels to a leftover driveshaft, Mark masterfully constructed U1.
The couple sourced five 18-inch steel rims: three for the motorcycle and sidecar plus two as acting spares. Mark narrowed the sidecar about 9 inches and artfully mounted them to fit. He then used Jeep CJ5 fender flares to shield said spares and hold down the sidecar’s fender. Mark modified a Ural headlight bucket to fit a non-standard miscellaneous headlight. He then used a gravel screen as coverings for the main headlight, sidecar lights, and as a fender accent on the sidecar.
Mark’s careful customization didn’t end there; he loves to repurpose automotive parts. A few of his most fun accessories are the handle on the U1’s sidecar, originally from a Cobra handle from a 1956 or so Steib S500 sidecar, and its taillight, re-purposed from an old ’30s Cocker taillight he had for years. Leather straps from a mid-’70s BMW sidecar Jill had is used to secure U1’s luggage. Random handlebars off Mark’s shelf were used, and U1’s gas tank was from a Gear Up Ural that was cut in half—it now boasts 7 1/2-gallons of go-go juice.
Additionally, numerous Kalaber Creations’ fabricated parts are on U1, including motorcycle and sidecar skid plates, step plate, and a Kalaber winch mount housing an automotive battery to power a Warn ProVantage 4500-S winch. Mark loved the paint color he used on his customized J1 Jeep so much, he used it on U1 as well.
Even though U1 showcases tons of special Easter eggs in this unique creation, Mark’s most favorite part is that it fits Jill so well. It’s a true testament for his love for her, celebrating nearly half a century together.
integrated step in the fender to help him climb to the roof, and the pull-out spare tire system. The last two items were specially added for J1’s 20th anniversary in 2017. He doesn’t know what he’ll change within the next 20 years, but Tetreau says, “if my daily needs require a change, I’ll do it.”
Other 20-year celebratory upgrades to J1 included changing the paint color, swapping out the top, and added reinforcements. He upgraded the paint to a desert-inspired khaki color—Spies Hecker AC 130 to be exact. The soft top switched to a modified hardtop he stored for 20 years. And he added a reinforced diamond-plate surface to the hood cowling to safely step on it when accessing the roof rack or servicing his IPF spotlights. However, the doubled-in-size tailgate remained. It features custom hand-painted artwork from a late friend of Tetreau. He kept the original body color and paintjob of it as a tribute to his friend.
By the time J1 was finished, it was featured at the 1997 SEMA Show. The Kalaber Creations J1 Jeep was the first four-door Jeep the show had ever seen. The Jeep engineers, at the time, were mesmerized. According to Tetreau, they were “scratching their heads saying things like how [come] we never thought about a four-door Jeep?” Since then, Kalaber Creations’ J1 Jeep has made approximately a dozen appearances at SEMA. That’s a true testament to Tetreau’s craft, vision, and skill to create a one-of-a-kind Jeep that’s also a family friendly overlanding piece of art.
Tetreau would like to extend a special thanks to his build partners Tim and Chris Beal (body), John Winn (racks and spare tire system),
Steve and Shane McKenney (mechanical), and Steve McKenney and Chris Beal (interior mods). He’d also like to thank J1’s sponsors: Advance Adapter/Atlas Transfer Case, Raceline & Allied Wheel, ABR/IPF, Action Graphics, AutoMeter, Blizzard’s Top Shop, Beal’s Auto Body, CVT Tents, Contact Marketing, Mr. Scott Becker “The Go-To Man,” Daystar, Factor
55, Goodyear, Grub Hub, Hellwig Products, Hi-Lift /Slide-N-Lock, K&N, Klein Automotive Accessories, Kodiak Steps, Mastercraft, MTX Audio, MSD Ignition, Odyssey Battery, Pelican Products, Power Tank, Premier Power Welders, Protofab 4x4, Pull-Pal, Ruffstuff, Rubicon Express, Spin Tech, Tom Woods Custom Drive Shafts, Tuffy Security, West Coast Differentials, Warn Industries, and S&S Custom Off Road.
“[TETREAU] COULDN’T AFFORD AN H1 BUT INSTEAD MADE J1 COME TO LIFE ... A CAPABLE FOUR-DOOR JEEP LARGE ENOUGH TO HANDLE RECOVERIES, INCLUDING THOSE WITH WOUNDED PEOPLE ON STRETCHERS.”