A Dirtbike-Powered, Tube-Framed Kiddie Jeep Might Be the Best Way to Tackle Moab
This is what you get when you shoehorn a 450cc four-stroke engine into a plastic Barbie Jeep.
YouTubers Grind Hard Plumbing Co. went off-road to tackle Moab in—what else—a Jeep. Well, it’s kind of a Jeep, but not like any we’ve ever seen. The build team turned a Barbie Power Wheels car into a hardcore go-kart by installing a motorcycle engine and mountain bike shocks before, naturally, taking it to the Utah desert for testing.
Nicknamed “Senderella,” the Barbie Jeep has so much torque it keeps lifting its front end in the video. The thing has very obviously been modified from its off-the-shelf form, but watching the POV driving film doesn’t do the build total justice. On Grind Hard’s website, the team lists most of the modifications done to the kiddie Jeep, which include racing axles, heavy-duty hubs, disc brakes, a go-kart seat, eight-inch brake rotors, mountain bike rear shocks, and the wheels from a golf cart.
In another video, they show the installation of the engine, which came from a Honda CRF450 dirt bike. The 450cc engine puts out 53.75 horsepower, a far cry from the dinky electric motor that came in the car. The build footage also shows that the guys have put in a tube frame under the Barbie body to handle all the power.
Despite its name, Grind Hard Plumbing Co doesn’t actually do any plumbing work. The group is made up of a few friends that build wacky vehicles in a small garage. Other than the Barbie Jeep, they’ve built a snowmobile-powered off-road scooter, a BMW E36 rally truck, and a fully-caged BMW E46 convertible drift car. They’ve also built a Barbie Mustang that looks absolutely insane.