Students in the Santa Fe Early College Opportunities (ECO) Auto Shop Program in Santa Fe, New Mexico, have completed the custom jeep build they started in late 2017 with SEMA Education. Next stop, the auction block.
Later this month, the jeep will be auctioned online through Bring-A-Trailer, with 100% of the proceeds going back to the school to fund another project to continuously support the auto program and educate students about vehicle builds and jobs in automotive.
More than 100 students participated in the pilot program between SEMA and the Santa Fe ECO for about six months. During the program, the students completely oversaw and executed the project vehicle build using a pre-owned vehicle purchased and donated by SEMA.
According to SEMA, upgrades and product donations from nearly two-dozen manufacturers to modify the four-wheel-drive Jeep include:
- A Magnum grip shift handle kit part, front nodular iron differential cover and rear nodular iron differential cover (donated by B&M/Driven Performance Brands).
- Bumpers, inner fender liners and slider steps (donated by Bodyguard Truck Accessories).
- A supercharger kit (donated by Edelbrock).
- A cat-back system 409s-single rear exit – American Thunder (donated by Flowmaster/Driven Performance Brands).
- A 4.5-in. Stage 3 suspension kit and wheels (donated by ICON Vehicle Dynamics).
- An air intake with a snorkel system, oil filter and cabin air filter (donated by K&N Engineering).
- A light package (donated by Metra: The Installer’s Choice).
- A tire carrier, vented hood, hood catches and an antenna (donated by Rugged Ridge/Truck Hero).
“The final build is amazing,” said Zane Clark, SEMA’s senior director of education. “Our hope was to provide students with a unique experience that would educate and inspire future industry professionals, and the end result is a top-quality vehicle that looks great and performs remarkably.”
“The students gained valuable hands-on experience that they could not get in the classroom,” said Chris Coriz, instructor at the Santa Fe ECO. “We’re excited to see the vehicle move on to the auction block and raise funds to begin the next project.”
