Gladys

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tobyw
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Gladys

Postby tobyw » Fri Jun 11, 2021 8:06 am

Depending on who you talk to, it was only a matter of time...

When the first spy shots of the production Gladiator started circling the interweb, I had very mixed emotions. The looks turned me off immediately, but having spent some significant seat time in our '18 JLU-R, the draw to platform was still strong. Over time the hatred for the overall look of the stock Gladiator has not waned, but neither has the joy of the driving experience. Now, I've always, always, had a dedicated tow vehicle for getting my (and other's...) junk to and from the hills. And since buying my first Ford Super Duty in the fall of 1999, said tow vehicle has been a full-size pickup of some fashion. Prior to that, I did haul my flatty around with a couple of different Ford Rangers throughout the 90's, but I digress... The purchase of this Gladiator represents a seismic shift in my modus operandi, and trust me when I say that this decision did not come without significant apprehension. I have been known to swap out vehicles more or less on a whim, but this time it honestly seemed like one of the more difficult decisions I've ever made... I absolutely love the driving experience of the smaller, more nimble platform but let's be honest, I'm a big fat hairy guy and the notion of entry/egress of the aforementioned smaller platform on a daily basis is a little unsettling. Not to mention the fact that I'm now faced with having to drive my junk to the hills, wheel it all day, and then drive it back home. Something I've only done rarely over the past 10 years or so since we started dabbling in more street friendly rigs like the JKU... Anyhow, after much deliberation and many, many, test drives, we pulled the trigger last Friday and brought home this 2021 JT-R that we have named Gladys:

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She's fully loaded with every option you can get except for a factory bed cover, which I didn't want, and it has the 3.6L gas engine. I did drive a couple of the diesel models and I just didn't get the same fun, spunky, overall joyful experience out of it so the gasser got the nod. The plan will be for a relatively basic "build" because this is now my daily driver, and while many of the cool kids seem to make it look easy, daily driving on 40's just doesn't seem all that enticing.

First up was some 3" spot mirrors to help with blind spots and trailering. Honestly the best $5 you can spend if your rig doesn't have legit tow mirrors...

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Next was a little pizzaz in the form of a hood blackout and Rubicon Red pinstripe, because I liked how it turned out on the JLU-R:

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And the last thing thus far is a winch. I went with a Warn EVO 10-S on a Warn mounting plate for the factory "winch ready" front bumper... Unlike on our JLU-R, I did opt for the factory steel bumper this time because I'm not trying to stuff the massive Warn Powerplant winch in there, and in my opinion these factory steel bumpers do have very nice lines:

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Current market conditions are making the procurement process for build parts difficult, to say the least, but I've got a general plan in mind and will execute as parts availability allows 8)
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...
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TJDave
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Re: Gladys

Postby TJDave » Fri Jun 11, 2021 3:32 pm

:cool: Very nice! I kind of had a feeling. I spy a front trail camera. One of the very few things mine didn't come with. Interested to see how you like it.
I love the Billet Silver. The silver JK always looked the cleanest when it was dirty. And, I heard Jeep just discontinued that color.. Instant classic.


If you fab up some tube steps for the Rubi Rock Rails, could you whip up an extra set?! :lol2 :lol2
2018 JLU Rubicon
Tow bar mount
Trailer hitch

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tobyw
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Re: Gladys

Postby tobyw » Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:44 am

The trail camera is a bit of a novelty at this point, but I did flip it on once or twice last weekend just to try it out. Honestly didn't find it overly helpful, but then again we weren't exactly on a technical trail so the jury is still out. I will probably use it the most when I line up on my hoist in the shop though, as I already miss the 360 cameras on the Super Duty for that :(

Some form of extended-width rocker protection is definitely on the list, just not sure exactly how I want them to smell yet... Frosty beverages will yield some ideas in the not-so distant future :lol2
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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tobyw
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Re: Gladys

Postby tobyw » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:31 am

Storage in the diminutively sized cabin is essentially non-existent, but I have to give them credit for trying. The cubbies below the rear seats are handy for things like an ice scraper and perhaps a couple of ratchet straps, but there certainly isn't room for a bevvy of recovery gear, tools, etc.

On the subject of recovery gear, Gladys came equipped with the "Jeep Trail Rated Kit", which has a few basic recovery items tucked away in a nice litttle canvas bag, which does happen to fit (snugly) behind the rear seat:
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My solution for more substantial storage came in the way of a side-rail toolbox, combined with another one of my patented Harbor Freight cargo rack cut/glue jobs. Both of them utilize the Jeep Trail Rail system for attachment to the bedsides, along with some farmer fab'd stanchions that anchor to the bed floor with self-tapping hardware:
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The overall design is still marinating, as evidenced by the jerry can and spare tire mockup, but it's already proven highly effective and useful. Yes, the cargo rack effectively ruins the "pickup truck" aspect of the Gladiator, but let's be honest, the bed is shockingly small anyway and baby jeebus invented trailers for a reason :lol:
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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Roman
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Re: Gladys

Postby Roman » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:42 am

Nice!
Those action packers fit great in that rack.

How do you like the HF gas cans?

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tobyw
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Re: Gladys

Postby tobyw » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:53 am

As impressed as I was on the first two wheeling trips with Gladys, there was never a question regarding the need to address belly clearance and departure angle. By far the easiest way to address both items is with a lift kit of some sort, and after some research I came up with a combination of parts that I was eager to slap together and test out. Having done a number of suspension installs on both the JL and JT platforms for friends and family, I've seen (and dealt with) several kits and have found things I like and dislike about them all, so my approach was to put together a combination of parts that focused on all of the things I liked from the various manufacturers. The final list looks something like this:

* MOPAR 2" suspension kit (coils, FOX shocks, bump stops, sway bar links, front lower control arms)
* Teraflex front control arm drop brackets
* Teraflex 1.5" front coil spacer kit
* Rough Country adjustable front track bar
* Teraflex front brake line relocation brackets
* Synergy front track bar / steering stabilizer relocation mount kit with tie-rod clamp
* FOX steering stabilizer
* Falcon high performance bump stops
* Daystar 0.75" rear coil spacer kit
* Teraflex rear track bar bracket

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Overall lift up front ended up right at 4", and the rear ended up at 2.25", which is absolutely perfect in terms of stance in my opinion :thu:
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Obviously still need to address rolling stock, but reviewing the footage from the past couple of weekends, I'm honestly not too upset at the performance of these factory 33's. For now...
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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tobyw
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Re: Gladys

Postby tobyw » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:55 am

Roman wrote:How do you like the HF gas cans?


I cannot comment yet, haven't put a drop of fuel in or out of it yet... that said, this particular Midwest can didn't come from Harbor Freight. Amazon baby :lol2
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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tobyw
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Re: Gladys

Postby tobyw » Mon Jun 28, 2021 12:17 pm

Aaaaaaaand now with 37's 8)

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Can't wait to air down and compare the before/after...
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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Roman
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Re: Gladys

Postby Roman » Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:10 pm

I knew ya shoulda gon 40's

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tobyw
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Re: Gladys

Postby tobyw » Tue Jul 13, 2021 3:38 pm

To continue the saga of the bed storage buildout, I made a quickie mounting bracket for the jerry can that attaches to the Trail Rail system:

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Then it was time to consider OBA... I like the idea of how fast and relatively economical a CO2 system can be, but we often take multi-day trips to remote places and that often requires airing up several days in a row, and sometimes multiple times per day, so having a defined limit of available "air" just isn't conducive to my program. I've always been a huge fan of engine driven compressors like a York or Sanden, and have gone to great lengths to add them to a few of my builds over the years. However, when it comes down to it, the simplicity of an electric compressor is tough to beat.

To that end, I picked up an ARB twin compressor and set about the task of finding a home for it. The options were quickly narrowed down to either the engine compartment, and more specifically the dead space below the brake booster on the firewall, or in the toolbox. After a few frosty beverages, the toolbox idea got the nod for a number of reasons, but perhaps most prominently because I'd have to open the toolbox to retrieve the air hose, so why not just plug it in while I'm there :thu2: A quick mockup, and nearly as quick fab session, netted a mount that nestles the little bugger nicely in the front of the toolbox, easy to reach, plenty of air flow (with the lid open of course), and completely out of the elements :thu:

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Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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tobyw
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Re: Gladys

Postby tobyw » Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:04 am

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Bring on snow season :cool:
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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Roman
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Re: Gladys

Postby Roman » Tue Sep 14, 2021 5:41 am

Toby, how's the bed storage project coming along?

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tobyw
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Re: Gladys

Postby tobyw » Tue Sep 14, 2021 12:02 pm

Roman wrote:Toby, how's the bed storage project coming along?


Weeeeeellllllll..... Here is the "finished" product:

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The pickup bed setup is actually a fantastic way to cook/camp out in the wild, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone:

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You'll note the word finished is in quotations. That is because, like most projects, it's never really finished. However, that being said, this project does in fact have a definitive end... and that's because Gladys is no longer in the fleet :oops: All of the reasons I was so apprehensive about buying a Gladiator in the first place were just too prominent after several weeks of daily driving and weekend wheeling (it was in the mountains literally every weekend I owned it 8) ). So, rather than prolong the inevitable I took an opportunity that I could not pass up, and I'm right back where I was before with a full-size pickup to haul my junk around:

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:roll:
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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Roman
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Re: Gladys

Postby Roman » Tue Sep 14, 2021 12:21 pm

tobyw wrote:
However, that being said, this project does in fact have a definitive end... and that's because Gladys is no longer in the fleet :oops:

:roll:


Not even surprised anymore... :lol2


tobyw wrote:
Roman wrote:How do you like the HF gas cans?


I cannot comment yet, haven't put a drop of fuel in or out of it yet... that said, this particular Midwest can didn't come from Harbor Freight. Amazon baby :lol2



No change on the jerry can?


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