Gladiator v2.0

[tobyw]

I'm not even sure where to begin with the back story on this transition, but suffice it to say that priorities have shifted over time and the current situation is that I'm the oldest I've ever been, and I'm growing weary of the constant maintenance and general ownership burden of having so many vehicles around. Both kids have their own rigs now, and with me always having a tow rig and a wheeling rig (well, several wheeling rigs ), it's just silly when you step back and look at it. Not to mention the fact that in 20+ years of homeownership, I have never parked MY daily driver IN a garage, which is a particular bummer in the winters... So, consolidation was the catalyst here and although I've tried the combination of Jeep and truck before, the plan for this go-round includes a very key element to help ensure success. At least for a little while

We'll start with the basics; she's a 2023 Gladiator Rubicon with the 3.6L gasser and wonderful 8-speed automatic dressed in Granite Crystal paint. Here was the first test fit in the garage to seal the deal:

IMG_2276.JPG (1.36 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

With fitment confirmed, it was time to get started on making it mine:

IMG_2409.JPG (1.34 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

The first order of business was to address the most glaring shortcoming from my previous Gladiator ownership experience: entry and egress. To make it right this time, I went with a set of Rockslide Engineering slider steps:

IMG_2497.JPG (1.28 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

Next up was a complete Teraflex suspension makeover including their super-trick "extended travel" rear suspension setup which replaces the low-hanging rear swaybar and stupid-long links with a torsion style bar that mounts above the frame. I also opted for the Falcon 3.1 reservoir shocks:

IMG_2500.JPG (1.3 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

IMG_2509.JPG (1.4 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

At this point, it was looking as though the poor Gladiator had skipped leg day at the gym, but I was stuck in supply chain purgatory awaiting what was previously unobtainium (more on this later):

IMG_2510.JPG (1.73 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

With a few hours to kill, I spent the time working up a new front winch bumper:

IMG_2290.JPG (1.47 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

IMG_2301.JPG (1.48 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

IMG_2367.JPG (1.34 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

IMG_2373.JPG (1.23 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

IMG_2380.JPG (1.23 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

IMG_2382.JPG (1.25 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

IMG_2386.JPG (1.28 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

IMG_2397.JPG (1.44 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

IMG_2402.JPG (1.2 MiB) Viewed 26478 times

I still have to bend up the hoop and get it welded out, but the overall idea is there...

And that brought us up to speed as of Mother's Day, as I continued to wait for the previously mentioned unobtainium

[tobyw]

The factory taillights on the Gladiators are functional, but among some of the dumbest looking things I've ever seen in the automotive world. Luckily my friends at Oracle have a solution for this, and it's probably the best 7 minutes I could ever hope to spend modifying this thing:

IMG_2319.JPG (1.04 MiB) Viewed 26477 times

IMG_2320.JPG (971.84 KiB) Viewed 26477 times

IMG_2321.JPG (1.22 MiB) Viewed 26477 times

IMG_2324.JPG (1.31 MiB) Viewed 26477 times

IMG_2326.JPG (1.23 MiB) Viewed 26477 times

Sitting in my office around noon on Monday, I got an email notification from the shipping company that a shipment had dropped. YAHTZEE

IMG_2611.JPG (1.27 MiB) Viewed 26477 times

IMG_2612.JPG (1.53 MiB) Viewed 26477 times

IMG_2614.JPG (1.49 MiB) Viewed 26477 times

IMG_2622.JPG (1.62 MiB) Viewed 26477 times

Unobtainium obtained and installed

[tobyw]

Headed for cooler climates

IMG_2655.JPG (1.63 MiB) Viewed 26451 times

[tobyw]

Camped near the summit of Tollgate, OR near Langdon Lake at just over 5,000ft and I'm extremely happy to report that it towed out great even with stock 4.10 gearing And even more amazing was the 13.35mpg hand calculated economy for the round trip

IMG_2670.JPG (2.02 MiB) Viewed 26441 times

IMG_2671.JPG (1.94 MiB) Viewed 26441 times

[tobyw]

So this next part may be a little controversial, but it was merely a means to an end...

Sadly, the smooth steel side saddle toolbox I used on Gladiator v1.0 is no longer in production, and I just didn't want the visual asymmetry of checkered aluminum on one side with open air on the other. To make matters worse, the Gladiator bed has the fuel filler neck protruding into the interior space, so much so that a typical crossbed toolbox will not drop in. There are a few options on the market to alleviate the situation, but they all involve a tapered bottom section that just robs too much real estate for my taste, not to mention basically forcing everything you drop into the toolbox right out to the center where it's the most difficult to reach As such, I was on the hunt for a way to make a standard box fit and about the only viable solution I could come up with was to jack the box up enough to clear the filler neck. In doing that, I was left with a cavity between the bed rail and the toolbox, which ended up seeming like a good place to stash a fire extinguisher. But, what to do on the opposite side? Let's fab an air tank

IMG_2555.JPG (1.22 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

IMG_2697.JPG (1.46 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

With that handled, it was time to figure out how to mount all of this junk. This Gladiator isn't as highly equipped as my previous unit, so I didn't have the super handy "trail rail" system inside the bed. That problem, however, was easily solved with a couple chunks of stainless Unistrut:

IMG_2636.JPG (1.24 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

IMG_2637.JPG (1.3 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

Time to mock up raised the toolbox location:

IMG_2638.JPG (1.43 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

IMG_2639.JPG (1.31 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

Not being horribly upset with things at this point, I spent a few minutes making some simple brackets for mounting the toolbox and fire extinguisher, and then mounted the air tank directly to the toolbox:

IMG_2701.JPG (1.44 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

IMG_2705.JPG (1.4 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

IMG_2706.JPG (1.25 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

At this point I stood back and looked at the mess I'd made, and quickly realized the jacked up toolbox, while functional, left the rest of the bed just looking, well, empty. I played around with a few ideas and landed on a version of a "bed rack" that is still marinating, but the foundation has been mocked up with some 1-3/4" tube:

IMG_2719.JPG (1.69 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

IMG_2722.JPG (1.57 MiB) Viewed 26421 times

The plan will be to add crossbars that are just proud of the top of the toolbox to allow longer pieces of, uhhhh, whatever to be slid over the top of the box in a effort to keep as much utility as possible. The front cross bar will be fully welded in, but the rear bar will be removable with tube connectors so that I can pull it out and haul taller items if necessary. I'm out of 1-3/4" tube at the moment so hopefully I'll hop back into the project over the weekend.

[tobyw]

It took a little more math than I'm used to because the side rails actually taper in 1-3/4" from front-to-back, but I was able to nail the layout of the crossbars and have them sit 1/2" above the toolbox:

IMG_2752.JPG (1.33 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

IMG_2758.JPG (1.3 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

Then it was time to cut in the tube connectors on the rear bar to make it easily removable to taller cargo:

IMG_2760.JPG (1.19 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

IMG_2761.JPG (1.03 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

IMG_2762.JPG (976.9 KiB) Viewed 26413 times

And finally time for paint:

IMG_2763.JPG (1.43 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

Here is the finished product, although I'm already having bad ideas about adding to it

IMG_2779.JPG (1.36 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

With that knocked out, I turnt my attention to the half acre of baron landscape that makes up the rear quarterpanel of the Gladiator bedside. It just looked empty and plain, so I made an attempt to jazz it up a bit and further separate my Gladiator from the crowd with a roll of matte black 3M vinyl sheet and 3/16" wide Rubicon red 3M pinstripe:

IMG_2769.JPG (1.29 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

IMG_2770.JPG (1.34 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

IMG_2771.JPG (1.3 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

IMG_2783.JPG (1.62 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

IMG_2787.JPG (1.76 MiB) Viewed 26413 times

Overall I think she's looking pretty good for now. Hopefully I can put the finishing touches on the bumper this weekend and get to getting more dirt on the tires

[Roman]

BOBCAT...

[tobyw]

BOBCAT...

Seriously? THAT is what you take away from my build threads?!

But since you mentioned it... After years of driving on grass to access my shop, I finally cut in a proper driveway. I added some curbing to separate the new driveway from the yard, added some landscape posts to separate the arborvitae on the other side of the new driveway, killt off the grass in preparation for gravel, and then liberally applied the aforementioned gravel:

IMG_2738.JPG (1.7 MiB) Viewed 26400 times

IMG_2742.JPG (1.68 MiB) Viewed 26400 times

IMG_2744.JPG (2.06 MiB) Viewed 26400 times

Hence the skid steer to shake out the gravel and provide a handy paint hanger

[tobyw]

To complete the front bumper, I bent up a hoop with some more 1-3/4" tube and added some gussets complete with speed holes to finish it off:

IMG_2797.JPG (1.43 MiB) Viewed 26400 times

IMG_2798.JPG (1.41 MiB) Viewed 26400 times

IMG_2800.JPG (1.43 MiB) Viewed 26400 times

After booger welding it all up and grinding the edges smoove, some black paint was applied (and yes, hung from the skid steer to dry ):

IMG_2814.JPG (1.42 MiB) Viewed 26400 times

IMG_2818.JPG (1.38 MiB) Viewed 26400 times

IMG_2817.JPG (1.35 MiB) Viewed 26400 times

[Roman]

Toby, you warrant your own project section...

[Lurch]

This made me think of you.

https://twinfalls.craigslist.org/cto/d/ ... 56669.html

[tobyw]

This made me think of you.

2023-06-07_10-03-07.jpg (86.82 KiB) Viewed 26364 times

That is way cooler than any garbage I glue together... And more expensive

[tobyw]

The little handheld GMRS radios work remarkably well, so much so that it's pretty easy to get lazy and forego hard mounting a radio in the rig... And for the record, my laziness knows no bounds... However, I do grow tired of juggling the handheld, my phone/camera, sammich, coffee mug, etc etc etc. To eliminate one of those items off the list, I took a few minutes to finally install the Midland GMRS radio. I had to modify the chassis mounting bracket in order to squeeze it into my preferred location; nothing a little band saw and hot glue couldn't remedy:

IMG_3678.JPG (1.53 MiB) Viewed 26269 times

IMG_3680.JPG (1.11 MiB) Viewed 26269 times

IMG_3685.JPG (1.33 MiB) Viewed 26269 times

IMG_3687.JPG (1.07 MiB) Viewed 26269 times

IMG_3700.JPG (1.19 MiB) Viewed 26269 times

Next I turnt my attention to the antenna. Now, I have no idea why, although I'm satisfied Jose and/or Lee probably do, but I never could get the Midland 3db gain Ghost antenna to work as well as the spindly little magnetic unit that came with the 15-watt radio... So rather than fight the feeling, I whipped up a little mount for the magnetic base and that's what I'll run this time:

IMG_3681.JPG (1.31 MiB) Viewed 26269 times

IMG_3683.JPG (1.11 MiB) Viewed 26269 times

IMG_3693.JPG (1.3 MiB) Viewed 26269 times

(yes, the hole is actually centered above the cap screw, my OCD wouldn't allow it any other way, it's just a bad camera angle...)

IMG_3696.JPG (1.19 MiB) Viewed 26269 times

[Roman]

I've bought a really expensive ghost antenna only to be disappointed and went back to a whip

I'm so confused right now, I thought this was Toby Bronco season and your working on a JT...

[Dryside]

It's hard to keep up.

[tobyw]

As previously mentioned, this Gladiator isn't as highly optioned as my '21 was and one of the items missing from the options list is the factory auxiliary switches There are a few aftermarket options to replicate them, and you can even go so far as to install the OEM parts, but I actually wanted something a little different this time around anyway. One of the things I miss about the 6G Bronco is the overhead mounting location of the factory auxiliary switches:

IMG_2274.JPG (1.07 MiB) Viewed 26198 times

Ideally I would have developed my own mounting solution for Carling style rocker switches in a similar location above the rearview mirror, but not having adequate experience with the world of 3D printing and lacking basic fabrication skills in general, I scoured the aftermarket for a solution. Luckily, our friends at Advanced Accessory Concepts have something that passes the giggle test, and that is the Trigger 6 Shooter wireless controller:

IMG_3711.JPG (1.39 MiB) Viewed 26198 times

IMG_3715.JPG (1.09 MiB) Viewed 26198 times

IMG_3716.JPG (1.36 MiB) Viewed 26198 times

IMG_3719.JPG (1.18 MiB) Viewed 26198 times

With 12v power now readily available, I went about the task of adding a few basics in the form of a forward-facing amber LED light bar, and some rear-facing amber LED pod chase lights. I am still marinating permanent mounting solutions for the front light bar on the bumper hoop, but the current zip ties are surprising sturdy

IMG_3725.JPG (1.3 MiB) Viewed 26198 times

IMG_3729.JPG (1.22 MiB) Viewed 26198 times

IMG_3727.JPG (1.42 MiB) Viewed 26198 times

[tobyw]

One of the (many) downfalls of the Gladiator platform is the departure angle, particularly when equipped with the factory tow package and receiver hitch:

IMG_4076.JPG (1.78 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

To properly address the situation, two things needed to happen: the spare tire needed to find a new home; and the receiver hitch also needed to find a new home.

IMG_4140.JPG (1.2 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

Over the course of several evenings involving many frosty adult beverages and several in-depth conversations with myself, it was decided that a simple approach was to be taken for the tire carrier. Initially I had wanted to ditch the tailgate and build a swing-out tire/fuel carrier... Honestly this may still happen at some point in the future, but for now, K.I.S.S.

IMG_4143.JPG (1.41 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

IMG_4144.JPG (1.11 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

IMG_4149.JPG (1.55 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

IMG_4157.JPG (1.64 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

While the paint was drying, I turnt my attention to the real elephant in the room, the pesky low-hanging receiver hitch... It had served me well and taken several hits that it truly did not deserve due to my utter lack of driving skill, but it was time for it to go away. I started by removing the heat shield and spare tire winch:

IMG_4159.JPG (1.43 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

Next I dropped the rear bumper and receiver hitch:

IMG_4165.JPG (1.54 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

IMG_4164.JPG (1.5 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

IMG_4170.JPG (1.59 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

Time for some surgical work with the plasma cutter to remove the OEM receiver from the crossmember:

IMG_4172.JPG (1.48 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

IMG_4173.JPG (1.71 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

With a blank slate, I started gluing together the new receiver, using the OEM crossmember as the foundation:

IMG_4175.JPG (1.58 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

IMG_4179.JPG (1.41 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

A dab of paint, and bolted it all back in place:

IMG_4181.JPG (2.03 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

IMG_4185.JPG (1.39 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

IMG_4189.JPG (1.47 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

Soooooooooo much better:

IMG_4159.JPG (1.27 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

I thought that I had a utility hinge on the shelf but I was apparently mistaken, so after a quick run to ACE tomorrow morning I'll have a flip-up license plate bracket to access the now-hidden hitch:

IMG_4194.JPG (1.33 MiB) Viewed 25734 times

[TJDave]

Waaaay better! Very nice. That was one of the reasons I parted with my JTR. Plus the fact that I have no collection of smaller rigs, and zero gluing skills.

[tobyw]

Finally had time to rummage through the scrap pile and came up with enough junk to cobble together the flip-up license plate bracket:

IMG_4227.JPG (1.46 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

IMG_4228.JPG (1.41 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

IMG_4231.JPG (1.3 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

IMG_4253.JPG (1.31 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

IMG_4254.JPG (1.23 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

One thing that I had forgotten to address when building the new receiver hitch was the attachment of safety chains... To correct this oversight, I had to drill the holes for the quick links in situ, which is just completely barbaric. Thankfully I have a lifting device at my disposal that takes the level of barbacity down at least half a notch for such tasks:

IMG_4248.JPG (1012.36 KiB) Viewed 25600 times

The last item to deal with related to the new location of the receiver is actually installing a hitch shank, as the bumper step is now directly in the way of anything that drops down. A simple off-the-shelf hitch extension, while practical and 100% functional, has a tendency to make a lot of noise because it adds a second hitch pin point and all of the associated slop. In an effort to mitigate this, I made my own extension and included a sliding wedge apparatus to snug it up inside the receiver for a completely rattle free experience:

IMG_4234.JPG (1.4 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

IMG_4235.JPG (1.36 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

IMG_4238.JPG (1.49 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

IMG_4239.JPG (1.53 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

IMG_4240.JPG (1.31 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

As you tighten the nut, the wedge rides up the other end of the shank and eats up all of the slop:

IMG_4242.JPG (1.23 MiB) Viewed 25600 times

I forgot to snap any pictures of the rest of the extension, but it's just a simple piece of receiver tube slid of the end of the shank, looking like pretty much every other extension on the market. Oh, and I painted it black

[tobyw]

To further the saga of turning the Mullet into a bonafied work truck, I installed the MOPAR brake control unit in the dash. Up to this point, I had been using a bluetooth brake control unit that is handy as a pocket on as shirt, but because it uses a large control box that mounts on the trailer tongue, it's a little cumbersome to switch between multiple trailers... And it was another device that temporarily plugged into the dash that needed to be juggled with the radio mic, sammich, coffee mug, phone, etc etc etc.

IMG_4559.JPG (1.19 MiB) Viewed 23641 times

The downside to the MOPAR controller is that it takes the place of the factory 12v port in the dash, which happens to be the only 12v port inside the Gladiator. There are a bevvy of USB ports, but only (1) solitary 12v port. To remedy the pending loss of this beloved piece of tech, I installed a universal 12v port in the upper dash cubby:

IMG_4552.JPG (1.19 MiB) Viewed 23641 times

IMG_4554.JPG (1.1 MiB) Viewed 23641 times

IMG_4561.JPG (1.02 MiB) Viewed 23641 times

And then promptly put it to the test:

IMG_4562.JPG (1.38 MiB) Viewed 23641 times