Luke's 2020 Gladiator

Dave said:
Easy fix: Save money on fees and ditch the satellite radio altogether.

I use Spotify and it's way better anyways, I have full control of what I listen to (music, podcasts, specific bands) and can save playlists for offline use when there is no signal, and the SOUND QUALITY is light years better than satellite radio (when music is saved on the highest fidelity setting).
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That's what I have and use a vast majority of the time as well, but I still like the satellite radio every once in a while - especially to listen to live hockey games. I believe I have a 3 year free trial, and it usually ends up being super cheap when you haggle with them on the phone when they call to renew the subscription.
 
Luke said:
Right before the Vagabond went on, I found a good deal on the Mopar Stubby Bumper on Offerup. I've always liked the look of the stubby bumpers on Jeeps, it's ready to go for a winch in the future, and it's steel. The only thing I didn't realize at the time was for for some reason, the fog lights in the stock plastic bumper don't fit in the steel Mopar factory bumper. Since I had to order new lights, I decided to go with the KC Hilites Amber Fog Lights. I am definitely happy with them, they're more than bright enough, and the amber lights help cut through the dust.

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Another thing I've added since the Vagabond was put on was Rok Blok, which was highly recommended by the guys at Vagabond to help seal out any dust coming in through the tailgate. It's essentially a rubber expansion joint that bridges the gap between the tailgate and the bed of the truck. I put it on before a trip to Coyote Flats, and it worked brilliantly. The only problem was that the 3M tape didn't stick to the Line-X bedliner for very long. I'm going to take some sand paper to it and get some sort of adhesive or epoxy to get it to stay and see how it goes.

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Thanks for pointing this out. Going to use the same on the Taco.
 
I've added a few new things since the last post, the first of which was the ARB Twin Compressor. It was taking about 30-40 minutes to air back up with the Good Year inflator I had bought for the last truck, so it was definitely time for an upgrade.

I know there are definitely arguments to be had for mounting the compressor inside the truck, but being that Teddy is about 15 months old at this point, I definitely don't want to interrupt nap time. That combined with the fact that my knowledge and willingness to run wiring into the back of the truck are both pretty limited, I decided to go with the Grimm Offroad mounting kit, which mounts the compressor inside the engine bay.

https://www.grimmoffroad.com/jl-arb-twin-compressor-mounting-bracket-kit.html

This was definitely a super easy installation, only took me a couple of hours. The only problem I ran into was breaking a few of the clips that hold the front fender onto the body, but they were pretty cheap (a few cents a piece) and readily available at the parts department at the dealer. Sorry I didn't take many pictures of the installation, but this is the final product:

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Next up on the list were some suspension upgrades.

The factory suspension did not like the weight of the camper (~350 lbs) and driving on the freeway was not fun and didn't feel safe. THe truck was all over the road, and it felt like I was driving on clouds. I was even starting to get the beginnings of death wobble when the camping gear was loaded up and I had a few passengers.

I did a little research, but eventually ended up going with the Rancho Xlander RS3 Suspension System because has heavier rear springs to handle the added weight of an "overland" setup (also because it was free since they wanted some feedback on the optional heavier rear springs).

https://www.gorancho.com/products/s.../x-lander-rs3-suspension-system-rs66128b.html

Installation of the system was a bit of a fiasco, and I'll start this off by saying that I DO NOT recommend Rebel Offroad in Laguna Hills. The first time I brought the truck in, the front lower control arms were installed upside down and on the wrong sides, so the truck couldn't be aligned and the control arms rubbed on the frame. They also misplaced the new isolator included in the kit for the front passenger side spring, so it was bowed severely. They said nothing and let the truck leave the shop, it was late and dark so I didn't figure out that something was wrong until the next day. After emailing Rancho some photos directly, they immediately recognized the problems and I took the truck back. Rebel was hesitant to take the truck back to fix their mistakes at this point, and it was only after I sent them the emails from Rancho that they were even willing to correct the problems that they had caused. They got the truck back out and ready in time for our staff trip to Moab, Utah, but as I would soon find out in Moab, it was still not installed correctly. On day two of our trip, the drivers side sway bar end link ended up falling off because the washer required to hold it in place was never reinstalled.


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Since then I've taken the truck to Rock-Tech Offroad in La Habra (highly recommended), and everything has been squared away with the suspension. It drives much better, both on and off-road, and handles the weight of everything in the back with no problems. The kit is definitely not a bad option for anyone carrying some weight.
 
Next up was the interior build-out of the truck. The whole point of everything on this build was to make it fast, convenient and easy to use. With that in mind paired with the fact that I have a work vehicle to use as a truck when needed, I decided to go with a GooseGear interior. The craftsmanship and ease of use are unparalleled, so I gave them a call and they got everything squared away and installed just in time for the Moab trip. This is the new sleep platform system, which has hatches instead of the hinged doors, and the plates are all radius cut to interlock when the platform is down so that nothing moves around. Definitely happy with everything so far, GooseGear is an awesome system.


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Next thing on the list was some shade. Definitely wanted something easy to use or it'll just sit there unused. This meant some sort of 270 free standing awning. Did a little research and for the price to quality ratio, the Overland Vehicle Systems 270 Awning was hard to beat.

https://overlandvehiclesystems.com/...7-dark-gray-cover-with-black-cover-universal/

They do offer a bigger one, and the price has gone up since I bought it a few months ago, but I still don't think it's bad compared to some of the other 270 awnings out there. The also offer side panels, which I do think I am going to purchase here shortly.

With the help of @Stuart, the awning was easily mounted to the Vagabond.

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After a long wait (I had been asking and waiting since October 2019 when I bought the truck), Whiteknuckle finally had some time to get the truck in and prototype some sliders for the Gladiator.

I had Whiteknuckle sliders on the Ecodiesel, and @BlkWgn and @Dave have both had Whiteknuckle sliders and speak very highly of them. I had to leave the truck at his shop up in Apple Valley for a few weeks, but the end result was well worth it.

The sliders are made from .188 DOM and have 5 mounting points to the frame on each side, so they're extremely strong and can be used as a secure point to lift one side of the vehicle out on the trail with a high-lift or some other sort of jack. They're powder coated black, and I went with the dimple plates over the entire top of the sliders to help mitigate some of the chipping from rocks and mud flying up. Definitely can't beat the quality and customer service of John over at Whiteknuckle, which is why his lead times are so long, but it's definitely worth the wait.

https://white-knuckleoffroad.com/product/jeep-gladiator-jt-2020-newer-rock-sliders/

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Sorry @Chad, your photos are too big and I can't figure out how to upload them!
 
This Jeep has really come a long way in a very short amount of time :cool:
 
While the truck was at Rock-Tech I had the new Hellwig rear sway bar installed. This thing has been sitting in my house for a while waiting to go on. With the added weight of the camper and interior buildout plus all of my gear has contributed to a fair amount of body roll while going around corners. The stiffer rear springs on the Rancho Xlander kit definitely made a significant improvement, but I still felt like it could be better and @Dave had recommended I put this on a while ago.

Hellwig offers two different sway bars for the Gladiator, one for stock ride height and one for a 3-5" lift. With the Xlander kit installed I purchased the latter of the two. It comes with new adjustable end links, and has three different holes at the end of the sway bar you can pick based on how stiff you want it. I have it in the middle for now, and after the trip to Big Bear this weekend I think I'll leave it there.

https://www.hellwigproducts.com/products/?partnumber=7843


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While the truck was in the shop, Chris at Rock-Tech had a few suggestions for the truck and I decided to get it done while the truck was there.

The first item on the list was an upgrade to the steering system in the form of the Steer Smarts Yeti XD Kit. This included a new drag link, tie rod, and a steering stabilizer and relocation bracket. The parts are MUCH beefier than the stock system, and with the relocation brackets it gets everything higher off the ground.

https://steersmarts.com/collections/jl-jlu-products

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The last thing I had done while it was there was get a pair of AEV Geometry Correction Brackets installed. These definitely helped the front tires move over bumps as intended by bringing the control arms pretty close to parallel with the ground. (excuse the gouge on the lower control arm - thank you Rebel Offroad for installing them backwards and gouging them on the frame...)

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Luke said:
While the truck was at Rock-Tech I had the new Hellwig rear sway bar installed. This thing has been sitting in my house for a while waiting to go on. With the added weight of the camper and interior buildout plus all of my gear has contributed to a fair amount of body roll while going around corners. The stiffer rear springs on the Rancho Xlander kit definitely made a significant improvement, but I still felt like it could be better and @Dave had recommended I put this on a while ago.

Hellwig offers two different sway bars for the Gladiator, one for stock ride height and one for a 3-5" lift. With the Xlander kit installed I purchased the latter of the two. It comes with new adjustable end links, and has three different holes at the end of the sway bar you can pick based on how stiff you want it. I have it in the middle for now, and after the trip to Big Bear this weekend I think I'll leave it there.

https://www.hellwigproducts.com/products/?partnumber=7843


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While the truck was in the shop, Chris at Rock-Tech had a few suggestions for the truck and I decided to get it done while the truck was there.

The first item on the list was an upgrade to the steering system in the form of the Steer Smarts Yeti XD Kit. This included a new drag link, tie rod, and a steering stabilizer and relocation bracket. The parts are MUCH beefier than the stock system, and with the relocation brackets it gets everything higher off the ground.

https://steersmarts.com/collections/jl-jlu-products

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The last thing I had done while it was there was get a pair of AEV Geometry Correction Brackets installed. These definitely helped the front tires move over bumps as intended by bringing the control arms pretty close to parallel with the ground. (excuse the gouge on the lower control arm - thank you Rebel Offroad for installing them backwards and gouging them on the frame...)

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I really love the AEV geometry correction brackets. They improve the on road handling; I feel it eliminates the nose dive when firmly braking. How much of an improvement is the new steering stabilizer? Is it also made by Steer Smarts? I’m still stock on that and it’s too soft for my taste. Thanks for the recommendation of Rock-Tech (and warning about those other guys). I’m LA local and looking for a reliable non-dealer shop.

Great build, enjoy following the progress!
 
Jimmie Perkins said:
I really love the AEV geometry correction brackets. They improve the on road handling; I feel it eliminates the nose dive when firmly braking. How much of an improvement is the new steering stabilizer? Is it also made by Steer Smarts? I’m still stock on that and it’s too soft for my taste. Thanks for the recommendation of Rock-Tech (and warning about those other guys). I’m LA local and looking for a reliable non-dealer shop.

Great build, enjoy following the progress!
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The new steering components made a pretty big difference, and everything was from Steer Smarts. The steering is definitely more responsive and I feel like bumps and dips in the road don't just take the truck with them now. There is a TSB issued for the steering box on the JL / JTs if you have the aluminum box. There's a dead zone in the steering, which I have and need to get taken care of - I can move the wheel about 2" back and forth and it doesn't move the truck (this was already an issue before the new parts). Not sure if you're experiencing something similar, but the dealer should take care of it if you complain.

I definitely recommend Rock-Tech. I am planning on taking the truck back if when I decide to upsize to 37's and re-gear.
 

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The new winch is now installed! I originally had the Warn Zeon 10-S on order, but after a few weeks of no shipping updates I finally gave them a call... No more Zeons until mid-year next year.

So I ended up going with the Warn Evo 12-S, since it's only $100 more than the 10-S (and I also see a full size truck in the future).

Looks great in the new AFN 4x4 bumper, and it was a way easier install than the factory bumper. I just need to respool the line as soon as I get somewhere with enough room.

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Dave said:
:mike
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Honestly. Kinda' jealous. It could also be used for solar charging the battery, a battery tender or shore power for a camper's house battery when parked, or anything else you had to open up the hood for. The OEM part makes it look nice an clean.

Plus think of all the premium parking spaces you have access to now. :lol
 
Greg said:
Honestly. Kinda' jealous. It could also be used for solar charging the battery, a battery tender or shore power for a camper's house battery when parked, or anything else you had to open up the hood for. The OEM part makes it look nice an clean.

Plus think of all the premium parking spaces you have access to now. :lol
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I have all that now with my Anderson connection at the front bumper. But those premium parking spaces might be worth the mod :spy
 
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