What did you do TO your Gladiator today? [ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS, NO GUN TALK]

[Y-Guy]

My FedEx guy here in Missouri is fantastic. He's a regular and we know him by name. We also get many other FedEx packages by the contract carriers and haven't ever had an issue. UPS has been mostly good but we've definitely had unusual delays with them.

I've read some concerning things about the hub in Troutdale, Oregon - a lot has to do with trouble of attracting and keeping staff, and related to the very very relaxed drug laws in Oregon now. I see package arrive, leave and return to Troutdale 2-3 times before getting delivered - I really have no idea why but it's beyond frustrating. Reddit users talked about large numbers employees not passing drug tests to operate forklifts or drive causing major problems. No matter the cause behind it, when a package goes through Troutdale I can almost guarantee it will add another day or two to their delivery date. The big issue for me is the near impossible ability to talk to a human, let alone one that can converse in English and the constant lack of ontime delivery. The local FexEd woman is great, totally not her fault. But I cringe when I see a FedEx package coming my way.

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[chorky]

I've read some concerning things about the hub in Troutdale, Oregon - a lot has to do with trouble of attracting and keeping staff, and related to the very very relaxed drug laws in Oregon now. I see package arrive, leave and return to Troutdale 2-3 times before getting delivered - I really have no idea why but it's beyond frustrating. Reddit users talked about large numbers employees not passing drug tests to operate forklifts or drive causing major problems. No matter the cause behind it, when a package goes through Troutdale I can almost guarantee it will add another day or two to their delivery date. The big issue for me is the near impossible ability to talk to a human, let alone one that can converse in English and the constant lack of ontime delivery. The local FexEd woman is great, totally not her fault. But I cringe when I see a FedEx package coming my way.

thats crazy. I have been seeing some of the fastest delivery times i ever have. most amazon things seem to get here within days.

this was ordered on tuesday. It was supposedly out of stock with a shipment time of 30 days. It arrived thursday afternoon. Still waiting on the rest that supposedly will be here monday. Well see if it is the complete order or not though

 

[Y-Guy]

@chorky I'm honestly jealous, I wish I didn't hate FedEx so much. UPS is great and well USPS is mostly good, but FedEx here in the State of Washington & Oregon is so bad these days.

 

[chorky]

@chorky I'm honestly jealous, I wish I didn't hate FedEx so much. UPS is great and well USPS is mostly good, but FedEx here in the State of Washington & Oregon is so bad these days.

Everything there is bad ? It's why I left - kidding. But I do feel your pain. Only recently has products here arrived so fast. I have a feeling there must be a warehouse local that just happens to have what I order.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

More progress on the power step process.

The wiring harness install on a Gladiator is 1,000% easier than on a 4xe Wrangler. ZERO comparison! You can reach up and over and feed the harness across the cross member without any need of fishing it through, you can see the cross member, you can reach above it to strap the harness to it, it's just plain totally different. The 4xe you can only see about 4" of the cross member and it's blocked on both sides from reach up onto it. I can't stress enough how much easier it is to wire the JT up for these than the 4xe was. It took minutes to get the harness in place on this truck compared to a heck of a lot more time and effort on a 4xe where you can't even reach most of the cross member and have to fish it through.

Bolts and nuts not tight, just started, when I stopped for the day.......

 

[chorky]

More progress on the process.

The wiring harness install on a Gladiator is 1,000% easier than on a 4xe Wrangler. ZERO comparison! You can reach up and over and feed the harness across the cross member without any need of fishing it through, you can see the cross member, you can reach above it to strap the harness to it, it's just plain totally different. The 4xe you can only see about 4" of the cross member and it's blocked on both sides from reach up onto it. I can't stress enough how much easier it is to wire the JT up for these than the 4xe was. It took minutes to get the harness in place on this truck compared to a heck of a lot more time and effort on a 4xe where you can't even reach most of the cross member and have to fish it through.

Bolts and nuts not tight, just started, when I stopped for the day.......

Man I really want a pair of those but between how heavy they are, and the body bolt issues - it has me nervous.

Have you thought more about how to deal with that busted bolt?

 

[Chaos Theory]

I'll post a pic when I have a cool mountain backdrop or something... Today I had installed front/rear steel bumpers w/winch, light bar, full belly skid, 1.5 inch front spacer to compensate for bumper/winch, adjustable lower control arms w/skids, mudflaps. Added a couple hundred pounds, curious to see how bad the mileage is now...

 

[Y-Guy]

The wiring harness install on a Gladiator is 1,000% easier than on a 4xe Wrangler.

Which harness are you installing?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Which harness are you installing?

RSE power steps.
It runs down the top of the right frame rail, then across a cross member over to the left side, then up the left side inside the cab.
Getting to that cross member on a JT is a breeze.
Getting to that cross member on a Wrangler 4xe is almost impossible - you can't even see it except a little bit in the center. The sides are blocked by shields as that's about where the big batteries on a 4xe sit.
It's only a little bit shielded on the JT and just one one side. You can still actually reach up on the right side over the shields on the JT. Not on the Wrangler 4xe.
Put the steps on my wife's Wrangler earlier in the month. This one is taking a heck of a lot less time other than the busted body bolt on the left side.

This is the steps on my wife's Jeep - I'm putting them on my Gladiator now ->

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Man I really want a pair of those but between how heavy they are, and the body bolt issues - it has me nervous.

Have you thought more about how to deal with that busted bolt?

If I had been SMART, I would have waited on the body bolts until this arrived today -

It's a great way to heat the bolt up hot - and nothing else (if you work quickly) and it will soften the "LocTite".
I'll use it on the bolts when I tighten them after the steps are installed - right now it's hard to tell if they are tight because of the locking compound, or they are just plain tight.

I chatted with my favorite service advisor today. He's looking into it a bit more but he said he and the techs agree, there's only two choices:
Lift the cab and access the bolt remains from above - prohibitively expensive and time consuming (almost his words)
or
drill it out from below.
He said he's not sure if their shop would do it, or their collision center which is about half the hourly rate but they are WAAAY out on scheduling, like many weeks out.
So, he left it that I'd think on it more, he'd think on it more, dig some more into who best to do it, etc. and said if I wanted, I could go ahead and have him schedule it in and they'd get it in and out in short order, like that same day or less.
Or
I can drop it off and he'd try to work it in but I could be without it a couple of days or so, depending. Might get it done sooner that way, but would be without it a couple of days, maybe 2 or 3.
He's not concerned about my driving it as long as I don't do and "off-roading with it" (his words) to keep the flexing down because there's still plenty of good bolts holding things.
The negative - it's the bolt that would hold the front of the power step - where I get in and out so my weight would be on the step without that bracket holding it.
Because the bolt would be basically "captive" if I went ahead and put the bracket up there with the bolt and body cushion in place it would help support the step even with the bolt being broken. I'd just not jump up and down on it with my mass.

 

[Gatorized]

If I had been SMART, I would have waited on the body bolts until this arrived today -

It's a great way to heat the bolt up hot - and nothing else (if you work quickly) and it will soften the "LocTite".
I'll use it on the bolts when I tighten them after the steps are installed - right now it's hard to tell if they are tight because of the locking compound, or they are just plain tight.

I chatted with my favorite service advisor today. He's looking into it a bit more but he said he and the techs agree, there's only two choices:
Lift the cab and access the bolt remains from above - prohibitively expensive and time consuming (almost his words)
or
drill it out from below.
He said he's not sure if their shop would do it, or their collision center which is about half the hourly rate but they are WAAAY out on scheduling, like many weeks out.
So, he left it that I'd think on it more, he'd think on it more, dig some more into who best to do it, etc. and said if I wanted, I could go ahead and have him schedule it in and they'd get it in and out in short order, like that same day or less.
Or
I can drop it off and he'd try to work it in but I could be without it a couple of days or so, depending. Might get it done sooner that way, but would be without it a couple of days, maybe 2 or 3.
He's not concerned about my driving it as long as I don't do and "off-roading with it" (his words) to keep the flexing down because there's still plenty of good bolts holding things.
The negative - it's the bolt that would hold the front of the power step - where I get in and out so my weight would be on the step without that bracket holding it.
Because the bolt would be basically "captive" if I went ahead and put the bracket up there with the bolt and body cushion in place it would help support the step even with the bolt being broken. I'd just not jump up and down on it with my mass.

YouTube has DIY replacement of the front bolt done by cutting an access hole on the wheel well



good luck . Maybe your dealer will fix it under warranty..

 

[Hootbro]

If I had been SMART, I would have waited on the body bolts until this arrived today -

It's a great way to heat the bolt up hot - and nothing else (if you work quickly) and it will soften the "LocTite"...............

Can it cook a hotdog? Asking for a friend.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Maybe your dealer will fix it under warranty..

You know it's bad when a 15" breaker bar can break such a bolt, but then I'm used to wrenching bolts so maybe I just over-do it a bit?

His solution was pretty invasive, IMO
I mean, cutting the spot weld, removing that whole piece, putting washers in there to reinforce the body where it's bolted....
Looks like if he ever wants to remove that bolt again he's got to remove the fender liner and pull his cover plate off to access a nut in that recess.
Guess I'm not ready to start cutting out chunks of structure on a <12 month old truck quite yet.

 

[chorky]

If I had been SMART, I would have waited on the body bolts until this arrived today -

It's a great way to heat the bolt up hot - and nothing else (if you work quickly) and it will soften the "LocTite".
I'll use it on the bolts when I tighten them after the steps are installed - right now it's hard to tell if they are tight because of the locking compound, or they are just plain tight.

I chatted with my favorite service advisor today. He's looking into it a bit more but he said he and the techs agree, there's only two choices:
Lift the cab and access the bolt remains from above - prohibitively expensive and time consuming (almost his words)
or
drill it out from below.
He said he's not sure if their shop would do it, or their collision center which is about half the hourly rate but they are WAAAY out on scheduling, like many weeks out.
So, he left it that I'd think on it more, he'd think on it more, dig some more into who best to do it, etc. and said if I wanted, I could go ahead and have him schedule it in and they'd get it in and out in short order, like that same day or less.
Or
I can drop it off and he'd try to work it in but I could be without it a couple of days or so, depending. Might get it done sooner that way, but would be without it a couple of days, maybe 2 or 3.
He's not concerned about my driving it as long as I don't do and "off-roading with it" (his words) to keep the flexing down because there's still plenty of good bolts holding things.
The negative - it's the bolt that would hold the front of the power step - where I get in and out so my weight would be on the step without that bracket holding it.
Because the bolt would be basically "captive" if I went ahead and put the bracket up there with the bolt and body cushion in place it would help support the step even with the bolt being broken. I'd just not jump up and down on it with my mass.

What am I looking at here? Is this one of those round coil heaters? Can't quite tell.

It sounds like the dealer would try drilling it out too...and taking the whole body off for that I guess is really the next logical step but MAN that is invasive! and extensive. There has to be another way....

I sure hope you are successful with drilling it out.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Can it cook a hotdog? Asking for a friend.

Maybe if it's an Oscar Myer ferrous hot dog.

I'm sure an engineer such as yourself can come up with a better hot dog cooker.
Haven't you ever done this?

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