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

[khokhonutt]

Put the Daystar 2" spacer lift on. The stock kit goes for a more level stance, but I prefer the stock stance, so I added a 3/4 spacer to the rear. It's a decent kit for the money and will give me a little more clearance until there are more options available for the Gladiator.

Before:

After:

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[ShadowsPapa]

Put the Daystar 2" spacer lift on. The stock kit goes for a more level stance, but I prefer the stock stance, so I added a 3/4 spacer to the rear. It's a decent kit for the money and will give me a little more clearance until there are more options available for the Gladiator.

Before:

After:

Definitely like the look of the after pic and that stance. A little rake is good in my eyes and you have it sitting about right, IMO.

 

[Paladin_JTR]

Does the surface have a rubbery grip to it or is it slippery? Wondering if it would be useful on a side step... did you need special equipment for installation? Did it come with the spray gun and you had a home shop air compressor? Anything else required besides masking/drop cloths?

Its like a non skid type surface. I suppose rubbery is a good way to put it but not soft rubber it is very tough and durable. It is textured and acts more like non skid or a very thick powder coating if you want to think of it that way. I have sprayed it on bumpers, steps, armor and it works well for all of those situations. The amazon kits come with a low end spray gun but even though it is low end it does a very good job. The gun will only last you a long time if you are very meticulous about cleaning it thoroughly. Honestly though for the price I just buy the kit with the gun each time I order more and have collected a few guns now. You will need a compressor that can maintain 60 psi while shooting so be careful about using smaller tanks (mine is a 5 gallon tank and works just fine). Also you will want to either have a tank with a built in regulator, or buy yourself a better regulator to attach to the gun, the regulator that comes with most of these kits are junk and unreliable. I use frog tape for masking, it does really well at getting clean lines but the preferred tape to use for bed liner is the tape with a wire edge in it so you get perfectly clean lines each time you unmask using the wire. That is really about all you need except for a respirator, proper gloves, and some goggles. If this stuff gets on your hands it takes weeks to come off as you scrub layers of skin off lol. I made a video when I did the JK....I am not a professional video editor or camera man and what not but it might be helpful.

 

[Sespe]

Just used this rough country speedometer calibration tool to set the new tire height. Once I read the instructions, it was super easy.

Came here today to post this exact same mod. Thanks for saving me from taking a picture! And yes, it was super easy.

 

[TTEChris]

Finished mounting the Fusion4x4 axles. I still have plenty of work to do, but at least I can measure and order driveshafts tomorrow

 

[steffen707]

Thanks @SleepyJeep for your comments. Makes perfect sense that the wires should tie into the parking lights. I can’t help but wonder if the bug guard will get torn off in a car wash. Please post feedback about this when you have run your truck through a car wash.

And @TheHops thanks for your comments as well. Have same car wash question for you. Thanks to advise.

Oh and do either of you or @steffen707 have a link for the bug guard and lights? Thanks

https://www.quadratec.com/p/autoven...F9KkAQqqsm5i7PYTAX0mHy03pD_MGvIkaAou8EALw_wcB

 

[Jake]

Thanks @steffen707 will look into it.

 

[Jdyowa]

Put the Daystar 2" spacer lift on. The stock kit goes for a more level stance, but I prefer the stock stance, so I added a 3/4 spacer to the rear. It's a decent kit for the money and will give me a little more clearance until there are more options available for the Gladiator.

I thought the Daystar 2 inch lift was a two inch lift front and back? So my truck has a 2 inch difference front to back. Wouldn't this rake remain but it wo UK kd be 2 inches height front and back? I've got kit on it's way and I would like to know beforehand
Before:

After:

 

[mojocho]

Toyo Open Country AT2 35x12.5
Black Rhino Arsenal 17’s
SmityBilt X20 10K Gen 2
Warn Mid Guard
KC Pro 6 Gravity (driving beam)

Stock suspension?

 

[Buzzlb]

Put a eBay dead pedal on.

 

[khokhonutt]

I thought the Daystar 2 inch lift was a two inch lift front and back? So my truck has a 2 inch difference front to back. Wouldn't this rake remain but it would be 2 inches height front and back? I've got kit on it's way and I would like to know beforehand

I thought the same thing when I first started looking at the kit, but I read or saw somewhere that while it came with spacers front and rear, the spacer in the back was smaller. That was the case when I received the kit and measured it. I forget the exact measurements, but the spacers in the front are definitely taller than the ones in the back.

That said, I ended up doing the front install one day and the rear install the next day. With just the front done, the truck looked pretty close to level with the nose up just a bit. It probably would be fine with the included spacers in the rear, but I'm also happy with how mine sits.

I will give you a couple of tips, since you've got the same kit on order.

1. If you haven't already, watch CJ Offroad's install video. You can find it by searching, "2020 Jeep Gladiator Install Daystar 2 Inch Spacer Lift Kit" on YouTube. They do a pretty good job of showing the install, but what I really like is they list all of the wrench sizes you'll need to do the job.
2. The one size they don't list in that video is 3/4". That's the size the bolts that come with the kit are. You'll need a socket and a wrench to tighten those bolts.
3. It'll help to have a press to install the control arm and sway bar link bushings. I have one of the $70 Harbor Freight presses and it worked great. You could probably do the same with a vice and some plates.
4. On the front install, when you go to install bump stops, the video leaves out a step. There's a bracket that connects the brake line and hub monitors near the shock mount that you'll need to remove to reach the bottom of the bump stop. It takes a 10mm wrench to remove.
5. On the rear, I opted to not remove the bolt on the lower end of the track bar. I struggled with the front track bar a bit, so I left the rear attached. Instead, I used the jack that comes with the Gladiator with a couple blocks of wood to jack between where the rear bump stop mounts and where the bump stop would contact at full stuff. I removed the bump stop then jacked between those two surfaces and it dropped the axle to a point where you could easily manipulate the spring. Be careful, your brake line will be the limiting factor there, but I found that process easier than messing with lining up the track bar later.

Other than that, I did the work 100% by myself. Working by myself it took me 3 to 4 hours to finish each end. The back went way quicker than the front.

All of that said, I'm very happy with the ride. I'm still going to have an alignment shop take a look at it later this week, but it feels just like stock running down the road at all speeds, including highway speed.

 

[OMTBiker]

Finished mounting the Fusion4x4 axles. I still have plenty of work to do, but at least I can measure and order driveshafts tomorrow

The red powder coating looks awesome!!

 

[mazeppa]

<SNIP>

A GOOD relay will come with a diode built-in across the coil to prevent "feedback" into the circuit when the field collapses around the coil so it should be ok in that way.

<SNIP>

Very important and good advice for modern automotive electrical systems.

 

[Jdyowa]

I thought the same thing when I first started looking at the kit, but I read or saw somewhere that while it came with spacers front and rear, the spacer in the back was smaller. That was the case when I received the kit and measured it. I forget the exact measurements, but the spacers in the front are definitely taller than the ones in the back.

That said, I ended up doing the front install one day and the rear install the next day. With just the front done, the truck looked pretty close to level with the nose up just a bit. It probably would be fine with the included spacers in the rear, but I'm also happy with how mine sits.

I will give you a couple of tips, since you've got the same kit on order.

1. If you haven't already, watch CJ Offroad's install video. You can find it by searching, "2020 Jeep Gladiator Install Daystar 2 Inch Spacer Lift Kit" on YouTube. They do a pretty good job of showing the install, but what I really like is they list all of the wrench sizes you'll need to do the job.
2. The one size they don't list in that video is 3/4". That's the size the bolts that come with the kit are. You'll need a socket and a wrench to tighten those bolts.
3. It'll help to have a press to install the control arm and sway bar link bushings. I have one of the $70 Harbor Freight presses and it worked great. You could probably do the same with a vice and some plates.
4. On the front install, when you go to install bump stops, the video leaves out a step. There's a bracket that connects the brake line and hub monitors near the shock mount that you'll need to remove to reach the bottom of the bump stop. It takes a 10mm wrench to remove.
5. On the rear, I opted to not remove the bolt on the lower end of the track bar. I struggled with the front track bar a bit, so I left the rear attached. Instead, I used the jack that comes with the Gladiator with a couple blocks of wood to jack between where the rear bump stop mounts and where the bump stop would contact at full stuff. I removed the bump stop then jacked between those two surfaces and it dropped the axle to a point where you could easily manipulate the spring. Be careful, your brake line will be the limiting factor there, but I found that process easier than messing with lining up the track bar later.

Other than that, I did the work 100% by myself. Working by myself it took me 3 to 4 hours to finish each end. The back went way quicker than the front.

All of that said, I'm very happy with the ride. I'm still going to have an alignment shop take a look at it later this week, but it feels just like stock running down the road at all speeds, including highway speed.

Dude, thanks a bunch for the info. I did watch the video (a few times so far) and I liked the information about the wrench sizes, too. When you were all done, the Jeep sits Level? I also thought about leaving the original spacers in and gaining some extra height as well. I guess I'll figure it out when I'm doing it. I used to take the front springs out of one of my JK's all the time, and paint them. I'd get bored and do it. I got pretty good at doing it quickly. Hopefully that helps.
Last thing.... are you happy with it? Does it drive like stock?
My Rubi had a 2" mopar and it drove ok, but not like stock. Wanted to pull a lot to the left and was just more work. This is why I don't want to do it this time. I like the ride.

 

[Jdyowa]

Put a eBay dead pedal on.

I just ordered it two days ago. I should have it tomorrow. How do you like it?

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