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TJ's TJ/JT T/J

BlueScapegoat

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TJ's (me) TJ/JT T/J (Thread/Journal)

Kind of seems silly making a build journal considering I'm not planning anything crazy with my Gladiator, but after thinking the same with my last several Jeeps and then going way down the rabbit hole sometimes providing write-ups on numerous forums, etc, I thought maybe it'd be wise to do one this time around from the start. I'll try to use part numbers to make searching easy.

I've averaged about 1 car a year since I've been driving, but here's the Jeep history for me:
2006 Jeep TJ SE (2.4L & 6 speed) Sold
1987 Jeep Comanche (2.5 & 5 speed) Sold
1982 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Limited (amc 360) Gifted
2005 Jeep TJ Rubicon (Supercharged 4.0 & 6 speed) Never Selling
2022 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon (3.0 Ecodiesel & 8HP75)

The 2022 JT is the second vehicle I've ever bought from new, and the first that I had built to order.
Ordered on March 8th, I took delivery on Memorial Day, May 30th.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220530_141215100


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220530_153316916


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220531_170115590


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220531_170102052


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220531_170128379


The current plan for this Jeep is to be a long distance cruiser/wheeler. I suppose in that regard you could call it an overlander, as cringey as that term has come to be to some people. You can see my TJ, it's build about as off-road oriented as I felt I could get away with going, while still serving my daily driver duties for the last 9 years. It's time for her to get retired at the ripe age of 96,000 miles. I want the JT to be a more compliant daily. Quieter, smoother, more convenient (ie no flinging mud and salt spray on the windows and mirrors)

Things I already have ordered, or have in the garage and I'm settled on, for now:

HotHead Headliner in Oak
Sound deadening sheets for the floor
Tazer for convenience
37x12.5r17 Cooper SST Pro
17x8.5 AEV Salta XR in Onyx
Regular/Original Size Rokblokz
Block heater - Mopar 56044738AA (how is this not standard)
2" Iron Rock Offroad Spacer lift with shock extensions
Currie bump stops front/rear
Currie carrier bearing spacer
Extended Mopar lower control arms 68322798AA
Rebadging. Planning on black/grey badging.

I was never a fan of the JK generation, but I've done full suspensions on many of them, and wheeled with groups with them of course. I've done a few TJs, XJs, MJs, ZJs, YJs. I haven't touched a JL or JT yet. I'm going with a spacer right out of the gate for a couple reasons. I want to see how the stock suspension rides - I can't stand the fluttery reverb that most stock suspensions seem to have when you hit a bump. I've always been a huge proponent of Currie Johnny Joints for that reason. But I see more and more of these different rubber or compound bushings becoming the recommended norm lately, so I want to feel it out. And Currie (now branding their Jeep parts exclusively as Rock Jock it appears) seems to have fallen out of favor. Which I just find surprising. I want to see how the stock suspension handles load in the rear. And honestly, my TJ is going to become more of a trail rig. The Gladiator just isn't going to see heavy trail use. If it does the job entirely adequately with spacers and exhibits no quirks, then why spend the extra dough? Lockers and a good set of tires get you far. But, I'm picky. I'm helping install a Clayton lift on a coworkers JT shortly, so I can use him as a guinea pig as well.

What I have in mind, potentially, or pretty soon:
Line-X Premium. This is scheduled to be sprayed next week.
Track bars, Clayton probably.
GDE Tune. I won't be doing this until I can get my hands on a spare PCM. I've tuned a few Chrysler PCMs before with my HP Tuner, so I might dig in myself before then. But I don't know squat about stuff post mid-00s.
Tint.
Trailer brake controller.
Tonneau cover.
Rebel half rack.
iKamper Skycamp Mini.
67 Designs dash mount.
FTM400XD radio, probably a Compactenna for garage convenience.

Basic maintenance stuff:
Hot Shot's EDT 1oz per tank.
Avalon King Ceramic Coat.
3M 08852 Cavity Wax for frame.
CRC 6026 for rust prevention.
I haven't delved into it yet, but I intend to do an oil change after a couple thousand miles.

I already started working on it last night, I'll post up some updates later. It'll be up on 37s by this weekend. Oh, and as the JT takes over daily duties, the TJ will be getting some love too. I might as well post that in here as well. We all like Jeeps here, right?
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BlueScapegoat

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Got a good bit done this weekend.

First off, what is this, a Tesla!? :

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220601_004843225


A couple notes on the spacer lift:

The Iron Rock Offroad lift is a pretty budget spacer, but it's beefy. It's welded steel coil spacers and shock extension brackets. That's it.

In drooping the suspension to install the coils I wanted to see just how much of a difference loosening the control arm bushings would make. The answer is a huge difference. You MUST loosen all 16 control arms bolts and re-torque them with the weight on the ground afterwards, I'm convinced of this. Otherwise those bushings are going to be under some pretty serious preload.

The sway links really need replaced with a 2" lift. They are the limiting factor for droop now, and when they're fully extended you're at risk of them trying to invert, that is the sway bar flip around the wrong way. This isn't actually possible with the rear sway bar due to the way it rotated into the diff, and I don't know much about how the front sway bar system works, but it's something to keep in mind. I'm ordering new sway links tonight.

The tires are Cooper Discoverer SST 37x12.5r17 MT on AEV Salta XR wheels. I stuck a full size matching spare under the bed. AEV ensured the center through bore was the acceptable size for the spare winch mechanism, and it's tight. The 37 just fits. These pictures are of it almost in place, just a bit crooked. I massaged it a bit more and got it wedged all the way up there.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220601_012755497


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220601_013142125


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220601_013155564


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220601_013146825


Installed the flaps. It's worth noting here that RokBlokz does not officially guarantee fitment on the diesel. I got the regular original flaps, the smallest ones. With them adjusted all the way out, they clear the exhaust with what I consider to be ample clearance. If you wanted to adjust them in further, you'd need to do some trimming of the flare. Not a big deal, a couple minutes with a dremel would be easy.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220601_013244266


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220601_022406540.NIGHT
0

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220601_013259893


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220601_013308703


This is a curiosity to me- this bracket was installed along the side of the frame above the exhaust where you can see the flap bracket now resides in the above picture. It's a separately painted and intentionally installed piece. Searching the part number identifies it as a Exhaust Resonator Skid. I didn't take a picture of it installed in place, but it's positioning looks like it wouldn't prevent the exhaust from touching anything. And in the event the exhaust did somehow make contact with it, you'd be looking at much bigger issues.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220601_015517910

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J mighty-car-mods-mcm


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220603_024013671.NIGHT


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220603_024030726.NIGHT


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220603_024547619


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220603_024554193


So given that the rear track bar clears the spare, and I can't actually visually see the offset axles, I'm not worried about track bars for now. I'm going to get sway links and drive it for a while and see what I think.

I also had gotten 2" Currie bump stop extensions. I ended up not installing the fronts. The coil spacer goes on top, and the bump stop goes on the bottom. Because the Currie stops are solid 2" pieces of aluminum, they won't fit through the coils of the coils themselves. You need to compress the spring to fit over top. And I just didn't want to scuff up the new coils and start the rusting process. Because it's a spacer lift I still don't have to worry about the tires eating the fender at compression, but I would have coil bind and bottoming out shocks as a potential issue. So if I wanted to go off roading with the sway bar disconnected, maybe slipping some stackable bump stops in there would be a good idea. I do keep a box of hockey pucks on hand for cutting into various bushings/snubbers etc. Maybe I'll cut some up for that for now. Or even cutting the currie stop in half would be an option for easier installation, but I'm still planning a full lift later on, most likely, and it'll get used then.

I installed a carrier bearing spacer in the rear as well. I'm not sure it's required, I didn't bother to measure the angles first, but it's definitely going to be an improvement and can't hurt. It's cheap way to help prolong the life of your bearings.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220605_190107257
 
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BlueScapegoat

BlueScapegoat

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Next up was some interior work. This was a lot of fun. I expected some difficulty, but it all went really easy. E12 socket for the seats, really easy to get to. The seats are light and I pulled them out easily without removing the door at all. I have the heated seats, it was just 2 electrical connectors per seat. The rear seat you just fold up out of the way. rear storage bin pulls out with some T40 or T45 sockets, and the small parts holder is held in with 2 10mm nuts and a plastic snap.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_174522207


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_174536170


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_183900925


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_220726653


All the carpet just snaps in to place. I did pull the side trim along the bottom of the door sills loose, but didn't fully remove it. To loosen/remove it, pull towards the inside of the jeep, parallel to the floor. It snaps in/out. I could have gone more all out with the removing the center console but I wasn't going for perfection here. Just wanted a little help with sound/heat.

I ordered the HotHead headliners in oak color. I couldn't find as many color comparisons as I'd liked, so I took a few in different lights to try to illustrate. The color is a very close match, but depending on light it reflects differently. Of course, it's going to be on the roof and always in the dark so any difference is negligible. I'm really happy I went with the oak.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_195350231


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_195407248


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_195410093


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_195422858


I pulled the "freedum panels" off to do the liners on them. A little sanding, some pure alcohol (the instruction insist on acetone only - I broke the law) and stuck them on. I opted to leave the rest of the top on and loosen the hold down bolts and tip it back. I stuck a 4x4 wrapped in microfibre between the roll bar and the top and did it that way. I wasn't difficult at all. Since I had the carpet out already I wasn't worried about the sanding dust. I just blew the cabin out with an air compressor when I was done.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_193604671


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_195629159


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220605_161441430


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220605_161447062


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_232159867


Then came the fun part, the floor sound deadening. If you order the headliner kit from HotHead with the sound assassin strips as well, they give you a small cheapo roller. I used this roller on the entire floor and it was more than adequate. It's certainly not a high quality tool or something I'd want to do more than one vehicle with, but it got the job done just fine.

These are just peel and stick sheets, then roll/press into place. Missing a few spots isn't a big deal- their primary purpose is to dull the vibrations through the floor, even small patched will achieve this to a point. Using the full floor kit, to achieve the results here, I had several sheets left over for future projects. I certainly could have used them by going over the tunnel, or up the back wall behind the seats.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_223501655


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_225926404


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220604_232241921


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220605_010029113


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220605_030234495


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220605_030248721


Laying the carpet back down was easier than I expected. Along the edges the gap under the plastic was now much tighter. I just got it poked in there then ran a plastic interior trim tool along the carpet under the plastic and it all popped right into place.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220605_150128715


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220605_150131317


And that's it. sliced my finger open installing the Tazer, set the tires to 37s and started at 34 psi. Took it for a drive.

Now I don't have a proper scientific baseline for noise. At 75 mph my phone said 73 db when stock. Now with the lift and tires and sound deadening at 75 on a different but similar road it says 71 db. That's not a lot, but the tires are definitely louder relative. I couldn't hear the stock Falkens much over the wind noise, and the Coopers you can hear hum/whine. So either the wind noise is quieter, or the tire noise is louder. Either way, it's an improvement. And the stereo sounds less tinny. Overall a weekend well spent.

The ride quality is indistinguishable from stock, which is to be expected. The suspension has the stock reverb I complained about previously. I'm 95% sure it's the rubber control arm bushings. It was even more pronounced on older generations. I'll drive it for a while, but I think Johnny Joints are in my future.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220605_192055149


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220605_200313205


oh, and the bumper end caps came off. I wasn't sure at first, but now I'm pretty sure it's a better look. I don't know if I'd feel the same about a wider stance. The threads got pretty screwed up on some of them, and they're already gunked up with lock tite, so I chased all the threads first before sticking the bolts back in. I recommend it.

::edit::

So I mentioned 73 to 71 db not being a big difference, but the db scale isn't linear. Assuming the phone is somewhere close to correct, it's a reduction in noise by 15-20%
 
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BlueScapegoat

BlueScapegoat

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So I weighed the rig. GVWR on the door jam is 6450 lbs.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J Screenshot_20220626-155955


That's with a full tank, no passengers, no cargo. 5680 lbs. That leaves only 770 lbs for cargo/passengers, technically. Of course, I believe all of that goes out the window once you start modifying parts anyway, but people seem really hung up on these numbers on this forum. Anyway, I always weigh my vehicles.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220616_003432438


That's about 750 lbs of mulch. Still sitting with a pretty hefty rake. So I decided to add another inch to the front.

*GASP* you may say. 3" of coil spacer? That's so much spacer! Truth be told, it's nothing. The control arms are so long on these Jeeps now... here's a little comparison between my TJ and the JT's lower front arms. And look at that angle. The TJ is sitting on it's axles in this photo.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_220623323


So I got an additional 1" Teraflex coil spacer for the front. The holes didn't line up with the IRO spacers perfectly... which is great. I ground the nubs until they almost fit and them hammered them together. Nice and snug.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220625_172332632.NIGHT


Added Falcon bump stop jounces. These are supposedly progressive. The newer diesel jounces Are short to prevent bottoming out, but really, that just means it's going to bottom out harder. Here's a comparison of the front, stock and new.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220625_165751264~2


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220625_173035984


I also installed a 2" Currie bump stop spacers in the front and rear, to prevent coil bind and bottoming out the shocks.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220625_202632685


I guess I didn't take any photos, I need to get better about that, but I also added the sway bar links from the Mopar lift kit in the front and rear, and a Clayton adjustable front track bar to bring things back to center. Steering is VERY easy to adjust on these Jeeps to bring the steering wheel back into alignment.

This is the final result. Still a very budget lift. Still rides like stock. I am now at the point with the 3" coil spacers in the front and 2" shock extensions in the front that I'm starting to sacrifice off road articulation. But for a street driver? It drives beautifully.

Keep in mind this is all just me seeing what is capable of the suspension and geometry on these Jeeps. I'm sure I'll be doing lift kits on them for years, so it's nice to know what is possible and at what point other parts start needing replaced first hand, vs the "wisdom" of the internet.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220628_151414520


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220626_012703485


And here are a couple pictures next to the TJ, for an interesting comparison in dimensions, clearance, etc.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_192701390


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_192719035


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_192750931


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_192806851


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_193031814


As well as some comparisons at work, to the GM sand color and a stock Rubi Diesel on 37s:

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220627_165050206


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220627_141010556


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220627_140741737
 
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BlueScapegoat

BlueScapegoat

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Then I turned my attention to the TJ for a bit. A lot of people have told me I'm going to regret these Hutchinsons when it comes time to change the tires. Well, here's the first change. The TJ has been on these tires for about 5 years now

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_212204439

First off, let the air out. Not doing that could be exciting.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_233531168

Lug caps removed

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_233839661

Remove the lugs holding the two wheel halves together

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_233845148

I've got the whole assembly sitting on an upside down bucket, so the weight of the wheel is now resting on the mounting surface, that is the front piece of the two wheel halves

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_233941857

Bouncing on the side of the tire a couple times causes the halves to separate. Now, the two mounting surfaces are still pressed firmly into the tire beads

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_235052611

I just worked my way around the wheel face with a pry bar and a large flat head screw driver and loosened the bead. It took two full rotations for the tire to fall loose.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_235640057

Flip the bucket, then flip the wheel to rest on the other half and repeat

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_235643482


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220702_235838401


Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220703_000040750

Bam. Free. Figuring out the exact technique took a while the first time around. Each tire after this took maybe 10 minutes to disassemble.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220703_000107028

Here you can see the rubber insert that the two wheel halves pinch, effectively making it a double beadlock. I routinely run these tires at 5-7 psi off road. I love it.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220703_000200343

Fully disassembled.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220703_000218985

Airsoft pellets after ~25k miles. Dynamically balancing worked ok, but I'm going to have a local shop put the new ones on their balancer. Previously I'd drive the Jeep 300 miles, do a weekend of wheeling in the rocks, then drive 300 miles home, so I wanted the wheels to be able to adjust somewhat after maybe ripping some lugs off in the rocks or whatever. In the future, I plan to just trailer the TJ with the JT, so balance is less important now.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220705_012833117

Next up is ditching the rear LoD tire carrier bumper and going with a higher clearance bumper and moving the spare inside the tub.

Jeep Gladiator TJ's TJ/JT T/J PXL_20220705_013226299

Comparison with fresh tires. 37x12.5r17 Cooper left, 37x12.5r15 Pitbull right.
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