2-Door Gladiator

[RoamingGladiator]

Afternoon folks!

Just doing some theory crafting for my build. I've always been a fan of two-door trucks with the longer bed, and I'm planning on removing the bed of my JTRD and putting a frame-mounted camper on the back (Working with a company on that already). One thing that has intrigued me is I know there were some truck conversion kits for JKUs and I believe there were a few 2-door Gladiators for SEMA. I'm looking into the feasibility of chopping the cab into a single-cab conversion, I like the idea of being able to shorten the length after the rear axle to get a better departure like those bed chop kits people are doing while gaining length in the front for a longer camper.

Has anyone thought about doing this? I reached out to GR8TOPS to see if the JK kit could be adapted for the JT, or how feasible it was. Save a decent amount of weight by removing the back half of the cab that I never use as well. Not trying to be one of those Overlanders that is 1500lbs over GVWR ? The idea would be to just chop the back door area out and move the space behind the rear seats up so you still have a tiny bit of in-cab storage.

JTRUK Truck Cab Kit – GR8TOPS

Pictures below are of the JKU conversion kit and a render of a 2-door Gladiator with comache-like proportions.

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[DesertDog]

I’d be interested in a JLU conversation

 

[ATL_Rubi]

Afternoon folks!

Just doing some theory crafting for my build. I've always been a fan of two-door trucks with the longer bed, and I'm planning on removing the bed of my JTRD and putting a frame-mounted camper on the back (Working with a company on that already). One thing that has intrigued me is I know there were some truck conversion kits for JKUs and I believe there were a few 2-door Gladiators for SEMA. I'm looking into the feasibility of chopping the cab into a single-cab conversion, I like the idea of being able to shorten the length after the rear axle to get a better departure like those bed chop kits people are doing while gaining length in the front for a longer camper.

Has anyone thought about doing this? I reached out to GR8TOPS to see if the JK kit could be adapted for the JT, or how feasible it was. Save a decent amount of weight by removing the back half of the cab that I never use as well. Not trying to be one of those Overlanders that is 1500lbs over GVWR ? The idea would be to just chop the back door area out and move the space behind the rear seats up so you still have a tiny bit of in-cab storage.

JTRUK Truck Cab Kit – GR8TOPS

Pictures below are of the JKU conversion kit and a render of a 2-door Gladiator with comache-like proportions.

If memory serves me, the 2 door gladiators on the road started out at 4 door JL’s then they chopped it to add the bed.
I don’t see why the same couldn’t occur on the JT frame though.


https://www.quadratec.com/c/blog/quadratec-unveils-2022-sema-build-jte-gladiator-2-door

 

[PuddleJumper]

Afternoon folks!

Just doing some theory crafting for my build. I've always been a fan of two-door trucks with the longer bed, and I'm planning on removing the bed of my JTRD and putting a frame-mounted camper on the back (Working with a company on that already). One thing that has intrigued me is I know there were some truck conversion kits for JKUs and I believe there were a few 2-door Gladiators for SEMA. I'm looking into the feasibility of chopping the cab into a single-cab conversion, I like the idea of being able to shorten the length after the rear axle to get a better departure like those bed chop kits people are doing while gaining length in the front for a longer camper.

Has anyone thought about doing this? I reached out to GR8TOPS to see if the JK kit could be adapted for the JT, or how feasible it was. Save a decent amount of weight by removing the back half of the cab that I never use as well. Not trying to be one of those Overlanders that is 1500lbs over GVWR ? The idea would be to just chop the back door area out and move the space behind the rear seats up so you still have a tiny bit of in-cab storage.

JTRUK Truck Cab Kit – GR8TOPS

Pictures below are of the JKU conversion kit and a render of a 2-door Gladiator with comache-like proportions.

if ya want a 2 door shorty bed. JLU all the way. I like the rear end set up on JTs more and think a 6.5 bed would be sweet. I'd try to shorten the tail up a bit and try to make it look like the center of the bed was right over the wheel/axle. Mght have to leave un bobbed tho too. I'd still like a soft top tho as well. Don't think it could work in a 2 door config. I'm also wondering how the roll bar assembly would work? move the rear bars up to the front? and squeeze in the sound bar? I love the concept, tho, I'd personally prefer a JLU wheel base by just having a half cab instead of a crew cab. halfy reverse swingouts that take off would be sweet too. IDK, intrested to see where ya go with this

 

[RoamingGladiator]

If memory serves me, the 2 door gladiators on the road started out at 4 door JL’s then they chopped it to add the bed.
I don’t see why the same couldn’t occur on the JT frame though.


https://www.quadratec.com/c/blog/quadratec-unveils-2022-sema-build-jte-gladiator-2-door

That's my understanding as well. I'm planning on a frame-mounted camper, so the ability to shorten the rear hangover while having a longer camper by going to a regular cab really interests me.

I've reached out to a few custom fab shops that I've seen do this, this seems to be more common than I thought LOL.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

if ya want a 2 door shorty bed. JLU all the way. I like the rear end set up on JTs more and think a 6.5 bed would be sweet. I'd try to shorten the tail up a bit and try to make it look like the center of the bed was right over the wheel/axle. Mght have to leave un bobbed tho too. I'd still like a soft top tho as well. Don't think it could work in a 2 door config. I'm also wondering how the roll bar assembly would work? move the rear bars up to the front? and squeeze in the sound bar? I love the concept, tho, I'd personally prefer a JLU wheel base by just having a half cab instead of a crew cab. halfy reverse swingouts that take off would be sweet too. IDK, intrested to see where ya go with this

I want to shorten up the tail a bit like a bobbed bed length for a bit better departure angle while gaining length by going to a regular cab. I don't care for the soft top personally, but I saw a company that did a custom hard top and it could still come off on a single cab conversion.

Quite a few people have done this on JKs/JLs so I presume they just chop the roll bar and move it up. The ultimate goal is to gain available room for a frame-mounted camper all while reducing weight, I calculated by deleting half the cab and the bed I'll shed roughly 750lbs in weight.

 

[PuddleJumper]

I want to shorten up the tail a bit like a bobbed bed length for a bit better departure angle while gaining length by going to a regular cab. I don't care for the soft top personally, but I saw a company that did a custom hard top and it could still come off on a single cab conversion.

Quite a few people have done this on JKs/JLs so I presume they just chop the roll bar and move it up. The ultimate goal is to gain available room for a frame-mounted camper all while reducing weight, I calculated by deleting half the cab and the bed I'll shed roughly 750lbs in weight.

Thats killer weigh savings there. I got a Mojave and clearing out that much weight is all too attractive

 

[RoamingGladiator]

Thats killer weigh savings there. I got a Mojave and clearing out that much weight is all too attractive

Yuppp... payload on my 21 JTRD is 1,075lbs. Gaining 750lbs in usable weight is massive, I've been working with a 4X4 camper company and the average weight for one dry for a Gladiator is 750lbs. I'm not trying to be one of those guys that is running 1000lbs+ over his payload and thinks its okay.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Yuppp... payload on my 21 JTRD is 1,075lbs. Gaining 750lbs in usable weight is massive, I've been working with a 4X4 camper company and the average weight for one dry for a Gladiator is 750lbs. I'm not trying to be one of those guys that is running 1000lbs+ over his payload and thinks its okay.

yeah I have over loaded vehicle by a lot in a pinch. but for actually running em and having fun, I don't like being anywhere close to even 60% payload capacity. I see everyone tossing in sound deadening, big racks, stiff springs, heavy AF RTTs, steel bumpers, 2.5 ton steering, etc. And Its just like damn, if i wanted a 100k pig of rig, I should've just bought an earth roamer or unimog lol. I've tossed my RTT for multi passenger trips only. Going to a hammock based setup, once I decide a system. and some type of ultralight bed management that doesn't have me crawling in for everything. I also want to bed mount my spare. cus while the 37 fits under. Its just not practical to get out when i need it. I'm already shopping for aluminum bumpers to toss my steel one. and an aluminum case winch too. long term I want add power like a 392 or something, and i don't want it to kill the pre runner feel of my truck. I keep seeing all these cool setups and realizing i could only pull it off and enjoy it if i went Power Wagon or something. I like small, light, and fast. very easy to get lost in sauce when you got truck bed that makes it too easy to toss shit in.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

yeah I have over loaded vehicle by a lot in a pinch. but for actually running em and having fun, I don't like being anywhere close to even 60% payload capacity. I see everyone tossing in sound deadening, big racks, stiff springs, heavy AF RTTs, steel bumpers, 2.5 ton steering, etc. And Its just like damn, if i wanted a 100k pig of rig, I should've just bought an earth roamer or unimog lol. I've tossed my RTT for multi passenger trips only. Going to a hammock based setup, once I decide a system. and some type of ultralight bed management that doesn't have me crawling in for everything. I also want to bed mount my spare. cus while the 37 fits under. Its just not practical to get out when i need it. I'm already shopping for aluminum bumpers to toss my steel one. and an aluminum case winch too. long term I want add power like a 392 or something, and i don't want it to kill the pre runner feel of my truck. I keep seeing all these cool setups and realizing i could only pull it off and enjoy it if i went Power Wagon or something. I like small, light, and fast. very easy to get lost in sauce when you got truck bed that makes it too easy to toss shit in.

Exactly. I want to turn this thing into a beast, but need to be conscious of weight everywhere. I did end up getting a steel front bumper but it's a stubby so it's not terrible. With a winch it should be about 130lbs, which is less than most peoples full size steel bumpers by themselves. The alum version of this bumper is only 40lbs lighter, I'm hoping that I'm not that tight on weight where that would make a huge difference.

We shall see! I've reached out to a few different companies who do single cab conversions to see the cost/work effort. I'm definitely interested in doing this, but if its like 50k for it I'm just going to go with a rear seat delete. If its 5-10k without the bed, I'm definitely interested as I can sell the Gladiator bed for a few thousand.

 

[Jerhemi]

The most important thing is that you are in Toronto. Expect a visit from me when it is done to drool over.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

The most important thing is that you are in Toronto. Expect a visit from me when it is done to drool over.

Haha, I'm just in the planning stages right now. I expect this to be a next-year thing if there aren't any blockers. I'm about to drop 10k+ on replacing my entire suspension/steering first and a few other essential mods before I start working on the overland part of the build.

I have no idea how this will impact my vehicle insurance/registration so need to dive into that as well. If it's a big mess it may not be worth it. I'm not modifying the frame in any way just the cab.. so I'm not quite sure. I don't think this will have any impact on my registration portion, as the vehicle registration only mentions the body type being a pickup and the color, 2 axles, etc. The insurance portion I plan on reaching out to my broker once I get a rough cost of the conversion.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

For those wondering what it would look like and if I'm crazy (I am). Here's a great photo of a 70 series with the frame-mounted camper, this is the vibe I'm going for with the Gladiator.

 

[Scott0700]

Love the two door look.
There was a company that sold a kit to make a JKU into a pickup. Can’t remember their name right now.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

There was a company that sold a kit to make a JKU into a pickup. Can’t remember the name right now.

GR8TOPS was one of them, I have the link in the original post. I already reached out to them to see if their kit could be adapted for the JT or if they would be interested in doing a custom conversion.

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