'20 Gladiator Rubicon - AEV Brute wannabe

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

In almost 2 years that I've owned my '20 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, I've done almost nothing to build it up. It was very capable right off the showroom floor.

But I'm now starting to modify it, so time for a thread that’s part-build and part-journal if the Jeep’s experiences. Hope you enjoy reading it!

So, after drooling over the AEV Brute for years, I ordered my Gladiator in late April 2019 from Petersen Jeep in Boise, Idaho, through Kent Shurtleff. It arrived by late July. Can’t say enough good things about the price and the purchase experience with Kent. I’d buy another Jeep through him and I’ve never said that about another dealer / salesman.

My order was basically a mildly optioned Gladiator Rubicon:
- HD tow pkg
- rubber floor mats
- satin black OEM JL grille
- swapped 33s for 35x12.5 Falken mud tires
- factory Line-X bedliner
- auxiliary switches
- automatic transmission
- black hardtop
- painted fenders
- Bright White paint color (not my preferred color...arrived at it by eliminating other colors I did not want...plus white tends to hide trail pinstripes)

Basically, the Jeep is all business for offroad use. No extra “electronic” options...

Two of my four sons hopped a cheap one-way flight with me from Los Angeles to Boise with plans to drive the Jeep back home and explore along the way.

The Jeep will be my daily driver with a build towards overlanding and camping use. I'm not into hard-core rock crawling, but if a trail obstacle is in my way I have no issues to climb over it. It's all about exploring the outdoors and making memories with my 4 sons.

As delivered at Petersen:

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[2020 SCRAMBLER]

Some great sights on the way home.

On the way out of Boise we explored a few back roads around the Boise wine region (didn’t know Boise had wineries). How fitting that we find these two derelict Jeep trucks within the hour:

More photo ops along the way home:

And within 2 - 3 hours of driving it off the showroom floor we had it on its first sand dune!

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

Next stop was Lake Tahoe where we stayed overnight.

Next day we paid a visit to the Rubicon Trail!

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

First big overnight trip...to Death Valley!

Before jumping into mods, my point of view is to use the Jeep and figure out what we need to modify on it.

Lesson learned on this trip is that unless you like everything coated in dust, you need a bed cover on the Gladiator.

Ordered and installed a Tyger vinyl bed cover from Amazon for a Chevy Colorado. Perfect fit and seals ~98% of the bed from rain and dust.

Also ordered a pair of Bartact grab handles for the rear of the seats, a pair of Bartact grab handles for the rear roll bar handles, and a pair of RVCA grab handles with folding metal handles for the front.

And to keep things organized, I ordered multiple MOLLE bags that fit under and behind the rear seat to keep recovery gear, first aid kit, and other items organized. And a couple of large water bottle MOLLE bags that snap to the rear seat and perfect for the kids to reach while buckled-up.

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

Next trip was Joshua Tree for rock climbing and off-roading!

^was not fun stacking more stones so the Jeep would not drag its tail over the ledge

^not sure why, but they love eating on the tailgate...lol

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

If you’ve never been, Trona Pinnacles is an interesting location to see...

So this would be our last trip with our 1947 Bantam T3-C trailer that I built up into an overland trailer. Feel like I’m about as long as a freight train towing it behind the Gladiator.

Sold the trailer to fund upcoming mods.

 

[DanW]

FInally someone shows the appropriate break-in procedure for a Jeep! Congrats! Great pics!

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

Weekend trip to Lake Arrowhead. No camping this weekend as my wife refuses to go anywhere without running water and a bathroom (beach is only exception). LOL!

Pilot Rock Truck Trail runs from Silverwood Lake to Lake Arrowhead. Fairly easy route with great views.

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

Next trip was to Red Rock Canyon State Park. First camping trip post Covid-19 after a year of no camping. We passed thru Mojave to get to RRCSP.

^Just because it’s labeled as
OHV Jeep Trail” it doesn’t necessarily mean you should attempt it. Lol! The pucker factor was high enough and the trail narrow and slippery with pebble sized rocks that I made my son get out and walk behind the truck...

^Great camping location

So this was the last trip with our 15 year old Springbar Canvas tent...it’s starting to tear from years of use and abuse.

I’m going to go with a roof top tent, but to do so I need a bed rack to mount the tent..,

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

After looking at all of the bed rack options available, I’m not happy with the designs from either a form or function standpoint.

Don’t like the idea of a bolt together rack as it will work itself loose over time. And the bolt together racks all look like 2 sawhorses stacked on the bed rail.

So after doing some research I ordered a round tube bed rack kit for a Toyota Tacoma and will modify it to fit the Gladiator.

Starting point was All Pro Off Road’s Pack Rack for the Tacoma - long bed version so I’d have enough material to cut to exact length needed.

All Pro Tacoma Pack Rack

^The standard tube bend angles for the Tacoma rack work well right out of the box.

This is the taller height rack for the ‘94+ Tacoma. And the top of the tube is almost flush (slightly below) with the top of the Jeep’s hardtop.

Perfect height as I plan to leave the rack on the Jeep 100% of the time. This height gives me full bed access and the Jeep will still fit in a garage.

Initial mock up:

Since I was too cheap to pay Jeep $1,000 for the Trail Rail option with outlet and lockable storage box when I ordered the Gladiator, I ordered just the Trail Rails from Amazon for $275. Chased the bedliner from the M8 nuts and the rails bolted right in! Nice $700 savings!

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

For the bed rack, we ditched All Pro’s bed rack base for a 2” x 3” x 0.25” thick angle steel that I cut to my design.

This will “lock” the rack into the Trail Rails and not allow any fore/aft shifting or rack movement as it was placed between the two curved areas on the Gladiator bed rail tops.

2nd round of test fitting with roof top tent:

I’m planning for the bed rack to hold:

• Roam Vagabond tent with Annex room below; will open to passenger side
• 270* of awnings
  • 5’ Awning on driver’s side (scored a brand new never used Roam awning on OfferUp for 50% of retail!)
  • 4’ Awning on rear above tailgate
  • Will bridge the two awnings with a triangular fabric section that will Velcro to the two awnings
  • Should be ~$300 for 2 awnings vs. $700+ for a Rhino Bat Wing
• Lights
  • 4 lights between the 3 main rack hoops; weld-on brackets to allow lights to rotate 360* in bracket for camp flood lights or task lighting inside bed
  • 1 light over tailgate as task lighting
• Table & mount
  • Rebel Off Road Camp Table Mount
  • 48” plastic table from Amazon
  • Not cheap but allows me to set up a table for lunch without unpacking entire truck bed; leaves extra space in bed for more cargo
• 2 Rotopax (water); driver side
• 1 shovel; driver side
• 2 Amazon knockoff traction boards (Maxx Traxx); passenger side

Since my Tyger bed cover won’t work it’s kid for sale. Bought a used Access Literider cover from another forum member. Hopefully the Access cover works with no mods.

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

So as I’m working on the bed rack another Jeep project falls in my lap...

Wanting an AEV Brute for years meant I HAD to have an AEV bumper on my Gladiator. That bumper was by far the most functional and best looking JK bumper IMHO.

When I ordered my Gladiator, I left the base plastic bumper on it knowing I'd be replacing it with the new AEV bumper for JL/JT.

I've waited almost 2 years for AEV to release the JL/JT bumper - to a lottery situation no less.

And I thought AEV's pricing on the new bumper would be similar to the previous bumper ($1,300 bumper + $300 skid plate + $200 winch plate). No doubt, $1,800 is a lot of $ for a bumper.

But the RX is a just stubby - the full width sections are not yet available. And it is at least $2,484 optioned with skid plate and winch mount BEFORE the front camera relocation kit (not currently available) and BEFORE shipping is added to that price. Which means the full width "EX" bumper HAS to be a higher price and I'm guessing at least another $300-$500+ for the end caps (whenever released).

This means the AEV “EX” bumper in boron steel is going to be a $3,000 bumper??? WTH?!?!

I’ve been trying to find another bumper that I liked as much as the AEV bumper. And the ARB was the closest I could find so far....

Just last weekend I stumbled across a used JK Moab / Call of Duty bumper (basically AEV's JK bumper) on OfferUp. With skid plate. Plus winch mounting. Plus fog lights, fairlead, and hardware.

And since the JK and JL/JT bumpers can be swapped back and forth...I snapped it up!

Some amount of massaging will be required to get it all to work and not sure if I'll end up with my steel JT or the AEV skid plate.

These bumpers did not come with the 3 inch tube grill guard or lower recovery points when equipped on JKs with the Moab package.

Been trying to locate a similar 3" round tube grille guard to match the Brute's bumper...and for $199 I've found that Maximus 3 has a tube + light mount kit made just for this bumper.

After pressure washing it, the bumper is in really in good shape - the paint is faded but no dents or anything beyond surface scratches. Just needs a light sanding and a new coat of satin black paint. I'll replace with new grade 8 hardware too.

So, for FAR less than $3K I’ll have a winch-ready AEV bumper!

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

Haven’t repainted the AEV bumper yet or swapped lights (direct swap), etc. as I wanted to make sure the bumper fits and no major problems.

Answer = yes!

Comparison photos (plastic Rubi bumper first)...

Front view:

Installed my roller fairlead, but may swap to the flat one that came with the bumper for use with synthetic wire.

Gap between bumper and grille:

Side view and fender alignment:

Skid plate spacing (with stock Rubi skid):

Top view:

Overall findings from initial test fitment:

• Lower edge of bumper is higher than OEM bumper by 1-2”, so better approach angle
• Fog lights are a direct swap
• Aligns very well with Rubicon high fenders
• Wraps around sides more than stock
• Skid plate will work, but will require mods; trim ~1/4” off length of back edge to clear steering; drill bolt holes to re-use stock Rubi skid plate mounts

There are 4 parts I didn’t get (gray color parts):

One is a close out bracket and the other is a lower tow point (which didn’t come on the Moab pkg). To get those parts plus new hardware from AEV requires you to buy a $600 “con-box”.

But they will sell all the bumper hardware (grade 10.9) for $60.

I’ll use AEV’s hardware, Warn tow points ($100), and either delete or fab the close out brackets myself.

Will update after I test fit the winch plate, paint, and swap the fog lights over....but overall happy with it.

 

[2020 SCRAMBLER]

Finished re-painting the AEV JK bumper, swapping the JT fog light harness and JT fog lights, and upgraded the fog light bulbs.

Installed the bumper assembly and winch plate with all new hardware from AEV. Only very minor trimming required to install the winch mount.

Will run the OEM Gladiator Rubicon skid plate for now.

The bumper hoop I ordered from Maximus 3 is on back order and likely will get canceled. I’m not feeling like I need it at this point.

Still need to re-paint the plastic crush can covers. And install the Warn recovery hooks. And buy a winch too...lol.

Not only do I really like the way it looks, but it would have been hard to buy anything new for less than what this cost me. And being stamped steel it’s super strong.

 

[mdyucca]

What paint did you use, is it a texture and do you like it?

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