2020 Bright White fleet reduction project

[TJDave]

Thought I would post a thread to track my progress so far.
Story: I bought a 2004 TJ almost new to flat tow behind our previous motorhome back in 06. The offroad bug hit me and I built it up to where it would go almost anywhere, but I didn't want to flat tow it anymore. Axle swaps, gears, lockers, etc, etc. So, we trailered it. Many years later, we ran into trailer storage issues when camping at a few locations. So, we bought a 2016 2dr JK Sport for flat towing. All the while owning an 2001 F250 Superduty for towing the old boat a few blocks to the boat launch.
Fast-forward to 20-covid-20. Off work for a short time when the license tag and insurance renewals for all 3 arrived. Fuggit, I sold them all and bought a Gladiator to do the work of all 3!
So far I am still loving it.

^ These all went away. Enter the new 2020 Gladiator Rubicon. Leather, Led package, Bed rails, Aux switch package, Bed liner, tow package, etc

Let the mods begin. Nothing too crazy this time. That's the plan.

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[TJDave]

Not a day later, I threw on the JL Rubi wheels and 35's I saved from the JK.

Next was a Teraflex 1.5" front leveling kit and Daystar .75" rear spacers. Maximus-3 towbar loops for flat towing. Rugged Ridge Arcus winch bumper and a Warn VR series winch. Cooltech towed vehicle light harness. I mounted the RVi3 breakaway switch and flat tow light socket on top of the bumper to keep it safe.

 

[TJDave]

After the first wheeling trip to the dunes, I had some slight control arm rubbing at full lock with the sway bar disconnected. So, I sold the JL Rubi wheels and replaced them with some Quadratec Rubicon Extreme 17x9 wheels. They were on sale!

First boat towing test. Check. Handled the old 20' V8 powered boat with ease.

First flat tow. Check. Towed just as good, or better, than the JK. Very happy.

 

[TJDave]

After the winch and bumper install, the 1.5" Teraflex spacer lift dropped almost an inch. So, I swapped it out for an RC 2.5" front spacer kit. This one came with shock extensions and longer sway bar links that the Tera kit lacked.

So it's been a great covid summer dragging the Gladiator all over the place behind the motorhome (just on weekends, still working ), and dragging the boat behind the Gladiator.
A couple other items I forgot to add: Cooltech CB mic mounting bracket and a Cobra 75 WX ST Compact/Remote Mount CB Radio. Q-tec JL antenna mount. Easy clean install. I also added the Tyger tri-fold soft bed cover. Great deal and came with Trail Rail mounting hardware. Bed stays dry even through car washes.
Our friends liked our tow set up so much, they installed the exact same thing on their Max Tow. Maximus-3 tow loops, Blue Ox tow bar, RVi3 brake, Cooltech light harness. We've traveled together a few times.

I think I'm done. But I know very well how that saying goes. 37's? Upgraded lift? Who knows.

 

[Silvertruck]

I really like those OG rubi style wheels on your truck. Good looking rig

 

[TJDave]

I really like those OG rubi style wheels on your truck. Good looking rig

Thank you. I always liked the original TJ Rubicon wheels. I had some on my old TJ for a little while, but the offset and width just wasn't right.

 

[mtudb24]

very clean build. Looks great!

 

[RICARDO]

Thought I would post a thread to track my progress so far.
Story: I bought a 2004 TJ almost new to flat tow behind our previous motorhome back in 06. The offroad bug hit me and I built it up to where it would go almost anywhere, but I didn't want to flat tow it anymore. Axle swaps, gears, lockers, etc, etc. So, we trailered it. Many years later, we ran into trailer storage issues when camping at a few locations. So, we bought a 2016 2dr JK Sport for flat towing. All the while owning an 2001 F250 Superduty for towing the old boat a few blocks to the boat launch.
Fast-forward to 20-covid-20. Off work for a short time when the license tag and insurance renewals for all 3 arrived. Fuggit, I sold them all and bought a Gladiator to do the work of all 3!
So far I am still loving it.

^ These all went away. Enter the new 2020 Gladiator Rubicon. Leather, Led package, Bed rails, Aux switch package, Bed liner, tow package, etc

Let the mods begin. Nothing too crazy this time. That's the plan.

it looks really leveled the front to the back of that rubi, the 1.5" tera flex get the front higher than the back?

 

[TJDave]

it looks really leveled the front to the back of that rubi, the 1.5" tera flex get the front higher than the back?

In that picture angle, completely stock, it does look level. But it wasn't. The rake was really noticeable when I swapped the 35" tires on it. With just the Tera 1.5" in front, it was pretty much level. But I wanted just a little rake so I added the 3/4" Daystars in the rear. After the winch and bumper, the front dropped almost an inch, so I swapped the Teraflex 1.5" level kit for an RC 2.5" spacer kit.
Who knows how long this will last. I can't stop messing with it. Seems to be a problem/addiction that carried over from all my previous rigs!

 

[RICARDO]

In that picture angle, completely stock, it does look level. But it wasn't. The rake was really noticeable when I swapped the 35" tires on it. With just the Tera 1.5" in front, it was pretty much level. But I wanted just a little rake so I added the 3/4" Daystars in the rear. After the winch and bumper, the front dropped almost an inch, so I swapped the Teraflex 1.5" level kit for an RC 2.5" spacer kit.
Who knows how long this will last. I can't stop messing with it. Seems to be a problem/addiction that carried over from all my previous rigs!

great thanks!

 

[TJDave]

I needed something to plug into one of my aux switches, so I added some cheapo yellow led fogs on top of the bumper. I can't remember the manufacturer's name. Wang Chung or something like that. After installing, one of the pods had two of the four lights not working. I contacted Amazon, and the seller sent out another set. Now I have an extra when another one goes out!

 

[NEWBWHEELER]

Those wheels would look sick if the were painted white. Love the look.

 

[TJDave]

Freezing fog test. 40 minute drive out to the jobsite at around 17 degrees. The factory led headlights were half covered in ice, the factory led fogs were completely iced over. The little cheapo amber cube fogs stayed clear. They are brighter than I expected, and it makes me feel better when it starts snowing here. I Parked next to some frozen chain link!

 

[TJDave]

Fishing the nut under the front bumper was a PITA when mounting my dune flag. See pic above.^
Two dollars in Uni-strut parts for the factory Trail Rail solved that problem. The flag will be 2' taller than the previous mount location. Cheapest and most boring addition to date aside from the 2x6 bed divider.

 

[TJDave]

Mopar 2" lift lower front control arms added. $30 each!
37" Mastercraft Courser MXT added. I wish they were $30 each!!

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