2020 Sport Silver Bullet Build

[chithead]

Recently acquired a 2020 Gladiator Sport about two weeks ago. We have a 16 Wrangler Sport Unlimited that is the wife's primary vehicle. Hydro Blue, she picked it out as a gift for getting her RN license, and loves that Jeep. We've taken it to the beach and to Uwharrie a few times. Mods are Pro Comp 16" wheels, Fierce Attitude 285/75R16, Teraflex 2.5" lift, and a Barricade full width front bumper.

So, needless to say... the Jeep bug bit us a while ago. I tried out a 2014 Grand Cherokee Overland, and did enjoy that a bit. But any kind of trail riding... yah, nah. Always pulling at least one wheel up in the air over most obstacles. Wasn't sure what to think of the Gladiator when it was unveiled... especially stock. It's like, really Jeep, that's the best you can do? But then the first lifted on 37s Gladiator shows up on the internet, and it was instant. Like, ray of light shining down from the heavens, completely in love. Had to get one someday and get it up in the air like that.

So this will be a build log of hopefully achieving that goal one day. But for now, we'll start with the two weeks progress. The day I signed the papers and brought her home:

How they secured the soft top in the bed since it was ordered with the dual top option:

Has the Premium option which I guess takes it from a basic sport, to more of a Sport S? Power windows, locks, etc. Still has the basic gauges though, and Uconnect 3 with 5" screen:

But, they did add the Alpine audio option with the removeable Bluetooth speaker, which is great for an audio nut like me. Much easier to bypass the factory junk with this setup than the non-amplified version.

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[chithead]

Immediately began browsing for sale adds on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, here, everywhere I could think of. Last Monday, scored a set of Rubicon wheels, tires, bumpers, and full suspension from a 2-door JL Wrangler. Used the wheels, tires, and front bumper, and sold the rest.

Turns out the bumper had the factory LED lights too, plugged them in and they work! No flicker, so that's good. Embarrassed to use them though until all the other lights can be upgraded. Still debating whether to replace the housings, or just do bulb swaps.

 

[chithead]

The next day after that though, found a set of Rubicon rock rails too - went and got those, and voila!

Also decided to try out the matching spare and see if it would work. Read conflicting information about whether it would or not, and confirmed - yes. A matching Wrangler aluminum wheel will indeed fit underneath. I put a bunch of weatherstripping around the winch cable and brace though to keep it from scratching up the wheel:

 

[chithead]

A friend of mine suggested I look into at least getting the factory Fox Rubicon shocks to help smooth out the ride, and reduce body roll. And wouldn't you know it, scored those locally too!

What a difference they are compared to stock:

So, if you couldn't tell as they were laying there... it wasn't until AFTER I put them on, that the rear one caught my eye as being on upside down:

I'll fix that soon. They definitely improved the ride and reduced body roll through corners. A great investment over the other stock shocks for sure. Oh, and the guy gave me a rear tow hook he had too! Ordered the rear bezel to add this later on.

Still working out what accent color to go with on the outside instead of the Rubicon red. Leaning towards orange, but not Mojave orange.

 

[chithead]

Also grabbed a set of the door sill guards from Amazon, couldn't pass up the price, and they look so nice:

 

[chithead]

Ordered some other items as well. Mostly audio pieces, but a few sticker/decal options to play around with. Want something unique (of course), but still kind of tasteful. Probably will add the Teraflex 1.5" spacer with shock extensions next, then we'll see how everything else unfolds from there.

What's the consensus on roof racks? I like the idea of one of those instead of a bed rack for now. Especially since it would be nice to have some lights up there. Mostly just for the looks, as I have always loved how trucks look with bed bars and lights. Roof rack with lights seems like it could an ok compromise between the two.

 

[chithead]

Fox Steering Stabilizer 985-24-173 installed. Can tell a difference with handling and steering. Slower to turn the wheel and have it return to center, does seem to track a little better with bumps and such. Not what I would call a night and day difference, but still a noticeable improvement.

 

[chithead]

New hood decals applied!!! They are different... a bit on the cheesy side for most, but definitely makes her stand out a bit

 

[chithead]

LED headlight bulbs installed, and also put Rubicon hard top steel bumper springs up front - have a set of Mojave springs to try out next when the weather warms up a bit.

 

[chithead]

Also started on the stereo install - gutted the factory sound bar, purchased new pods for the dash, and removed the factory subwoofer enclosure. Will be modifying that to become the new DSP/Amplifier rack, then fabricating a subwoofer enclosure to fit under the rear seat. Probably a bit of overkill for this particular vehicle, but we do spend a lot of time in there - might as well enjoy every minute. Audio install list so far includes:

PAC Audio AmpPro AP4-CH41 adapter
Pac Audio APH-CH03 harness
MB Quart JE1-116 dash pods
MB Quart JE1-169SB adapters
Arc Audio PS8 DSP processor
Arc Audio XDi 1200.6 six channel amplifier
Arc Audio XDi 1100.1 mono amplifier
JL Audio C3-100ct tweeters (in the upper dash locations)
JL Audio C3-525cw 5.25" woofers (for the dash pods)
JL Audio C3-570cw 5x7" woofers (for the sound bar)
JL Audio 13TW5v2-2 13.5" shallow subwoofer for under the rear seat

Will be running everything active from the DSP - will be a fun experiment in sound. Definitely unconventional to step down in speaker sizes like this also. But those pods and sound bar do not have near enough volume to properly utilize 6.5" or 6x9" woofers. So I'll be using the dash pods for most of the midrange, and sound bar to only play midbass. Should provide a much more pleasant listening experience.

 

[chithead]

Scored a set of four AEV Pintler wheels from a JK that have less backspacing than the JL/JT version they offer. They included Fierce Attitude 35x12.50R17 tires with the TPMS sensors. The sensors connected with no issues:

 

[Orange01z28]

Awesome

I have a matching truck.

I really wish I did a build thread

 

[chithead]

Thank you! I'm digging your list of upgrades there.

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