2022 AEV Gladiator Rubicon build

[Flyin6]

While I had it pulled down it was a good chance to remove rust and corrosion, of which I found very little. I painted the unit bearings prior to reinstallation.

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[Flyin6]

With the axles out, I welded in an Artec front axle truss. That is a slick little unit that is very well built.

 

[Flyin6]

I tossed in a set of Yukon forged rear axles, which I had to press together as they come as plain axles along with the tone ring, bearing, retainer, and seal.
I topped the front and rear off with better brakes. I learned my lesson descending the Corkscrew pass and a couple of days later coming down Pikes Peak—hopefully, no more boiling brake fluid or smoking brake pads.

 

[Flyin6]

I added a 3/4" spacer to the front and a 1.3" spacer to the back to achieve the desired height and restore the factory rake, which should return to level when loaded out for a trip. I'll be removing the RC running boards and replacing them with some RockSlide Engineering units. The front Arcus bumper is about to give way to a Barnes, Pridget Canyon weld-up bumper, assuming I get it put together straight enough. It still has the 3.6, but there is a strong draw toward Hemi power.

 

[Erievon]

This thing is really becoming a beast. Very nice!

 

[Flyin6]

This thing is really becoming a beast. Very nice!

It's evolving for sure. I just want it to be as bulletproof as is reasonably practical. Now, the Hemi (should that happen) will be a clear departure from its current trajectory.

 

[Flyin6]

Next up is Motobuilt hood louvers
In the interest of continuing to improve/bulletproof the truck, the goal here is to exhaust excess engine heat. Most of the air will exit down around the transmission tunnel. Still, I'm guessing that immediately above the exhaust manifolds is a hot spot, especially when crawling around at low speeds.
A fun and straightforward fix is to vent the hood. You could easily drill holes in the bottom side of the stock "Fake" louvers and remove the hoot mat, and you could accomplish this for free, but I liked the Motobuilt parts, so I opted to go that route.

Each side has a total of four precision-cut pieces, including an underside pan to catch water and debris that may enter from the topside.

 

[Flyin6]

After painting the outside parts, I removed the hood sound/heat mat and the stock louvers.

 

[Flyin6]

I went through the process of accurately cutting out the holes for the new louvers in the factory mat, but in the end, the fit was not great, so I left it off.

 

[Flyin6]

With the mat once again removed, I slid the new louvers into place, securing them with the bottom/inside panel, which sandwiches the hood in between the outer and inner pieces.

The drip tray attaches to some extension nuts and sits about 1/2" away from the hood's bottom side.

 

[Flyin6]

After the trays were installed and the hood closed, I gently bent the louvers just a few degrees to give me the opening I was looking for.

 

[Stan H]

So what does the hood matter doing reality ? Secondly to just use the factory stuff the holes where cool air could enter are reversed. Does this increased air in under the hood cause any problems?

 

[Flyin6]

So what does the hood matter doing reality ? Secondly to just use the factory stuff the holes where cool air could enter are reversed. Does this increased air in under the hood cause any problems?

I think that hood mat is there primarily to deaden some of the mechanical sounds from the engine and little else. The fact that it had one side made from aluminum foil suggests it was also keeping that heat off the hood.
Air is entering from the radiator and from beneath the front end. The louvers face the proper direction to aid in extracting the hot air.

 

[Erievon]

Looks good. Think I'd black out the screws/bolts though. Does the water just stay in the tray and evaporate? And is there a gap in the tray? How does the heat get past it?

 

[Stan H]

I think that hood mat is there primarily to deaden some of the mechanical sounds from the engine and little else. The fact that it had one side made from aluminum foil suggests it was also keeping that heat off the hood.
Air is entering from the radiator and from beneath the front end. The louvers face the proper direction to aid in extracting the hot air.

Then why in The world are the factory ones closed off under that mat
Now I am considering pulling my mat and cutting some holes in plastic

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