2022 AEV Gladiator Rubicon build

[Flyin6]

With that completed (enough) for this point of the upcoming suspension swap, I moved on to the Gen-Right bumper.

The first thing you do is to rotate the hefty winch tray into place. They offer a cool, captured nut-and-stud assembly that holds it all in place while you assemble the parts.

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[Flyin6]

To get an idea of the weight of this bumper assembly, I took the parts over to the scale:

24.6 Winch tray
7.1 Clevis mounts
15.3 Aluminum skin

47.0 pounds total weight

Remember when I installed the Rugged Ridge Arcus bumper? That thing weighed 59.6 pounds.
With this new bumper, I saved almost 13 pounds.
Those weight savings will become very important when I replace the short Clayton control arms with the longer and heavier Iron Rock pieces. I will likely have to delete the entire bed and bolt down a sheet of plywood to compensate for all the heft I am about to pick up!!!!!

 

[Flyin6]

The installation and design are well thought out. There is a factory hole in the top of the frame, which did nothing, but can be tapped to provide for a 3/8" bolt to bolt the new bumper in more securely

 

[Flyin6]

And then it was time to remove the frame horns, which do absolutely nothing. For my first attempt, I sawed a crooked line, which I discovered was not nearly enough. I was much more careful on the subsequent cuts, which removed enough material to fit the aluminum shell.

 

[Flyin6]

Then I fitted the shell and bolted it down for the win!

 

[Flyin6]

I am leaving it natural aluminum. It matches the Ripp intercooler and the bead lock wheel rings.

The winch tray offers several options for mounting the Badlands 12K, but it looks like I will have to drill out the selected holes.

 

[NC_Overland]

With that completed (enough) for this point of the upcoming suspension swap, I moved on to the Gen-Right bumper.

The first thing you do is to rotate the hefty winch tray into place. They offer a cool, captured nut-and-stud assembly that holds it all in place while you assemble the parts.

That’s cool. I have no complaints about my Warn winch plate, but they just give you some giant zip ties to use to hold it in place

 

[Flyin6]

With the bumper on, I went about installing the winch. First, it needed to be offset to the passenger side, hence the three bolt holes for each corner. Then I had to cut a hole to clear the ground terminal. That was easy, a 1.75" hole saw and a couple of minutes, and that issue was solved. Finally, the tangs of the nut plates needed to be folded outward.

 

[Flyin6]

Then, just like that, the winch was bolted in securely using some longer hardware. It tested just fine and is ready to use.

 

[Flyin6]

The underside of the front is now much cleaner without those "horn" pieces hanging down from the frame.

 

[Flyin6]

To finish the installation, I torqued all the bolts, including the ones on the new sway bar. Then I mounted the auxiliary lights on the bumper wings. I used to have them sitting on top of the hoop, but now, with the intercooler, cooling is a priority. The new lamp position ensures unrestricted airflow to all cooling cores.

 

[Flyin6]

I am now staring down the barrel of a front and rear long arm install. a new set of RSE sliders/steps. And oh, yes. I ordered the new Flowmaster 3" exhaust that dumps at the rear axle.
With the supercharger, replacing the 2.5" exhaust with a 4" unit will add some ponies.

 

[Jteakus]

I like that bumper!

 

[Flyin6]

Today I thought I'd get the new exhaust, a Flowmaster outlaw something or another, installed...
But I forgot that I had yet to remove the Rough Country running boards wiring harness...

 

[Flyin6]

Getting that wiring harness out was one of those things that when you start, you're thinking 20 minutes...But hours later, when you finally finish...

Everything is connected to everything else in my Jeep, it often seems to me. I had to pull the seats. But I have one of those extenders on the driver's seat. And the rear platform is also bolted into the seat mount...Hmmm

Then, as I rediscovered, the wiring harness was zip-tied to just about everything except the crankshaft. But by the time I got it out, my interior looked something like parts of downtown Tehran!

But as you can see, I removed everything correctly and prepped it for its new owner.

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