2022 Gladiator - the Black Widow Build

[WhiskeyRebel]

OK, I did the thing you aren't supposed to do - I bought my rig already upfitted. But stick with me here, because this was an emotional purchase instead of a strategic one. Wait, that probably sounds worse...

So, then a little more history may be needed before you judge too harshly. I've owned several Jeeps in the past, but was not attracted to the Gladiators at all. Mainly because they just don't look right stock, and around were I live, I hadn't noticed any that were lifted so I didn't give them any thought. They just weren't on my radar.

At the time (Summer 22) I was driving a 2016 Land Rover LR4 and absolutely loved it. Probably my favorite vehicle I've ever owned. Bought it new as it was the last year they were doing the LR4 and wasn't interested in the newer Discovers. But my LR4 wasn't just a sexy mall-crawler, I actually took it on several mountain adventures. Stock. The most I did was air down the street rated tires. Anyways, on my last adventure I got a little cocky and overdid it. I beat the snot out of her and limped home. How I didn't blow a tire is a mystery. I had to replace all 4 wheels and tires. And I never could figure out the alignment issue. It was getting bad and my only option was for a LR dealership to work on her, which gave me zero percent faith that I wouldn't just be throwing money away at a problem they wouldn't/couldn't fix.

What to do? I was on the waiting list for the new Ineos, but that wasn't realistic for another year probably. I was lazily keeping an eye out for a LR4 that I could feel good about, but as luck(?) would have it, I was exiting the freeway on my way to work, not enjoying the death wobble coming from the front-end, when I saw what could only be described as Batman's Gladiator. Whoa, "was that real," I thought to myself. So, as soon as I got to my desk, I went to the dealer website and verified, that yes it was listed for sale. Only thing is I didn't understand the price. It seemed way to low for what I saw. The only thing to do? Leave work and go immediately to the dealership and see what the deal was.

The JT was everything they said it was, except for one minor detail. They screwed up when they listed the price on the web. They price was listed as the base model plus some of the aftermarket parts and labor. They had to honor the price posted. As a matter of fact, they updated the web price while I was negotiating my trade. But it was a no-brainer, I got the JT for $17k under their asking price. Yes, you read that correctly. And, "no", I no longer buy lottery tickets as I don't believe in lighting striking twice.

So long story short, I bought a new Gladiator that was already outfitted. I may not know what brand lift is on there, but I know the rest of it. So here are some of the customizations that I took delivery of:

- Matte black paint (it's not a wrap), including color matched top
- Custom Black Widow black leather seats, dash, and steering wheel cover
- 3.5" Lift, Fox shocks, running on 37's with 20" wheels
- Rugged Ridge steel front bumper with Warn winch and unknown brand light bar
- Steel side bars with steps
- Gorilla Glass
- Spray in bed liner
- I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple of things

Sponsored

 

[WhiskeyRebel]

Week 1 Mods:

- Floor Mats
- 67 Design Dash Rail and Cell Phone Holders
- Removed the side steps, or rock catchers as I like to call them
* my wife and kids are mad that I took them off because they are shorties and have a hard time getting in. In a fit of genius, I took the side steps to work and threw them in the dumpster. I showed her the rock sliders I planned on ordering, but she didn't like that there wasn't a step. Now, once my wife complains enough, it will be her idea for me to get RockSlide Engineering powered steps <insert evil laugh here>

 

[WhiskeyRebel]

Planned a trip to do the Colorado BDR during June 2023, so 1st year/phase additions are:

- RockSlide Engineering Powered Steps (the wifes idea)
- Stinger Heigh10 Radio (wanted the bigger screen for navigation, plus added front and side cameras)
- Roll-N-Lock tonneau cover
- Quadratec Stealth Light Bar
- Rubicon SwayBar disconnect (take-off part on eBay) + EVO manual knob
- Desert Does It Shorty Seat Jackers
- refreshed old recovery gear such as Bottle Jack, Kinetic Rope, Tow Strap, Tree Savers, and tire patch kits.

I wasn't planning on camping during the BDR trip, so we didn't need much and this was a trial run to see how the JT did and also expose the wife to off-roading. I taught her how to drive through snow, mud, and shelf roads. She had a blast and it also eases the budgetary pain when she understands why I want the Jeep stuff.

It was a fantastic trip. We were just on the brink of the trails opening up and it was obvious that we were the first vehicle out from 4-Corners. that was a long first day, and I purchased a chainsaw in Telluride the next morning. We hardly had any traffic through the whole state - epic adventure.

Things I wanted to change after this trip -

Airing Up/Down - my least favorite part of off-roading. Especially on those few occasions where we would have to hit pavement for more than a couple of miles. I had a good ARB portable compressor, and it does the job in an acceptable time frame. Unfortunately I'm not the most patient person when the mosquitos are out and my knees don't like all the crouching. Kraken system? The money is obscene plus I don't want the noise inside the cab. This will need some rethinking.

Freedom Panels - we would take these on/off during nicer weather and it helped with the enjoyment of the view (the Stealth Light Bar hinders the view quite a bit). However, we would go through this exercise several times a day as the weather switched between sunshine, rain, or snow. Not hard or time consuming, but it was enough that I liked the thought of convenience the Bestop Sunrider Top would allow.

The tonneau cover - worked great around town. Kept the bed dry and dust free. However, I was taken the Freedom Panels off that meant they were stored in the bag in the bed, and therefore the cover couldn't close all the way. All of my gear and luggage was covered in dust and mud. I had gone back and forth over the Decked Drawer vs the Tonneau Cover, so I would be rethinking this. Combined with a topper of some flavor.

20" Wheels - I already planned on going to 17" when the tires needed replacing. I wasn't comfortable airing down too far and the ride quality suffered a bit.

Cooler - works great but like everyone else, I get tired of dealing with the ice. Now that I know the wife is onboard, I know what size refrigerator to get.

Boots - hopping out in the snow in flipflops to cut trees or do some minor shoveling was a bit of a bummer. Next time, pack some rain boots or something dummy.

Traction boards - I've never needed them. Rocks or logs have always worked and are usually handy. If I had them, it made have saved me some shoveling. Or it may not have, but I think I will finally invest in some.

Chainsaw - bring a chainsaw. I got lucky and was able to get past fallen trees that first day by using my small hatchet and hacking off branches then just driving over the trees. A chainsaw would have saved some time.

 

[WhiskeyRebel]

July 2024 - Another trip planned to Colorado but this time we are bringing our 4 girls, the Gladiator and the wife's new Bronco. I think my scheme of getting her invested in off-roading worked a little too good.

Only thing I will say about the Bronco is that she liked the RockSlide Engineering steps so much, I had to put them on her Bronco. And I will also note that every time I hit a switchback and had to do a little reversing to make the turn, I would get a simple "turn assist for the win" over the radio.

Build updates from Summer 2023 to Summer 2024

- Decked Drawer System. I got the newer single drawer unit and I love it for stowing the tools and all the recovery gear. I don't use the Gladiator as a truck, so there is nothing lost to me. As far as the wasted space on the sides? I put a couple of small shovels, rain boots, and the air hoses.

- Venturous Ozark Topper. I love the way this thing fits. Looks like it was made with the Gladiator. Options purchased were Sliding Front Window, Flip-Up Side Panels (solid, not windows), integrated roof rails, and interior LED lights.

- Air Up/Down. I decided to go with the new Morrflate TenSix compressor and their 4 tire inflation system. I like that it is portable and I can set the psi and sit inside the cab so the mosquitos don't savage me. I ran power from the battery to posts in the bed with a master on/off switch. I cut the power cord on the compressor in half and put Anderson connectors on both pieces. This way I am "hard" powered into the vehicle but can also still use the alligator clips if wanting to use it outside of my vehicle. I purchased an extra Decked "Stash Bin" lid and secured the compressor to it. This way it is secure in the vehicle but still removable if desired. I ran the air hose down through the lid into the "wasted" space of the Decked system for easy hose management. When wanting to air up, I flip up the side door of the topper and the compressor is right there for easy access. On this trip, my wife would park the Bronco behind me and I could easily reach her tires also. My only complaint is that I have not mastered storing the hoses in a manner that makes deploying them an easy task. But once I do, this will be an A+ for my build.

- Refrigerator - I added a fridge/freezer combo in the bed. I have just enough clearance from the Decked top thru the rear hatch to slide it out. I put a simple piano hinge on the lip of the Decked top and I have a primitive tilt-n-slide setup.

- Bed Power - I went back and forth on a dual battery setup vs a power station. I settled on the power station when Bluetti had a sale. Right now we only get out on the trails for a 2 week trip, once a year, so I can't justify the expense of dual batteries or the weight to the front-end. For power management, I used a black plastic cutting board and mounted a positive and negative bus bar that then feeds a Victron DC-DC converter that charges the Bluetti via the solar input port. I also added a fuse block to the cutting board for future use of additional accessories. Another Anderson connection to the master power cut-off switch allows for easy removal. The board is mounted to the Mopar Trail Rail at the front of the bed.

- T-Tracks. I screwed in a couple of t-tracks to the Decked top so I could secure the Bluetti and also put a limiting-strap on the fridge slide when it tilts down. I also put a clamp on the slide for driving on the trail to keep it from bouncing around. There is a second track that the cutting board bottom edge sits in to keep it from flexing. You'd have to see it to understand what I'm talking about.

- Bestop Sunrider Top. Bought used off of Craigslist for about half-price. These things are stupid expensive new and I don't know if I would have done it if I hadn't found a deal.

- Traction Boards. I bought Exitrax after seeing a review between them, Maxxtrax and some other ones.

- Hothead Liners to help keep the Texas heat out and the radio tunes in.

- HookeRoad tailgate panel because I wanted a flat surface to work from.

Things I wanted to change after this trip -

I definitely need to learn how to manage the air hoses better. Once I get them connected, the air-up time is nothing, but I spend way too much time sorting the hoses. It reminds me of dressing a baby, on a unicycle, blindfolded. That's how challenged I am with the hoses. I might just be a special kind of stupid with air hoses.

The Bestop Sunrider is awesome! I mentioned that the Stealth Light Bar obstructs the view, so having the convenience of flipping the top back, or securing it is well, convenient. Having now experienced it's use in the field, I would probably suck it up and purchase new if I had to.

The Decked Drawer and Venturous Topper are awesome. I only had a little dust get in at the tailgate, so I've recently added some weatherstripping to help with sealing out the dust. It also has the additional benefit of stopping stuff from falling thru the tailgate crack. I do that a lot for some reason.

I'm now thinking about a roof rack just to get the traction boards and shovels out of the bed. I don't really need the space, but I'm also thinking of adding chase lights and a rack is the best option for me to mount to.

 

[WhiskeyRebel]

August 2024 - Banks Pedal Monster. I love this little gadget so I splurged for the pillar mounted gauge. The gauge is probably not worth the money, but I don't regret getting it.

 

[WhiskeyRebel]

Christmas 2024 -

Recently, I had the opportunity to climb out of my cozy cab, into a rainstorm, to unlock a gate. While fiddling with the less than reliable padlock, I noticed that my Daytime Running Lights looked sad and dingy. For some reason, this really bothered me and therefore I made the all important impulse decision that this needed rectifying.

So, when anyone asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told them I needed to replace the DRLs on my Jeep. Which of course meant that I would need to upgrade the Headlights, Foglights, and turnsignal lamps so they wouldn't be outdone. So for Christmas, I got exactly no lights.

But having a feeling that my lighting issues were probably not as important as they should be to others, I planned ahead. I bought my wife an expensive necklace breaking our $100 budget that we can spend on each other. Christmas is for the kids y'all. Anyways, she said she felt bad that she didn't get me anything "nice." And being the selfless human man that I am, I told her that I didn't need anything and that she deserved to be appreciated for all that she does for the family, yada, yada, yada. Which is all true and I was happy to let it go at that. But the sinister side of me said that if she commented on it 3 times, it would summon the light fairies and I would be bestowed with new LED fixtures.

Behold, on this latest eve of the new year, as we donned some fancy clothes, my lovely bride wore the new necklace and for the 3rd time, commented on the situation. The deal was struck and I told her if she was feeling bad, that I still wanted to replace my DRLs and turn-signal bulbs. When she inquired how much that would cost, I answered honestly, $14 x 4. As she continued to point out the discrepancy, I casually mentioned that it would look weird and I should probably just upgrade all of the lights. Again, she inquired into the pricing and I honestly answered that I didn't know (I had never calculated tax and shipping so didn't know the exact price.) So I volunteered that I should just do it as I know it would be less than the cost of the beautiful necklace she was wearing. She squinted at me and responded with, "was this your plan all along?" I was outraged! How dare her make such a nasty accusation! She continued squinting at me and I saved the day by saying, "we need to go, we will be late for our reservation."

So, new to the Gladiator are:
- Oracle DRL LED upgraded bulbs
- Oracle front turn signal LED bulbs
- Oracle Side Markers, Tinted
- Oracle Oculus Bi-LED Projector headlights, with heated lenses
- Oracle LED Fog Lights with White Halo
- Oracle Universal Pre-Runner Style LED Grill Light Kit
- Oracle Rear Bumper LED Reverse Lights
- KC Cyclone V2 for Rock Lights, Clear Lenses (x8)
- KC Cyclone V2 to use as Chase lights, Amber Lenses (x4)
- KC Cyclone V2, Under Hood kit with switch.

Hopefully I will get a chance to install everything but the Chase lights this coming weekend. I still need to devise a mounting method for the Chase lights to the Venturous topper

Valentines Day is coming up. Maybe she needs some matching earrings?

 

[ORACLElights]

Christmas 2024 -

Recently, I had the opportunity to climb out of my cozy cab, into a rainstorm, to unlock a gate. While fiddling with the less than reliable padlock, I noticed that my Daytime Running Lights looked sad and dingy. For some reason, this really bothered me and therefore I made the all important impulse decision that this needed rectifying.

So, when anyone asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told them I needed to replace the DRLs on my Jeep. Which of course meant that I would need to upgrade the Headlights, Foglights, and turnsignal lamps so they wouldn't be outdone. So for Christmas, I got exactly no lights.

But having a feeling that my lighting issues were probably not as important as they should be to others, I planned ahead. I bought my wife an expensive necklace breaking our $100 budget that we can spend on each other. Christmas is for the kids y'all. Anyways, she said she felt bad that she didn't get me anything "nice." And being the selfless human man that I am, I told her that I didn't need anything and that she deserved to be appreciated for all that she does for the family, yada, yada, yada. Which is all true and I was happy to let it go at that. But the sinister side of me said that if she commented on it 3 times, it would summon the light fairies and I would be bestowed with new LED fixtures.

Behold, on this latest eve of the new year, as we donned some fancy clothes, my lovely bride wore the new necklace and for the 3rd time, commented on the situation. The deal was struck and I told her if she was feeling bad, that I still wanted to replace my DRLs and turn-signal bulbs. When she inquired how much that would cost, I answered honestly, $14 x 4. As she continued to point out the discrepancy, I casually mentioned that it would look weird and I should probably just upgrade all of the lights. Again, she inquired into the pricing and I honestly answered that I didn't know (I had never calculated tax and shipping so didn't know the exact price.) So I volunteered that I should just do it as I know it would be less than the cost of the beautiful necklace she was wearing. She squinted at me and responded with, "was this your plan on along?" I was outraged! How dare her make such a nasty accusation! She continued squinting at me and I saved the day by saying, "we need to go, we will be late for our reservation."

So, new to the Gladiator are:
- Oracle DRL LED upgraded bulbs
- Oracle front turn signal LED bulbs
- Oracle Side Markers, Tinted
- Oracle Oculus Bi-LED Projector headlights, with heated lenses
- Oracle LED Fog Lights with White Halo
- Oracle Universal Pre-Runner Style LED Grill Light Kit
- Oracle Rear Bumper LED Reverse Lights
- KC Cyclone V2 for Rock Lights, Clear Lenses (x8)
- KC Cyclone V2 to use as Chase lights, Amber Lenses (x4)
- KC Cyclone V2, Under Hood kit with switch.

Hopefully I will get a chance to install everything but the Chase lights this coming weekend. I still need to devise a mounting method for the Chase lights to the Venturous topper

Valentines Day is coming up. Maybe she needs some matching earrings?

Whoa!! That's quite the list. Can't wait to see pictures of it all!!!

 

[Badweather]

Where’s the pictures……….

 

[WhiskeyRebel]

I suck at taking pictures. And I find it irritating when people don't post pictures. So now I feel shamed!

Actually, I've made a mental note to go back and add pictures to my posts for posterity. I didn't actually think anyone would read this, especially the Oracle himself.

Pictures coming soon

EDIT - I added some pictures in an earlier post above

 

[Master_Cylinder]

You had me at Batman Gladiator!!

 

[WhiskeyRebel]

All of the Oracle lights and bulbs have been installed. Pretty easy installation, especially if you do all at the same time. Note that I did have a couple of problems and contacted Oracle support for a sanity check. Oracle support was very quick in their responses and confirmed I had done everything correctly. How did I ultimately, fix it? Read here if interested.

I'll get "lit up" pictures soon and add them back to this post. For now, enjoy some useless unlit pictures.

 

[ORACLElights]

Looks great!! Thanks for sharing the pictures!!

 

[DankjeeP]

Looks great!! Thanks for sharing the pictures!!

Did anyone spend a weekend reading the whole thing, I doubt it, but my man we love our Jeeps! I'm not a fan of lights though, seems a little too much.

 

[ORACLElights]

Didn't quite take the entire weekend to read...but yes, we love our Jeeps!

 

[Redfour5]

OK, I did the thing you aren't supposed to do - I bought my rig already upfitted. But stick with me here, because this was an emotional purchase instead of a strategic one. Wait, that probably sounds worse...

So, then a little more history may be needed before you judge too harshly. I've owned several Jeeps in the past, but was not attracted to the Gladiators at all. Mainly because they just don't look right stock, and around were I live, I hadn't noticed any that were lifted so I didn't give them any thought. They just weren't on my radar.

At the time (Summer 22) I was driving a 2016 Land Rover LR4 and absolutely loved it. Probably my favorite vehicle I've ever owned. Bought it new as it was the last year they were doing the LR4 and wasn't interested in the newer Discovers. But my LR4 wasn't just a sexy mall-crawler, I actually took it on several mountain adventures. Stock. The most I did was air down the street rated tires. Anyways, on my last adventure I got a little cocky and overdid it. I beat the snot out of her and limped home. How I didn't blow a tire is a mystery. I had to replace all 4 wheels and tires. And I never could figure out the alignment issue. It was getting bad and my only option was for a LR dealership to work on her, which gave me zero percent faith that I wouldn't just be throwing money away at a problem they wouldn't/couldn't fix.

What to do? I was on the waiting list for the new Ineos, but that wasn't realistic for another year probably. I was lazily keeping an eye out for a LR4 that I could feel good about, but as luck(?) would have it, I was exiting the freeway on my way to work, not enjoying the death wobble coming from the front-end, when I saw what could only be described as Batman's Gladiator. Whoa, "was that real," I thought to myself. So, as soon as I got to my desk, I went to the dealer website and verified, that yes it was listed for sale. Only thing is I didn't understand the price. It seemed way to low for what I saw. The only thing to do? Leave work and go immediately to the dealership and see what the deal was.

The JT was everything they said it was, except for one minor detail. They screwed up when they listed the price on the web. They price was listed as the base model plus some of the aftermarket parts and labor. They had to honor the price posted. As a matter of fact, they updated the web price while I was negotiating my trade. But it was a no-brainer, I got the JT for $17k under their asking price. Yes, you read that correctly. And, "no", I no longer buy lottery tickets as I don't believe in lighting striking twice.

So long story short, I bought a new Gladiator that was already outfitted. I may not know what brand lift is on there, but I know the rest of it. So here are some of the customizations that I took delivery of:

- Matte black paint (it's not a wrap), including color matched top
- Custom Black Widow black leather seats, dash, and steering wheel cover
- 3.5" Lift, Fox shocks, running on 37's with 20" wheels
- Rugged Ridge steel front bumper with Warn winch and unknown brand light bar
- Steel side bars with steps
- Gorilla Glass
- Spray in bed liner
- I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple of things

I was checking out what was left after the sales and ran across two of these Black Widows in North Dakota of all places. I live in MT.

So, there is this dealer with two of them pretty tricked out for 59K on one of them and almost 63K on the other. They are built on Sport S trims. BUT, they were asking 80K for them 18 months or more ago AND they both have the Max Tow package with the extra wide Dana axles and the 4.10 ratio.

My first thought was I don't think so but then I took a look and thought hey, not bad. Still way too much for me, but that 59K price on the Blue one and how it's accessoried is right there where Rubicons and X's were not all that long ago...

So, here is the window sticker https://www.christiancdjr.com/api/l...8&accountId=christianchryslerdodgejeepramcllc

One was 63K Yellow and one was 50,060 the hydro blue. My first thought was I don't think so, but then I looked at the hydro blue one and was like, wait a minute that's Rubicon and Rubicon X MSRP pricing maybe a bit lower. AND they both have the Max Tow packages on them with the wide Dana's and 4.10 Gears, a lift with Fox underpinnings. AND they were asking 80K for them 18 months ago... The Black widow package is supposedly 28K. So here it is

Dealer website https://www.christiancdjr.com/exoti...ladiator-1d9914e90a0e087f3f65f5cf351c66b4.htm

Monroney (window sticker) https://www.christiancdjr.com/api/l...8&accountId=christianchryslerdodgejeepramcllc

I like the Blue for the Max tow package and the LED light package along with the 8.4 Nav. They already sold a red one over the last few weeks. 23's have NO incentives on them so the dealer it eating a great deal... I love the Yellow color, but lean toward the Blue for price (under 60K) and still has a NEW warranty.

Of interest, and I do NOT think they did this, but one option from the Black Widow people is to go up to 4.88 gears. I'm pretty sure they went with the 35's and the 4.10's but not positive. It's got the Fox shock system from Black Widow. The seats are custom upgrades

No lockers is about the only thing between this and true hard core off roading equipment wise. And if you got the bucks to get this, then that would likely be no problem. But for upfitted like it is and someone else doing the work, you likely could NOT get the same for that price.

Food for thought. Under other circumstances and a decade fewer years on me and I coulda been tempted.

Black Widow Package

3" Suspension Lift System
Fox Adventure Series Shocks
Front End Alignment
Steering Stabilizer
20" Black Off Road Wheels
35" Premium Mud Terrain Tires
Whipple Transmission Calibration
Black Wheel-to-Wheel Side Steps
20" LED Light Bar
Painted Fender Vents
Stamped Steel Hood Replacement with Vented Inserts
Black Widow Bumper
Tinted Front Windows
Black Widow Custom Stitched Headrests
Red LED Interior Lights
Accent Paint (Painted Suspension Components)
Black Widow Spider Windshield Decal
Fender Spider Decals

Options from Black Widow site.

• 3.5" JKS Suspension with FOX 2.5 Remot Resi Performance Elite Shocks
  35" Premium All Terrain Tires
  22" Wheel & 37" Tire Upgrade
  4.88 Axle Ratio Upgrade
  Full Length State Compliance Bumper
  Power Running Boards
  Custom Stitched Leather Seat Covers
  Front License Plate Bracket
  10,000 lb Winch
  Paint Options:
  Full Matte Paint
  Full Gloss Paint
  Black Hi-Hat Paint

Meets all FMVSS standards & comes with a 3-Year / 36,000 mile warranty.

Sponsored