Building Nemo - A Punk'n Mojave shoreline adventure

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Decided to start a build thread to document some of the modifications I've done and some of the fun along the way. It certainly isn't going to be the wildest build or the most exciting, but perhaps someone finds something useful from it even if just for a little entertainment.

Ordered 8/22/23 - took 143 days until the keys were in my hands 1/13/24. Most of my wait I spent researching, planning, and scouring for the best prices on the parts I wanted. 48 hours into ownership, I have just about everything installed and several other parts on order (after realizing that I want/need them after having the truck in person). During the wait, my kids also affectionately named the family Jeep "Nemo" which is quite fitting for the color combo and for our intended use, beach days!

From what I could find on the Jeep E-Shop, this is 1 of 16 Gladiators in this Punk’n/Steel Gray color combo and 1 of one in this color combo with the soft top! The gray isn’t for everyone, but I sure love the contrast and imagine the seats should stay way cooler on those hot summer days with the top down.

First photo (From my dealer the night it rolled off the truck 1/12/24)

Couple shots from my leisurely drive home.

Rainbow appeared right after I left the dealership, I kid you not!!

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Day 1 -

Right after pulling in from the drive home from the dealership I installed RokBlokz (Original Long w/ Orange Emblems). I wanted to get these on immediately to help try and prevent any unnecessary paint damage. Install is pretty straight forward, although doing it in the freezing cold wasn't much fun. Fortunately I was smart enough to have them 90% assembled, so it only took me 15 minutes to toss these on.

These are unbelievably over engineered and I absolutely love it! All the materials are very STOUT! Like most of the stuff here, I bought it during Black Friday to get some savings and while still expensive, I am extremely happy with them. Fit and finish is top notch, they look great, and most importantly are VERY functional! The original long to me are fit absolutely perfect with the factory Mojave wheel offset and size.

Next up were the factory floor mats. Instead of ordering with my truck (as doing so would delete the carpet mats and also cost more than ordering separately), I bought these on BAM Wholesale for around $140 instead of $170 if I were to check the box with my order. Almost forgot to trim the carpet and pull out the drain plug for the front mats, but it finally clicked when I noticed they weren't sitting flat.

Dropped in these cupholder inserts I picked up on amazon for cheap. Fit and finish was surprisingly nice.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BHWL2XJ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

TeraFlex Antenna- Ditched the factory whip pronto, just for aesthetic purposes. I usually listen to everything streamed through my phone anyways, but reception hasn’t seemed to be impacted much, at least for the few radio stations I do occasionally listen to.

Day 2-
Satin Black Grill - I had thought about ordering with the satin black grill, but I figured it would be nice to have the Punk'n grill for options down the line and sourcing a Punk'n grill later was not going to be a cheap endeavor. So rather than pay a $195 extra at order and not have the Punk'n grill, I decided to buy the satin grill separate (From BAM Wholesale which had the best price I could find). In addition, the front trail cam is not available to be ordered with the Satin Black Grill, and I for sure wanted that, so this was the only way to go! Man it looks great!! To make swapping even easier, I sourced all the extra parts for a complete grill assembly. In oder to flip, all I need to do is swap the color matched surround pieces and the camera itself.

Video on YouTube that I found very helpful:

Factory Wheel Locks - Not much to elaborate on here lol, better safe than sorry.

Desert Does It “Shorty” Seat Jackers - I was hesitant on these, they are pricey little buggers, especially since I did both seats. That said, after reading glowing review after glowing review, I decided to pull the trigger. Got a little bit off during black friday but not a ton which took a little sting away. That said, I agree, VERY noticeable difference that I'd say was worth the price of admission. Definitely more comfortable. Never would have imagined lifting the front of the seat .75” would make that much of a difference! The quality and craftsmanship is also top notch! Install was straight forward, but man those E12 bolts were TIGHT though LMAO

Samman Dead Pedal - Got referred to this dead pedal from another member here and it didn't disappoint. For something so minor, it makes a HUGE difference. For ~$25, it was a surprisingly heavy duty piece.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L3BH1NJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

DarkSideDesign Paracord Grab Handles - The quality of these handles is top notch, wonderful craftsmanship!! If I'm being honest though, after installing, I'm a little sketched out by securing them with the little trim screws. I mean they feel fine for using as a light hand hold, but to me it seems likely that if anyone gave it a solid tug, those screws might rip right out. I've got some velcro straps and mini shackles coming from Amazon that I'm hoping I can rig up to wrap entirely around the roll bar and attach these grab handles to instead.

Sun Visor reinforcement brackets - Not much to say here. They were cheap and from what I gather, serve a purpose. For a few bucks up front to likely save me a headache down the road, it was a no brainer. They fit well, although install was an awkward endeavor, I really needed a third hand but I managed with two.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C33PN1JB?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


Rugged Ridge Roll n Lock retractable cover- This is the "Max Track" version with the T slots on the sides. I don't have the factory rail trails, so I got the kit (13550.36) that comes with the C channels on the sides to mount. Super happy with this cover! Fantastic quality all around. Originally I wanted the revolver X4s, mainly for price and since it also had the T slot sides. That said, during black friday, it didn't look like those were going to be on sale. Despite reaching out to Real Truck, no one got back to me. I noticed this cover was on sale on their site though. Then when I searched on Amazon, I saw it offered for 15% lower. I ordered it and then the next day it went to 20% off! I called Amazon and all said and done, I somehow ended up getting over 50% off which was an unbelievable steal. After having it and seeing the fit and finish first hand, if I had to do it again, I probably spring the extra money for it, its a really nice unit that went in without any fuss (just took some time as I'm a bit of a perfectionist) and works as intended.

Day 3-
Front Runner Bed Rack - Expensive but fantastic quality! Glad I bought during Black Friday to save a few bucks, but honestly, having seen it first hand now, the regular list price is justified in my opinion. For anyone interested, this is KRRT001T (1425mm W x 1358mm L) which comes with two pairs of 6" legs.

The orange piece on top is a home made 3D printed bracket for my beach cart. This rig is going to spend a decent amount of time on sand during the summer!

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/my-first-of-many-3d-printed-jeep-parts.75367/

Receiver Hitch Shackle - Absolutely INSANE quality for the price, super heavy duty piece...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DY2S2DG?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Rugged Ridge Door Sill Protectors - This was a rush after thought. After seeing my kids climb in and out, I instantly regretted not having check this box on my order or have bought them already. Fortunately Amazon Prime to the rescue! Super happy with them. Great price, great fit, and good coverage. If I had to gripe, the rear ones could be a tad longer, but thats okay.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L5WBR66?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[RHINO79]

Sweeeeeeet glady!!!

 

[Ouchie]

Woohoo! Glad to see the saga come to an end, and finally get started at the same time! Congrats on the truck, it looks great. I’ll be following along here for ideas for mine!

 

[Cspence]

Woohoo! Glad to see the saga come to an end, and finally get started at the same time! Congrats on the truck, it looks great. I’ll be following along here for ideas for mine!

Thanks!!

Still feels weird and almost surreal LOL! I'm sure you felt the same way

I'm not sure what to do with all the extra time I have back now that used to be consumed with speculating and wondering about my order as well as constantly checking for updates LMAO.

 

[Cap10Glad]

Great looking rig. Punk'n is my daughters favorite Jeep color.

 

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Got my front windows tinted today to match the rears and added a windshield “brow / visor”. Went with 20%, perfect to me. To me there’s a very fine line size wise between good and gangster on the brow, I think it’s perfect! Doesn’t at all obstruct my normal field of view and provides coverage above the rear view mirror and visors, while looking great (to me) from the outside. Pro and Local in Enfield CT did it.

 

[Chucker23]

Dude loving the build! Really into the bed rack and tonneau cover setup! How easy is it to take off the rack? Is it waterproof with the rack attached or when you take it off because of the openings?

 

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Dude loving the build! Really into the bed rack and tonneau cover setup! How easy is it to take off the rack? Is it waterproof with the rack attached or when you take it off because of the openings?

Thanks! Yeah, it’s water tight. The rack mounts via the T-Slots in the cover rails that sit on the bed sides. Taking it on and off wouldn’t be terrible, but it wouldn’t be fast. Probably take 20 minutes or so. I plan on leaving it on full time unless I have a need for full access to the bed on a special occasion.

 

[Chucker23]

I think this would work really well for me for long trips. Probably wouldn’t keep it on all the time though. Will keep my eye out for a sale and get this in the future!

 

[Chucker23]

You have some more plans for her?

 

[RealTruck]

You definitely made the right choice going with the Rugged Ridge Armis Retractable Tonneau Cover. Your entire build up to this point has been a marvel!

 

[Chucker23]

You definitely made the right choice going with the Rugged Ridge Armis Retractable Tonneau Cover. Your entire build up to this point has been a marvel!

Any discount codes for someone who wants to spend money irresponsibly lol!

 

[RealTruck]

Any discount codes for someone who wants to spend money irresponsibly lol!

Upgrades are an investment! For a pricing quote you can PM me or email me at [email protected].

 

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I think this would work really well for me for long trips. Probably wouldn’t keep it on all the time though. Will keep my eye out for a sale and get this in the future!

For me, I just don't have a great place to store it, it would be in the way in the garage and with my luck, would get accidentally knocked over and damaged. May through October for me, it will get used most weekends when I pack up the family with all of our gear to head to the shore.

You have some more plans for her?

Not too much really. Just little odds and ends now, primarily around security, though I did just add some matte finished EGR in channel window visors, I'll post up some photos later today or tomorrow. I also have some Redline gas hood struts coming. In the spring I am definitely getting a pair of Mopar tube doors.

These most recent theft threads have me a little spooked, so I'm trying to take whatever reasonable measures I can to add some security provisions (which I don't plan on posting here too much about ). Later this year I have plans to do some lighting, KC or BD and some Lux rock lights; put those factory Aux switches to use!

If I come across some Rubicon steel modular bumpers, I'd like to add those too, as well as some side steps, looking at the White Knuckle Off Road ones since they work in conjunction with the stock "Rubi Rails". Then down the line perhaps a AEV 2" spacer lift and some 35's, but I'll probably do that closer to when my bumper to bumper is almost exhausted to avoid any potential for denial of any warranty claims if they come up.

WAY down the line, if I still have the truck and I'm still loving it, and assuming life is still being good to me, I'd like to do a Hemi conversion. That said, I'm not counting my chickens yet LOL!

You definitely made the right choice going with the Rugged Ridge Armis Retractable Tonneau Cover. Your entire build up to this point has been a marvel!

Thanks!!

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