Chris's Sport S Max Tow - Boring Daily 'Build'

[DanW]

So, lets make a home for the new fridge. I placed an order for all sorts of goodies.

- An ARB fridge outlet harness and fridge cord.
- A Noco 15A 120V inlet cable
- A 15A outlet cable
- Some cam buckle straps
- Some thumb knobs and d-rings (the d-rings were missing from package, awaiting support from vendor)
- A nut cert tool

Side note: Look at the packaging for this Noco inlet. It's like a nesting doll. I began to wonder how many layers of packaging I was going to find before getting to the parts.

I installed the Noco inlet in the rear bumper, and the outlet into the plastic filler panel on the passenger side of the bed (where the factory 120V / 400W outlet would be) and connected the two together. Now, my APL55 can be plugged into the inside of the bed and when my truck is at home I can plug an extension cord into the inlet and override the 12V. This way, the fridge won't be needlessly taxing my battery when it doesn't need to. Also, this gives me an easy way to add a trickle charger or other feature to the truck later.

Here is the 12V receptacle and 120V receptacle installed. If you use the ARB kit in a Gladiator, be warned - it is barely long enough for these trucks if going to the rear of the bed. I followed the harness along the passenger frame rail and over the rear axle and was left with less than a foot of cable to pull through the bed wall. If you take additional short cuts, you'll have more length.

I used this cable kit because the ARB fridge cable screws into the outlet and cannot shake loose.

Here you can see all four nutcerts installed in the bed. By the tailgate there is a structural rib so the bed is very thick and lets the nut cert set well. Toward the front, not so much. I am slightly concerned these may work loose, but I have a solution devised - so ultimately not too worried.

You can hardly tell, but here is the bed mat back in with four holes drilled in it for the fridge hooks. With the fridge and hooked removed, you have a clean and clear bed.

Two hooks screwed down. All four holes lined up great. Very easy to put in.

And here is the fridge strapped down. I am going to neaten up the cords.

Shoreline in use. The fridge automatically defaults to 120V with both are connected at the same time. It switches over when the 120V is disconnected.

Also, a 3/8" cable lock is looped through the back handle and anchored to the factory tie down point for (some) security. I am going to order a custom vinyl cover that is going to cover the fridge down to just above the vents. This will help protect the display from being battered by the sun, and overall provide it a (minor) additional layer of insulation. Also, it will help the fridge look less conspicuous to casual passerby. It will still be easy to lift off as needed for access. It's use will really be optional based on weather conditions / how often I am accessing.

Did you just use a piece of plastic for the electrical outlet? I want to do that in the bed of mine. Really all I need is a 12v, but that setup you've done is great!

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[ChrisNLA]

Did you just use a piece of plastic for the electrical outlet? I want to do that in the bed of mine. Really all I need is a 12v, but that setup you've done is great!

Since my truck didn't have the inverter package, I just had a factory plastic plug in that spot where the OEM 120V outlet would have been. So, I just drilled a hole through it and mounted my plug into it.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Love the Smitty winches. I've had two, including the one on my JL, which is 6 years old and has made many pulls, with not so much as a hiccup.

This is my second one, and my buddy has the same one on his car trailer. All of them have worked well.

 

[DanW]

Since my truck didn't have the inverter package, I just had a factory plastic plug in that spot where the OEM 120V outlet would have been. So, I just drilled a hole through it and mounted my plug into it.

Same. That's what I will be doing. Did you run that plug to an inverter?

I think what I am going to do is just a 12 volt plug and go to a wire on Aux switch 1 or 2 so that I can shut it off. But having a regular outlet would be nice, too. I know some have tapped into the inverter for the outlet in the back seat, but I'm not very good with electrical stuff, so not sure I could pull that off without help.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Same. That's what I will be doing. Did you run that plug to an inverter?

I think what I am going to do is just a 12 volt plug and go to a wire on Aux switch 1 or 2 so that I can shut it off. But having a regular outlet would be nice, too. I know some have tapped into the inverter for the outlet in the back seat, but I'm not very good with electrical stuff, so not sure I could pull that off without help.

Plug just runs to an inlet in the rear bumper - it was just a way to put my fridge in the bed and let it run off the house when I was home without laying a cord over the bedside, etc. I could modify it to have inverter capability as well, and that may be a future project

 

[ChrisNLA]

Installed Bilstein shocks after the factory ones started to give up at relatively low mileage.

You can see that here:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/bilstein-5100-upgrade-on-22-sport-max-tow.90171/

 

[ChrisNLA]

Boring update.

So one of those Beamtech LED bulbs died yesterday (they've been installed about three years now). Noticed I had one headlight out going to work.

Passenger side out.

That afternoon I took the bulbs out, swapped them side to side, and they both seemed to work fine.

Well this morning I noticed the driver side (which used to be the passenger side) was out. Got out, and its hard to tell in this picture but it had gone pretty dim.

The old Beamtech bulbs appear to be 30W, but it seems like everything on Amazon is brighter now and I did not want that as the existing bulbs are already pushing my luck in a halogen housing and not blinding everyone else - so I stopped at Oreillys and grabbed some old fashion Sylvania XtraVisions for now.

Yeaaa. This is gonna take some getting used to again.

Anyway. I am looking at some options.

One consideration is the Quadratec Gen II headlight. I had them in my JK and they were awesome for the 5 years I had them, however they only make a 7" size and that may look weird in the JT with the adapter rings.

Also thinking about the Diode Dynamic Elites while they are on sale...they are the proper diameter but also cost quite a bit.

Most the other options are pretty ugly, or cheap and probably going to fail on me in another three years with no warranty to back them up.

TBD.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Oh,

My hood has the rot. So, I need to get a dealership to check this out and look the rest of the aluminum panels over.

Silver lining - my hood has hail dents so I guess this is a good way of getting that addressed under warranty now? Since I hear they replace the panel if the corrosion is in a seam (which it is).

 

[Supazuk]

Nice build!

 

[ChrisNLA]

Kicker 10" Hideaway subwoofer arrived today. I'll try and work on this in the next week or so. Adding it to my base (non-Alpine) system. Depending on the results the next step (down the road) will be a compact amp and upgrading the dash and roll bar speakers.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Prepping the harness for the install. Loomed the wires together for the first four feet, then the speaker wires dip off to go into the b-pillar. Added some wire to the ground and turn on wire. The power, ground, and turn on will run to under the hood. I think I'll use an add a fuse in the fuse box to trigger it with ignition.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Finished installing the Kicker 51HS10 subwoofer today. I really like it so far.

More details here:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...51hs10-hideaway-sub-install-non-alpine.97650/

 

[ChrisNLA]

Installed a Tyger bed cover today. The clamps are a little janky but otherwise seems like a really good cover for the money. Fits over my toolbox too, so that's nice.

Had to move my side lights though.

Gonna leave the light wires here and cap them off and disconnect them from my aux switches under the hood. I can always use them for something later. Maybe a light inside the toolbox.

Moved the lights up front. Brackets from Amazon. They will still be switched left and right.

Noticed coolant level is slightly low. Though to be fair I dont remember checking in the three years I've had the truck No leaks, no other signs of trouble so just gonna top it up and move on with my life.

Bought a gateway bypass so I can use all the Jscan features. Will put that in tomorrow along with wiring the cowl lights back up.

 

[ChrisNLA]

So what's next?

Well. Im thinking about returning to Moab for the first time since 2021. This truck isn't going to be a serious wheeler but I dont mind some mods within reason.

Thinking about:

- KO3 315/70R17 tires. My Falkens are pretty loud so now is a good time for fresh quiet rubber.

- Clayton steering stabilizer relocation, and maybe the FAD and rear lower control arm mount skids (frame side).

- Teraflex 2.5" spacer lift to replace my 1.5" front only level.

- Teraflex or AEV diff covers.

- ASFIR or Quadratec aluminum skids.

That will be set me up comfortably for pretty much any offroading i'll do in the truck.

But nothing set in stone yet...

 

[ALT2870]

For Moab all you need to really change is the tires and 35's will do it. Max Tow gave you Rubicon axles and a rear LSD. Disconnect the sway bar and you can do a fair amount of trails.

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