DUSTY - 23' JT Gladiator Rubicon Build

[DavenFla]

Thanks for the question, I appreciate it, but I think I'd rather not. I'm not here to brag, just to share my joy with like-minded Jeep lovers in building something I've never done before, that may inspire another. While I am sparing no expense on this, I am VERY frugal in other areas of my life.

I guess your wife looks at your posts? lol!

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[drunen]

Fantastic looking build. Was your roof top tent in one of the first pictures an iKamper? Also, what load bars were you using with your smartcap?

ThanksRobert, appreciate it. Yes, that tent was an iKampe Skycamp 2.0 XL. It served me very well for about 4 years but I am in the process of selling it now that I have the Tune M1 camper.
The load bars I believe are RSI, but I'll have to double check. I also have a set of Quuick Pitch load bars which look to be beefier than the ones I have mounted on my Smartcap (also for sale).

I'm thinking of mounting a couple on my Tune but haven't completely thought through my solar panel install, so I'm still workign through that.

 

[drunen]

I guess your wife looks at your posts? lol!

Haha! She supports my expensive hobby as she reaps the benefits of it too.

 

[DavenFla]

Haha! She supports my expensive hobby as she reaps the benefits of it too.

I have two highly modifiable vehicles.... my 22 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon (Devlin) and my 02 Ford Excursion 7.3 (Zombie Crusher)

I am always covering my tracks.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

Haha! She supports my expensive hobby as she reaps the benefits of it too.

My fiancé doesn't care what I spend my money on as long as bills are paid on time and it's not morally or ethically concerning.

 

[drunen]

Happy to share my build with the community here. It's been a blast so far and will continue to update this top post as it progresses. Feel free to ask any questions.

Current Build Components:

AEV Front bumper

AEV high capacity coils

ARB Diff cover Front

ARB Diff cover Rear

Baja designs 7 linkable XL

Baja Designs LP4 Pro x8

Baja designs LP6 lights x2

Baja designs Rock lights

Falcon SP2 3.3 Fast Adjust Piggyback Shock Kit (3.5-4.5" Lift Long-Travel)

Falcon Nexus EF 2.2 Fast Adjust Steering Stabilizer

Longranger Aux 73l tank

Metalcloak Aluminum Overland Tube Fenders, JL Wrangler/JT Gladiator, Front, Pair

Metalcloak Inner Fender Front set, aluminum

Metalcloak Aluminum Overland Tube Fenders, JT Gladiator, Rear, Pair

Metalcloak HD Drag Link, JL Wrangler/JT Gladiator

Metalcloak 3.5" Game-Changer Suspension & Lift Kit

MetalCloak HD Steering System, JL Wrangler - JT Gladiator, RockSport RED Edition for the Rubicon|Max-Tow|4XE|High Altitude|Mojave|392

Metalcloak UnderCloak Integrated Armor System, JT Gladiator, 3.6L Motor

MetalCloak Rocklander Hinge Step, Pair, JK Wrangler | JL Wrangler | JT Gladiator

Metalcloak swaybar reinforcement

Mickey Thompson 37” Baja Boss

Regeared to 5.13

Rockslide Engineering JT 4 Door Step Slider

SCS wheels

Warn ZEON 10-S Winch

Tune Outdoors - Tune M1

Quick Pitch 270 Awning

@97customs - Gladiator Rear seat delete platform. (HIGHLY recommend)

Planned Upgrades:
Trail & Co. Molle - Jeep Gladiator Window and Seat Delete MOLLE Panel System Trail & Co. - Ordered
Armorlite - Front & Rear Flooring - 20-Current Gladiator JT (4Dr) – Armorlite - Ordered
Wolfbox G900 TriPro - Received, ready to install
Kitchen - Mega Mikes
Ironman Water tank - Ironman 4x4 America IM4x4 50L Wheel Arch Water Tank - 13 Gal : Amazon.ca: Sports & Outdoors
Redarc RedVision, Manager 30, inverter

 

[drunen]

Today's update:
Trail & Co. Molle - Jeep Gladiator Window and Seat Delete MOLLE Panel System Trail & Co. - Ordered
Armorlite - Front & Rear Flooring - 20-Current Gladiator JT (4Dr) – Armorlite - Ordered
Wolfbox G900 TriPro - Received, ready to install

 

[drunen]

Wolfbax G900 Tripro installed yesterday at my favourite shop here in North Vancouver, West Coat Off-Roaders.

The WCO has an incredible pedigree of experience of 4x4 and overlanding across North America, Australia, and the Middle East.

Asd for the Wolfbox, first impressions if you are installing this model on your Gladiator, make sure to order the 33" extension cable for the rear camera. My installer had done one of these before and have me the heads up. Their website doesn't have a direct link, but it is an option to add to your order when you order the G900 Tripro.
I also ordered the "OEM bracket for mirror dash cam" but it didn't fit and wasted $27.
'

Boot Screen:

Front bumper cam: (it is located under the AEV logo)

For the rear camera, I decided to mount it inside my Tune Outdoor camper, behind the glass.

My installer told me that an outside mount would not work well in the rain, and suggested inside the camper. I liked his idea and trusted his judgement. He has handled most of my build already and as you can see it's coming together very nicely with no major hiccups.

 

[drunen]

Short weekend trip up the Squamish Valley with my buddy John and his 80 Series Landcruiser to test recent upgrades. Leaving for Florence, Oregon this Thursday to play in the sand.

 

[DirkG]

My fiancé doesn't care what I spend my money on as long as bills are paid on time and it's not morally or ethically concerning.

 

[BlackRuby23]

Sweet Looking rig- The new TUNE looks awesome!

I agree, but the price.......I just can't....

 

[drunen]

I agree, but the price.......I just can't....

Thanks. I agree, the price is steep, but in my opinion, going to be worth it for me and my lifestyle. I'll have this truck for 10+ years and enjoyed 100+ nights of sleep last year in my last rig that had a roof top tent.

 

[drunen]

Installed Armorlite this week. Love how it turned out. Getting rid of my carpets was necessary as I have a Siberian Husky. I suffered through 9 years of hair riddled carpets in my JK and told myself I would never do that again. Really happy with how they fit and look.

Next up, Trail & Co. molle panels on the back wall of my rear cabin.

 

[Hendawg_JTR]

Installed Armorlite this week. Love how it turned out. Getting rid of my carpets was necessary as I have a Siberian Husky. I suffered through 9 years of hair riddled carpets in my JK and told myself I would never do that again. Really happy with how they fit and look.

Next up, Trail & Co. molle panels on the back wall of my rear cabin.

Love my Armolite as well. Great investment!

 

[Cancertoy]

Thank you for posting your build and documenting what you have done thus far! We had the Tune M1 installed on our 2020 JTR before Labor Day weekend. We did a couple of trails in Moab right after having it installed. Zero issues, did a level 3 and a level 4 trail easily, and slept great for the three nights we were there. I do know I need better springs and new shocks. I currently have the 2 1/2 Clayton Overland Plus lift kit and am on 37s. With the squat, I fit in my garage with about an inch to spare. I am trying to figure out how to improve the springs and shocks and still fit in the garage.

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