Glacier: Base Sport Build

[J3azzy]

Hey all, thanks for checking out my build.

This is going to be my first real Jeep, and first vehicle that I will be doing mods too. My goals going into this was to keep my purchase price under 40k and get as much for my money as possible with my mods. This was a struggle since in 2022 prices have gone through the roof. It’s going to be a fairly modest build that is going to try and keep its truck functionality and retain decent MPG.

My first step was to find the right gladiator for my budget. Luckily the base sport got the 7 inch uconnect screen for 2022 so I was a happy camper. I knew I wanted to go basic, but didn’t want to give up apple CarPlay. I knew 33s were going to be my tire of choice and then moving to 35s after those wear out. I went with the max tow package to get the 4.10s to deal with slightly larger tires and have the added bonus of 1600lbs of payload and 7650lbs of towing. Sting gray was the color for me and I had all my options checked. Good dealer to work with, veteran discount and my purchase price snuck under 40k.

I had a few concessions to be made to stay down there. I wanted the ability to quickly drop the top, but the 1700 for the hard top and 800 for the sun rider was too much to swallow. I went with the soft top as a result. I wanted remote start and heated seats, but there is no cold weather group on the base sport. These along with leather will be added in the future by my own two hands. Roll down windows and manual locks are going to be part of the fun. Love the retro feel and the basic nature of it feels right in this setup.

I wanted a unique name and I love how Jeep and GM name trims after North American locations, Rubicon, Mohave, Denali. I love the way the sting gray looks like the gray rock seen in the rockies so I started to look around. I settled on Glacier National Park. It’s beautiful and one of my favorite places in nature that I have been fortunate enough to visit. Glacier going to find its way on my hood eventually and my build was going to match the theme.

I have about a month before I’m able to drive it since I’m currently overseas, oh the joys of deployment, but that’s given me plenty of time to research and find good sales on accessories and mods.

Here’s a picture of it stock, not the greatest since it’s just at the dealer with an old phone, but after I get back I plan to do detailed descriptions, photos and the build process, “teaser” including a self install of katskinz leather and custom steering wheel.

Enjoy!

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[CJ5w4wdSmokyOnMyTail]

I bought a Mojave, but was super tempted with buying a base Sport Max Tow so I could have more fun building it up. Plus I prefer roll-down windows! You will love that Jeep!

 

[J3azzy]

Rims and Tires:

Decided the black rims have been way too popular, and since this is a base I decided to go a little retro. Quadratec retro white rims fit the bill. Tires are Firestone Destination AT2’s in a P285/70/17 with white lettering

Rims: Finish was great, seems uniform and well covered. The look in person is better than any photo can give justice too. We’ll see how they hold up, but I am beyond happy with them, especially since I got them on sale for 149 each.

Tires: So far these have been absolutely fantastic. They’re quite, handle well, and I have zero issues with traction. I don’t rock crawl and this is my daily driver so the weight of only 41 lbs a tire makes a huge difference in the acceleration, feel, and fuel consumption. I’m averaging 20mpg with the engine not even broke in yet (tracked with Fuelly). I know having a P rated tire can be controversial on this forum, but for my use, type of off roading, and towing the P rated tire checked all the boxes I needed. Discount Tire was amazing, had a great deal on them and then gave me a military discount on top of that. I couldn’t be happier with their service. I will keep going back to them in the future.

 

[wjcook68]

Very Cool!

 

[22_Sarge_Sport]

Love to see some non-black wheels. Sems like bronze is getting popular, and those are great. Let's see a full profile shot!

 

[J3azzy]

Katzkin Seats:

I’ve always wanted red leather and after seeing a few pictures I decided the gladiator with the sting gray was the perfect time to scratch that itch. I went with Katzkin after some research and the seats are absolutely beautiful.

Ended up installing these myself. The install was intensive. Having never done upholstery before, it was a learning process. Most people I’ve seen start with the driver seat, I decided to start with the back to get a feel for it first. I’m glad I did it to save myself a grand, but in the process I was starting to regret it a bit. It took me about 12 hours total split over two days to get it all done. I used zip ties instead of hog rings on the install and that worked so incredibly well. I have zero worries about long term reliability because the ties are definitely stronger than the felt and plastic bars that they attach.

Overall I’m extremely happy with them. Most of the wrinkles have come out of the leather and the install almost looks factory. Most people don’t pay close enough attention to notice the few little wrinkle areas in the corners. They are soft and comfortable, much better than factory. I honestly haven’t really sweat on them yet, getting the stitched leather or perforated leather would have helped with ventilation, however I loved the look of the classic straight leather more. I would 100% do it again, worth the money.

 

[Charles 236]

Nice! Glad to see that you are making it your own in a unique way, not just using the same wheels as many other people use. That interior is beautiful too, and that you did the install is icing on the cake. That install money you saved can buy other mods.​

 

[KoBear]

Gray over red interior is

can’t wait to see where your build goes.

 

[RIDERED67]

Looks great! What's a set cost?

 

[J3azzy]

Looks great! What's a set cost?

I got those for just under 800$

 

[J3azzy]

Steering Wheel:

I loved the way the Mojave steering wheel felt, and have always been a sucker for thick flat bottomed steering wheels so I decided to try find a custom one. I ended up finding one on Etsy by OffroadAutomotives that is currently not available anymore. It was 350 and looked like good quality.

The quality turned out to be amazing. The install was actually pretty simple. Just label everything as you disassemble and it only takes about 30 min. I love the feel and would recommend this to anyone looking for a beefy flat bottom wheel. It’s not heated, but the feel is 100% worth it to me.

 

[tonywin]

I got those for just under 800$

Did you order directly throught Katzkin for that price? I don't mind doing the install myself and like you, plan to use zip ties instead of hog rings. Glad to hear they are strong enough.

 

[J3azzy]

Did you order directly throught Katzkin for that price? I don't mind doing the install myself and like you, plan to use zip ties instead of hog rings. Glad to hear they are strong enough.

I actually got them off eBay from a seller called sealed deals. They shipped very fast and the price is right. I would recommend a leather punch for making holes in the felt to push the zip ties through and a curved tip needle nose makes life much easier.

 

[tksmr2]

I just bought a 2020 Sport. It has the tow package (Not max tow which allows 6,000 lbs towing capacity vs. the 7,650 for the Max Tow. It has the cold weather package which has the heated steering wheel, heated seats, and remote start. I also have power windows, locks and mirrors along with the AUX switches. The only thing I wish it would have is the Max Tow, the bigger touchscreen and the storage compartments under the rear seats. I can add lockers, different gears 4.56's etc later in the aftermarket. I love my soft top and don't want a hard top. There are some other minor things it has that is not worth mentioning besides the aftermarket items.

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