WMWHV
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Matt
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2018
- Threads
- 24
- Messages
- 276
- Reaction score
- 280
- Location
- Houston, TX
- Vehicle(s)
- 2021 Gladiator Rubicon EcoDiesel, 1947 Willys CJ2A
- Build Thread
- Link
- Thread starter
- #1
My day has finally come. My Jeep was delivered this week. After a couple of Jeepless months, it is good to fill the spot in the garage with another red rubi. No offense to those who name their Jeep. We named our kids and our dogs and cats, but I have never found a need to name my vehicles, so pardon the unimaginative tile for my build thread. For background, my Jeep was ordered on July 3. I got to the dealer the morning after I got a note from him that the order book was open. It has almost every option. I say almost because there were a few things I knew I wanted to do better than OEM. So, no factory bedliner or headliner. I have a plastic bumper. They made me buy a tonneau because of the dual top group, but the dealer gave it to me for "free." Here is what I have done so far:
- Rugged Ridge floor mats front and back. As others have noted, you have to trim the rear following the marks on the bottom if you have the under seat cargo box.
- Rugged Ridge door entry scuff guards. They seem to offer the most coverage, but still don't get the edge of the door frame.
- Hotheads sound assassin strips and headliner for the hard top.
- Tazer JL Mini. Stopped the ESS and tweaked a few other things, like the fog lamps turning off when the brights are on. I want my fogs to stay on, hopefully to light up any deer on the side of the road.
- BAK Revolver X-4 tonneau.
- JCR molle panel for the front of the bed. Hi-lift mounted to it and a bag stuck on thus far.
- I have tossed some gear in the bed, but have not organized it yet. I am strongly considering the additional JCR molle panels for the sides. The trail rail system just does not seem that functional, especially with the overlap of the tonneau frame.
- I have spent some time trying to figure out where to mount my ham and other radios and my phone. I am not thrilled with the aesthetics of the rail mounts across the dash with arms coming off of them. I am looking at the Carolina Metal Masters ball mounts. They seem to have some very well engineered products.
- I assembled the soft top. That one frosted me a bit. I paid a lot of money for it and don't think my job includes assembling the pieces using a torque screwdriver, installing weatherstripping and the like. Put it on, yes, build it, no. How many people have a torque screwdriver anyway? I am glad I do, because overtorqueing that plastic stuff would not be good.
- Install JCR front bumper, skid plate and Warn Zeon Platinum 10S winch. I also have a JCR hawse pipe light mount and an AEV front license plate frame, also mounting at the hawse pipe. I plan to install it upside down to accommodate the light mount.
- Install Uncle Mike's rear lower control arm frame mount skid plates.
- Install Mopar cowl light mounts (for ham antennas and perhaps ditch lights).
- Install radios, antennas and mounts, run power and coax cables. Ultimately, I would like a place for a dual band ham rig, my DMR mobile radio for my search and rescue team and perhaps my Icom 7000 HF rig. I have yet to decide where to mount the screwdriver antenna for it.
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