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JTPatriot

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Very nice! It is coming along nicely.
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Might want to keep an eye on those u-bolts. Both Rock Crawler and Dana recommend welding the cradle to the axle and using the u-bolts if you are running over 35s.
Yeah I know. It has the disadvantage of not being able to switch axles so will see how this holds up.
 

WhyNotJeep

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Congrats!!!! If I won the Loto.................. My Dad was wrong, money does grow on trees. I just planted the wrong trees. A Gladiator with a V8 is the way it should be and would be if things were different.
 

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Any pictures of it with the new lift? Sit much higher than before?
 
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stance is perfect now. after some discussion we went ahead and did weld the cradle to the axle - now I cannot wait to get to some trails and test it all out. The on road manners are excellent with the new shocks and springs vs the mopar lift. Less body roll and diving and less bouncing of the rear (was prob not helped by me disconnecting rear sway bar). I do notice the higher lift at unreasonably high speeds though it's a little more susceptible to cross winds. also for the first time since I owned the truck I can take my hands off the wheel and it continues straight.

93FEC7EF-CF10-4FD3-B434-1B3780ED511A.jpeg
 

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Kblanton

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just wrapped the drive up to VT. set the ACC to 75 and just let the truck do the work. Passing power is obviously fantastic when needed even when going 75 already and most of the drive was in 8th gear. Got 14MPG which is fantastic as it's more than the 13.5 I got in December with the 3.6L on this route. It was teens to single digits out. the power is perfect. Truck is just so light footed and responsive. Mind you we were also 4 people plus dog and fully loaded bed plus cargo basket.

This! This right here is why they should offer a V8 Galdiator.

You can hear the excitment and satisfaction in his voice(words). This would be what buyers would feel straight from the lot and it would be infectious.


Of course they wouldn't be able to build and ship them.........
 
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so truck needed some new brakes and I always liked the bite of the willwood 6 piston kits. But since they don't fit on 17 inch rims I gave BEAR a try. So far so great. Brakes feel great and complement the look in a subtle way. Does this improve stopping distance idk but it definitely improves modulation and brake pedal feel.

Next up I have ARE cap on order

IMG_8167.jpeg


IMG_8169.jpeg
 

GtownTX

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Was it between Bear and Teraflex on the brakes?
so truck needed some new brakes and I always liked the bite of the willwood 6 piston kits. But since they don't fit on 17 inch rims I gave BEAR a try. So far so great. Brakes feel great and complement the look in a subtle way. Does this improve stopping distance idk but it definitely improves modulation and brake pedal feel.

Next up I have ARE cap on order

Jeep Gladiator My 6.4L HEMI Gladiator conversion IMG_8169


Jeep Gladiator My 6.4L HEMI Gladiator conversion IMG_8169
Thoughts on Bear brakes vs Teraflex (pros/cons)? How does one know if that particular caliper will fit your specific set of wheels? Thought about an ARE cap but went with the RSI...yep likely waiting a bit :)
 
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No clue about the terraflex ones tbh. Do they have a six piston kit? It was between Wilwood and Bear for me and Bear has the one that fits JT 17 inch rims.
 

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Caps on!!! Love it! Best upgrade ever maybe. drastically increases functionality for me but prob retires me from some of the more extreme wheeling adventures - which is fine at this stage - can break only so much….

IMG_8552.jpeg
 

Mopar King

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Caps on!!! Love it! Best upgrade ever maybe. drastically increases functionality for me but prob retires me from some of the more extreme wheeling adventures - which is fine at this stage - can break only so much….

Jeep Gladiator My 6.4L HEMI Gladiator conversion IMG_8552
I fight back and forth with myself about these. I'd love to have it on to be able to throw my dogs back there and stuff but - it takes so much appeal away IMO. Kind of makes it seem like you are back to a Wrangler almost.

IDK - I get it but I dont. I've looked at the soft top covers for them too just to have something to quick pop on and off if I really need.

Did you have the same mindset or were you a fan of it right away?
 
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I fight back and forth with myself about these. I'd love to have it on to be able to throw my dogs back there and stuff but - it takes so much appeal away IMO. Kind of makes it seem like you are back to a Wrangler almost.

IDK - I get it but I dont. I've looked at the soft top covers for them too just to have something to quick pop on and off if I really need.

Did you have the same mindset or were you a fan of it right away?
I was not interested in a cap until I saw the CX EVOLVE on a gladiator in Florida that was also put together pretty well. I thought it looked really good and my rack died by rust so needed something. With the bed not being super large to carry stuff when we go for weekend trips especially when it’s raining and I have to close the cover I figured we give it a shot. also the dog in mind since our 80lbs pitbull and the two kids get a little crammed on the rear seat - though this their preferred mode of transporting. I am blown away by the level of positive reactions I am getting with this thing on. definitely changed the look but I do like it a lot and it keeps growing on me. We had to hustle back from VT in the rain the other day and had the bikes already on the hitch so threw everything into the bed through the outdoorsman windows that open up and it was just easy. This thing does not come cheap with mine being 5300 after install but I think it will positively change how we use the truck.

just need to sell my soft top now lol. I also never take my top off which is important. I only do no doors which this does not interfere with
 

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I was not interested in a cap until I saw the CX EVOLVE on a gladiator in Florida that was also put together pretty well. I thought it looked really good and my rack died by rust so needed something. With the bed not being super large to carry stuff when we go for weekend trips especially when it’s raining and I have to close the cover I figured we give it a shot. also the dog in mind since our 80lbs pitbull and the two kids get a little crammed on the rear seat - though this their preferred mode of transporting. I am blown away by the level of positive reactions I am getting with this thing on. definitely changed the look but I do like it a lot and it keeps growing on me. We had to hustle back from VT in the rain the other day and had the bikes already on the hitch so threw everything into the bed through the outdoorsman windows that open up and it was just easy. This thing does not come cheap with mine being 5300 after install but I think it will positively change how we use the truck.

just need to sell my soft top now lol. I also never take my top off which is important. I only do no doors which this does not interfere with
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah it could definitely be useful sometimes for us with the dogs and such, but we usually just throw them in one of our Wranglers or GC 4xe. We run our Wranglers and my JT with no top, no doors from May to October so that is a factor I hadn't really thought about too.

I think the silly bestop soft topper might be my best option for the few times a year I'd probably make solid use of it.
 
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Yeah if you go topless this is not for you!! these are not really made for take on/off i think and will look idiotic with top off.
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