jsturges18
Active Member
- First Name
- jeff
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2025
- Threads
- 3
- Messages
- 38
- Reaction score
- 48
- Location
- connecticut
- Vehicle(s)
- Gladiator
- Occupation
- firefighter
- Thread starter
- #1
After seeing how active and friendly this forum was to my previous repetitive post of death wobble, I figured I’d create a journal/build on my Jeep. I grew up with Nissans on the NICOclub, Zilvia, my350z forums so I’m a sucker for a good build thread. This Jeep truly is a money pit but there’s some fun in it
In December 2023 I purchased my 2023 Jeep Gladiator Sport S. I originally wanted a Red Mojave but it was slim pickings and quite a bit more money.
The windows were tinted that same week. Along with a dash cam hardwired in and DesertDoesIt seat spacers. I’m not very tall but the seat spacers made a HUGE difference.
One of my first mods were the Quadratec light mounts with KC Daylighters. I always liked how the older TJ jeeps had lights on their bumpers and I like the classic daylighters. Around the same time I got a new set of the Rubicon/Willys rock sliders. A cheap extreme terrain soft tonneau cover went on at some point.
Shortly after came some Kicker speakers, shorty antenna and LED bulbs throughout the exterior lights. Also a Course Motorsport phone mount because I’m not a huge fan of the arms/bars everywhere on the dash.
Within 5 months of ownership I had Kenda Klever 35x10.5x17 installed along with a 1.5inch spacer front lift and a DV8 front skid plate.
The KC Daylights are awesome but kinda useless so I swapped those out with Auxbeam 7inch lights, Amazon cowl mounts with Auxbeam 4 inch LED lights and an Auxbeam 6 gang controller on a bulletpoint oh shit handle mount.
This was a great phase of the Jeep. I think overall best looking as it looked much more proportionate now. But I wanted it to be a bit more aggressive so I did a 2.5in spacer kit with. 3/4inch rear spacer and 1/2inch wheel spacers. Front geometry drop brackets as well.
Afterward a few small changes were made like changing the cowl light mounts to Maximus-3 Sideshooter mounts, and eBay rear bumper light mounts with Auxbeam 3inch pods.
Next up, were new wheels. I do not like the look of fake beadlocks or beauty rings. Coming ffrom the car world I went with a set of 17x9 0 offset Fifteen52 Turbomacs in Gray. Added a Whiteline rear sway bar and changed the silver bumper inserts out for black ones.
After some time I noticed some crazy uneven tire wear. Knocking I’d eventually get a full Clayton off-road lift kit, I went ahead and got their front Trackbar and upper control arms. I removed the geometry brackets. Clayton seemed to not care for them.
Didn’t take too much longer to bite the bullet and finish the full Clayton Ride Right + 2.5 lift kit with Falcon 1.1 shocks and stabilizer. I added a Whiteline front sway bar with it as well.
After install of the full kit, I wanted a shop to check my work and align the kit since I installed in on the ground at my townhome with only hand tools. They offered a great deal on 37x12.5x17 BFGs K02. So of course I had to say yes.
Things went downhill with that said shop. Scratched rims, double stacked wheel weights hitting brake caliper and a too busy schedule to get me back in for the rebalance. The shop paid for another shop to balance and offered to buy me new wheels. I decided to take the balance money but cut my ties and move on.
Within a week of the 37s I experience deathwobble on the highway. This lead to this thread:
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...-wobble-conflicting-info-clayton-lift.108978/
In short I did realignment with rebalancing, changed the metric trackbar bolts to standard smooth shank bolts, geo brackets back on and went with Teraflex HD ball joints.
This leads me to where I am today with the Jeep. Borderline ready to sell it but happy it seems fixed and it’s enjoyable to drive again.
Next up will be some smaller things. I’ve been needing a hitch mount bike rack. I’m also gonna look for rubicon parts like grille, OEM LED taillights and maybe fenders. I kinda like the Quadratec Baja fenders too. An OEM steel bumper OR AEV RX bumper with a winch is also on the tables. Also looking at maybe an Eaton E- locker for the rear.
There’s an off-road park in PA that’s roughly 5/6 hours from me. A buddy of mine has a nicely built TJ and we’re hoping to take a trip there this year. I’d like to have a winch and locker for that trip.
Definitely some things missing but that’s the big stuff.
In December 2023 I purchased my 2023 Jeep Gladiator Sport S. I originally wanted a Red Mojave but it was slim pickings and quite a bit more money.
The windows were tinted that same week. Along with a dash cam hardwired in and DesertDoesIt seat spacers. I’m not very tall but the seat spacers made a HUGE difference.
One of my first mods were the Quadratec light mounts with KC Daylighters. I always liked how the older TJ jeeps had lights on their bumpers and I like the classic daylighters. Around the same time I got a new set of the Rubicon/Willys rock sliders. A cheap extreme terrain soft tonneau cover went on at some point.
Shortly after came some Kicker speakers, shorty antenna and LED bulbs throughout the exterior lights. Also a Course Motorsport phone mount because I’m not a huge fan of the arms/bars everywhere on the dash.
Within 5 months of ownership I had Kenda Klever 35x10.5x17 installed along with a 1.5inch spacer front lift and a DV8 front skid plate.
The KC Daylights are awesome but kinda useless so I swapped those out with Auxbeam 7inch lights, Amazon cowl mounts with Auxbeam 4 inch LED lights and an Auxbeam 6 gang controller on a bulletpoint oh shit handle mount.
This was a great phase of the Jeep. I think overall best looking as it looked much more proportionate now. But I wanted it to be a bit more aggressive so I did a 2.5in spacer kit with. 3/4inch rear spacer and 1/2inch wheel spacers. Front geometry drop brackets as well.
Afterward a few small changes were made like changing the cowl light mounts to Maximus-3 Sideshooter mounts, and eBay rear bumper light mounts with Auxbeam 3inch pods.
Next up, were new wheels. I do not like the look of fake beadlocks or beauty rings. Coming ffrom the car world I went with a set of 17x9 0 offset Fifteen52 Turbomacs in Gray. Added a Whiteline rear sway bar and changed the silver bumper inserts out for black ones.
After some time I noticed some crazy uneven tire wear. Knocking I’d eventually get a full Clayton off-road lift kit, I went ahead and got their front Trackbar and upper control arms. I removed the geometry brackets. Clayton seemed to not care for them.
Didn’t take too much longer to bite the bullet and finish the full Clayton Ride Right + 2.5 lift kit with Falcon 1.1 shocks and stabilizer. I added a Whiteline front sway bar with it as well.
After install of the full kit, I wanted a shop to check my work and align the kit since I installed in on the ground at my townhome with only hand tools. They offered a great deal on 37x12.5x17 BFGs K02. So of course I had to say yes.
Things went downhill with that said shop. Scratched rims, double stacked wheel weights hitting brake caliper and a too busy schedule to get me back in for the rebalance. The shop paid for another shop to balance and offered to buy me new wheels. I decided to take the balance money but cut my ties and move on.
Within a week of the 37s I experience deathwobble on the highway. This lead to this thread:
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...-wobble-conflicting-info-clayton-lift.108978/
In short I did realignment with rebalancing, changed the metric trackbar bolts to standard smooth shank bolts, geo brackets back on and went with Teraflex HD ball joints.
This leads me to where I am today with the Jeep. Borderline ready to sell it but happy it seems fixed and it’s enjoyable to drive again.
Next up will be some smaller things. I’ve been needing a hitch mount bike rack. I’m also gonna look for rubicon parts like grille, OEM LED taillights and maybe fenders. I kinda like the Quadratec Baja fenders too. An OEM steel bumper OR AEV RX bumper with a winch is also on the tables. Also looking at maybe an Eaton E- locker for the rear.
There’s an off-road park in PA that’s roughly 5/6 hours from me. A buddy of mine has a nicely built TJ and we’re hoping to take a trip there this year. I’d like to have a winch and locker for that trip.
Definitely some things missing but that’s the big stuff.
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