Project Bedspace - Overhaulin' the Black Horse Classic

[ShastaJT6]

I posted one or two pictures of this in the "What did you do to your Gladiator today" thread a while back but it didnt nearly capture the full scope of this, and I felt that some people might be interested in this or gather inspiration from it, so here we go.

During the first year-ish of owning my JT, I bolted a ton of stuff to it all over the place, and then just ran with it for a year or so and let the truck and my experiences talk to me. I always had this idea of doing a "Gladiator Refresh" after a period of ownership, and I have been making a list of things that are working, things that are not working, and things I could do better.

One of the biggest things was my bed setup. I had a Molle panel on the drivers side (still present), full size traction boards against the forward bed wall (against the back of the cab) and a jerry can mount bolted to the bed floor near the bed outlet.

1) The jerry can mount was neat but always bugged me a bit, it blocked the custom bed outlet setup, not fully but enough to be an annoyance. I always felt I could do better with this.
2) Traction boards against the forward wall effectively shortened the bed by ~3"
3) I had a few things mounted on the drivers side molle panel but didnt really use them / felt that I could make better use of the space
4) My entire duck hunting setup is built around all my gear (deer cart, sled, deeks, etc etc) fitting under the tonneau and any space gained would be valuable.
5) My fire extinguisher was mounted internally on a JCR C-Pillar molle panel and it made passengers uncomfortable because it was right in their face, that was a head injury waiting to happen, so I wanted to relocate it to the roll bar externally.

So, as we hit spring this year, I started doing a ton of maintenance on the truck - I cleaned and repainted all the bumpers, side steps, sliders, etc, but saved the roll bar for last because I knew I wanted to tinker with it. I made a Build Off Manifest in Google Sheets and went through multiple revisions, shaved like $50 off by switching to SAE fasteners instead of metric, etc etc until I had fleshed out a vision for this, and then started ordering parts and wrenching.

Primary goals:
1) Relocate fire extinguisher to roll bar
2) Add Unistrut cargo rack to roll bar that will not interfere with Tonneau
3) Relocate jerry can to cargo rack
4) Generically improve storage

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[ShastaJT6]

I ended up ordering two jerry can mounts, as I decided on relocating my existing jerry can + adding a second one for water (this was intended to be used with a rechargeable faucet to create a hand / dish washing setup for camping and hunting)

I needed to modify the jerry can mounts to be able to insert and remove the cans within the space constraints, so I cut them to half height, added a new notch to the locking straps, painted them with the same bedliner I was using for the roll bar, and then reassembled with new stainless hardware.

Also, I cleaned my workbench yesterday, I promise.

 

[ShastaJT6]

Dont have many pictures of the unistrut install, but I used two 5' pieces of black unistrut. Most of the effort went into measuring and marking the drill points on the black horse bar to ensure alignment / parallelism of the struts. I used 3/8" fasteners and locknuts, and there is clearance beneath the locknuts for the tonneau to be used without issue.

The Floodlights were an existing modification, and the Jerry cans are aligned with the rear seat headrests for minimal view loss.

 

[ShastaJT6]

I ordered a knockoff pelican case and a new set of shorter traction boards to go in the middle of the two jerry can mounts. I had planned to mount the case directly to the unistrut with channel nuts but it was a bit too short in width so I had to whip up some cross members to bolt it too with scrap from the garage.

 

[ShastaJT6]

Next up is the drivers side roll bar accessories. Repainted the side plates, added edge molding, reinstalled and relocated the fire extinguisher. Wanted to add a toolbox for quick access to consumables and misc (zip ties, wire cutters, etc). After a lot of searching for offshelf items that would fit, I settled on this mini toolbox from Lowes, but would have to remove the lid and add a locking feature.

I also wanted to add a gap hider of sorts to create additional space for mounting a locking feature as well as aesthetics.

Mocking up for measurements:

Regarding the holes in the side plate - that plate was originally mounted on the other side of the roll bar mouting flange, and when I flipped them to the outside, I had to shift the GMRS antenna mount sideways to allow for install.

I know some of the radio folks are going to hate my antenna mount, and I have caught plenty of flack for it in the past, but Ive had it that way for a few years now and its always worked well and hasnt fried my radio, so Its staying there lol

 

[ShastaJT6]

After mocking up, disassembled the box and painted the drawer faces and box exterior with chrysler color match white spray paint, and the drawer pulls with bedliner

Thats about it for now - waiting on some pieces to finish the toolbox / gap hider assembly and perform final install, will update.

 

[ggdillon]

That's nice work, especially the toolbox! Looks great!

I went a different way, but with the small beds in the gladiator, setting up that area above the bed near the cab is a good way to get some bulky stuff permanently out of the bed and not limit the ability to occasionally haul firewood, help someone move, etc.

 

[ShastaJT6]

That's nice work, especially the toolbox! Looks great!

I went a different way, but with the small beds in the gladiator, setting up that area above the bed near the cab is a good way to get some bulky stuff permanently out of the bed and not limit the ability to occasionally haul firewood, help someone move, etc.

Thank you, I appreciate it. Really excited to get the toolbox finished. I was originally just planning on a bolting a hasp to the front of it - figured it would stop the drawers from coming out and allow me to add a padlock, slam dunk.

Im having trouble finding one that has the dimensions I need (or is easily modifiable to work as needed) and dont want to deal with fabbing up something, so I ordered a chain door lock (like the kind that goes on the hotel room door) and Im going to modify it a bit, I think it will work well.

Recovering from a hangover and a metal concert, will hopefully be able to finish this project this week though.

 

[ShastaJT6]

Finished up the side box yesterday. Missing photos of a few steps. The chain is a modified door lock, I used a 90° bracket I had in the garage and cut it down / drilled new holes to create the feature on top where the chain and padlock attach. Attached 1/4" x 1/8" weather stripping in a few places to help the drawers have a tighter fit.

Bolted the gap hider to the toolbox, bolted on the locking features, mounted to the unistrut using two fasteners going through the bottom of the toolbox, then reinstalled the drawers.

Ive got a small combination lock coming in the mail that Im going to use in place of the key lock. This will mostly be for consumables and quick access things - zip ties, wire cutters, tape, etc.

I have more space on the unistrut rack (the passenger side especially) but I am holding off on filling this thing up until Ive used it for a while and let it talk to me, figure out what else I want to add. There is a spot behind the white box / in between it at the gas can that I will prolly mount a 30 cal ammo can I have sitting in the garage.

 

[Sw00per]

Late to the party but thanks for posting.

I am on a similar path i.e. let the use and experience guide what is needed. That being said Iam researching fire extinguisher mounting options currently. I am taking a minimalist approach in this case just in case gear i.e. a few basic tools, coms,...

My second jeep trip is in two weeks. Heading to Moab to maybe earn a badge and try out a few easy trails to get experience.

BTW +1 for the avatar

 

[ShastaJT6]

Late to the party but thanks for posting.

I am on a similar path i.e. let the use and experience guide what is needed. That being said Iam researching fire extinguisher mounting options currently. I am taking a minimalist approach in this case just in case gear i.e. a few basic tools, coms,...

My second jeep trip is in two weeks. Heading to Moab to maybe earn a badge and try out a few easy trails to get experience.

BTW +1 for the avatar

Ride on! That's a smart move I think, to start kinda minimal and let experience guide you. I went the other direction, I threw the everything and the kitchen sink at it then started stripping away things I didn't use and adding things I wished I had.

I really hope you have a great time in Moab and get home safe!

Lol nice to see another MechWarrior nerd here. Despite that, the theme of the truck is actually Half Life, it's kinda supposed to be like the security vehicle for Black Mesa - I've posted elsewhere about the decals and custom badge and stuff

Since we are here - I've had the roll bar set up this way for a while now and I LOVE IT. I've been on a few camping and fishing trips since the upgrades, and the big win has been the side toolbox and the water can.

I got a rechargeable faucet and a collapsible sink that go with the water jug I mounted on the roll bar and it's been an absolute game changer. Washing hands and face, or dishes, on camping trips is really nice. Having quick access to consumables (duct tape, zip ties, etc) via the side toolbox has been great also. Really happy with the new setup.

 

[Sw00per]

+1 on the theme o7 Looking forward to the trip! Installing a GMRS that I will post up today.

BTW. I assume by you name you are in the Shasta area? I go there every Christmas and rent a cabin by the lake just outside of Mt. Shasta city.

I recall playing Mech Warrior - I had a setup a THOR IIRC that was a rocket mech. Set up for continuous firing w\o over heating. Jump+Fire+repeat! LOL. As for HalfLife that was a fun game... "The right man in the wrong place and the wrong time makes all the difference in the world"

Cheers!

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