Roaming Gladiator - Build Thread

[RoamingGladiator]

Good afternoon folks!

I wanted to get a start on this thread so I can document my poor spending habits. I'm an avid off-roader who swapped from a built out 2015 JKU to a 2021 Gladiator Rubicon Diesel, as I am getting more and more back into camping, fishing, etc and wanted a more suitable vehicle. I'm huge into travel and the goal is to build this vehicle out into an Overlander while maintaining some fairly good offroad capabilities, with the eventual goal to do both the Trans Canada Highway & Pan American Trail.

I'm quite hands-on and will normally do everything myself unless I don't have room due to my other projects (poor spending habits). I've done a few modifications so far, otherwise, the vehicle is stock but I have a very long list of modifications lined up for this thing. Below is what I've done since owning it (February 2024).

• 15% Window Tint (Minor, but necessary!)
• Rugged Ridge Locking Hood Latches (Live in an area where Gladiators are stolen daily)
• Engine Kill Switch (Vehicle will not move unless this switch is activated)
• Rubicon Motor Flip (Did this for bumper clearance... I'm swapping this out later this year anyways)
• EVO 1/4 Quarter Pounder Front Bumper
• Teraflex 1.5" Leveling Kit (Temporary)

I also have 37" Falken AT4/Ws on Pro Comp 17" Steelies that are going on this week. The truck has brand new 315/70R17s on them, but they're going on my other truck so I thought this would be a good time to go up to 37's. I likely will go back down to 35s when aiming to do the Pan American Trail (3-5 Years) but for now, 37s are good for staying within North America.

I'm planning on starting an Instagram and YouTube to document my build and travels... I'm learning cinematography as a hobby right now, so thought it would be a cool way to practice and improve.

(I'm aware its missing a bolt. The bolt came with mangled threads, trying to fix it with cast before contacting @EVO MFG)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Planned Modifications

1. 4K Front / Rear Dash Cam
2. Mopar Door Sill Guards
3. EOC Stage 1 Tune
4. Rokblokz XL Mud Flaps Front & Rear
5. Metalcloak 3.5" Rocklander Lift w. Rocksport Black Shocks / HD Steering System / Baller Joints / Swaybar Reinforcement Bracket / Geometry Correction Brackets / Front Trackbar Brace & Sector Shaft Brace / Front & Rear Diff Covers w. Skid Plates (Along with a few other minor upgrades from Metalcloak)
6. Front & Rear 1310 Driveshafts
7. Artec Apex Front & Rear Truss/Gussets

Completed Modifications

1. 15% Window Tint
2. Locking Hood Latches w. Kill Switch
3. Rubicon Motor Flip
4. EVO 1/4 Front Bumper
5. Teraflex 1.5" Leveling Kit
6. Falken AT4/W 37x12.50R17 Tires on 17" Procomp Steelies
7. Scan Gauge 2
8. Teraflex Falcon 2.2 Stabilizer
9. Bulletpoint Rubicon Grid Mounting System

Sponsored

 

[PuddleJumper]

Funny. that what i bought my Mojave with the intention of doing to. Pan American. Ultimate Americas Overland ADV. Can't wait to see ya on the tube.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

I put on the 37x12.50R17 tires (Falken AT4Ws) today, they look awesome with just the leveling kit on the Rubicon. There is no rubbing at full lock with -18mm offset on the Pro Comp steelies. One thing to note for those looking to do this on the Rubicon with only a leveling kit, if you hit a bump at full lock you may hit the rock slider that protrudes past the fender liner in the front wheel well. You can either cut this and cap it, or replace it with a shorter slider. I noticed this when doing full lock testing while backing out of my driveway... it slightly rubbed at that point.

Thanks for the comment @PuddleJumper! Looking forward to following your build as well. Looking awesome!

 

[antwon412]

You may not hit on the street when turning your tires, but you’re not going to off-road and have any reasonable articulation with 37s and no lift.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

You may not hit on the street when turning your tires, but you’re not going to off-road and have any reasonable articulation with 37s and no lift.

For sure! And I expected that. This is just temporary until I get the lift kit on, my other truck needed tires and the tires on this JT are brand new from when I purchased it. Instead of just buying new tires for my other truck, I bought the tires I actually wanted for the JT and I'm putting the 33s on my other truck.

Working on designing a lift for this build currently with my offroad shop, this thing will not see any trails until its properly lifted.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

Just had surgery to fix a broken nose, so it's been a bit quiet from a modification standpoint... just lots of ongoing planning to make sure I'm going down the right path. A few minor things done in the last few weeks.

• HPFP recall performed at the dealership. Everything looks good with this, no metal in the filters and it's running/sounding quieter since the replacement
• Pulled the MAP sensor to clean it, it wasn't clogged but it was pretty filthy at 56,000km. Sprayed it down with some MAP cleaner and used a soft-bristled toothbrush to break off the gunk... dry for a few minutes and re-install. This took maybe 10 minutes.
• Installed a Scan Gauge to monitor the Soot Load/Turbo Temps, well worth the $200 to be able to see that crucial info on the EcoDiesel

From an upgrade perspective, I have quite a few things coming up for it. I am trying to do everything in order so I don't go all mod crazy

1. VIOFO Dash Cam (Ordered, just need to install - Lots of crazy drivers where I live)
2. Falcon 2.2 Steering Stabilizer w. TMR Customs Relocation Kit
3. Cloned PCM (I'm getting a Stage 1 tune from EOC to disable the EGR, and will go full delete when it's out of warranty in 2027)
4. Rokblokz Mud Flaps (I don't care about the truck getting dirty, just want to stop it from kicking rocks up at the hinges)
5. Hothead Liners / Sound Assassin Floor Liner / Armorlite Floor Replacement (Once its warmer out up here in Canada)

Focusing on mods that keep the EcoDiesel running like a champ for a long time and improve the over all ride quality of the vehicle right now. Working with my local 4x4 shop to plan out a Frankenstein lift for it with AEV 3" HD Coils and Falcon 3.3 Shocks. I'm blessed to live right beside TMR Customs, so using as much of their stuff in my build as possible.

I've also been speaking to some Diesel experts and going down the oil longevity rabbit hole, etc. I'm going to be sticking to a 7,500km oil change frequency for now using Pennzoil Euro 5w40 and getting oil analysis for every change to see how that goes... and then adjust frequency from there. The 16,000km interval just sounds wild to me and everyone I know advises against it, especially for the EcoDiesel.

 

[Brandon Glads]

Looks amazing !

192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1​

 

[RoamingGladiator]

Looks amazing !

Thank you! It's getting there. Have another surgery coming up in a few weeks so it'll be a bit quiet, but lots of changes coming up. Aiming to do an entire suspension rebuild this summer, just trying to lock in the specifics.

After doing lots of research and trying to support North American made products... I'm not going with the AEV lift. The Bilstein shocks it comes with are notorious for falling apart in the east coast winters with our insane amounts of salt. Leaning more towards Metal Cloak now.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

Picked up a Teraflex Falcon 2.2 Steering Stabilizer for a wicked deal, so slapped that on today. It's a night and day difference from the stock stabilizer, especially on the firm setting on the highway. Wind doesn't toss you around like cardboard in the wind anymore. Took maybe 45 minutes to install. It's a bit pricey, but I do like the adjustment capability. I can't see myself using firm around town as the rebound is pretty slow, but on road trips that firm setting is a god send. I had my hand off the steering wheel doing 105-110km/h and it was tracking straight as an arrow.

Its made me notice the slop in my steering wheel though. I have the upgraded steering box so might need to do that 1/4 turn to tighten it up.

 

[Jefe1018]

Picked up a Teraflex Falcon 2.2 Steering Stabilizer for a wicked deal, so slapped that on today. It's a night and day difference from the stock stabilizer, especially on the firm setting on the highway. Wind doesn't toss you around like cardboard in the wind anymore. Took maybe 45 minutes to install. It's a bit pricey, but I do like the adjustment capability. I can't see myself using firm around town as the rebound is pretty slow, but on road trips that firm setting is a god send. I had my hand off the steering wheel doing 105-110km/h and it was tracking straight as an arrow.

Its made me notice the slop in my steering wheel though. I have the upgraded steering box so might need to do that 1/4 turn to tighten it up.

Interessting. I installed a Fox 2.0 a few weeks ago, when I pulled my stock one out and compressed it… I was still waiting for it to rebound when I dumped it in the garbage a week later.

To be fair, I can’t tell the difference between stock, broken stock or the fox unit. At least it matches my shocks now though, so brownie points!

 

[RoamingGladiator]

Mounted up the scan gauge temporarily on the dash just with some 3M tape. Brainstorming a better location to mount it, trying to minimize things sitting on the dash. I originally wanted to carve out a nice location in the dash for it, but there isn't a lot of real estate that keeps it visible easily while driving.

Not a fan of the window suction mount either. I'm thinking about getting a ball mount for the A-PIllar handle and then using 3M tape to mount a ball mount on the back of the scan gauge and seeing how that works.

 

[J6- Bucket Build]

like where this is going! i have realized i am more of a wanderer than a hardcore person, so i think overlanding is the best option for me lol

 

[PuddleJumper]

like where this is going! i have realized i am more of a wanderer than a hardcore person, so i think overlanding is the best option for me lol

i agree. the gladiator in general shines as a overlander. If you into hardcore, exclusively mud and rocks. A 2 door wrangler rubicon is the best option. at least imo. I sometimes regret buying a Mojave simply cus i already had a rubicon for towing. and I think dailying a manual 2 door rubi would have been a lot better, especially for solo runs. Now that rubi glady just sits in my garage collecting dust or towing the camper.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

like where this is going! i have realized i am more of a wanderer than a hardcore person, so i think overlanding is the best option for me lol

The Gladiator is the perfect platform to wander in my opinion! While still being capable of getting into a little trouble when you want to have fun. This is the route I'm looking to go with this build... the ultimate overlander that can still tackle a few medium-level obstacles. I don't intend to be hardcore rock crawling in this thing.

i agree. the gladiator in general shines as a overlander. If you into hardcore, exclusively mud and rocks. A 2 door wrangler rubicon is the best option. at least imo. I sometimes regret buying a Mojave simply cus i already had a rubicon for towing. and I think dailying a manual 2 door rubi would have been a lot better, especially for solo runs. Now that rubi glady just sits in my garage collecting dust or towing the camper.

100% agree, I had a JKU that was built for crawling, and man it was a ton of fun. Perhaps you should sell the Rubi to fund your engine upgrade

 

[PuddleJumper]

The Gladiator is the perfect platform to wander in my opinion! While still being capable of getting into a little trouble when you want to have fun. This is the route I'm looking to go with this build... the ultimate overlander that can still tackle a few medium-level obstacles. I don't intend to be hardcore rock crawling in this thing.



100% agree, I had a JKU that was built for crawling, and man it was a ton of fun. Perhaps you should sell the Rubi to fund your engine upgrade

I think i'll sell it to my aunt. she drives it most anyway. I'll use that to just pay off my truck.

Sponsored