"Shasta" Introduction and Build Thread

[AustinL911]

May I asked what hood latches and gas cap you got?

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[ShastaJT6]

@Caraholic - Baby steps haha. Bumper is on the way, Lift kit is on the shopping list.. Working on some little stuff in the meantime.


@AustinL911 Copy pasting this from another post, info on the hood latches:

Here is the link to the ones I got. Im actually really happy with them. Ive been on two road trips, including the off-road trip you see in the picture there, and havent had any issues with them. I didnt have to fiddle with them to align them, they didnt damage the paint or anything. I re-used the nuts from the OEM latches and put a few dabs of blue loctite on them.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B081N877F3/

Here is the Gas Cap I got. Some of the reviews mentioned getting a check engine or gas cap light, I was a little concerned about that. I have been using it for ~2 months now and havent had any issues. I had the "Check Gas Cap" light ONCE, and it was my own damn fault, didnt tighten it all the way. So long as you crank it down before you lock it, seems to work just fine.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GRHTDL2/

 

[ShastaJT6]

Started getting into some proper upgrades. Swapped out the OEM steering stabilizer with the Fox Performance Series 2.0 stabilizer. This thing is AWESOME. Big thanks to the forum members that contributed to the install guide thread, was useful reference. Steering is so much better now.. it feels like a truck and not a go kart.

 

[ShastaJT6]

Installed the Tyger Fury Stubby Bumper today also. Removed the OEM bumper and the 19 million pieces of plastic that held it all together, then the actual bumper itself is 3 pieces that had to be separated. There is the outer fascia, the bumper beam and tow hooks in the middle, then an inner plastic piece.

Took the whole thing apart to remove the fog light harness, then installed the fog lights and harness to the new bumper. Also threw some yellow LED bulbs in the housings. Once the new bumper, lights, harness, etc were ready to go, mounted to the jeep and slapped on some new shackles.

 

[ShastaJT6]

Left the OEM front skid plate on when I installed the Tyger bumper.
Went back today and chopped up the OEM Mud guard so that I could reinstall it.

 

[ShastaJT6]

Ended up cutting some slots into the front so that it would tuck into the Tyger bumper and align with these supports. Sits further forward than it used to, so ditched the u-clips and drilled a few new holes into the skid plate for new fasteners. Using plastic push clips for now, but I may swap them out for actual fasteners later.

 

[trust]

Looking good. Do you think the rear cab molle panels will be useful beyond the fire extinguisher mount? I'm waffling whether to shell out the money or not at this point.

Thanks

 

[ShastaJT6]

Looking good. Do you think the rear cab molle panels will be useful beyond the fire extinguisher mount? I'm waffling whether to shell out the money or not at this point.

Thanks

There are pros and cons for sure. One thing that I didnt connect the dots on, is that they use the fasteners for the hard top to connect at the base. If I want to remove the hard top, Ill have to uninstall / reinstall these every time. Im pretty happy riding with just the front two freedom panels off, so not too concerned about it, but that could be a dealbreaker for some.

I got them for "Quick Access" items, probably going to rig a first aid kit to them as well. I think they are pretty good for that purpose, so if I want to grab something in a hurry Im not digging around under seats or whatnot, but if you have other storage options (Tool box, molle panels on the front seats, etc) they may not be worth it for you.

I could have just gotten a $10 fabric roll bar mount for the fire extinguisher if we are being honest, I was just being stupid and fancy, but I like how it came out haha.

 

[ShastaJT6]

Been slacking on this thread. Been caught up with life, work, and turning wrenches.

Pulled off the OEM Rock sliders and installed Tyger side steps:

Some height measurements from the ground to the sliders for those who are interested. Please note, these measurements were taken with the OEM suspension BEFORE the lift kit was installed:

 

[ShastaJT6]

After finishing the front / rear bumper swaps and the side steps, Installed this 3.5" front and 2" rear Skyjacker lift kit:
https://www.quadratec.com/p/skyjacker/3.5in-front-coil-2in-rear-spacer-lift-jeep-gladiator-jt

Went with the rear spacer option to maintain the factory coils because I have a tow package and didnt want to screw with the rear springs. Opted for the more expensive M95 shocks. From what Ive read on the internet, Rough country ones were too rough, and the skyjacker black max shocks were too soft - The Skyjacker M95 seemed like a solid middle ground with good reviews. Ive had it on for ~2 weeks now and done some light off roading, have been really happy with it.

Dont have photos of installing the lift, was too busy crushing beers and cursing at the coil springs. Had to use the inside spring compressor from O`reillys and two outside spring compressors I borrowed from my neighbor, my blood pressure was through the roof. Do have some "Look at my pretty jeep" pictures from after the lift though.

 

[ShastaJT6]

Installed the Rough Country 9500lb winch with Synthetic rope. No problems mounting on the Tyger front bumper - bolts aligned and whatnot. Routed the harness up behind the front trim and to the battery. Planning to add a disconnect switch soon, saw that being discussed on another thread here and I really like the idea. As it is, I used a bunch of adhesive backed foam / gaffers tape to try and protect the wiring in any areas that the routing might cause it to rub.

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