What did you do TO your Gladiator today? [ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS, NO GUN TALK]

[KevinM60]

You may want to invest in some sway bracket reinforcement.
I have seen several people post here that they split the OEM tab, more than one was an AEV spacer lift. (The used kit I bought still had the guy’s OEM nut frozen onto the rear seat link?). I am not sure if the AEV links are too short, or what.
Heads up - I believe there was a mismatch on the bolts, and I had to grab some new ones.
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...y-admin-warning-no-politics.23705/post-947929

Was that split on installation or during use?

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[mx5red]

Was that split on installation or during use?

Use, I’m sure. I mean the guy sent me his used spacer kit and the rear sway link still has the nut on it that got ripped out of his OEM bracket.

I forget the details when I installed mine but I don’t remember a problem when I installed the spacers. When I put the reinforcement brackets on I couldn’t figure out if the metalcloak bolts were wrong or the AEV ones were different and I had stripped the nuts, but I haven’t read anybody else have a problem with the AEV links.

 

[Blade1668]

Finally got around to installing the ASFIR Aluminum Skids for the motor/transmission and also the transfer case. Overall, good impressions. Especially since I had Jr. do it for me. LOL. I did learn a couple new expletives over the course of the install, and got a lecture about engineering. . But overall, the install seemed pretty straightforward to me. Looking forward to scratching them up. Oh...my only negative take-away is that it's probably going to make oil changes exponentially harder. We'll see on that.....

It's slightly more of a mess, I will have to take them off to do a transmission fluid change I'm sure. Do have a few extra rags handy when changing oil.

 

[KevinM60]

Use, I’m sure. I mean the guy sent me his used spacer kit and the rear sway link still has the nut on it that got ripped out of his OEM bracket.

I forget the details when I installed mine but I don’t remember a problem when I installed the spacers. When I put the reinforcement brackets on I couldn’t figure out if the metalcloak bolts were wrong or the AEV ones were different and I had stripped the nuts, but I haven’t read anybody else have a problem with the AEV links.

I just went out and looked at mine. I see the brackets on the frame that look ok if they’re handled correctly . The force in use is straight up and down but if they were somehow cranked from the side or twisted hard enough they could give out. I will keep an eye on those.

 

[Blade1668]

Gave the JTR a sibling.

Hi, my name is Chad - and I have an addiction....

I had the Mopar soft top halfcab simular to your hardtop there.... a damn raccoon tore it up a few years back. anyway nice LJ there. Auto or stick?
I've seen a few in that good of condition and many in really bad shape. Mine is one of about 9000 made in 05 6 speed, as collector I don't have original bumpers and added rock rails so that knocked it down some in value. Let alone high miles.

 

[RudeJeepin]

Gave the JTR a sibling.

Hi, my name is Chad - and I have an addiction....

Nice find, I'd love to have an LJ Rubicon to add to my driveway. Highline the fenders, ACOS, belly tuck, 35s and be done. Then I'd drag it around behind my Gladiator to different places to wheel.

 

[Blade1668]

My battery is dying ? to have me install one. Also it would cut down on the glare off the white hood.

The second reason is a big reason I was "sold" on it. I'm of the 80w model owners too, not as much glare from hood. It's a great feeling to have vehicle parked for over a week without starting it, and go start it up with 13.1-13.6 v.

I think if your looking for a battery maintenance solution, it would be worth considering. I believe you could always add more panels to the controller, but I'm not positive.
If your just looking for solar power for camping or such, then there probably better solutions.

I know personally I go back and forth on these. Especially for my wife's Wrangler that doesn't get driven as much as mine.

Definitely correct. My other battery and solar system is for that, a 100 amp LiPo battery and 200w of solar panels on hardtop. I'm definitely not the expert on this subject but I'm having with what I've done so far on mine.

 

[Blade1668]

On the thread subject of mods / add ones not in today but recently. Added overhead shelf panel in on front windshield to roll bar awhile back. Yesterday wiped down inside of fridge freezer, dust n crud from console area and cleaned shell window seals. Definitely don't need or want to see before pictures on that. ?

 

[Shift Happens]

Installed a RubiGrid from BulletPoint and wired a charging station through a 12V splitter behind the radio up to the mount.
Used this thread for help - https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/upper-dash-charging-hub.33289/
Thanks @TheHops for the write up.

Now I can have my phone and tablet and multiple devices charging at once, as well as conceal most of the cables.

Didn't take any pictures during install, but will grab some of the final mounting setup tomorrow, it got dark and cold tonight.

This is awesome. I did a 2 USB install that sits on top of my rubigrid. I used this thing:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CD6QDRC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And then put this on top of the rubigrid and connected the cabling same place you did.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BZ3FQB8V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These are cheap though, they've held up fine but I wish I had thought to connect a larger USB hub.

 

[jeepers29]

This is awesome. I did a 2 USB install that sits on top of my rubigrid. I used this thing:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CD6QDRC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And then put this on top of the rubigrid and connected the cabling same place you did.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BZ3FQB8V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These are cheap though, they've held up fine but I wish I had thought to connect a larger USB hub.

Any write up on how you did this?

 

[mx5red]

I just went out and looked at mine. I see the brackets on the frame that look ok if they’re handled correctly . The force in use is straight up and down but if they were somehow cranked from the side or twisted hard enough they could give out. I will keep an eye on those.

I believe all the brackets were manufactured the same, it's a split tab with the nut welded on the back side. With enough downward force the split was tearing open. (You know more about manufacturing than I do, but that split looks like a known weak point. Some guys welded the seam, I don't weld so Metalcloak for me!)

That's why the guy shipped me a sway link with a nut on it
And again I think the AEV links maybe had the wrong pitch, that's why his nut was super hard to remove and I think I had trouble with the metalcloak bracket at first. Can't confirm where the problem with the bolts started though

 

[NewGladdyOWNR]

Yakima Rack doesn’t have too many options for mounting gear so I DIY’d a Go Rhino gear plate. Came out awesome. This will be for recovery boards. I’m going to pick up another for the other side to mount various things too.

 

[KevinM60]

I believe all the brackets were manufactured the same, it's a split tab with the nut welded on the back side. With enough downward force the split was tearing open. (You know more about manufacturing than I do, but that split looks like a known weak point. Some guys welded the seam, I don't weld so Metalcloak for me!)

That's why the guy shipped me a sway link with a nut on it
And again I think the AEV links maybe had the wrong pitch, that's why his nut was super hard to remove and I think I had trouble with the metalcloak bracket at first. Can't confirm where the problem with the bolts started though

I'll have to look at mine to see if it has a split at the bottom. That would seem like a poor manufacturing design because you would have to facilitate the split in your process instead of just stamping the bracket from flat steel.

 

[jeepers29]

I'll have to look at mine to see if it has a split at the bottom. That would seem like a poor manufacturing design because you would have to facilitate the split in your process instead of just stamping the bracket from flat steel.

Bad design from Jeep, No way. LOL

 

[WILDHOBO]

I'll have to look at mine to see if it has a split at the bottom. That would seem like a poor manufacturing design because you would have to facilitate the split in your process instead of just stamping the bracket from flat steel.

They all do. I recommend the metalcloak bracket before it fails. It will fail if you wheel it. The bracket will prevent it.

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