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

[ShadowsPapa]

What the duck ??

The MOPAR accessory rail. They don't have the accessories priced for sale yet so I adapted a 20mm Traxx ball mount to it for my Bullet point phone mount and it works perfectly. Next I'll see about another 20mm ball using one of the rail's threaded holes.
I have a thread elsewhere on the milling of the ball to make it fit the rail.

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[Stan H]

The MOPAR accessory rail. They don't have the accessories priced for sale yet so I adapted a 20mm Traxx ball mount to it for my Bullet point phone mount and it works perfectly. Next I'll see about another 20mm ball using one of the rail's threaded holes.
I have a thread elsewhere on the milling of the ball to make it fit the rail.

That's actually pretty cool cause I have a phone mount on the front glass and I actually dislike how for a split instance in some difficult driving it blocks my view . Now ya got me wondering if's I can do that

 

[Stan H]

What the duck ??

I also see it has 4 screw per side what are they screwing into I just lifted up my dash rubber and didn't see anything other than one screw per side

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I also see it has 4 screw per side what are they screwing into I just lifted up my dash rubber and didn't see anything other than one screw per side

It's for 2024 and later. Those years have 4 threaded holes in each side of the top.
It won't work for earlier models.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...for-82219127ab-mopar-rail.96842/#post-1549299

 

[WILDHOBO]

It's for 2024 and later. Those years have 4 threaded holes in each side of the top.
It won't work for earlier models.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...for-82219127ab-mopar-rail.96842/#post-1549299

So Jeep spends time and money to improve accessory mounting to beat the aftermarket that already exists in that area, but won’t make needed drivetrain changes like the new cams that we should all get in a recall. Disappointing.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Do Jeep spends time and money to improve accessory mounting to beat the aftermarket that already exists in that area, but won’t make needed drivetrain changes like the new cams that we should all get in a recall. Disappointing.

I don't like the aftermarket stuff at all. Way too bulky and sits wrong for my wants.
The reason I liked the MOPAR rail is because the others were either not for 2024 and later, or too bulky or didn't land where I wanted things to land. This is the only thing I liked.
And frankly - this wasn't even made or engineered by Jeep - do some digging on eBay and such and back in time, you'll see where another company sold this exact same thing (for pretty much the same price) so it's probably like the sunrider - company B did the R&D, Jeep bought the rights to sell it with their name. The company they were listed under on eBay says "no longer for sale" - another clue, Jeep bought the rights, didn't do any work on it (following Microsoft and Meta lead)

The cams aren't in the recall area - the percentage is still very likely well under 1%.
High in numbers due to the sheer volume of engines made, but low as a percentage in reality.
With the latest TSB talking of cam replacement - for all we know, it's under control now. 2025 and later will be the tell there
I don't see any reason any of the 3.6 2nd gen engines we've owned should have been under any recall.
I do believe that Jeep should be considering giving anyone who has had that issue a longer warranty for the entire valve train - lash adjusters, cams, followers. I can also see where maybe Jeep should reimburse owners who have paid out of pocket for the repairs if said repairs were under 100,000 miles (over that, well, things can fail anyway, so let's be real here)

 

[WILDHOBO]

I don't like the aftermarket stuff at all. Way too bulky and sits wrong for my wants.
The reason I liked the MOPAR rail is because the others were either not for 2024 and later, or too bulky or didn't land where I wanted things to land. This is the only thing I liked.
And frankly - this wasn't even made or engineered by Jeep - do some digging on eBay and such and back in time, you'll see where another company sold this exact same thing (for pretty much the same price) so it's probably like the sunrider - company B did the R&D, Jeep bought the rights to sell it with their name. The company they were listed under on eBay says "no longer for sale" - another clue, Jeep bought the rights, didn't do any work on it (following Microsoft and Meta lead)

The cams aren't in the recall area - the percentage is still very likely well under 1%.
High in numbers due to the sheer volume of engines made, but low as a percentage in reality.
With the latest TSB talking of cam replacement - for all we know, it's under control now. 2025 and later will be the tell there
I don't see any reason any of the 3.6 2nd gen engines we've owned should have been under any recall.
I do believe that Jeep should be considering giving anyone who has had that issue a longer warranty for the entire valve train - lash adjusters, cams, followers. I can also see where maybe Jeep should reimburse owners who have paid out of pocket for the repairs if said repairs were under 100,000 miles (over that, well, things can fail anyway, so let's be real here)

I disagree with the “anyone who has had the issue” statement. Many of us, me included, have had a tick since getting this thing. I’m likely getting away with it because I run it at sustained high rpms so much. But I’ve had no desire to have dealers test my Jeep apart for months with no solution. It was my daily driver for well over three years and many of us couldn’t afford to not have it for extended periods of time with no real solution. I’ve watched everyone else for years just replace parts that will likely have the same issues. That 1% is just the amount recorded as repaired. But Jeep has just now admitted that their cams were a manufacturing or design flaw. And now those of us with 15k over drivetrain will never get the repair because they admitted it just now. They’ve known since it started. But didn’t announce their admission until they had replacement parts.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Many of us, me included, have had a tick since getting this thing.

Different animal.
That's the thing - a tick isn't really a valve train failure - could be a lash adjuster not keeping up, but it's not really a tick.
If you've had a tick since day one and it's still running over 50,000 miles, you don't have a cam issue. They just can't last that long. Not possible.

A tick at 10 miles is a different thing. Especially if it keeps going over 50,000 miles without any change in the sound.

You don't have a 'bad cam' noise.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Different animal.
That's the thing - a tick isn't really a valve train failure - could be a lash adjuster not keeping up, but it's not really a tick.
If you've had a tick since day one and it's still running over 50,000 miles, you don't have a cam issue. They just can't last that long. Not possible.

A tick at 10 miles is a different thing. Especially if it keeps going over 50,000 miles without any change in the sound.

You don't have a 'bad cam' noise.

Good to know. I’d love to hear mine compared to one that has the confirmed problem. I’d love to pull my top end to see condition.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Good to know. I’d love to hear mine compared to one that has the confirmed problem. I’d love to pull my top end to see condition.

Pulling the right side (bank 1) valve cover might be easy compared to some of the things you've take apart and rebuilt.
High lift cam lobe wear is easy to see - actually, any camshaft wear is easy to see if you can "see" the camshaft (unlike those buried in the blocks of a V8)

 

[WILDHOBO]

Pulling the right side (bank 1) valve cover might be easy compared to some of the things you've take apart and rebuilt.
High lift cam lobe wear is easy to see - actually, any camshaft wear is easy to see if you can "see" the camshaft (unlike those buried in the blocks of a V8)

That’s how I understood it. Is that why overhead cams were created, for easier maintenance?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That’s how I understood it. Is that why overhead cams were created, for easier maintenance?

Lighter valve train, can handle higher rpm better.
Conventional valve trains have a lot more mass, and rubbing parts.
to solve the latter, companies went to roller lifters and rocker arms - but that still left the weight of the moving lifter, push rod, rocker arm and valve.

OHV has only the follower/rocker and valve mass to deal with.

A conventional V8 with push rod valve system can actually "float the valves" at high RPM - things can't stop and reverse direction fast enough so valves actually "float" a bit - the lifter has dropped on the cam lobe but the rest hasn't caught up yet.
More mass, more friction, more moving parts.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Lighter valve train, can handle higher rpm better.
Conventional valve trains have a lot more mass, and rubbing parts.
to solve the latter, companies went to roller lifters and rocker arms - but that still left the weight of the moving lifter, push rod, rocker arm and valve.

OHV has only the follower/rocker and valve mass to deal with.

A conventional V8 with push rod valve system can actually "float the valves" at high RPM - things can't stop and reverse direction fast enough so valves actually "float" a bit - the lifter has dropped on the cam lobe but the rest hasn't caught up yet.
More mass, more friction, more moving parts.

Thanks. That makes total sense.

 

[WILDHOBO]

The lower shock bolts were still too short. 109mm is not long enough with bolt through skids. For some reason I thought factory was 100 so I bought them. Oh well. I temporarily, or maybe permanently used 9/16 x 18 grade 8, two thick washers and a lock nut. I did put new factory bolts on the top of the shocks. Both shocks on and torqued. Tomorrow the rear track bar relocation bracket arrives. I decided to do that at the last minute so had to order it. It’s silly not to for springs this big. The angle was getting severe.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I decided I could not wait until tomorrow to see the ride height. So without a rear track bar or swaybar links, I put the wheels back on and took it off the jacks. It’s big. Here are some measurements before and after the rear spring swap. not the greatest pictures as I’m not going to try to back it out without the track bar, but I think I absolutely love the stance.


10” from rear tire to flare
57 3/4” to top of tailgate from ground in garage.

After
11 7/8” from rear tire to flare
60 3/4” to top of tailgate from ground in garage.

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