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

[JTdiRtyD]

Apparently others haven't seen the side windows that bad............ I have, and then the sunlight glaring on it, or even at night the headlights of others glaring on that dirt. Makes it almost impossible to use the side mirrors. i have had to roll windows down to use the mirrors it's gotten so bad.

I have the performance wipers and it does the same thing, it's an air flow issue. Transits do the same thing.

My hopes are I can divert that flow enough to not completely render my windows/mirrors useless. I have all sorts of different weatherstripping in the garage, so I'll play around and see what I come up with, as long as it's not visually obtrusive.

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[BlueScapegoat]

Antirock. Hard parts were easy, easy parts were hard. Didn't finish, broke for the wife's bday. Still need to set links and trim the Savvy liners.

Progress in my free time.

Rear antirock is done. Liners trimmed. Very happy with the cleaner rear axle. Still hate how the u-bolts look on the triangulation kit. I did weld the truss to the tubes but I contaced Rock Krawler and asked if I still needed the u-bolts and they gave me the blanket safe answer of "yes." I don't really want to find out in Moab so I'll leave them on and them maybe remove then when I get home later in October. I really don't see a need for them but they're not hurting anything, aside from my ego having welded them but still looking like bolt-on slop. Maybe I'll cut some u-shaped metal brackets to wrap around the lower side of the axle tube and really weld it on there, tie it all together.

Working on rear dust lights and rear camera for the wolfbox mirror.
Wolfbox mirror itself has been hardwired with the monitoring feature. Made a bracket for the radio head and speaker on the overhead molle. Made a bracket for the antenna. Both brackets are sort of temporary solutions until I build my plasma cutter table I think. They were hand cut with various power tools and I just don't like the look. Made of thin steel so hopefully in the worst case of a rollover if one of us were to hit our head on the radio it will deflect and if a branch knocks the antenna it will deflect.

So what's left is actually running most of the wiring. Rear light to engine bay aux switch. Rear cam to mirror, think I'll run them together along the rack then down between the cab and bed and along the frame up behind the battery, passing the camera through the cowl foam. I never liked the wiring through the cowl approach until I saw the factory does it, so fuck it. Antenna will come down between the bed and frame to join the rear lights/mirror and run forward and up through the cowl as well to the radio in the glove box. GPS receiver still needs hooked up to the mirror. Speaker needs run down to the radio. Radio needs wired to the interior aux switch behind the glove box.

Then after testing I need to rip the radio back out to modify it to transmit on all bands. Yeah, I know, controversial. But I do have an FCC amateur license, GMRS license, Air Traffic Controller's license, and pilot's license... I think I'm morally and ethically comfortable modifying my shit to transmit on whatever I want. Really I just want my wife to be able to take the handheld out to spot me cause we can't hear each other yelling over the diesel.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a shakedown run before Moab on Oct 1st. Hopefully I got all the PSC hydro-assist stuff right.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Added the SGW extension cables.
Tip - be prepared to tear the JT half apart to get to the SGW connections in a 2025.
This truck made my last two Overlands seem like a walk in the park getting to those connections to remove and reinsert the cables up there. I could do it on those two JTs without doing anything more than moving the seat back. This one - not so much. Had to release a couple of wire clips, unbolt the seat, remove the trim below the steering column (not necessary on the other years)
Thank goodness for the extensions!
If I ever get rid of this truck for any reason - those extensions are STAYING with it! IT ain't worth the price of new ones to ever remove these again, ever. These connectors are higher and farther back with other "stuff" in the way.

OTOH, Piece of cake finding a place for the redarc trailer brake controller control box. There's actually MORE space below the steering column and it simply screwed in place on one of the braces.

NOW - I have to decide where to put the brake controller KNOB..
That's for another day. My tremors were so bad today, off the meds before surgery, that I couldn't even get zip ties put together without using really long ones so I could use both hands to get them together. A waste of real long zip ties where normally I'd have used short ones with one hand - but it is what it is. Getting old can be hell - but the alternative, as I understand, is a bit worse.
(again, have to say this - thank God for the 2 or 3 friends I have in the world. Jerry's help on the other stuff was beyond any price and he refused any payment.)

OK, back to putting the JT back together....... I'll deal with trailer brake controller dial/knob later at another time.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Added the SGW extension cables.
Tip - be prepared to tear the JT half apart to get to the SGW connections in a 2025.
This truck made my last two Overlands seem like a walk in the park getting to those connections to remove and reinsert the cables up there. I could do it on those two JTs without doing anything more than moving the seat back. This one - not so much. Had to release a couple of wire clips, unbolt the seat, remove the trim below the steering column (not necessary on the other years)
Thank goodness for the extensions!
If I ever get rid of this truck for any reason - those extensions are STAYING with it! IT ain't worth the price of new ones to ever remove these again, ever. These connectors are higher and farther back with other "stuff" in the way.

OTOH, Piece of cake finding a place for the redarc trailer brake controller control box. There's actually MORE space below the steering column and it simple screwed in place on one of the braces.

NOW - I have to decide where to put the brake controller KNOB..
That's for another day. My tremors were so bad today, off the meds before surgery, that I couldn't even get zip ties put together without using really long ones so I could use both hands to get them together. A waste of real long zip ties where normally I'd have used short ones with one hand - but it is what it is. Getting old can be hell - but the alternative, as I understand, is a bit worse.
(again, have to say this - thank God for the 2 or 3 friends I have in the world. Jerry's help on the other stuff was beyond any price and he refused any payment.)

OK, back to putting the JT back together....... I'll deal with trailer brake controller dial/knob later at another time.

Some of these projects just make you want to scream. But I still would rather do them. Glad you got it done. If there’s ever a really big project you want to do, let me know in advance and I’ll come help do it. I don’t care if that involves travel. I’m there.

Edit: what i wood learn from you in the process I should pay for.

 

[BlueScapegoat]

what i wood learn from you in the process I should pay for.

 

[WILDHOBO]

What’s the reason for this @BlueScapegoat ?

 

[Stan H]

I'm at 3000 miles since mine was changed, and I show 60%.

My grandparents are gone now, but they lived in 3rd St in Morgantown then moved to Kingmont Rd. Most of my family have the last name Viglianco and live in Clarksburg.

You will see 5800-600k when ypur about 10-15% I usually change mine at 10%

 

[DanW]

Anyone found a solution to keeping windshield washer fluid from getting all over your side windows and making it a mess? I tried some weather stripping this morning along the edge of the window in hopes it would deflect the fluid away, but it didn't work. Going to try it in a different spot tomorrow as it seems to spray up from down by the mirror arms.

On our road trip the bugs were pretty bad so we went through quite a bit of washer fluid. It didn't take long before you couldn't really make anything out looking through the side windows as there was so much fluid splattered and streaked across them.

Wax the side windows. It flows right off. I use Turtle Wax Ice or any of their Hybrid Solutions sealants. My fav and the most effective seems to be their spray Flex Wax with Graphene. It works MUCH better than Rain-X and lasts much longer. (Not sure what has happened to Rain-X, but it is not as effective as it once was. The Turtle Wax products work like Rain-X did when it first came out.)

We´re heading to Moab soon and I´ll wax all those windows right up. It really helps a ton. If you do the windshield, too, much of it will go over the top, too, and less will go on the side windows.

It also makes visibility much more clear with no streaks.....btw, if you get streaks when you apply it, just get a wet microfiber, wring it out so it is damp, and wipe off the excess sealant (wax). Then dry it with a clean dry microfiber.

Waxing the windows for clarity is an old trick used by show car owners to win the high stakes shows with the most picky judges.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Wax the side windows. It flows right off. I use Turtle Wax Ice or any of their Hybrid Solutions sealants. My fav and the most effective seems to be their spray Flex Wax with Graphene. It works MUCH better than Rain-X and lasts much longer. (Not sure what has happened to Rain-X, but it is not as effective as it once was. The Turtle Wax products work like Rain-X did when it first came out.)

We´re heading to Moab soon and I´ll wax all those windows right up. It really helps a ton. If you do the windshield, too, much of it will go over the top, too, and less will go on the side windows.

It also makes visibility much more clear with no streaks.....btw, if you get streaks when you apply it, just get a wet microfiber, wring it out so it is damp, and wipe off the excess sealant (wax). Then dry it with a clean dry microfiber.

Waxing the windows for clarity is an old trick used by show car owners to win the high stakes shows with the most picky judges.

My windows were all ceramic coated along with the rest of the truck. Obviously, my side windows need a bit more treatment.

 

[Chasm]

Yesterday I got my receiver mounted.
I'll just add one piece at a time until I have a whole trailer.

 

[Pliny]

Changed the engine oil / filter and installed a Valvomax drain plug. All previous oil changes were done by dealearships. I had to use my short 1/2" drive breaker bar to get the OE drain plug loosened. 20 ft-lbs. my butt. Think the last guy used an impact to tighten it.

The skid plate that I have should protect it well enough.

The Lisle funnel with the adapter worked really well with the 5 qt. Penzoil jug. Almost like they were designed to work together.

 

[Shibbyjeep]

Yesterday I got my receiver mounted.
I'll just add one piece at a time until I have a whole trailer.

I won a whole trailer in an online auction of government surplus today. Possibly picking up Friday and my Adventure trailer build will begin.

 

[RubiNewbCB]

Installed the MetalCloak Sector Shaft Brace tonight, and adjust my front and rear tract bars.

Hopefully tomorrow after I'll install their Tie Rod Bar and the Draglink and flip kit. It's supposed to be 95° before the real feel and humidity, so we'll see about that.

 

[Shibbyjeep]

Installed the MetalCloak Sector Shaft Brace tonight, and adjust my front and rear tract bars.

Hopefully tomorrow after I'll install their Tie Rod Bar and the Draglink and flip kit. It's supposed to be 95° before the real feel and humidity, so we'll see about that.

Mine is sitting in my garage. I need to install it. How was it? Not bad?

 

[Chasm]

I won a whole trailer in an online auction of government surplus today. Possibly picking up Friday and my Adventure trailer build will begin.

sweet!

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