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

[Bandit’s Lair]

Good write up!! If you get to a big box, invest in some Kroil. It beats the pants off of WD-40.

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[Stan H]

Good write up!! If you get to a big box, invest in some Kroil. It beats the pants off of WD-40.

I like PB Blaster

 

[JCappy]

Bottomline is I installed a Fox Steering stabilizer and absolutely love it. So don't waste your time unless you want to read about what an adventure it was for me.

I don't know about you guys but every time I get the "less than an hour to install" I end up taking 3 or more. I decided I needed to get a steering stabilizer as the truck is now over 30K miles and I put on 35" tires on the stock rims. So I bought the simplest FOX stabilizer.

So I get under the truck only to find my 17mm socket is too small and there is no room to get a regular size wrench up there on the top of the bolt that connects vertically on the passenger side or in the small gap for the bolt that is horizontally mounted in the center.

Now many of you guys already know that the vertical bolt is a carriage bolt and therefore doesn't need a wrench up top and that the horizontal bolt is welded to a short arm that hits part of the suspension to hold it in place for unscrewing/screwing the bolt. I sure didn't know that.

So off to the NAPA store I go. Hundred bucks later I have an 18 & 19mm socket and this nifty stubby wrench set with common SAE and Metric wrenches.

At least $60 more than I could get the same thing at Harbor Freight, Home Depot, or Lowes. But none of that is on Big Pine Key so I'd rather get the things I need now than waste a couple of hours driving to find them.

Of course before I got under the truck I looked up the torque specs--depending on the source it ranged from 50-60 ftlbs.

Even as hobbled as I am that won't be a problem to get off...right?

Sprayed some WD40 on both sides of the 2 bolts, waited ten minutes, and then using my new 18mm socket and my breaker bar on the verticle carriage bolt I gave it a pull---not a chance. So that just means I have to pull harder. Nope. F@#K! So I maneuver my broken body under the truck so my feet are against the passenger wheel and put every bit of my back and arms into it. Nope. More WD-40 and go to the horizontal bolt.

Needless to say it's the exact same thing.

A third coat of WD-40 on both bolts and get the burly younger guy from next door. This will definitely work right? Yeah, no. Guy about popped a blood vessel on both before giving up.

F*%k me running! I'll be damned it I pay someone to do this for me. 4th coat of WD-40. Now I'm hammering on the breaker bar, nope---but I was using a soft headed mallet. Have no idea if a solid hammer would be better.

Give up and go get a cold Coke. Then I do the thing with my feet against the tire and it barely moves---but we all know that means that somabitch will come off! Took over 5 minutes to get that damn bolt off because it needed about 10 hard pulls before I even felt comfortable putting the ratchet on the socket.

Same same on the other bolt--finally got it to move and then it only took a couple of more with the breaker bar before moving to the socket wrench.

Thanks to the forum and you smart guys I knew to compress the Fox stabilizer and use zip ties to hold it compressed until it was time to mount the second bolt. Then cut the zip tie to let the stabilizer slowly open and when it was at the right spot shove the bolt through. Because one bushing needed to be horizontal and the other vertical I had to use masking tape to hold the zip ties on each end.

The instructions with the stabilizer were for shocks, one con for sure against FOX. The online Fox site said to use the stock hardware---but the stabilizer did come with the obligatory sticker and a long bolt. So I use the stock hardware and the vertical bolt slipped right in to where the threads were just touching the end of the stabilizer. I then spent at least 15 minutes screwing around trying line up the 4 sides of the carriage bolt so it would go all the way through.

DUMMY! So that's why they sent the other bolt---the Fox set up couldn't use the carriage bolt. Well at least I saved myself the embarrassment of someone else pointing it out to me.

Got both bolts in and broke out my SnapOn digital torque wrench and now they're torqued correctly at 55FtLbs. Know I'll need to check the torque in a couple of weeks---especially on the reused bolt.

Finally installed. The difference is amazing. The steering feels really tight and I'm not having to constantly correct it---just point and go. So well worth the ass pain.

Do you have the part number you used for the stabilizer? My Mojave is about to hit 30,000 miles. I don't have any issue currently but would like to make a note of this for the future in case it's needed. Glad yours is driving better.

Edit: Maybe this one? Don't know if you have any type of lift.
FOX Performance Series 2.0 IFP Steering Stabilizer(20-26 Jeep Gladiator JT)

 

[KX L]

Good write up!! If you get to a big box, invest in some Kroil. It beats the pants off of WD-40.

I've got PB Blaster and a couple of others that I would have used---but they're all at home---only brought a small can of the WD-40 with me down to FL because it easily fit in the tool box---and didn't want to buy another bottle of penetration oil/spray to bring home to the collection I already have.

 

[KX L]

Do you have the part number you used for the stabilizer? My Mojave is about to hit 30,000 miles. I don't have any issue currently but would like to make a note of this for the future in case it's needed. Glad yours is driving better.

Edit: Maybe this one? Don't know if you have any type of lift.
FOX Performance Series 2.0 IFP Steering Stabilizer(20-26 Jeep Gladiator JT)

No lift and that's the exact one.

 

[JCappy]

No lift and that's the exact one.

Awesome. Thanks for confirming that.

 

[Blade1668]

Rusty floor but I peeled them up and the rails were squeaky clean underneath and it was flawless everywhere else. A really odd rig for minnesota.

Mine went through a few events that led to severe rusting floorboards. . . As many who were in military know the rivalry between branches of service. Closest port of Entry back from Germany for it happened to be a USMC base. One it was unloaded, parked with keys in ignition, damn near in the surf and some jackass actually took the front brake pads off of it. Had brand new set brake pads in floor. Something I would never even would expect. But being there for close to a month. I'd almost been better off if totaled then, other than the insurance hassle and dropped off at a USMC base with my gear to drive to next duty station. That was in 1998, about 3 weeks after to Army post off on 4 + month deployment. So then again parked for months on end in S.E. GA.

Back on O.T. drove to American Legion with new copilot to chase some balls a few hours. About home seen several Jeeps pulled over to talk a few minutes they had been out in a little mud one busted F axle short side U-joint and limping it home. I offered tools to remove the busted one. I got a hard pass. . . I offered, heck I've even got the right U-joint in my toolbox, hydraulic press, ball joint press and 36mm socket.

 

[loganjeeps]

"installed" the Techbaba bed divder that had been sitting in the corner for a while. The design is very clever. I initially made the mistake of locking into its full length position and starting to try and force it into place like the way I used to with a half baked 2x4 piece of wood. Then it dawned on me the whole purpose of the design is to unfold it and snap it into position. Once in place it is super sturdy and impossible to unseat. Not as cheap as a 2x4 but good quality and convinient it can be folded up and tossed in the way back.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

That’s fancy!!

 

[SaiintNick]

Bottomline is I installed a Fox Steering stabilizer and absolutely love it. So don't waste your time unless you want to read about what an adventure it was for me.

I don't know about you guys but every time I get the "less than an hour to install" I end up taking 3 or more. I decided I needed to get a steering stabilizer as the truck is now over 30K miles and I put on 35" tires on the stock rims. So I bought the simplest FOX stabilizer.

So I get under the truck only to find my 17mm socket is too small and there is no room to get a regular size wrench up there on the top of the bolt that connects vertically on the passenger side or in the small gap for the bolt that is horizontally mounted in the center.

Now many of you guys already know that the vertical bolt is a carriage bolt and therefore doesn't need a wrench up top and that the horizontal bolt is welded to a short arm that hits part of the suspension to hold it in place for unscrewing/screwing the bolt. I sure didn't know that.

So off to the NAPA store I go. Hundred bucks later I have an 18 & 19mm socket and this nifty stubby wrench set with common SAE and Metric wrenches.

At least $60 more than I could get the same thing at Harbor Freight, Home Depot, or Lowes. But none of that is on Big Pine Key so I'd rather get the things I need now than waste a couple of hours driving to find them.

Of course before I got under the truck I looked up the torque specs--depending on the source it ranged from 50-60 ftlbs.

Even as hobbled as I am that won't be a problem to get off...right?

Sprayed some WD40 on both sides of the 2 bolts, waited ten minutes, and then using my new 18mm socket and my breaker bar on the verticle carriage bolt I gave it a pull---not a chance. So that just means I have to pull harder. Nope. F@#K! So I maneuver my broken body under the truck so my feet are against the passenger wheel and put every bit of my back and arms into it. Nope. More WD-40 and go to the horizontal bolt.

Needless to say it's the exact same thing.

A third coat of WD-40 on both bolts and get the burly younger guy from next door. This will definitely work right? Yeah, no. Guy about popped a blood vessel on both before giving up.

F*%k me running! I'll be damned it I pay someone to do this for me. 4th coat of WD-40. Now I'm hammering on the breaker bar, nope---but I was using a soft headed mallet. Have no idea if a solid hammer would be better.

Give up and go get a cold Coke. Then I do the thing with my feet against the tire and it barely moves---but we all know that means that somabitch will come off! Took over 5 minutes to get that damn bolt off because it needed about 10 hard pulls before I even felt comfortable putting the ratchet on the socket.

Same same on the other bolt--finally got it to move and then it only took a couple of more with the breaker bar before moving to the socket wrench.

Thanks to the forum and you smart guys I knew to compress the Fox stabilizer and use zip ties to hold it compressed until it was time to mount the second bolt. Then cut the zip tie to let the stabilizer slowly open and when it was at the right spot shove the bolt through. Because one bushing needed to be horizontal and the other vertical I had to use masking tape to hold the zip ties on each end.

The instructions with the stabilizer were for shocks, one con for sure against FOX. The online Fox site said to use the stock hardware---but the stabilizer did come with the obligatory sticker and a long bolt. So I use the stock hardware and the vertical bolt slipped right in to where the threads were just touching the end of the stabilizer. I then spent at least 15 minutes screwing around trying line up the 4 sides of the carriage bolt so it would go all the way through.

DUMMY! So that's why they sent the other bolt---the Fox set up couldn't use the carriage bolt. Well at least I saved myself the embarrassment of someone else pointing it out to me.

Got both bolts in and broke out my SnapOn digital torque wrench and now they're torqued correctly at 55FtLbs. Know I'll need to check the torque in a couple of weeks---especially on the reused bolt.

Finally installed. The difference is amazing. The steering feels really tight and I'm not having to constantly correct it---just point and go. So well worth the ass pain.

I love reading stories that confirm I'm not the only one bad things happen to.

 

[RudeJeepin]

I've got PB Blaster and a couple of others that I would have used---but they're all at home---only brought a small can of the WD-40 with me down to FL because it easily fit in the tool box---and didn't want to buy another bottle of penetration oil/spray to bring home to the collection I already have.

Not that it really matters, but the original WD40 is not a penetrating oil.

 

[Mud Pie]

Not that it really matters, but the original WD40 is not a penetrating oil.

'Tis true !!

WD-40 actually stands for Water Displacement formula 40. I stopped using WD40 decades ago....

 

[Cattywumpuss]

The incredible people at Skyline Signs in Anchorage transformed my precious today!
From this:

To THIS:

Looking very sharp indeed! What a great job they did.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I love the function of RCVs but they piss me the fuck off

I’ve done it like that, but it’s easier to manipulate them into the knuckle without the unit bearing attached. I’ve done it a few times and have rebuilt mine. No failure whatsoever. Proactive after lots of miles. They’re messy, but so strong and smooth. I got better at it the second time.

 

[WILDHOBO]

When putting the RCV back together. Use a zip tie.

I just gently get the unit bearing bolts in partially by hand. Then pull the boot with two hands towards the cv, towards the knuckle. It’s worked every time for me. After it’s over the shoulder on the axle shaft, finish tightening the three bolts.

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