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

[marcwithac]

Finished my door cart. Works well.

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[BlamBlamTheMonkey]

Installed Reaper Gravestone F3 bumper with Badlands winch

 

[Wkyfiregladdy]

Finished my door cart. Works well.

Do you have dimensions to cut to? You use 1 inch?

 

[marcwithac]

Do you have dimensions to cut to? You use 1 inch?

I used the schematic they have here

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/diy-hardtop-and-door-holders.6933/

I did 7" sections and 3" sections. I would probably go 7.5" and 3.5" if I did it again. Or even 8" and 4". But 7" and 3" does work it's just a tighter fit and keeps the cart smaller.

 

[Wkyfiregladdy]

I used the schematic they have here

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/diy-hardtop-and-door-holders.6933/

I did 7" sections and 3" sections. I would probably go 7.5" and 3.5" if I did it again. Or even 8" and 4". But 7" and 3" does work it's just a tighter fit and keeps the cart smaller.

Thank you!

 

[Strider62]

Overhead Bed Lights.

(Edited: added a couple of “after” photos, in the dark. It was pitch black outside, too…)

Mounted 2 KC Cyclone puck lights inside the cross bars of my Fab Fours Overland Bed Rack - one in the center of each crossbar. I thought about doing the LED strips on the underside of the trail rails, but wanted ... well ... overhead light! I wanted it to shine directly down into the bed, rather than across the bed from side to side. Maybe that doesn't make a difference in the end, but I guess I'm just an old fart who thinks lighting is most efficient when it comes from above. Anyway...

I took a page from my Rock Lights install, and bolted fender washers to the back of the Cyclones so I could use ring magnets to hold the lights on the steel bar. The magnets aren't cheap, but it saved me having to drill holes in the cross bar, and I can easily move the lights to any location on the rack if I need to (kinda, anyway....those magnets have 40lbs of pulling force!)

When I ordered the two Cyclones I also ordered the KC two-light wiring harness. Turned out to be nearly perfect for my install. A little too long, but "P for plenty" as we used to say... I decided to keep the extra length rather than cut off the extra 20 inches or so, and just zip-tied it all up and tucked it out of the way after making the connections. Figured if I decide to change things up I can just pull the extra back into the bed.

Spent way too long pondering how to connect the Cyclones to power. I knew I wanted to hook them into the existing cargo light circuit so I could take advantage of the existing switch and not have to run a new one. Don't mind walking to the cab and turning them on from there, and mostly didn't want to drill any new holes in my bed to mount a new switch. Yep, could have run them to the AUX switches...but already used all four of those for Driving Lights, Rock Lights, Ditch Lights and Compressor.

I figured the existing wires running to the cargo lights had to be positive and negative, since there are only two of them, but wasn't sure which was which. Finally found the message in the Lighting forum where somebody noted that on the Passenger side the (+) is red and the GND is black. Seems obvious...but I hate to assume. (I didn't want to tap in on the Driver side because I wanted to stay well away from the exhaust, but if you're interested, on that side the (+) is beige and the GND is black.) I used a couple of T-taps to tap into the existing wires, and made two short jumpers to connect the female T-tap to the female spade connector on the KC harness. Yeah, I could have just snipped the end off the KC wires and crimped on male spades, but I didn't. Don't know why, exactly. Guess maybe I was having too much fun with the heat gun...

Back up in the bed rack, I installed some lengths of Cord-Mate cord keepers that I picked up as a kit from Lowes. I thought I'd end up using a lot more of the cord keepers than I did, and also thought I'd use the different connectors in the kit. As it turned out, I could have just bought one length of cord keeper (they sell them individually) and would still have had way more than I needed. Didn't use any of the connectors in the kit.

I cut the cord-keeper to length with a mini razor saw (knife through butter), and put it in place using the adhesive backing it comes with. Time will tell if it stays in place. If it falls, I'll just epoxy it.

Used individual cord clips along the underside of the top rails so as not to interfere with the holes machined into the rails from the Fab Fours factory. I also used them on the back side of the bed wall, and under the bed before the wire passes into the wheel well.

I really didn't want to remove the rear fender, so I just fished the wires through behind the inner fender.

Then ran them over the top of the flange that the fender clips into, and zip-tied them to a convenient location near the OEM wiring harness connector for the cargo light. I connected my short jumpers to the T-taps and the KC female spade connectors, taped all the connections, and then taped and zip-tied some plastic sleeving over it all (there was a good bit of unprotected wire at the end of the KC harness). I zip-tied the extra length into a bundle, then zip-tied the bundle to the same convenient hole I used on the way in, laid the rest of the bundle along the length of the incoming wire, back up over the flange, and zip-tied it to the incoming cable on the other side.

Pretty clean install, If I do say so myself! Almost can't tell it's all there. The lights fit exactly inside the channel on the underside of the cross bars, and the cord keeper and cord clips keep everything tucked up inside the channels, as well. The black cord keeper is almost invisible against the black steel, and I only had to use two zip-ties in the bed rack.

If you're interested in the pieces and parts, here's the hardware I used (all ordered from McMAster-Carr, except for the ring magnets, which came from K&J Magnetics):

 

[Garemlin]

Quick no touch foam cannon wash before heading out for a ride with my granddaughter.

 

[relayer4u]

Installed Rok Blokz original long, no problems at all and they look great.
Also installed 4 Kenwood Excelon KFC-X3C speakers in the dash and sound bar. Even easier than the Rok Blokz!

These are the removed speakers, they seem even more pathetic than the ones I have seen in the past! Maybe Vietnam magnets are more powerful than the ones from China & Japan....

 

[FISCH]

Installed Baja Design S2’s as reverse lights and wired to the aux switch. Really happy with the light pattern. I wanted the diffused lens but I couldn’t find it in stock so I went with the wide cornering. Also switched over to the soft top for the summer.

 

[texanjeeper]

Big day today....installed the turn signal LED's, and the switchback LED fog lights as well. Love the amber when you push the fog lamp button off, then on again. Last, we installed the Mopar side steps, they look great.

 

[Wicknalter]

Wheeled with some Gladiator friends. Also my first time breaking something. The AEV supplied extended rear sway bar links are notably not long enough for their lift. Tore one and now I have noise and my trucks leaning. Also managed to fill my dif with water and sand after I buried it to the frame... Suppose I’m finally seasoned that I’ve broke some stuff.

 

[Ridgeline]

Installed my Rusty's bed sliders, Voodoo crossbar, and club sticker!

 

[DMXRacing]

Installed OE Euro spec Side View Mirror Turn Signals...
Ran the power wire to the Front Fender Lamp Harness...

 

[immaechu]

Installed my Rusty's bed sliders, Voodoo crossbar, and club sticker!

Hey I made those stickers!

 

[mx5red]

I have a 3.5 lift with 38s - there is some blockage but once you turn the wheel, its going to have close to 100% light output.

Also I have a sport so maybe with the rubicon you will be better off bc of wider axles?

I still haven’t had time to try to fab anything up, but I was looking at your pics again.
Would you have a cleaner line of sight if you mounted the lights under the bracket instead of on top?? Might get more light through.

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