ZYTRA Gladiator 392 Swap Build

[zy1337]

Long overdue on this build thread, but hey better late than never.

** List of mods in progress

1. Suspension

• Rebel Recon Stage 2 - will be replaced soon
• Antirock sway bars Front and Rear

2. Axles/Steering

• UD60's Front and Rear
• 5.38 gears
• E-lockers Front and Rear
• PSC Hydro Steer
• Yeti drag link
• Nitto Trail Grapplers 40 on KMC beadlocks

3. Engine

• AMW4x4 392 Swap + exhaust
• Rubicon T-case
• A/T conversion
• 392 hood conversion (too many parts to list)

4. Armor

• Poison Spider Front Bumper
• Expedition One Rear Bumper, Tire carrier and Fuel Carrier
• Rockslide Engineering step sliders
• Nemesis fender flares (color matched)
• Inner fenders (forgot the brand, but significant trimming needed)

5. Overlanding

• RSI Camper with kitchen
• Roofnest Falcon 2
• Alucab 270 awning
• ARB dual compressor
• Quick Pitch Shower Tent
• 3x 160W Mono PV mdule
• WaterPort Weekender 8 Gallon
• Pelican 1750 on the roof

6. Lighting

• KC Pro6 overhead
• KC Pro6 lower pillar
• KC LED headlights
• KC ERA 1 upper pillar - amber
• Baja Designs Rock Light - amber

7. Interior

• Goose Gear High Platform Driver/Passenger
• CFX3 75DZ Fridge
• Dual Battery Genesis Offroad
• Victron MPPT 100V/50A
• Victron SMartShunt

8. Exterior

• Door Hinge Step Foot Pegs
• Weathertech window deflectors

9. Mods/Custom Fab

• RSI T-framing platform conversion
• Low profile RTT mounting
• Custom Front Cab Rack
• Custom wind deflector
• Custom RSI to RTT overhang compensation bracket
• Alucab to Roofnest Falcon 2 mounting brackets
• RSI Rear glass to Aluminum panel conversion (in progress)
• Custom solar panel to Falcon 2 low profile brackets

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[zy1337]

This started with the cheapest with the cheapest Sting Gray Gladiator I could find, a 2021 Sport S, MT.

Here is what it looked like when I picked it up.

 

[zy1337]

Shortly after getting it I got my ticket in line with Rebel Offroad to install a Stage 2, UD60's, 40's. Roughly 2.5 months of wait, meanwhile I got a Decked system, an RSI smartcap and a cheap RTT since everything was out of stock and had a couple of astronomy trips to remote dark sites already scheduled (sold my SAS swap'ed 90 toyota pickup shortly after getting the JT)

Didn't look but it did the job.

Also ordered an expedition one bumper w/ tire carrier around the same time with a 6 month lead time.

 

[zy1337]

I got installed tube fenders before dropping it off to Rebel, and here is what it looked like when I picked it up from there.

 

[zy1337]

The couple of trips later I started to really feel the power struggle on those long highway drives, despite the 5.38 gears in the diffs. And the added weight from the front and rear bumpers + spares only made things even worse.

 

[zy1337]

I added some KC's and eventually the rear bumper + carrier came in. For a short time I ran without the tent (found a buyer for the old one) waiting for the new roofnest to ship.

I also installed the step sliders around that time.

 

[zy1337]

Deleted the rear seats, added a fridge and the other side is my dog's oversized bed (a 36" playpen + comfy mat, she loves it).

And also started laying down a plan to create a super low profile mount for the roofnest where it sits across the bed and cab. I know that the bed is technically mounted solid to the frame, and I get a fair bit of squeaking sounds and I wish I had a solution, I'm still thinking about it but so far I don't have a plan to address that.

I used 3060 profiles (bracket anodized) in place of the standard RSI rails. My 3060 clear the the vent on top of the RSI just fine. The rails technically sit about 1/2" shy of the width of the roofnest (sides), and flush on the rear.

 

[zy1337]

The front of the tent is going to be supported by 3030 rail bolted down to the cab using backbone from Rhino Rack modified with mounting holes. Those 3030's extend all the way up front.

I also fab a wind deflector mounting to the KC A pilar bracket.

The sides are covered by aluminum trims tying everything together.

Also note on those pics you should see the solar panel leads. Plan is to install 3 solar panel on top of the RTT.

 

[zy1337]

Those pics show the RTT installed. I designed and CNC machines brackets out of aluminum. I have them on the sides (with a 1/2" offset to compensate for the fact the RSI is slightly narrower than the RTT, and the rear is flush).

Also note the custom bracket I made to mount the 3 solar panel to the extrusion channel on the RTT.

It's the lowest profile setup I could come up with.

 

[zy1337]

And that's with the panels and wind deflector installed.

I have a low profile pelican case across the width and a water tank.

Note how I have the mount opening to the front. I didn't want the inconvenience of having to close the tailgate/carrier to get in the tent. The driver is was waiting for a full length awning. And bed passenger side has the RSI kitchen, which only leaves rear/passenger side to get in.

just to be safe I replaced the locks on the RTT. The original ones can be open with a finger (they dont lock in place). This way no risk of the tent accidentally opening up while driving.

 

[zy1337]

It stayed as is for about a year or so. Fast forward to this year with not a whole lot of new stuff other than finally pulling the trigger on a 392 swap, rest is mostly cosmetic.

I'll continue posting later.

 

[zy1337]

The truck was shipped to AMW to swap to a 392. Since my JT was a MT sport, the Tcase was replaced for a Rubicon one and while there was some options to keep the MT I eventually decided to switch to the 8-speed AT.

Other than for extra lead time on some of the parts (pedals and whatnot) it was pretty smooth (still took close to 12 weeks which was a bummer). They advised to get the hydrosteer which I got. There was an issue with my teraflex tie rod and drag link I had and had to switch to Yeti's.

 

[zy1337]

I installed a dual battery setup from genesis pretty early on. I had to either ditch the dual battery setup or relocated it somehow. I ended up moving it everything in the passenger side seat delete compartment (under my dog's bed). Both batteries, genesis system and solar charge controller fit in there. It's a tight fit but it works. I also have 2 high amp quick disconnects. I have 00 AWG wires running to the front of the truck to a set of bus bars mounted to a custom dual ARB compressor bracket I designed for it.

 

[zy1337]

And here is what the electrical looks like under the hood.

 

[antwon412]

Awesome rig.

Am I understanding correctly that the rooftop tent is bolted to both the cap and the cab of the truck?
So they can no longer move independently of each other?

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