Jeep Gladiator Build Thread - 18 months around Australia with The Road Chose Me

[1000arms]

... t's difficult to judge where the front corner is, and of course it's much longer than my JK was. ...

Have you considered mounting snowplow markers, or something similar, to your front bumper?

Meyer Snow Plow Marker Kit-09917 - The Home Depot

The Home Plow Markers allows the operator to see the edge of the plow from the cab. Made from solid tubing, markers are flexible to withstand winter conditions. Pre-drilled to fit the moldboard and shipped

www.homedepot.com

 

[Dan Grec]

Have you considered mounting snowplow markers, or something similar, to your front bumper?

Meyer Snow Plow Marker Kit-09917 - The Home Depot

The Home Plow Markers allows the operator to see the edge of the plow from the cab. Made from solid tubing, markers are flexible to withstand winter conditions. Pre-drilled to fit the moldboard and shipped

www.homedepot.com

Nah, I don't want to look like a newbie! haha.

I'm getting the hang of it every day... I did spend the first ~7 years of my driving life over here, so it should come back!

-Dan

 

[1000arms]

... t's difficult to judge where the front corner is, and of course it's much longer than my JK was. ...

Have you considered mounting snowplow markers, or something similar, to your front bumper?

Meyer Snow Plow Marker Kit-09917 - The Home Depot

The Home Plow Markers allows the operator to see the edge of the plow from the cab. Made from solid tubing, markers are flexible to withstand winter conditions. Pre-drilled to fit the moldboard and shipped

www.homedepot.com

Nah, I don't want to look like a newbie! haha.

I'm getting the hang of it every day... I did spend the first ~7 years of my driving life over here, so it should come back!

-Dan

... Say, isn't there an expression, "Let pride go before an accident occurs", or, at least something like that? ...

When I had my TJ Wrangler, I found a good deal on aftermarket steel bumpers with receiver hitches and mounted them front and rear. I then welded a brush guard to the front bumper. The main pieces were 2" square tubing, .120" wall. The top piece of 2" square tubing was above the nose of the Jeep.

Three things occurred because of this:

1. I knew exactly where the front of my Jeep was.

2. I got a lot of "Mad Max" comments.

3. The number of people cutting in front of me plummeted.

 

[nwoods]

Dan, just got to say, your audio quality is terrific. You're mic set up is working great! Even the parts when you were behind the wheel. Looking forward to the future videos!

 

[Dan Grec]

Dan, just got to say, your audio quality is terrific. You're mic set up is working great! Even the parts when you were behind the wheel. Looking forward to the future videos!

That's great to hear! (haha) - I was told long ago that when it comes to video, audio is the most important thing, so I always use a wireless microphone.
For unknown reasons in my Africa JK it gets very crackly when I'm driving, but in the Gladiator it does not.
I imagine the old 3.8 engine is putting out some RF that interferes with it that the 3.6 Pentastar does not.

-Dan

 

[Vinman]

Can’t wait to see the progress on this build as I like your style of function over form and always being watchful of the weight.
On another note, how does the Pentastar mated to the auto compare to the 3.7 in your JK?

 

[Dan Grec]

Can’t wait to see the progress on this build as I like your style of function over form and always being watchful of the weight.
On another note, how does the Pentastar mated to the auto compare to the 3.7 in your JK?

Cheers!

The Pentastar clearly has waaaaay more power, and being an auto and light right now it's so much easier to drive. Very, very smooth and quiet.
It only has 300 miles on the clock, so I'm driving very gently, but I did accidentally chirp the tires getting out into traffic the other day.
I don't think my JK has ever chirped the tires!

-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Today the Overland Gladiator build begins in earnest, and I install a ARB single air compressor.

I have this exact compressor mounted under the hood of my Africa Jeep, it's never missed a beat in 5 years of seriously hard use.
The ARB single makes the most sense for an overland vehicle when we consider payload, electrical use and space consumed.
They're also extremely tough, and I even find a way to mount it under the hood again so it doesn't use up precious cargo volume.


-Dan

 

[SVTRIT]

Today the Overland Gladiator build begins in earnest, and I install a ARB single air compressor.

I have this exact compressor mounted under the hood of my Africa Jeep, it's never missed a beat in 5 years of seriously hard use.
The ARB single makes the most sense for an overland vehicle when we consider payload, electrical use and space consumed.
They're also extremely tough, and I even find a way to mount it under the hood again so it doesn't use up precious cargo volume.


-Dan

Others have commented on your video quality, and I noticed it on that video.

Your Dad seems like a fun guy. “Blow the tire up” made me chuckle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AggieOE]

Love watching your channel and am excited for this new build and adventure. As much as I love having everything enclosed in the cab of an SUV, the Gladiator does tick all the right boxes of a strong, durable overland vehicle. I think you made a great choice!

 

[Dan Grec]

Love watching your channel and am excited for this new build and adventure. As much as I love having everything enclosed in the cab of an SUV, the Gladiator does tick all the right boxes of a strong, durable overland vehicle. I think you made a great choice!

Cheers!

To be perfectly honest, I'm curious to learn the pros and cons of a "pickup truck" for overlanding. I've never had one before, so it's all learning for me!

-Dan

 

[shays4me]

This new adventure has me looking at Gladiators now! It would be for the wife of course!

 

[Dan Grec]

With less than 300 miles on the clock, it's time to cut and drill into my brand new Jeep Gladiator to install an AEV snorkel.
I consider a snorkel an essential upgrade for the kind of overlanding I enjoy - both for the dust protection and increased confidence in water crossings.
In this video I show every step of the process to install the AEV snorkel on your Gladiator or Wrangler.

I was a bit nervous making that first hole in the hood, though with AEV's template and instructions there was no need to be - it turned out absolutely perfect!


I'm working on about 10 things for the build simultaneously, and have just locked in getting the Jeep on display at 4x4 shows in Melbourne and Sydney just as the adventure will kick off!

-Dan

 

[X-plorenow]

I had to laugh Dan, I installed my ARB compressor in my JK just a few days before I watched your install video on Youtube, and felt better after running into a lot of the same wiring issues that you had. Not very clear to say the least.

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi All,

I just wrapped up installing a roof rack on my Gladiator, and I chose the Backbone System from Rhino Rack.
I've never run a rack before, and it's primarily so I can bring some toys for enjoyment on this trip.
After way too much research I went with the Backbone System because it bolts right through the hard top and mounts into the roll cage and tub of the Gladiator. That means the weight isn't just sitting on the hard top, it's actually transferred right through.
I genuinely believe this is the best engineered rack on the market, and it feels extremely stout.
I'm confident it will easily handle 18 months of corrugations and tough conditions.

Here's the video where I walk through the entire install, let me know if you have any questions.


-Dan