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

[Superpanga]

Hi all,

My latest project on the Gladiator has been to build and wire charging blocks to keep all my electronics charged up and installing lights on the inside for convenience.

It's funny how the small "insignificant" projects are the ones that take the most time on an overland build!


-Dan

Great video. I am about to build a similar USB/12v block for our offroad trailer and am curious about whether you wired each of those components to each other in series and then a home run to a breaker/battery or to a bus/fuse block first. I was planning on wiring each to a fuse block and then a run towards the batteries where i'd put a single 50amp breaker between the battery. That fuse block seems rather "extra"now and the compact build using only the small junction box is what I was hoping to do.

Thanks for posting the great content. Following along.

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi all,

For whatever reason when Jeep designed the Right Hand Drive Gladiator and Wrangler they mounted the steering stabilizer as the lowest point at the front of the vehicle. It actually has a HUGE bracket coming down low off the front axle, and it sits directly infront of the pumpkin - it's just begging to be smashed on a rock, and there are plenty of photos from people doing exactly that.

I'm all about upgrades that increase reliability and reduce the chance of problems on the road, so on this episode I relocate and upgrade the stabilizer to keep it out of harms way.

For anyone thinking about doing it themselves it's pretty straightforward and easy, just make sure you have a torque wrench, deep sockets and few different extension bars so you can get in where you need to!

-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi all,

I don't set out aiming to drive through deep water, though sometimes it's completely unavoidable. Especially when you have a single entry visa, or you've driven in someplace before it starts dumping rain and there is only one way to get out.


The snorkel looks cool and protects the engine, though there is another job that needs to be done to prepare your vehicle for deep water - extending the breather hoses on the axles, transfer case and transmission.

This is another "Essential build" item you won't see discussed in magazines or shown off at SEMA, but it will go a long way to avoiding problems when you're in the remote corners of the world.

In the video I run through the why, the what and the how, showing exactly how I did it on my Gladiator.


-Dan

 

[Mass_Mopar]

The snorkel looks cool and protects the engine, though there is another job that needs to be done to prepare your vehicle for deep water - extending the breather hoses on the axles, transfer case and transmission.

This is another "Essential build" item you won't see discussed in magazines or shown off at SEMA, but it will go a long way to avoiding problems when you're in the remote corners of the world.

In the video I run through the why, the what and the how, showing exactly how I did it on my Gladiator.


-Dan

Thanks for this video Dan - I always thought about extending the breathers but I never have. I'm sure it wasn't easy getting some of those shots especially of the transfer case breather, I definitely learned a few things!

 

[Paddler Ed]

Hey @Dan Grec, what's the easiest way to get hold of books #1 and 2 in Australia?

Wife is looking for some reading and these appealed.

 

[Dan Grec]

Hey @Dan Grec, what's the easiest way to get hold of books #1 and 2 in Australia?

Wife is looking for some reading and these appealed.

Hi Ed,

The printed versions are on Amazon.com.au now, and they ship from Australia so I don't think the shipping is astronomical.
If your wife is into eBooks, the digital copy of both can be had from either Amazon.com.au or from the Apple eBook store.

Thanks for the support, much appreciated!!

-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi all,

For a while now I've been thinking an expedition around Australia would be a lot easier than my previous two - there's no language barrier, no borders, visas, I don't need to exchange money and of course there is MUCH more development. For all those reasons and more it was sounding pretty easy to me.

So much for best laid plans.

When I was planning this trip Australia had no covid and no restrictions of any kind, so while I was living in lockdown in Canada, this place seemed like paradise.

Now I'm actually here and ready to hit the road, the delta variant has escaped quarantine into Australia and I've been under a strict covid lockdown for many weeks, unable to go more than 5km (3 miles) from home. I also can't cross any state border, which makes an expedition a very difficult thing to kick off.

There is (hopefully) light at the end of the tunnel, but for now I'm trapped at Dad's house, unable to do any kind of travel.

In my latest video I explain how I got into this situation, how Australia got into the situation it's in and what my options are from here.
All my fingers a crossed the situation will improve sooner rather than later!


-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi All,

Even though the build is not yet finished, we got out of lockdown and I decided to hit the road.
I literally threw everything in the back and went for it... and it was horrible.
I severely underestimated how much organization is required in the bed of a pickup, and so now I'm back at Dad's scrambling to sort out how to keep everything better organized.

For the first time ever I'm bringing toys on a major expedition, in the form of surfboards.
If I'm going to carry them, I want to make sure they're easy to use, safe and protected so they don't get destroyed during the trip
Here's how I'm doing that:


I've ordered a few things to help with more organization, and hopefully I'll be ready to hit the road again very soon!

-Dan

 

[billiebob]

The snorkel looks cool and protects the engine, though there is another job that needs to be done to prepare your vehicle for deep water - extending the breather hoses on the axles, transfer case and transmission.

This is another "Essential build" item you won't see discussed in magazines or shown off at SEMA, but it will go a long way to avoiding problems when you're in the remote corners of the world.

yep, my first vehicle was an M36 flat fender that ran submerged. Cool tho it was to fold the windshield and ford a steam with just head, shoulders, the snorkel and exhaust extension above the water, I sold it within the year due to the expensive maintenance. The spark plugs had o-rings and fine thread connections. ALL the breathers came back to the snorkled air cleaner. Every electrical connection was in a twist lock brass connector with 2 o-rings.

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi everyone,

The cutlery organizer I made for the tailgate table on my Africa Jeep was a huge success, and I always knew I would make another. I want my most often used items to be close and hand and super, super easy to use and put back, rather than have to dig through a drawer or tupperware container.
The organizer I made for Africa worked so well there was really no reason to change or improve a single thing!

If you want to make something like this to keep your cutlery close at hand, checkout my latest video where I show the process step-by-step.


Africa more than 5 years on the road the original still works as well as the day I made it, so I'm confident this one will too.

-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi all,

I'm packing to once again hit the road, and I can't help thinking about all the little details from my Africa Jeep that I miss on my Gladiator.
There are so many little things that were so great on that vehicle I didn't know about or didn't even appreciate, and it's not until I don't have them that I've started to miss them.

It's going to take a while until the Gladiator is a house on wheels rather than just a pickup with everything thrown in the back, and I'm enjoying the slow and steady transformation.

-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi All,

I've been hard at work for the last week designing and building my drinking water tank, pump and filtration setup.
The system I had in my Africa Jeep was flawless and essential - it was easily the most used system on the entire vehicle and absolutely the most important.
I would do that trip without all the other systems in that vehicle before doing it without the water system.

In this video I talk through the design considerations, pros and cons, tanks, mounting and the whole philosophy:

In this video I get to work actually building it - mounting the tank, laying out all the components, bolting and plumbing it all together and then finally using the system at the end.

A solid drinking water setup is absolutely essential in an overland vehicle, and already I know all the hard work was well worth it, and I'll once again be relying heavily on this system.

Let me know if you have any questions about designing or building your own, I'm happy to help in any way I can.

-Dan

 

[billiebob]

Hi everyone,

The cutlery organizer I made for the tailgate table on my Africa Jeep was a huge success, and I always knew I would make another. I want my most often used items to be close and hand and super, super easy to use and put back, rather than have to dig through a drawer or tupperware container.
The organizer I made for Africa worked so well there was really no reason to change or improve a single thing!

If you want to make something like this to keep your cutlery close at hand, checkout my latest video where I show the process step-by-step.


Africa more than 5 years on the road the original still works as well as the day I made it, so I'm confident this one will too.

-Dan

I do like this but my choice is a bit less focused, just a tea towel "tool roll".
ps, the big spoon must be rotated to work.

ps, just realized some of the cutlery is 60 years old.... maybe older than me .... lol

 

[billiebob]

I definitely like the double filtration.... in or out.
Very well done. Amazing water supply.

Complex yet incredibly simple.

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi all,

I just finished installing the brand new EX full-width bumper from AEV. Made from stamped boron steel this bumper is not only extremely strong it's also lighter than steel options.
This bumper really looks the part, and has a ton of features that make it the clear stand out choice in my opinion.
The AEV bumper on my Africa JK has been brilliant, and I've really been looking forward to adding one to this Gladiator.

I also installed a Lightforce 20 inch LED light bar behind the skid plate in a place specifically designed for just that. I really like this option because it means I have a high performance LED lightbar mounted out of sight where people won't try to mess with it, and it doesn't scream "bling".

In my latest video I walk through the install step by step so you can see what is involved.

-Dan