Outfitting my Grenadier Trialmaster

[jscherb]

For the past dozen years I've been doing trails and expeditions with my 2006 Wrangler LJ and my 2013 Wrangler JKU, including doing the Alaska Highway and Dalton Highway up to the Arctic Ocean, thousands of trail miles exploring Colorado ghost towns and mining sites; camping in Death Valley and exploring the Mojave Desert among others. All of this while I've been based in upstate NY, so every expedition involved a long drive out west. Both of my Jeeps were well equipped for overland expeditions, and many of the components were shared between the two - roof rack and roof top tent, Trail Kitchen and more. The things I have in the Jeeps have worked very well over the years so I plan to bring the Grenadier up to the level of outfitting that my Jeeps have and retire the Jeeps from expedition use. Most of my expedition travel has been in my 2006 Wrangler Unlimited, pictured here next to the new Trialmaster, which the dealer delivered in November:



My black Wrangler Unlimited is pictured above, here's my JKU Wrangler that I'll also be retiring from expedition use...




The black Wrangler shares the use of the roof rack, roof top tent, the Trail Kitchen and other expedition gear when it's in use on an expedition. I've designed all of the gear so it can be used on either Jeep, and plan to adapt all of it to the Grenadier as well.

I don't plan any expedition travel with the Grenadier until this summer and until then I'll be driving the Grenadier to gain trust in it and working on outfitting it expedition use - installing things that will work as-is and designing/building versions of some things specifically for the Grenadier. It'll take a while because I can't give it my full attention - last year we bought a 200-year old house in a US National Historic District and house renovations/upgrades are taking a lot of my time and priority.

A little introduction about me - in addition to seriously using the Jeeps (the JKU now has 327,000 miles on the clock; the LJ over 225,000), I'm also an independent product designer and over the past decade I've done product designs for more than a half dozen Jeep and offroad trailer companies. I've done hardware designs, soft goods designs (custom interior and exterior storage solutions in cloth and leather) and fiberglass designs (hardtops and other body parts). Many of the Jeep designs I think will adapt well to the Grenadier so I'll be testing the existing Jeep products in my Grenadier and doing Grenadier versions as necessary. And for the record: I personally don't sell anything, I'm just a designer and whatever I post about here will never be a solicitation to sell anything. If anything I adapt or design specifically for the Grenadier gets to market it'll be because some company picks up the design from me, not because I am selling anything.

As I work to outfit the Grenadier I'll post everything in this thread. I've owned the Grenadier since just after Thanksgiving 2024 and I've done a bunch of things already, so the posting I'll do for a while will be catching everyone up on progress so far.

It doesn't look like there are many people following the Grenadier section here, hopefully more people will join, follow and post soon.

 

[jscherb]

A few days after the dealer delivered the Grenadier they had to take it back due to some check engine codes related to the turbo and stumbling on acceleration. After five days they returned it and said they found a bad connector in the turbo circuit and that was causing erratic turbo operation.

Frustrated in those five days by not being able to drive the new vehicle or do any serious planning work on outfitting it, I felt like doing something Grenadier related so I designed and made a Grenadier shirt. The shirt is a Wrangler brand I picked up in Walmart for about $15; I did the graphics design and application.

 

[jscherb]

In order to carry anything in the cargo area of the Grenadier I needed to find a mat to cover the slick plastic floor. I considered the (expensive) mats that are on the market and decided that I could DIY something very effective for about $30. I started with a mat from Lowes, cut it to size and shape and then cut slots for the L-tracks in the floor. The color is a nice match for the interior; the texture looks great and I won't care much if I get it dirty - I can replace it for $30 when/if I need to.

The mat I used:



After trimming to fit and before I cut the L-track slots:



With the L-track slots cut:



It's proven to be up to the task of preventing cargo from sliding around while on the road and it looks like it belongs there.

 

[jscherb]

As an independent designer, I've done a lot of product design work for Overland Outfitters (https://www.overland-outfitters.com/). Many of these designs are specific to Jeep Wranglers and some are generic camping/overlanding accessories. I've got most of their products in my Jeeps and I find them very useful so I'll be checking them all out in my Grenadier.

Here are a few I've checked out in my Grenadier. Photos include a Tactical First Aid/First Responder bag (the red one hanging on the back seat), a Tactical Tool Bag (hanging on the right side of the back seat) and a Zip & Go bag (center of the back seat).



These bags have an attachment that hangs on the headrest posts and a zipper from the bag to the attachment Like almost all OO products, these are made from military grade heavy canvas with real leather accents and reinforcements. Also included are some photos of the first aid bag and tool bag open; in both bags the tools or supplies are organized in "pages" that keep things organized and easy to find. These products have been popular in the Jeep market and they work just fine in the Grenadier; and in the Grenadier they work on either the back seat or the front seats. A few detail photos:




This is the zipper attachment, the headrest posts slip into it and the bag zips/unzips to it in seconds.




I have the zipper attachments in my Jeeps so whether I'm taking one of the Jeeps or the Grenadier on a long trip or expedition I can quickly unzip the bags from whatever vehicle they're in and zip them into the vehicle I'm about to drive. Very handy.

 

[jscherb]

One of the things I chose a part of the "$2000 in Free Accessories" deal when I bought my Grenadier was the factory seat covers. I keep my vehicles a very long time, so I want to protect the seats from wear.



The Grenadier factory seat covers are made from a nice fabric that appears waterproof and should wear very well, but they're a terrible design - it's almost impossible to get in or out of the vehicle without the bottom part of the cover slipping off.



I fixed the problem by adding straps with parachute buckles that go around the bar under the seat; the straps hold the bottom of the cover very firmly in place.







And while I was at it, I added pockets on the backs of the seat covers, I have them in my Jeeps and use them for service records and other important vehicle documentation and I miss that feature in the Grenadier.

 

[jscherb]

I don't like having wires running all over the place for things like my phone, so I added a USB outlet in the dash. I put the outlet on the left - there's plenty of room behind the lower dash panel for things like this to be installed. The outlet is connected to the INT1 wiring and my phone holder is a wireless charger so all I have to do is slip my phone in the holder and charging happens (when INT1 is switched on of course). This can use a very short USB cable so the cable isn't dangling in the way of anything.

This thread on the INEOS Grenadier forum explains how to access the INT1 wiring: https://www.theineosforum.com/.../removal-of-side-panels.../ .

After the access to the wiring described in that thread, there are two panels below the dash, a narrow one at the bottom which gets removed first with 3 Torx screws and some clips to pop out, then the one I mounted the outlet in; that one has 4 Torx screws and some clips. Then connect from the INT1 wires found behind the kick panel to whatever USB outlet you install in the dash panel.

 

[jscherb]

When the dealer delivered my Grenadier and turned over the keys, these two extra keys were attached to the key FOB. They are marked "751", which any RV owner knows is the key to pretty much every cargo compartment on any RV made in the USA. I couldn't imagine why 751 keys came with the Grenadier, so I asked the dealer what these were for and he said they fit the center console compartment lock and the glove box lock. Having done a lot of design work for a major RV component supplier, I happen to already have a 751 key on my everyday key ring, so I tried that one in the center console lock and of course it worked. Just posting this FYI in case people think the locking the center console or glovebox is very secure - there are literally millions of 751 keys out there so the only things that make the center console compartment secure are the door locks and the fact that nobody knows that any 751 key will open the compartment lock.



I've heard that the locking compartment that goes on the spare tire may also use a 751 key but I don't have that compartment so I can't verify that.

If you ever lose your glovebox key, don't pay the dealer for a new one - just get a 751 key from any RV dealer, I'm sure it'll be a lot cheaper.

 

[jscherb]

I've been working with MORryde on the design of a cargo slide for JK/JL Wranglers and the Bronco. They sent me a preproduction sample to test in the my JKU Wrangler, and I also installed it in the Grenadier to see how it works there.



This slide doesn't take up the full width of the cargo space like some others on the market do, it's a bit narrower, which is perfect for me - I carry many things on a trip/expedition that I don't need or want to have on a slide tray and I will be able to use the extra space very easily, so this size works well for my use and I suspect it will work well for others too. And MORryde tells me the target MSRP for this slide tray is about 40% of the price of other Grenadier slide trays on the market and possibly less, so it's quite a bit more affordable. If MORryde sees enough demand for a full width tray I'm sure they will build one, and based on their economies of scale in manufacturing, I'll bet they can produce a full-width tray for half or less of the other guys price - MORryde manufactures a wide range of sliding tray systems for the RV market, so additional sizes and/or features would be easy for them to do (https://morryde.com/products-cat/sliding-tray-systems/) - this tray is where they're starting for the Grenadier because it shares almost all parts and all dimensions with the JKU/JLU Wrangler and Bronco versions, which they expect will do significant volume, so the engineering cost of bringing this one to the Grenadier market is pretty much zero.

Videos showing the slide in operation:



The slides lock in both the stowed and extended positions. This prototype is missing a few details, such as tie-down points to secure cargo in the tray - they sent me this just to check the basic fit and operation in the JKU, but I confirmed it works fine in the Grenadier as well, all it took was drilling a few holes in the mounting brackets to line up with the L-track on the cargo floor of the Grenadier. I sent them the locations/specs on the holes for the Grenadier and they tell me they'll add the mounting holes to the production version and release this for the Grenadier as well as for Wranglers and Broncos.

In case anyone wants to know the dimensions of the tray: roughly 29" wide x 25" front to back.

 

[jscherb]

One thing my copilot/navigator (a.k.a. wife) finds especially useful in the Jeeps is the Overland Outfitters Grab Bar Pockets. The Jeep's grab bar is wider than the Grenadier's and it didn't fit nicely on the narrower Grenadier grab bar so I made a slight mod to it on my sewing machine to make it fit better. I shared the mod with OO and they say they will produce the Grenadier version if there's demand. They tell me they've already sold a few Grenadier versions on a one-off basis until they can get full production scheduled.



I happen to like the tan look, but they also come in black:



Another of their products I find useful on road trips they call the "Cool Bag" - they call it that because it's insulated - it's a cooler. It hangs on the headrest posts and attaches/removes with a zipper. It's got MOLLE on three sides; the drink holders on each side aren't part of the product, I got them on eBay for a few bucks each and added them to the bag. The bag has a carry handle plus a shoulder strap and it's large enough for picnics for two but I mostly use it to keep drinks cool; when it's on the back of the passenger seat I can reach into it from the driver seat to get a drink out.





This is the zipper attachment, I showed it in an earlier post but I'll show it again. The headrest post slip into it and the bag zips/unzips to it in seconds.



The cool bag also comes in black but I like the tan version. Black in one of my Wranglers:

 

[Zeep]

I've always enjoyed following your threads, and plan to continue doing so, here.
The Grenadier is certainly a interesting vehicle, that screams for mods. No need for barn doors or safari tops
on this one! Could a matching trailer be in the future?

 

[jscherb]

I've always enjoyed following your threads, and plan to continue doing so, here.
The Grenadier is certainly a interesting vehicle, that screams for mods. No need for barn doors or safari tops
on this one! Could a matching trailer be in the future?

Thanks.

Yes, finally a vehicle I don't need to make a barn door or hardtop for!

But I do have a number of hardware projects I plan to do as soon as I get time, for example a Grenadier version of the quick install front receivers I designed and built for the LJ and JK - I want to use my winch on the Grenadier as well as the Jeeps but don't want either the winch or the receiver permanently mounted there. I've also already done a few electrical projects and have a few more to do, as well as some new designs for Overland Outfitters - I'm in India right now working with the craftsman at the OO factory getting some preproduction samples made of new Grenadier designs I've done.

So lots to do, in addition to all the renovation work on our new-to-us 200-year old home. I'll post everything here as long as there is interest.

 

[jscherb]

Trying another Overland Outfitters product on the Grenadier - this time it's what they call the SpareHopper - a trash/cargo bag that straps onto the spare. Unlike most of the floppy, messy looking spare bags on the market, this one's got enough style to do the Grenadier justice. Straps are real leather with buckles; there are also parachute buckles behind the strap buckles so you don't have to undo the strap buckles each time you want to get into it. Fabric is DWR-treated (Durable Water Resistant) acrylic, which is waterproof and very resistant to UV damage. Holds a kitchen-size trash bag very nicely or whatever cargo you need to carry in it. I've had one (and its companion SpareSide bags) on my JKU Wrangler for several years, and another one on my LJ Wrangler for almost 5 years. On one of the Wranglers:



In the attached photos the bag is still a little wrinkled from being in it's packaging, the wrinkles smooth out in a few days...



One nice thing about it - after I get off a dusty trail I can power wash the dust off the bag in the car wash; I don't think you can wash most spare bags that way. Washing the one on my LJ after some dusty trails in Colorado:



I also take the SpareHopper through the automatic car wash all the time. When I do, I ask the attendant to pressure wash it as he goes around the vehicle before starting me through the automatic part. I just ask him to spray downwards as shown in the photo above so water doesn't go up under the lid, but even through the automatic part of the carwash everything stays dry inside.

https://www.overland-outfitters.com/.../Spare_Hopper.html

 

[jscherb]

Another similar OO product is one they call the "Spareside bag". Constructed the same was the SpareHopper bag in the last post, it's designed to hang on the side of the spare. Here are some on one of my Wranglers:



Because of the configuration of the Grenadier rear doors, it's not a good fit for the side of the spare, but I tried it on the ladder. It fits very nicely there. It's sized to hold a bathroom size trash bag, but can also be used for any type of gear. The straps on it are designed for its intended mounting on the side of the spare so they're not optimal for mounting on the ladder, but I discussed it with OO and they say if they see demand for it on the Grenadier they'll issue a version optimized for ladder mounting.



My ladder is removed for the time being because I don't need it, so I staged this photo by strapping the ladder in place. This photo was taken a few days after I installed the SpareHopper bag from the previous post, notice that the wrinkles seen in the bag in the previous posts have relaxed and the bag is smooth now.

 

[jscherb]

Life imitates art? A year ago we bought a 200-year old house in a National Historic District in Delaware. The property didn't have a usable garage, so I designed a carriage-house styled garage as an add-on to the house. To verify the appearance of the design, I built an HO scale model (1:87) of the garage. Not having any HO scale models of any of my Jeeps, I staged a model photo with a white over green Defender just because that's the model I had on hand. Construction on the carriage house began in April after review by the County Historical Committee.



Fast forward to November - I decided to buy a Grenadier. I found one on the dealer's lot with all the options I wanted and coincidentally it is white over green - I picked it for the options, not for the color. I had forgotten about the model photo until today and after seeing the model photo again, I decided to recreate the photo...

 

[jscherb]

Having modified the factory option seat covers so they don't slip off and adding pockets to the backs, I decided I needed a pouch to store things like service records and receipts in those pockets to protect them from damage, so I made one...

It was a very simple sewing project; I made it from DWR-treated (Durable Water Resistant) acrylic fabric; the entire project including adding the Grenadier logo took about an hour.







That pouch worked out so nicely I decided that the hardcover Owner's Manual should also have a pouch to protect it, so I made one for that too.