AEV Gladiator Rubicon

[Flyin6]

Another fuel consumption check complete. This time while driving at 70-73 on the highway, mostly one way then @ 65-67 on the return leg it yielded 16.1 MPG

You can see it does not like higher speeds.

I just got an estimate from High-Lift a Jeep store and modification shop in the Cincinnati vicinity for the installation of 5.13 gears.

The conversation there with Rob showed them to be very knowledgeable. They actually just pushed a 5.13 gear change Rubicon out of the shop. It's looking like an early Jan swap date

He is trying to talk me into a truss kit for the front axle. He said he has seen a couple of broken axles, as in axle tubes breaking all the way around. It was like $169.99 + 4 hours of welding. I suppose it would be the right time to do it since all the gears/bearings/oil would be out of the housing.

Thinking I'll sign up for the whole shebang.

[Bigdave_185]

When is the super charger?


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[JR]

Truss would be idea. They make a rear axle tube kit too, might be worth looking at with the camper. Rear tubes bend, this is a DIY tube over cover.

So its coils and gears first?

[stlaser]

Another fuel consumption check complete. This time while driving at 70-73 on the highway, mostly one way then @ 65-67 on the return leg it yielded 16.1 MPG

You can see it does not like higher speeds.

I just got an estimate from High-Lift a Jeep store and modification shop in the Cincinnati vicinity for the installation of 5.13 gears.

The conversation there with Rob showed them to be very knowledgeable. They actually just pushed a 5.13 gear change Rubicon out of the shop. It's looking like an early Jan swap date

He is trying to talk me into a truss kit for the front axle. He said he has seen a couple of broken axles, as in axle tubes breaking all the way around. It was like $169.99 + 4 hours of welding. I suppose it would be the right time to do it since all the gears/bearings/oil would be out of the housing.

Thinking I'll sign up for the whole shebang.

I’d run that truss part past Tate, I’m not hearing of them breaking. Pretty sure they make tube sleeve kits too.



My vote is for Tons…..

[Flyin6]

Another fuel consumption check complete. This time while driving at 70-73 on the highway, mostly one way then @ 65-67 on the return leg it yielded 16.1 MPG

You can see it does not like higher speeds.

I just got an estimate from High-Lift a Jeep store and modification shop in the Cincinnati vicinity for the installation of 5.13 gears.

The conversation there with Rob showed them to be very knowledgeable. They actually just pushed a 5.13 gear change Rubicon out of the shop. It's looking like an early Jan swap date

He is trying to talk me into a truss kit for the front axle. He said he has seen a couple of broken axles, as in axle tubes breaking all the way around. It was like $169.99 + 4 hours of welding. I suppose it would be the right time to do it since all the gears/bearings/oil would be out of the housing.

Thinking I'll sign up for the whole shebang.

I’d run that truss part past Tate, I’m not hearing of them breaking. Pretty sure they make tube sleeve kits too.



My vote is for Tons…..

You would...   ;-)

[Flyin6]

Tate, you on this thread?

What do you say about the truss kit for the front axle on my JT?

Seeing all that welding, it no doubt is going to put a bunch of heat into those tubes...Good idea or snake oil?

[Flyin6]

Dave, catch up man...Supercharger not made for any Jeeps after Aug 2021

JR: Rear truss too hugh?

Trying to keep the weight down. I don't want insurance if I don't need insurance. I'm gonna add some weight, but not going to beat it
and
That would certainly kill my warranty
and
I
want
Jeep
to fix stuff for awhile
So
Maybe
I
Just answered my own question...Just do the gear swap, and yes, JR, maybe change out the front springs to get it level, and I was thinking some airbags to stuff inside the rear springs to use when I load it up for the big expedition to the mall over in Cincinnati.

[wilsonphil]

Just put the Hemi in it and call it a day!

All the engineering is done you just have to buy the parts, it will end up being much less in the long run and be 100% more dependable.

and if I had to bet the MPG wont be much different.

[Bigdave_185]

I like this simplifies the process and as stated it’s a mass production swap.  No guessing no makin your own stuff. It just works


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[Flyin6]

Just put the Hemi in it and call it a day!

All the engineering is done you just have to buy the parts, it will end up being much less in the long run and be 100% more dependable.

and if I had to bet the MPG wont be much different.

Ya, I may. Let me dig into it some more. The JL can be ordered with a 6.4, so everything has to be there.

[Flyin6]

Popped onto the local CAT scales to get a good set of starting numbers

5,520 total weight (3/4 fuel tank + 253 for driver)

2440 Rear axle

3080 front axle

This will be the baseline I will strive to remain close to. Modifications are about, to begin with the addition of the electric steps and the winch

I am somewhat surprised the JT hardtop edition with F/R steel bumpers and way big 37" tires weigh so little. Take my lardiness away and it's under 5,300! Not bad for a 1/2-ton truck

[TexasRedNeck]

Just put the Hemi in it and call it a day!

All the engineering is done you just have to buy the parts, it will end up being much less in the long run and be 100% more dependable.

and if I had to bet the MPG wont be much different.

Not to steal your thunder but I believe I suggested that on day one….


Or….

https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1122801_the-hellephant-in-the-room-hemi-crate-engine-delivers-1-000-horsepower-for-29-995

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[JR]

And you want mileage?

LS, LS, LS, way more support.

[Flyin6]

Today I started on the electric steps for this Jeep.
Ya, it's been darned hard to lift my leg up to where it is nearly kicked straight out, which is the angle required to enter the high-sill Gladiator. That leg is not coming back as fast as I would have expected. So I got most of the install done today

The steps are well boxed and I would say dome in at somewhere around 50 pounds

[Flyin6]

The actual board extrusions are wrapped in plastic, then there are some metal trim pieces that trim out the rocker panel. There is a box for the right side, then one for the left. Finally, a smaller box contains the various harnesses and hardware

[Flyin6]

I was a bit concerned that the struts that extend the boards were not very stout. I can say, that concern is completely gone. Just look at how much heft there is in these aluminum castings:

[Flyin6]

The hardware and harnesses seem well made, and of quality

[Flyin6]

The first step for me at least was to remove the Rubicon Rock Sliders.

I did not realize they were so heavy. I'd say it is close to an even tradeoff in weight between the new and the stock stuff.

[Flyin6]

Using the exact same holes as the stock rock sliders used, I bolted up the left side idlers and motor, then the right side

[Flyin6]

That was all quite easy. The most difficult step thus far was the removal of a small unused bracket on the JT's frame. That was also easy!

[Flyin6]

Next things got a bit busier. I had to unbolt some of the interior.

Before I took out the seats, I pulled out the plastic storage bin that is located beneath the rear seats. I will not be reusing it but converting it to a flat floor to haul Bernese Mountain dogs from one site of mischief to another.

[Flyin6]

Then the front seats and carpet and floor mats were pulled as well as both footwell kick panels

[Flyin6]

At this point the control module got installed along with the wiring harness that goes everywhere. This is quite involved and will take a few hours.

Right behind the glove box is a bus for the door switches that must be accessed to attach the "Signal" leg of the harness.

And that's where things got ugly.

First of all the leg of the harness was not labeled "Signal" as is clearly depicted in the installation manual. So I had to do the process of elimination to actually find it. Then routing it under the dash, behind the center console, up and behind a ton of stuff to the glove box, was no fun.

It has the tiniest of connectors that plugs into the factory buss, and right off, I broke it!

After hooking up the ground and hot leads and hooking up the motors to the harness, I had nada...

The fit is not good, and my eyesight is not all that great in a dark garage. So for now I have walked away from it replete with a massive headache. I'll get back on it in the morning.

[Bigdave_185]

Time to install some of the shop lights Charles rages about. 

I did in grandmas garage today


Of course Amazon short shipped me enough connecting wires to hook them all up but they will be here soon


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[JR]

So you have the Amped on your DMax, right? Am I seeing this right is they swing front down from the side vs up/down liked the amped version?

[Flyin6]

So you have the Amped on your DMax, right? Am I seeing this right is they swing front down from the side vs up/down liked the amped version?

Yes and yes
Swing down from the up and stored position. Pretty cool, but I am of course used to the AMP research steps which I have on both the Truck and the Suburban (Which I still own)

[EL TATE]

Tate, you on this thread?

What do you say about the truss kit for the front axle on my JT?

Seeing all that welding, it no doubt is going to put a bunch of heat into those tubes...Good idea or snake oil?

Real deal on this one; not so much breaking as it is bending ever so slightly and putting strain against inner axle seals and having seal failure lead to axle failure. trussing is a good idea in this guy's book, but sleeving works too. i do not sell components for either job however.

[Flyin6]

Well, I got the boards mounted, but the d@M%!! things aren't working

I put a call into Rough Country tech and had a couple of helpful calls with a gentleman named Marty. He said another customer had a similiar issue this week!

The problem seems to be either the control module and or wiring harness in my truck is no good, or the bus providing the signal for the module to extend is not supplying a sufficient signal. Yea, that's a real thing. With the preceding customer, he had plugged the harness into the bus and nada. He moved it around into one of the seven other available slots and finally, he found one with enough voltage to send a decent signal to the controller.

Unfortunately for me, I had busted the delicate connector early on and no longer had that option. I tried using some audio style wire splices, but none of the three locations I chose worked either. So I must have something else going on.

Rough Country is sending me out a replacement controller and wiring harness which I will install when it gets here. For now, my goose is cooked, and I am back to driving my truck!

[Flyin6]

Second Thing today:

The subject is the upcoming 5.13 gear change.

First of all, it is scheduled for either the first week in Jan (short fall) or second week in Jan (for sure). Tate: They price-matched your offer to direct sell to me, so I'll just do that. You get the sale in any event. Without too much fanfare, that should all happen, and I'll get the Jeep properly geared.

As for the axle truss, I engaged my dealership to get their feelings about the non-stock jeep stuff vs the factory warranty. This ignited quite the discussion when a writer stated anything, not of factory manufacturer found on the vehicle voids the factory warranty. Welp, that's a no-go, so I pushed back a bit, "Anything not manufactured by Mopar and I lose my warranty?" I asked. So I continued asking, what if I use non-factory wax or non-factory oil or filters for the engine?

That caused a moment of silence. My point is, I insisted, that some things are certainly permitted, so since my Jeep is already a highly modified AEV creation, what about that? Well, they went tilt and the conversation ended up at Mopar headquarters. They started a case file and pushed it back down to the regional representative. Apparently, he is the guy (or she is the gal) who makes such determinations. I will get my moment to be heard.

I was not asking to install the 5.13 gears, that is on me, and AEV already has the axles. What this was about was the axle truss High-Lift Jeep wanted to install. I wanted to do that, but am not willing to toss the factory warranty at the moment.

I can see some peripheral issues coming up halfway between here and Moab where I need Jeep support.

More to come on this issue...

[JR]

I believe that law states that the add on has to be proven to cause harm to the factory parts to void the warranty.

[stlaser]

Other logic here is that the add on may void the axle assembly warranty, however that’s now on the modifier shop imo. Worst case scenario you go one tons which should have been the first direction anyhow…. 

[JR]

Other logic here is that the add on may void the axle assembly warranty, however that’s now on the modifier shop imo. Worst case scenario you go one tons which should have been the first direction anyhow…. 

Skip all the upgrades and go here, just $$$ and you know its solid.

[Flyin6]

You people are psycho!

1-ton axles in a vehicle whose engine makes 40 BHP!

And you just added 600 lbs in weight to!

Psycho

[stlaser]

You people are psycho!

1-ton axles in a vehicle whose engine makes 40 BHP!

And you just added 600 lbs in weight to!

Psycho

Just drop to a lower ratio, rpms will make up the difference! 

[TexasRedNeck]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act

https://lloydsautomotive.net/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-magnuson-moss-act/

Don, legally they cannot void your warranty unless they can prove the aftermarket part caused the failure.

If you have an axle failure after trussing or sleeving, it’s not a stretch for them to blame either your gears or the truss/sleeves, but an engine failure would be hard to tie back to an axle modification. 


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[Flyin6]

Since I am awaiting parts to finish the running board installation, and I do not wish to reassemble the interior just to have to remove everything again, it is a good time to install the winch.

Stock:

[Flyin6]

I went into this thing thinking I would just remove the top block-off plate, install the winch mount plate, then drop in the winch and be done in an hour

I was quite surprised.

AEV manufacturers highly engineered parts. Everything overlaps the adjacent parts and completely integrates. They must have reviewed the ankle bone is connected to the elbow bone before designing this thing.

The dissembly and discovery process begins:

[Flyin6]

The lights are super heavy duty and very heavy. They may be 10 pounds ea.! I may just be looking for a lightweight replacement in the future and save these for one of my tractors.

The winch mount plate is heavy as well. but when carrying the load for a 10K-12K winch, it needs to be

[Flyin6]

That plate will NOT fit into the bumper while it is mounted to the Jeep  :-(   

The wings are also captured by the front cover (Yes the bumper actually has a hot-stamped boron-steel front cover. All that is to save weight while being uber-strong. Suffice it to say there is considerable disassembly required and it is not a 2-hour job...BY FAR!

So the disassembly continues:

[Flyin6]

With all the bolts finally actually discovered I set the bumper on top of the frame. Those bolts can be obvious or be on the bottom/backside or come in from either side! If you see a bolt, remove it!

[Flyin6]

Shawn, shut your eyes, I care about your feelings and do not wish to upset you

No, I did not choose a $2300 Warn winch but picked up a Black Friday discounted Harbor Freight 12 K winch, the really good one.

After reading the reviews, I can see that this is one of those pieces HF will throw a bunch of money into just to get their name out there. I watched a vid where a JT owner winched up several other vehicles on this steep incline in BC. He made the comment that he could just not kill this winch.

Just look at the beef of that hook!

[Flyin6]

I added some silicone to the square nuts to keep them from falling out now and in the future should I remove it for some reason, then I set it in place and bolted it in

The second photo shows an area of interference that had to be removed so I could release the clutch for free wheeling.

[Flyin6]

I adjusted the bumper with a cutoff wheel and a file to make it easy to flip the free-wheeling lever

I'll coat the bare metal edges later

[Flyin6]

Next I installed the Hause plate which was finished nicely, then called it a night

[Bigdave_185]

Looks like it belongs right there !!


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[JR]

I hear nothing but good about the HF winches. Was one bad review from the wranglestar dude who bolted it to an alum bumper, then broke the housing.

Just don't bump any trailer hitches.

[Flyin6]

I hear nothing but good about the HF winches. Was one bad review from the wranglestar dude who bolted it to an alum bumper, then broke the housing.

Just don't bump any trailer hitches.

I'll be on the look out ;-)

[Flyin6]

OK, just finished a second day (just a few hours) on this project.

I could have finished it, but I like to work slowly and put a lot of thought into every step that adds a lot of work time.

I started off wiring the thing. First, I went to the attached cable and quickly noticed there was only one attached cable, the positive side.

I routed it away from moving things in that cramped engine compartment up to a supplied battery shutoff then to the battery. I had to create a mount for the switch which I made from 1.5" aluminum angle.

[Flyin6]

And, yes, the hood closed with room to spare!

[Flyin6]

I would have attached the ground cable if I had realized it was not a part of the loomed attached cable, so of course, I had to go find that

And wouldn't ya know it, it was hidden from view, so I had to pull the sway bar to get access. Next, I dropped the nut inside the case of the winch and lost that. Luckily, HF supplies a very complete accessories packet that had some brass stud extenders. I attached that and routed the black cable to it, then directly to the battery.

A quick check showed I had power to the winch so I gave it a quick test. It sounds very well-built and powerful.

Note that to get the power you move the switch to what would normally be the cutoff position!