1970 Gladiator Restomod

[BaldBeardedBastard]

Awesome news! It's normally a small detail that makes the whole procession grind to a halt. I had the same issue with my trans controller.

What is your highway cruising rpm?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Yeller]

Thanks!

65mph is 2000rpm. Its a little higher than I was wanting, I was really looking at using 3.54 gears to get down to 1750 at 65 but ultimately decided that I wanted more umf from 4.10's. I even contemplated splitting the middle and doing 3.73's. I know from other builds the wind resistance is a bigger influence on MPG than engine RPM, will it be as good as lower, no, but for me the penalty was small enough to make it an easy decision. I spent way too much time digging into that LOL

also keep in mind the 4L80E has a shorter OD than the 4l60E, .75 for the 4L80E and .7 for the 4L60E. My same set up with 4.10's and 33's with a 4L60E would be 1875rpm at 65. The 4L60E also is more forgiving for taller gear ratio it has a 3.05 1st gear VS 2.48 for the 4L80E. So your set up with the diesel your take off in 1st. 3.54 axle gears with a 4L60 give you similar gearing as a 4L80 with 4.10's in 1st gear

[BaldBeardedBastard]

You read my mind with the question behind the question- I have a set of 3.73s that are on the list to get installed and I've been thinking a lot on highway cruise speed. The 3.31 rear and my .70 overdrive is just a bit too long legged for where I want to cruise speedwise.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Yeller]

I bet it is, guessing your 1500-1550 at 65, which is well below the 1800rpm peak torque. 3.73's will be much better, being at 68ish at 1800, it should be much happier there, probably more efficient too.

[Yeller]

Took the truck for a 30 mile drive today. Needs an alignment, toe is slightly out and the adjuster is thoroughly frozen, heated it up cherry red and it still wouldn’t move, so even though it’s not worn out I need to replace it. I also think it needs more castor, it just feels weird from what I can reference from it is in spec but an alignment will give me real numbers, it is adjustable with the upper link so it can be dialed in if needed. But the weirdness could just be from the toe out and tight parts.

[tgreese]

Sorry if this seems obsessive.

It's "caster" not "castor." Castor is a poisonous bean used to make castor oil, or the genus for beavers, or one of the twins in Greek and Roman mythology: Castor and Pollux aka Gemini, or a star in the Gemini constellation. Caster angle is a component of suspension geometry named after the casters on your shopping cart or baby carriage.

Caster angle is the angle by which the base of the wheel leads the steering axis. Our Jeeps have positive caster angle, which is stable in the forward direction. Negative caster angle (like the casters on your shopping cart) often flop around as they roll, which you've probably seen and maybe wondered about.

If you search for castor, you'll find a lot of interesting topics but nothing related to our Jeeps. Spell it right as "caster angle" and you'll find a lot of useful and relevant info.

[Yeller]

Thanks for pointing out my typo Tim. Are you an English teacher by chance?

I do have a firm grasp on what "Caster Angle" is, what it does, why its important, why not enough is bad, and why too much is not good either.

[tgreese]

Nope. Job description is physicist.

It's not you. I know what you meant and that you understood what you meant. It's a common spelling mistake, and it bugs me when I see it. There is so much meaning behind the spelling difference.

[Yeller]

No offense taken, I was just curious, I have those bugs too

[Yeller]

While I was out cruising this afternoon I stopped by to visit a buddy that manages the local Jeep dealer, this is his that I parked next too, he has several. I really tried to purchase this truck from him before I bought mine but he has an attachment to it from a promise, speaks volumes about his character, especially from a guy that peddles cars for a living.

Just for fun I parked next to a 22 Gladiator

[BaldBeardedBastard]

While I was out cruising this afternoon I stopped by to visit a buddy that manages the local Jeep dealer, this is his that I parked next too, he has several. I really tried to purchase this truck from him before I bought mine but he has an attachment to it from a promise, speaks volumes about his character, especially from a guy that peddles cars for a living.

Just for fun I parked next to a 22 Gladiator

The gladiator pic is great- love seeing the size and ride height comparison!

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Yeller]

Thanks, me too!

I did measure the height difference at the fender flair, 4”. By judging the drag link angle they were the exact same suspension height when I started. I measured the tire height difference, I wound up with about 1-1/2” of lift, pretty close to the 2” I was chasing. I set the coil buckets up so I could add a spacer if I needed or wanted too. Also early Bronco coils are available in a few different rates and everything from stock up to 5.5” of lift in 1” increments, so I have lots of flexibility available

[tgreese]

Gosh, the new Wranglers are big. I'm used to CJs, and the flat fenders especially are pocket sized compared to the modern Wrangler. Bedroom slippers vs. hiking boots.

[Yeller]

yes there is nothing "small" about a new Wrangler except left arm room at the door, even that is much better than it was in earlier models. The axles in a Ruby are wider than the axles in my J truck, axles in a normal JL are the same width, its crazy how big they are, this gladiator was significantly longer in wheelbase and overall length as well. Need to do this again and see if I can get some drone pics comparing overall size.

[tgreese]

yes there is nothing "small" about a new Wrangler except left arm room at the door ...

Hear hear. I hated that, and bought the KL instead.

[Yeller]

How do you like the KL? Been mildly considering replacing my wife's 11 year old FJ and it is on the list.

[tgreese]

It's been great, though I'm not a fan of the shift characterisitics. Supposedly the newer ones are better. There's a thread here - https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 40#p155787

Not much time to respond now - later.

[tgreese]

It gets waaaay better mileage than an FJ. I can coax 27mpg from it at 70 on long trips. I really like the engine. I understand the 3.2L V6 only appears in the KL now; they used to put it in the Dart, but no more. A Trailhawk KL has a 60:1 low range, which the lesser models are missing. Excellent in the snow - it just goes. Mine came to me with Blizzak DM-V2s which probably matters.

[Yeller]

Thanks Tim
A trailhawk is what is on the radar. It doesn't get many miles so mileage isn't a huge factor but does help. It doesn't have to be a super performer off road but it does need clearance and low range, we do take some family trips with other family so room for 4 adults reasonably comfortable for an hour or 2 at a time is important, if making a long road trip and planning on some light wheeling we usually trailer it behind the F350 that is the most comfortable long haul sitting vehicle I've ever owned and has ample room for 4 adults to spread out and be comfy. Although light wheeling to me is very extreme for many... I consider Hell's Revenge in Moab "light" LOL. A 4 runner, 4 door Wrangler or new bronco are probably more appropriate.

[Yeller]

Been putting some miles on the truck and tweaking some things getting everything dialed in. Everything works, it’s staying cool, drives great and rivals a new truck for ride quality. The bad, engine needs tuned. For space constraints I changed the mass air flow sensor to a different model, which the computer isn’t calibrated for. It’s not terrible but for the first 5 minutes it runs rough, occasionally it starts hard after it’s warmed up. I’ll deal with it until I can get it tuned.

One of my short comings was the reverse lights no longer worked since I abandoned the column shifter. So I dug out the plug for the range selector switch out of the trash and wired it to the reverse lights. The lights now work off of the range selector on the transmission, nice clean and simple. To me it’s the details that make a nice conversion, eventually I’d like to get the shifter back on the column, but time will tell if that happens or not.