Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The "Glendora Garage"

[Dan in Pasadena]

By happenstance I found that the tonneau cover straps form a loop when the tonneau is unrolled. Provides a nice spot for the cargo bar I carry not to slide around back there.



I made an appointment to have Line-X Pro applied to the bed but man oh man is it expensive. $650 for this little bed! I don't think I paid that much when I had my '08 dually bed done; granted that was 12 years ago. I guess "buy once/cry once" applies. Sheesh.

I'm sorely tempted to put one of these stickers on my truck, lol

 

[racer-john]

That we are!

 

[xtremek]

Jeep likes to be cute with their color names. It’s called Sting Gray.

It's a Chrysler thing. Remember Sublime, Plum Crazy?

 

[kaymccampbell]

Nice Beep. Glad you're enjoying it. They were more than a touch pricey last time I was in the dealer.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Hi Kay. Yeah, crazy spendy. Partially the reason I ended up buying this used one rather than leasing a new one. The stealers were having trouble finding one equipped like I wanted. To get the Max Tow option you had to get the Sport S model. But then it didn’t come with some of the other things I wanted. Long story short: I was going to have to put down more cash than I wanted and have a bigger payment than I wanted to get something not exactly as I wanted. If I was going to do that I figured I’d be better off finding a very low miles used one equipped as close as possible - this has a 7000 lb tow limit - plenty. I don’t HAVE to have the 7650 capacity. It has a lot of other stuff I hadn’t planned to buy but of course I like it, premium stereo, leather, tonneau, 115v outlet and so on. And of course I get to keep it as long as I want. (I wasn’t all THAT hot on the idea of leasing anyway!)

 

[don long]

Congrats on the new truck Dan
It will be new right up to when it gets its first scratch lol

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

....It will be new right up to when it gets its first scratch lol

Scratch? Scratch? Well, unfortunately it already has one very small scratch so it isn't truly "new" in the classic sense. I am pretty **** about keeping my vehicles clean and polished. I'm sure I will eventually take it off road just to try it out but for the most part it'll be (like most Jeeps!) a mall crawler. Oh well.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Back in post #480 I mentioned trading tires off my '17JK Jeep to my son-in-law to use on his new Gladiator California Edition in exchange for his new but more tame, narrow tires since I'm selling the JK.

Yesterday I noticed I picked up a wood screw right on the edge of the Gladiator tire between tread and sidewall. Good news is it's probably where the tire rubber is thickest. Bad news is the screw was pretty damn long but it does not leak!! I used the soapy water test before and after. Tire guy (who is a friend) said since it doesn't leak and is not in the sidewall to fill the hole with rubber cement. I said, "Like the Elmer's stuff at the stationary store?" And he said yes. That it works good and will cure well because of the tire warming up. New to me but ok.

 

[xtremek]

Did you go play the Lotto after finding that?

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

It's funny that you mention that because coincidentally, I DID buy a few Super Lotto tickets the next morning. Haven't checked the numbers yet though!

 

[xtremek]

I expect a small (5%) fee for my suggestion, even if it is post purchase.

 

[The J]

Back to the house: I installed a retracting screen door on the single back door. This will allow a nice cross breeze in the afternoon/evenings on the south side of our house.

Kinda spendy but it's a high quality one built to your exact dimensions.

https://casperscreens.com

Lifetime warranty on all the hardware and 3 years on the screen. The only thing is they tell you to measure to 1/16" and I did. The fit was TIGHT! No instructions, no parts list, no picture provided whatsoever. But they put an installation video on YouTube - without telling you!

Anyway, who do they think they're dealing with? I'm a GJ'er, I got this! Didn't even have to curse it into submission and it works good.

I have a call in to Casper about their option for a track protector and if a threshold adapter is available.
I'm not finding clear info on their site on those items.

Can you give me your 1 month review of the screen? Does it slide smoothly and evenly?
Did you get the threshold adapter?

Thanks!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

The short answer is I've removed this retracting screen and gotten my money back. Almost immediately it wouldn't open and retract smoothly. That got worse and worse until I'd have to "help" it to retract at the same speed top and bottom. Finally it came off the track a few times and was a pain to get it back on and smoothed out. For $300 and I had to install it myself? Oh hell no! Finally just gave up on it. I'm going to be looking for a different brand.

 

[The J]

The short answer is I've removed this retracting screen and gotten my money back. Almost immediately it wouldn't open and retract smoothly. That got worse and worse until I'd have to "help" it to retract at the same speed top and bottom. Finally it came off the track a few times and was a pain to get it back on and smoothed out. For $300 and I had to install it myself? Oh hell no! Finally just gave up on it. I'm going to be looking for a different brand.

Wow, thanks for the feedback. Not what I expected to hear.

I bought a Andersen LuminAire screen door where the threshold adapter in their 36" door kit is only 30.5" long, and unpainted (unfinished aluminum), leaving the most visible portion unmatching and with gaps at both sides. They do sell a longer piece (isn't that convenient?) but don't include it with the kit. Still would need to be painted...

I'm annoyed at their decision, so when I saw your post the other week, I thought I should give Casper a try.

The rest of the parts in the LuminAire kit are high quality. The Andersen also needs to be mounted to the face of the door frame instead of being able to go inside of it. I was hoping for a lower profile piece that would be less noticeable. If I can get the threshold sorted then I will install the Andersen.


Now, back to regular garage programming!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

This is annoying as hell. My new-to-me Gladiator came with Mopar tonneau. It was held in place by aluminum clamps. I ordered Mopar bedrails and installed them today. They DON'T FIT with the factory tonneau in place - WTF?! I had to re-attach the tonneau sides w/3/4" zinc self-drillers or I couldn't have both tonneau & rails. I HATE drilling holes in my new truck.

Also, the crappy instructions show 12 bolts provided to install these rails, 4 per side. BUT, the side rails have one additional hole on a built-in angle at each end. They give you 2 T nuts but then no bolts! 2 frickin' bolts intentionally left out. Cheap bastards.

The original clamps. They hang down into where the rails are bolted.


The 3 shiny heads of the self-drillers. Neater but I HATE drilling holes in my new truck. UGH!


The instructions show bolt "D" as both a hex head and as a Torx head bolt.


EDIT: I posted this same complaint on a Jeep website and it turns out this tonneau is NOT a Mopar factory unit. It's one called an "Access Literider." It works great except for intruding into where the bed rails go. The self drilling screws work fine I just hated having to do it. I'd have had to either modify the clamps or find some kind of replacements that would fit in the tiiight space between the tonneau side mounts and the top of the bed rails. Oh well. I'll spray some Gibbs oil on them and they shouldn't rust.

 

[xtremek]

Paint the heads black?

 

[DennisK]

This is annoying as hell. My new-to-me Gladiator came with Mopar tonneau. It was held in place by aluminum clamps. I ordered Mopar bedrails and installed them today. They DON'T FIT with the factory tonneau in place - WTF?! I had to re-attach the tonneau sides w/3/4" zinc self-drillers or I couldn't have both tonneau & rails. I HATE drilling holes in my new truck.

Also, the crappy instructions show 12 bolts provided to install these rails, 4 per side. BUT, the side rails have one additional hole on a built-in angle at each end. They give you 2 T nuts but then no bolts! 2 frickin' bolts intentionally left out. Cheap bastards.

The original clamps. They hang down into where the rails are bolted.


The 3 shiny heads of the self-drillers. Neater but I HATE drilling holes in my new truck. UGH!


The instructions show bolt "D" as both a hex head and as a Torx head bolt.


EDIT: I posted this same complaint on a Jeep website and it turns out this tonneau is NOT a Mopar factory unit. It's one called an "Access Literider." It works great except for intruding into where the bed rails go. The self drilling screws work fine I just hated having to do it. I'd have had to either modify the clamps or find some kind of replacements that would fit in the tiiight space between the tonneau side mounts and the top of the bed rails. Oh well. I'll spray some Gibbs oil on them and they shouldn't rust.

You're clamps looked upside down, grooved ends need to be in the track grooves.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Paint the heads black?

Yes, I will.

You're clamps looked upside down, grooved ends need to be in the track grooves.

They are. I just threw them on to take a picture of ABOUT how they looked when they were properly installed. There are grooves on all the clamping surfaces. When installed the jaws are offset, not aligned as shown in the picture.

 

[bugnut]

Dan I hear you loud and clear about drilling holes in new vehicles. I nearly cried when the barbarians at the stealership installed the plastic bed liner in my Dakota, many moons ago. The gorillas just jumped onto the power driver and poked many holes in the rails and tailgate. I should not have been worried as the frame rotted out first. But it sure hurts watching the paint give way to a rust depository!

 

[captain14]

When the dealership replaced my battery in my Pontiac the “TECH” used pliers to loosen and tighten the GM style fasteners instead of the correct size of wrench. Chewed both fastener heads up. How soon do you think I called the service manager on that?

Under warranty, slightly over one year old.
They were also a Dodge dealer.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

You guys may be too young to remember the short films they would show us in high school shop classes about "Primitive Pete".

He used all the tools improperly. Actually kind of entertaining as a kid but it DID teach us the right tool for the job and the right way to use them.

 

[don long]

I remember that guy
Hey Dan I had to come lookin for your thread tonite. It's been a bit quiet lately!!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Brought this baby in from Costco today. 21.8 cubic feet.



My girlfriend's mother is in hospice home care at our house and the entire clan is here from Thailand, Seattle, Northern Cal, and other places. Eight brothers & sisters so it truly IS a "Clan" (...Of The Cave Bear if you're old enough to remember that book) We've run out of food storage space a couple times already. Been using our RV's small fridge, tiny garage beer/soda fridge, and even ice chests and finally decided we just needed more space. Went looking for a small horizontal freezer at Costco but they didn't have any! Just as well, we need both fridge and freezer space.

It's not in it's final place. I'm thinking about how to/how big a garage reset to better integrate it in there but that is all to come.

 

[PugetDude]

Sorry to hear about your girlfriend's Mother, Dan. We went throught hospice with my MIL and FIL in the first quarter of this year. I honestly don't know how those hospice worker do it. Hope she passes peacefully.

 

[xtremek]

Bummer news. Prayers for you, your wife, and her family.

 

[Bears Fan]

Congrats on the new Gladiator! I have a friend that just bought one and the same color too, he got the diesel in his and he loves all the torque that it has Finally you have a beer fridge in the garage

Good luck with the family.

 

[Bob Heine]

Dan, before you know it that extra cooling capacity will be an ongoing necessity. Before we go to Costco, I check the fridge and freezer in the house as well as the freezer and fridge in the garage to determine how much we can hoard. We've managed to cut Costco trips down to six a year. Still making a fancy-car down payment each time (not really sure how much that is because I pay cash for my used cars but I think it's a lot of money).

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Sorry to hear about your girlfriend's Mother, Dan. We went through hospice with my MIL and FIL in the first quarter of this year. I honestly don't know how those hospice worker do it. Hope she passes peacefully.

Bummer news. Prayers for you, your wife, and her family.

Congrats on the new Gladiator! I have a friend that just bought one and the same color too, he got the diesel in his and he loves all the torque that it has Finally you have a beer fridge in the garage

Thanks guys. It's really tough. The siblings have been doing all the hospice care until just recently when they got a nurse assigned a few hours per day. She just turned 99 a couple days ago and has severe osteoporosis. It has ravaged her skeleton....which is now essentially disintegrating. Her mind has been clear up until now that they've put her on heavier pain meds. Now she seems clear headed and then will either see something or even someONE who isn't there!

We moved her in with us near the start of the quarantine as the old folks in her retirement home were getting COVID there left and right. Many not coming back from the hospital. We set up our office and dining room as close to her place as we could. She'd use her walker to take laps around the house, watch Spanish language tv between naps all day, then in the evening come in and watch the Dodgers with me. She likes sports a lot - mostly baseball and soccer. All that is over now. She can't rise and that's the kiss of death to all of us. Bed ridden is bed ruined for most.

Dan, before you know it that extra cooling capacity will be an ongoing necessity. Before we go to Costco, I check the fridge and freezer in the house as well as the freezer and fridge in the garage to determine how much we can hoard. We've managed to cut Costco trips down to six a year. Still making a fancy-car down payment each time (not really sure how much that is because I pay cash for my used cars but I think it's a lot of money).

Yeah, our Costco runs had gotten frequent the last month-plus since this started. As family members come and go we've had all the beds in the house in use plus two queen size inflatable mattresses and the RV beds too. A bit of a zoo but everyone's been cool about contributing help one way or another. I guess that's a tribute to Estela as she raised them and I can't imagine raising 8 kids (5 boys & 3 girls) in a poor tough neighborhood was easy. None of them were ever in gangs or in trouble with the law and that alone in that neighborhood was an accomplishment!

PS to Bearsfan: I'm really pleased with the Gladiator. It's obviously an entirely different experience than the '14 GMC 2500HD. Drives very nice, is the perfect size for me at this stage of my life and I plan on keeping it long, long term.

 

[xtremek]

Sounds like an incredible lady, and an incredible bunch of kids.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Xtremek - Thank you so much for the kind comment. Yes, she has lived an incredible life. She won a beauty contest in a tiny town in Mexico when she was 17 and then was blessed with a long life, and I feel was a positive contributor to the world by bringing up such a large family so well. We should all be so blessed.

 

[don long]

happy to see your thread up tonite Dan. sorry to hear that the time is near for your family but appreciate the positive mind set.
a house full of guests is always a challenge i'm sure

 

[hardtop5000]

My best wishes to you and all your family, Dan.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks to all you guys for the kind words. A tough time here watching her slip away. She’s lived so long and has such fight in her I’m afraid she will linger a long time. The doctor just put her on Fentanyl patches and I’ve heard that it’s is a super powerful pain med. Super addictive and dangerous too. The siblings have to put on gloves to apply the patches to her and be very carful with the paper that comes off it.

She’s such an nice, wise lady. My biological grand daughters are not real blood relations to her but she has always been very loving to them. I consider her the “baby whisperer” - she just knows all about raising children. Best wishes and long lives to you and our loved ones. Apologies for going on about this. It weighs heavy right now. - Dan

 

[kaymccampbell]

Hope it all goes as well as it can.

 

[PugetDude]

Dan, you're going to breathe a big sigh of relief when she finally passes. Ignore the inevitable pangs of guilt and regret for doing so; her suffering will be over and she has released you from your burden. Doesn't mean you're not going to miss her, but know you're all going to be able to make plans and get back to your own lives again. Cherish the time you had together and the time ahead.
All the best to you and your family.
Scott

 

[LeonardY]

Best to you and your family, Dan.

 

[WordMan]

Prayers for all involved, Dan.

 

[Jayman17]

Dan, my condolences to you and your family. Sounds like you have many great memories and stories of your mil, these will bring you comfort after she has left this world. She sounds like a great mom...
Edit: I should have said your Gf’s mother not your mil.
Jay

 

[Bob Heine]

Dan, know that you and your extended family are doing everything you can to gently put your girlfriend's mother to rest. Try to focus on the life she led rather than her suffering at the end. Sometimes that makes the grief more bearable. When our family gathers for funerals there is always laughter at some point (not always understood by outsiders).

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

It's been SO damn hot here! Spent the last couple days trimming shrubs front & back and getting cooked by the sun. Today I thought I'd work on some rearranging in the garage around the new fridge that blocked some of my Wall Control pegboard.

I doubled the height above my clean bench and tried to arranging the stuff. I can't tell if I like how things are arranged until I take a picture and live with it a few days. I hate pegboard when they try to put everything they own on it all haphazard - pings my OCD! ha ha.

I added the drill holder/power tool battery rack on the lower right and moved the paper towel bar/shelf to the upper right so I could hang the $25 Costco First Aid kit there closest to the house door. Right now it looks too busy, too crammed to me. Not sure what I'll put in the upper middle area. I also need a surge protector mounted on the right side to plug in the Milwaukee battery chargers.