Jeep JT Gladiator FULL BUILD - Stock to Search & Rescue on Stacey David's Gearz

Every year, thousands of people venture out to explore the trails, mountains, lakes, rivers, and wilderness that cover America. Some people never return. Each year, there are natural disasters like fires, floods, hurricanes, avalanches, or tornadoes that strike unexpectedly and leave hundreds lost, injured, or buried under rubble. In those cases, a quick rescue is needed to prevent disaster.
To make that quick rescue possible, Stacey David has teamed up with BESTOP to build “The Gladiator Search and Rescue,” a state-of-the-art Search and Rescue vehicle to help find those people when the minutes count. The vehicle will be based on a new Jeep Gladiator and built this season by Stacey on the Gearz TV show. The project will also give Stacey a chance to feature S.A.R.D.U.S. SARDUS stands for “Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States” and is a charity that trains rescue personnel and dogs to help find lost people in all kinds of situations from natural disasters to crime scenes and lost hikers.
The Search and Rescue Gladiator will be outfitted with a performance off-road suspension and wheels and tires, as well as heavy duty bumpers and winches for when the going gets rough. Off-road lighting will allow it to see in the dark and other performance upgrades will make sure it can get where it is going in a hurry and back safely. This project is also a good way to show what a great platform the new Jeep Gladiator is, whether you are doing serious Search and Rescue, or just going camping or trail riding. The tried-and-true Jeep suspension combined with the 4 doors and the extra bed space will give any outdoor enthusiast plenty of room to store their gear as they venture off road.
Learn more about the Gladiator Search and Rescue build here: staceydavid.co...
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[@2bcoppins]

Dude! Just found Stacey David on KZbin 1 minute ago. I remember watching him on Saturday mornings growing up. That was almost 25 years ago and this dude hasn’t aged!

[@giggiddy]

Thank you SD for all the years of awesone shows. Nobody has your unique style of showing us how to do these projects. You never sold out to execs. and you stayed true to your roots. Not sure you have any idea what an impact you had on us over the years. But thanks for everything and please never stop. Your friend. Dan

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

I appreciate that!

[@giggiddy]

The times when SD was doing these shows and Powernation had their 4 shows were some of the happiest years of my life. I watched these on cable TV and looked forward to them every weekend. Times were simple and we were optimistic. Ill stop there.....

[@a1racer441]

Yep loved the old power nation days great shows and builds.

[@madmikecustomrcrockcrawlers]

Love the new grill, that's awesome. Thank you Mr David for teaching me over the years. Instead of watching cartoons on a Saturday morning, I grew up watching trucks and then gears. Now I follow you on your KZbin channel. Thank you Mr David for everything you do. Your probably the major reason why I became a ASE certified diesel mechanic. Love my job every day I go to work. God bless you and your Loved ones Mr David

[@dwp139]

This was one of those builds that literally even if you weren't doing a Search and Rescue style vehicle, the Gladiator just provides a great platform to start. My favorite part of this is the decision to do the classis Kaiser-style grille and hood. If it had the overdone "angry" grille, it just would ruin the project.

[@JC_Chappy]

I used to watch Trucks! With my dad on Spike TV. I still dream about Copperhead. Thanks SD!

[@MyDamnWell]

Audible WTF when I saw that grille. A face only a mother could love. 😂

[@johnwymer1215]

Just like yours

[@PreaFTW]

Grill looks dumb AF

[@matthewgoins87]

That’s the only aftermarket Jeep grill that makes sense and actually looks good.

[@stevenhoffman2003]

You forgot to change the gear ratio to help the 37 inch tires

[@Cooltrucker-kq7ob]

I’ve been watching you Stacey from the beginning 🎉🥰

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

Thank you!

[@GymDiver]

Never get tired of Stacey David and Gearz. He has a way of presenting mods in a way that seems fun and easy. Nice job on the Gladiator. Keep it coming!!

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

Thanks!

[@RockNotStock313]

Just got mine yesterday. Love it can’t wait to customize it.

[@philipwilliams6270]

Steel waiting for a update on heavy metal can’t wait to see a final revile love that truck I really love the color I need to see it all together so neat !! 🎉

[@ryannewazada2102]

Aloha Stacey. This is an awesome build-up from ordinary 👏 🙌 👌 😀 😎 😄 👏 to extraordinary. The only irrelevant item is the Tonneau Cover since the rack replaced the Tonneau Cover on the Jeep Gladiator bed. The other concern would be having better and more reliable batteries (Regular Battery and Better Auxiliary Battery).

[@tylermanyshots9521]

I love watching or show for years 😊😊

[@jasonkelly9373]

This is so funny that you guys are building a medical off-road recovery truck or whatever because Trail Recon Brad is building the same thing because he was a military Medical coreman in the Marines

[@defiantance]

This build was actually around 2018 / 2019.

[@jasonkelly9373]

@@defiantance oh okay yeah cuz Brad from Trail Recon he just came up with the idea a few weeks ago to do a medical Gladiator build

[@DUNEATV]

Don’t forget Obama called them Corpsemen ☠️

[@007Knightjp]

Great build. One of the things that I thought this could have benefited was a motorized marine search light mounted near the A-pillar.

[@BEANZ6666]

i think stacey is immortal i dont think he has aged in 30 years

[@jasonkelly9373]

Hey Stacy the bumpers look cool and everything like that but the only downfall about that back bumper is your departure angle is very low I think it could be fixed a little bit better to get a better departure angle on that

[@Eslamizar]

I started watching this fine gentleman on TNN many many years ago….. god bless.

[@DIGTHEVOICE]

Fuel Mileage went from 17MPG to 10MPG in one episode 😂

[@michaelash3381]

Hi Stacey lomng Time fan from way back.

[@R3DNAX3LA.3X3]

I bet the air conditioning in that shop feels amazing. Haven’t seen him break sweat at all 😂 I have to do all of my work in the road in front of my house

[@arnoldflowers-2502]

Omg that front end changes the truck completely.

[@avishekthakuri9319]

Love the way u narrate ...glad to have found your channel...thankyou for all the hardwork that u have put in over the years..👍

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

Thank you!

[@user-gw9dy2nc2v]

thank you for the years of knowledge and expertise you have shared with the world! I have learned an incredible amount from watching your shows through out the years, thank you sir!

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

Wow, thank you!

[@DUNEATV]

Absolutely love the Gladiator! 💪

[@BlueDually4x4]

The grill really set this jeep apart from the rest.

[@ilovecats748]

The zooming into the grill part heheh

[@Jeeptalkshow]

Next week, we add an angry grill! ;) Fun episode. Hopefully this isn't a repeat question, but what gears in the axles? Hopefully it's 4:10 which is still not low enough for the 37s (in my opinion)

[@Jeremy-km4dj]

Love it. it needs radio communications for search and rescue.

[@bryanpetersen1334]

Adding 20”/ 35” BF Goodrich Radial TA/KO2’s lowered the MPG from 21 to 17 MPG. Are there other aggressive tires that don’t kill fuel economy? Too bad the 3.0l turbo diesel is so unreliable, or have they fixed that? Also, I would like to find a (reasonably priced?) full soft top for the Gladiator that folds away easily. That retro grill setup is awesome! The old AMC Jeep J10’s and J30’s went out of production when I started driving in the 80’s. I owned 3 Jeep’s with the AMC 360, I never checked MPG, but I’m sure they ran in the single digits when I drove.

[@autonomous_collective]

Wow, great project build. Thx for sharing....

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

Thanks for watching!

[@medannymichel]

Cheers for that biuld. 🎉

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Wow! What a transformation!👌🥰👍

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

Thank you!

[@brianhumphrey6791]

Nice!

[@mikebiron7339]

Stacy, at the beginning of the build you said you were going to do power improvements for more HP too. What did you end up doing, or is it all stock still under the hood?

[@brettpeckinpaugh]

I hate that new grill, also have to point out how horrible it is function wise. The 2024 grills are almost totally mesh for a reason. You won't get enough air through so might be prone to over heating in some cases, and I would be very careful trying to tow with it.

[@roywadsworth4452]

Stacy there is a miss on the JT is a full brush guard with off road running light

[@nautidad]

49:10 yet they did not install any of BestTop items. In fact swapped it for OEM softtop.

[@stevepauley2437]

Bestop makes the OEM tops

[@reenergizeme]

I have been wanting a Gladiator for a while and love what you did to yours. Curious about before and after GVW and how you deal with all that weight. Axel gearing and MORE POWER!!!!

[@glenbjack]

We need a vise somewhere on that jeep Stacey!!!

[@dazzleyd]

the landrover defender had a soft top option with a pick up ie double cab

[@michaelfrangoudakis823]

Really nice build but if you really intend to put it to some serious use you need to change the gearing in those axles. Changing from 30” tires to 37” tires plus all the weight added I would think it could barely move.

[@garylankford9306]

That build takes a big budget.

[@danrussell9357]

I liked the video, especially the SARDUS content. Did you have to re-gear the diff?

[@TrinaWest-ln4vt]

Awesome build! Thoroughly enjoyed watching that.I just bought a gladiator a few months ago and you gave me some great ideas. Did you have to regear the differentials after adding that much weight and those 37" tires?

[@diablo3610]

i have a question, what is the difference in weight from stock to finished? does it affect fuel consumption by a lot? breaking distance? balance and stability? payload?

[@dariostorni124]

Need to regear for those 37" tires.

[@Gonzo1968]

Nice build, but that poor engine,pushing around about 1 ton of extra weight gotta be taxing on it..If you gonna spend all that money may as well hemi swap it too..

[@mike-pl8sn]

So why did you ever install the Sunrider top?

[@doctorjimmy7011]

Great show Stacy. However, I don’t $30k to put into my Gladiator.

[@timothybickler2104]

Should have put a 392 engine in it not come plenty until u have that

[@mcrypto874]

And what about regear dif???

[@goodinsrt8]

Did you forget gears?

[@darrylgoodman9257]

What happened to the Procharger???

[@madmikescustoms]

Wish y'all would add a link to the awesome part's added to the jeep, like the grill and bumpers ect. Thanks

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

Check out the Gladiator project page: staceydavid.com/projects/gladiator-search-rescue

[@terrypottz8079]

What happened to the exhaust system upgrade, you even had a Flowmaster box?

[@popeye089]

Time stamps would be cool in the future please🤙🏼

[@robdanner3833]

What base Model did you start with?

[@Cooltrucker-kq7ob]

All of that, especially the top should have been an option from the manufacturer

[@dakotamcgregor334]

The stock bumper is too flimsy! Its made of mere plastic!! Good thing that was replaced with a much more durable.. fiberglass.. front end! Those things never break or crack :)

[@paulevans2153]

I’m still waiting for the catalog Camaro

[@bdparker911]

If you think this is cool 😅 Maybe check out patriot games in Australia. That's how you build a Jeep 👌

[@VanceFielder]

Where can I get this grille? Tried the Innovative Auto Creations website and no luck.

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

I believe they have gone out of business unfortunately.

[@bobreynolds8184]

the grill and hood youguys got for this project is really cool. i want the same for my gladiator, i tried researching the company you got it from but the website doesn't go anywhere and there fb page isnt much help either. can u give any details on how to get there product or are they outnof buisness now? thanks love the show and youtube page

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

Unfortunately, I think they might be out of business.

[@kentonseydellaolcp4785]

Max Tow option?

[@diablo3610]

do you have approximate cost?

[@Ucmirolln]

The gladiator, scrambler , and renegade were simply redesigned and resurfaced. Nothing new

[@JendellOverland]

You just ruined the Jeep by changing the grill 😂😢 7 slots have a meaning!

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

The original Gladiator didn't have 7 slots either.

[@JendellOverland]

@@OfficialStaceyDavid I get that, but this one did.

[@dlofton123]

whats up with that beaver on your head

[@TuanNguyen-ld8kl]

Lost me at "skyjacker". 😊

[@stevepauley2437]

At least it wasn’t Rough Country

[@RSTBKT]

I wish Wrangler owners used that grill more, I don't get why they all get that ugly ass angry black grill

[@DIGGER19860]

fun fact, women also come with a removable tops and a bed, not just gladiators.

[@therationalanarchist]

Overall I like the project, I just can't get over how butt ugly that front end is. It ruins the look of that jeep.

[@ericdoris8852]

Really should've done all that work to a old one. Even if you polish it a turd is a turd. So ugly

[@JNorth87]

In my humble opinion, that is the ugliest front end I've ever seen on a modern vehicle.

[@Ant_carr]

Man that front end is ugly haha I like the rest of it though

[@roumyaranjanhota]

Justin Trudeau

[@michaelquatrano6189]

Too much glamour. Show me function.

[@S.and.T.Adventure]

No. Just no.

[@BigPubez69]

Such a perfect, practical setup. Very inspiring and stylish

[@OfficialStaceyDavid]

Glad you like it!

[@johnfasheh6842]

Ron Jeremy makes an Ugly Truck even uglier.😂

[@user-do3dr1bi6f]

Автомобиль ОК!!! Однако, я не понял, причем здесь, на этом уважаемом канале, постравматические украинцы с псами войны? Я в шоке от политизированности канала. Ужас и боль. Украинцы оккупируют США??? На какого Мыколу тратятся ваши доходы? Давайте говорить о гладиаторах, а не о проигравших войну.

[@crbrepairmotorcycles6608]

Endless options for jeeps, step 2 its expensive, Is that your real hair or a wig 🤔

[@giggiddy]

What an ignorant comment. Did you and your mommy come up with that in the shower together?

[@Toddscamry-lk5wr]

I wouldnt waste my time or money on a POS jeep there garbage

[@browndigity420]

This guy' is so fake it's sickening

[@giggiddy]

So is your stank sister. Douche.

[@StartBuildingYourDreams]

Love it! I watched too much Trucks/ Gears back in the day…If you like Gladiators, My Project Rampage Series is sort of my tribute to you guys! 🫡

[@giggiddy]

I don't think its possible to watch TOO MUCH of those shows. But I'm with you. I absolutely loved them.

[@avishekthakuri9319]

Love the way u narrate ...glad to have found your channel...thankyou for all the hardwork that u have put in over the years..👍