Monthly Archives: May 2020

How to: Open Air Freedom – Removing Jeep Doors and Roof

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Open air freedom … everyone loves a convertible. That feel of the Summer sun on your face and all that fresh air rushing past.

Jeep has served our love for open air freedom for many years with the Wrangler. Traditionally, removing the top from any Wrangler was a little daunting. Over the years, Jeep has evolved finding new ways for Jeep owners to quickly and easily enjoy this open air freedom that we all love. Most recently, Wrangler models have become super easy to convert and the newest edition, the Gladiator is no exception. Now, the highly sought after ‘open air freedom’ is as easy as removing a few bolts and can be accomplished pretty much solo or with very little assistance.

Byron Hurd with Autoblog put this great video together. Using the 2020 Gladiator Rubicon as his model and only the tool kit that is included with every Wrangler and Gladiator purchase, he gives us a step by step guide to removing the doors, freedom panels and clam shell.

Give it a look, I think you’ll agree – easy, peasy, lemon squeezy! Click here to watch video.

FCA What’s Behind: S1E2 – South Africa – The Desert Test

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Posted in FCA What's Behind

Welcome to Upington! Another place I had never heard of let alone been to. This location is also perfect testing ground for all FCA vehicles!

From COLD to HOT … FCA uses this location to perform very similar brutal temperature testing. This time in +50C temperatures just outside Upington, South Africa – in the true desert and the sunniest place on the planet.

Here, vehicle systems are again put through their paces and mountains of data is captured. This data is critically analyzed in order to implement necessary changes on every nut and bolt, computerized systems, fabrics/plastics/paints, and more!

The rugged landscape and sand dunes are perfect testing ground for off-roading systems as well. The chemical composition of the sand is useful for carrying out extreme traction and dis-engagement tests.

To check out more of the extreme testing in the hottest tempertures and some of the most brutal conditions, check out more in this video

FCA What’s Behind: S1E1 – Arjeplog

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What the heck is Arjeplog??!! I was thinking the same thing!! Is it a wacky new model? Never, ever have I heard this word before…

Well, it’s actually a place … a very far away place. And it’s COLD!!! On the borders of the Arctic circle ‘to be exact’ … so very cold – all year. Definitely not a tourist destination, but perfect testing ground! Testing cars that is.

FCA carries out cold testing on vehicles at an FCA testing site in Arjeplog. All vehicle systems are put through their paces in brutal -40C temperatures and mountains of snow. Vehicles are either transported to Arjeplog equipped with all their data gathering instruments, or they are driven 3000km from Italy – all while collecting data.

Hundreds of professionals are stationed in Arjeplog every year to complete a number of quality controlled tests on snow covered tracks.

It’s really is quite the operation, check out more in this video