Goose Gear Build Thread

Hello folks,

In our history, we have not done detailed build threads. But I feel that this vehicle warrants the effort from the team. We will most likely trim comments to items that are relevant to our build as a source for other users to get detailed information about what we do and why. Less about wheels tires, suspension etc as that is not our area of expertise. We will tell you what we did with other vendors, how and why. But we will probably not answer a lot of questions about those areas of the build.

Thank you and we are very excited to build out our new Grenadier.

 

[GooseGear]

Vehicle Weight and Weight Distribution

I am amazed at how balanced this vehicle is. But also concerned about the same. My concern stems from my company adding a bunch of gear to the back of your rig and setting the balance off. I do believe that we will come to a good balance, but it will require some thought, particularly when we begin working on the Venture Series product line for the pop top.

We corner scaled the truck in completely stock condition, with a full tank of gas. Our Grenadier is a Trialmaster and it has the factory second battery option. The vehicle weighed in at 6055 pounds without humans. Cross balance was good at 51% and front to rear was equally good at 51%.

 

[GooseGear]

Second Row Seat Delete

Oh baby…so much room for activities and we cut out 56 pounds by removing the second row of seats and framing… for now. We will be installing a CampKitchen and a Grenadier specific Drawer module very soon. The rear plate is installed and is connected to the 100% second row delete option. The second row 100% delete ties into the rear plate system for a continuous foundation to build upon, which we will be doing in short order.

The rear plate system does not require the removal of the second row seats. As shown below.

View attachment IMG_0846.jpg

Next week we will continue on a couple of custom side x side drawer module options and shortly after we will begin working on two more versions of seat deletes.

View attachment IMG_0890.jpg

 

[DaBull]

Second Row Seat Delete

Oh baby…so much room for activities and we cut out 56 pounds by removing the second row of seats and framing… for now. We will be installing a CampKitchen and a Grenadier specific Drawer module very soon. The rear plate is installed and is connected to the 100% second row delete option. The second row 100% delete ties into the rear plate system for a continuous foundation to build upon, which we will be doing in short order.

The rear plate system does not require the removal of the second row seats. As shown below.

View attachment 7840190

Next week we will continue on a couple of custom side x side drawer module options and shortly after we will begin working on two more versions of seat deletes.

View attachment 7840189

Hi GooseGear, The upright portion of the rear seat in the Grenadier is very upright and not as comfortable for rear passengers. Some really nice aftermarket brackets are now available to allow the rear seat back to slant back approximately 2" further back at the top, thereby providing a much more comfortable rear seat back position for passengers, especially on longer trips. I have purchased the brackets and many others on the forum too., The reason I mention this is that when designing your drawer system for the rear portion only, it would be great if you took this into consideration when designing and building them so that the drawers would fit and not be too long. They brackets are super simple to install and I would be happy to send you mine overnight to you so that you could install them on your build and thereby take accurate measurements so your drawer system would work for those of us using these brackets. I have posted a couple links that show these brackets installed including videos showing the ease of installation along with how they effect the back slant. From detailed measurements on the links, you will see that the very top of the seat slants back exactly 55.20mm or 2.17". The best I can tell by looking at the photos, is that if your drawer system was 10-12" high, you would only need to shorten your drawers by approximately 1".
I know every inch in storage counts, however being able to accommodate those of us using the brackets would result in more orders for your drawer system. Just thought I would get this info to you now while you are in the design stage. I, like many may be interested in purchasing a drawer system from you and it would be great if your drawers would fit too. Let me know if you would like me to overnight my brackets to you at my expense. Please look carefully at all the photos and videos in these 2 links to get a better idea of the simple install as well as how they would affect drawer length, likely no more than an inch or so. DaBull

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155921256136?mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-

Rear Seat Backrest Adjustment Bracket Passend Für Ineos Grenadier 2020-2024 | eBay

Fit For Ineos Grenadier 2022-2024. Am 11.12.2023 hat der Verkäufer die folgenden Angaben hinzugefügt The original second row seats are too vertical. Our product can adjust the angle of the second row seats.

www.ebay.com

 

[GooseGear]

Hi GooseGear, The upright portion of the rear seat in the Grenadier is very upright and not as comfortable for rear passengers. Some really nice aftermarket brackets are now available to allow the rear seat back to slant back approximately 2" further back at the top, thereby providing a much more comfortable rear seat back position for passengers, especially on longer trips. I have purchased the brackets and many others on the forum too., The reason I mention this is that when designing your drawer system for the rear portion only, it would be great if you took this into consideration when designing and building them so that the drawers would fit and not be too long. They brackets are super simple to install and I would be happy to send you mine overnight to you so that you could install them on your build and thereby take accurate measurements so your drawer system would work for those of us using these brackets. I have posted a couple links that show these brackets installed including videos showing the ease of installation along with how they effect the back slant. From detailed measurements on the links, you will see that the very top of the seat slants back exactly 55.20mm or 2.17". The best I can tell by looking at the photos, is that if your drawer system was 10-12" high, you would only need to shorten your drawers by approximately 1".
I know every inch in storage counts, however being able to accommodate those of us using the brackets would result in more orders for your drawer system. Just thought I would get this info to you now while you are in the design stage. I, like many may be interested in purchasing a drawer system from you and it would be great if your drawers would fit too. Let me know if you would like me to overnight my brackets to you at my expense. Please look carefully at all the photos and videos in these 2 links to get a better idea of the simple install as well as how they would affect drawer length, likely no more than an inch or so. DaBull

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155921256136?mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-

Rear Seat Backrest Adjustment Bracket Passend Für Ineos Grenadier 2020-2024 | eBay

Fit For Ineos Grenadier 2022-2024. Am 11.12.2023 hat der Verkäufer die folgenden Angaben hinzugefügt The original second row seats are too vertical. Our product can adjust the angle of the second row seats.

www.ebay.com

Send them over and we will install and check it out. The good news is that if you were to opt for a CampKitchen, you could order the version 2.3 which is shorter by 3” (76.2mm) at the top. It will not accommodate the National Luna 50/52. But you could fit Engel 45 or Dometic 45 or if you remove the rear handle, or other similar sized fridges.

It will be nice to check the drawer fitment and I appreciate your effort.

If you can email the office sales@goose-gear.com with your complete contact info and shipping address. I will send you a prepaid shipping label to send them to us and we will get them back to you within a week.

Thank you,

Brian

 

[DaBull]

Send them over and we will install and check it out. The good news is that if you were to opt for a CampKitchen, you could order the version 2.3 which is shorter by 3” (76.2mm) at the top. It will not accommodate the National Luna 50/52. But you could fit Engel 45 or Dometic 45 or if you remove the rear handle, or other similar sized fridges.

It will be nice to check the drawer fitment and I appreciate your effort.

If you can email the office sales@goose-gear.com with your complete contact info and shipping address. I will send you a prepaid shipping label to send them to us and we will get them back to you within a week.

Thank you,

Brian

Hi Brian, Just emailed you my address and shipping label. Will ship brackets to you upon receipt of shipping label.
Thanks for your interest! DaBull

 

[GooseGear]

Wheels and Tires

As per forum guidelines. We are sponsored by Method and Toyo.

Having said that, we have our choice of wheel and tire combo from various manufacturers. I have used Toyos' in the past and most recently had them on the Goose Gear Land Cruiser. On my last 4 rigs we have used Method Race Wheels and the main reason I choose them, is because of the Bead Grip Technology. It is not a bead lock wheel, but it does provide much better bead control than a non-bead grip wheel, which is everything else on the market since Method holds the patent. At the shop near us and a Goose Gear Dealer, Adventure Off Road in Huntington Beach. We were joking with the technician that installed the tires about how much fun it is to dismount tires off of Method Bead Grip wheels and he quickly displayed his dissatisfaction with the process and the store General Manager said that sometimes they have to take the wheels to a big rig shop that has a stronger tire machine to dismount the tires from the wheels. There's your testimonial.

With that out of the way, photos...
View attachment IMG_0923.jpg
We flexed the truck with and without sway bars connected. As expected, the disconnected sway bar performed better.
View attachment IMG_0966.jpg


View attachment IMG_0964.jpg

View attachment IMG_0954.jpg

It was a bit hard to get in there, but it appears that the rear tire at full bump in this shot (with front sway bar disconnected) is rubbing up against the inner fender well liner ever so slightly. So, I would expect that we might need to do some work here for higher speed bottom out situations.
View attachment IMG_0959.jpg

We have contact. The trim behind the front bumper that shields the "radiator". I am not sure if it is an oil cooler or trans cooler etc. Makes contact with the tire and will need to be trimmed or modified for sure.
View attachment IMG_0940.jpg

Then there is the rear door issue. I had to trim two of the lugs down about 1/16" or 1.5 mm so that the small door would clear the tire and function properly. I read in other posts that the 285/75R17 would fit no problem, but in my experience. The Toyo's run true to size and are not undersized like a lot of other manufacturers. Not that there is anything wrong with the other options. It is just something to be aware of. As an example, on the Goose Gear F350 we originally had BFG KO 2's in 37x12.5R17. They fit fine with the Carli Lift. But later we put on the General Grabber MT's (which I am also a big fan of) in the same size and we had a large amount of contact and had to trim the fender liners and even had to push back part of the fender to get them to clear.

 

[anand]

I had to trim two of the lugs down about 1/16" or 1.5 mm so that the small door would clear the tire and function properly. I read in other posts that the 285/75R17 would fit no problem, but in my experience. The Toyo's run true to size and are not undersized like a lot of other manufacturers.

This is awesome info to see the sizable variation between tire options

 

[j.ironfab]

We have contact. The trim behind the front bumper that shields the "radiator". I am not sure if it is an oil cooler or trans cooler etc. Makes contact with the tire and will need to be trimmed or modified for sure.

That's disappointing for those of us who want to move to 35's. I already have a truck that requires trimming to move to a 35 and it makes me think about the Jeep more and more as a better fit for me.

Can you pull that radiator cover off and see how it mounts? Maybe a piece can be made with expanded metal that is a little thinner.

Edit:
Just measured my tires they are mounted on an xterra right now and they measure 33 1/2-3/4ish. Marked as 35x10.5R17.

 

[anand]

That's disappointing for those of us who want to move to 35's. I already have a truck that requires trimming to move to a 35 and it makes me think about the Jeep more and more as a better fit for me.

Without derailing Brian's thread here; the Grenadier wasn't designed for crawling, or, for that matter, ridiculous obstacles in general. It is a expedition/travel style vehicle, and for that use, especially in the overall global travel circles, you won't find most vehicles of this size on 35s or larger (ignoring the Icelandic agent putting 37s on these). My view on the "theory" is to make a vehicle that is capable, and if something like a tire gets destroyed in the middle of no where, you can easily find a replacement in the proper size. I understand that plenty of us will be moving to larger tires, increased ride height, etc; but as with most other vehicles, you're moving outside the design parameters, and have to expect that other problems will be created because of it.

If you want a midsize vehicle that swallows 37s without blinking an eye, a Jeep is definitely right for you. If you want to travel in (relative) comfort across thousands of miles of mixed terrain, then perhaps the Grenadier is a better fit

 

[roadfever]

Thanks for all the good photos and commentary GG! I appreciate your being upfront about Toyo sponsored. The tires look great and I'm sure your posts have sold more than a couple of sets (should be well worth it for Toyo)! Looking forward to seeing what's next!

 

[[ Adam ]]

This video just dropped and shows a fieldmaster on the eibach springs and 285/75 with no rubbing issues. I think this will be a pretty common combination moving forward.

View: https://youtu.be/RarHLicvfWM?si=mhwl4B-Ahs9ku3Vx

 

[TCMColorado]

This video just dropped and shows a fieldmaster on the eibach springs and 285/75 with no rubbing issues. I think this will be a pretty common combination moving forward.

View: https://youtu.be/RarHLicvfWM?si=mhwl4B-Ahs9ku3Vx

This video points out the variation in tire dimensions between manufacturers even when the specified size is the same. The tires in the Trailrecon video are Coopers while Brian from Goose Gear installed Toyos. Both tires are 285/75R17 but the Toyos are obviously bigger and would have rubbed if driven on the same trails. Yes the Grenadier in the video has taller springs but without extended bump stops the tire clearance while under full compression is unchanged.

 

[terdrocket]

This video points out the variation in tire dimensions between manufactures even when the specified size is the same. The tires in the Trailrecon video are Coopers while Brian from Goose Gear installed Toyos. Both tires are 285/75R17 but the Toyos are obviously bigger and would have rubbed if driven on the same trails. Yes the Grenadier in the video has taller springs but without extended bump stops the tire clearance while under full compression is unchanged.

I went from those same size Cooper's to the same size Toyos on my LC200 with a lot more rubbing as well.

 

[Regalz]

Second Row Seat Delete

Oh baby…so much room for activities and we cut out 56 pounds by removing the second row of seats and framing… for now. We will be installing a CampKitchen and a Grenadier specific Drawer module very soon. The rear plate is installed and is connected to the 100% second row delete option. The second row 100% delete ties into the rear plate system for a continuous foundation to build upon, which we will be doing in short order.

The rear plate system does not require the removal of the second row seats. As shown below.

View attachment 7840372

Next week we will continue on a couple of custom side x side drawer module options and shortly after we will begin working on two more versions of seat deletes.

View attachment 7840373

Awesome to see you guys are full steam ahead with the IG, I have your rear seat delete in my Gladiator and couldn’t be happier. One question, what is the distance between the platform and the window sill on the rear seat doors? Asking for my dog because he almost fell out the window while standing on the rear seat. Thanks!

 

[GooseGear]

That's disappointing for those of us who want to move to 35's. I already have a truck that requires trimming to move to a 35 and it makes me think about the Jeep more and more as a better fit for me.

Can you pull that radiator cover off and see how it mounts? Maybe a piece can be made with expanded metal that is a little thinner.

Edit:
Just measured my tires they are mounted on an xterra right now and they measure 33 1/2-3/4ish. Marked as 35x10.5R17.

I will be at Dissent Off Road on Monday for bumper scanning. At that time I will get some photos. I don’t think it is a big deal to clearance this item. If I wanted 35’s I wouldn’t hesitate. But I think I’m good with 34’s for now.

 

[GooseGear]

Awesome to see you guys are full steam ahead with the IG, I have your rear seat delete in my Gladiator and couldn’t be happier. One question, what is the distance between the platform and the window sill on the rear seat doors? Asking for my dog because he almost fell out the window while standing on the rear seat. Thanks!

That’s a good question. I will try and get it for you this weekend.

 

[GooseGear]

Awesome to see you guys are full steam ahead with the IG, I have your rear seat delete in my Gladiator and couldn’t be happier. One question, what is the distance between the platform and the window sill on the rear seat doors? Asking for my dog because he almost fell out the window while standing on the rear seat. Thanks!

And of course, thank you for being a Goose Gear customer.

 

[terdrocket]

I will be at Dissent Off Road on Monday for bumper scanning. At that time I will get some photos. I don’t think it is a big deal to clearance this item. If I wanted 35’s I wouldn’t hesitate. But I think I’m good with 34’s for now.

Dissent makes some excellent stuff!

 

[j.ironfab]

I will be at Dissent Off Road on Monday for bumper scanning. At that time I will get some photos. I don’t think it is a big deal to clearance this item. If I wanted 35’s I wouldn’t hesitate. But I think I’m good with 34’s for now.

Are you pulling the factory bumper off? I would be curious if the middle section is bolted to the wings of the bumper. Would make getting a winch in the center section a little easier. Something like what letech did. https://lennartz-technik.de/en/product/letech-winch-attachement/