Behind The Scenes: Dynatrac’s Project Gladiator CODEX Build:

Last week, we had the opportunity to go behind the scenes thanks to our friends at Dynatrac and America’s Most Wanted 4×4 for a late night look at Dynatrac’s latest concept build. If you have followed the CODEX build on MoparInsiders over the past week, we were sworn to secrecy about the build until its completion. But now we can finally we can show you, our 1:00 am tour of the build.

For those who don’t know, the CODEX project is the brainchild from Dynatrac’s own Tony Carvallo. Tony was a former Product Planning Manager for the Jeep Wrangler (JL) at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and was instrumental in the approval of the Gladiator (JT) program. Carvallo, left the company to pursue a career with Dynatrac, a leader in off-road and performance axles just before the launch of the Wrangler (JL) and Tony’s first project at Dynatrac was getting his hands on one of the first Wrangler (JL) models he could, and create the popular CODE 1 project.

When it came to the launch of the Gladiator, Carvallo and the Dynatrac guys didn’t waste any time. Knowing that the Detroit market was one of the first areas to receive the new Jeep trucks in dealer inventories, he reached out to Jared Petiprin and his team at America’s Most Wanted 4×4 in Holly, Michigan to assist in bringing the first stage of the build to life. America’s Most Wanted 4×4 is one of the fastest growing high-performance off-road shops in the country and is known for their crazy builds of stuffing high-performance HEMI engines under the hoods of Jeep Wranglers, so a perfect basis for the “CODEX” project.

After purchasing a 2020 Jeep Gladiator Overland as the base for their project, with only 18 miles on the odometer, the truck went into America’s Most Wanted 4×4 shop for a complete overhaul. The team took the body off, ripped out the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 and swapped in a 707 horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI HELLCrate from Mopar and 8-speed automatic transmission, cut 20-inches from the frame’s length, cut the same amount from the body in the rear crew cab doors, upgraded the fuel system, and custom fabricated the body, roof, and rear doors to an “Extended Cab” configuration, similar to the 2005 Jeep Gladiator Concept featured in only a hand full of days. This was only “Phase 1” of the build.

From that point on, the truck was now ready to travel across the country. Driving all the way through from Metro Detroit to Huntington Beach, California, the truck has no issues on its cross country trip. The Dynatrac team documented their trip and it seems that every time they stopped for fuel, they would be approached by onlookers curious to know more about the “Extended Cab” Gladiator.

Once in Huntington Beach, the team wasted no time getting “Phase 2” complete. The body was disassembled again for a complete vinyl wrap job, while Australian overland accessory manufacturer Patriot Campers ditched the Gladiator’s box, for one of their custom overland boxes. Several other aftermarket companies also helped install things in record time on the CODEX project, while a new suspension setup by Dynatrac was added. The rush to complete the project was to make it as the showpiece for the Patriot Camper display at the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona this weekend.

The Dynatrac team will be showcasing the CODEX throughout the year at different events, as well as making a stop at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.

But for now, enjoy the videos from us at Dynatrac. We apologize in advance for some of the audio, as it was again 1:00 am and the team was in a deadline so there was no stopping for the team. Let us know, what you think about the Dynatrac CODEX project, in the comments below.