Our 2007 JK Wrangler Rubicon (aka “JACKAL”) is something that we’ve seen many times driving down the road and we’re sure that you have too…a relatively nice Wrangler JK that isn’t necessarily stock from the visible mods he's sporting but the look just doesn’t inspire us. The ideas started flowing and none of us could wait to buy this Bad Boy and begin his transformation!  We gave him a thorough mechanical inspection and knew that he had good bones, he was what we were looking for to start with, and so we paid the man and took our adopted Jackal to his new home…WranglersDirect.com in North Providence, RI.  Here’s what “JACKAL” looked like the day we brought him “home”.  Not much…just another grey Wrangler Rubicon with black rims and bigger tires.  BORING! Fig. 1 2007 Wrangler JK Rubicon - JACKAL as we bought him...boring! 2.  Again, before I continue, I need to apologize for NOT initially taking many pics!  I don’t know what I was thinking…maybe my excitement of transforming this ‘nothing-burger’ into a SOMETHING RUBICON had taken over and I wasn’t thinking straight.  Yeah…that’s what happened. 3.  Anyway, what we did was start removing the complete interior.  Everything inside this Rubicon that could be was removed cleaned and replaced. What a job, its surprising some of the things you find. (note to previous owner. We found that missing sock. The dryer did not eat it. ) Anyway another note... If you have a furry friend that joins you on your rides seat covers are a great investment. Next we removed the stock fenders, they will be available if anyone needs them. Then Removed front and rear bumpers. They were aftermarket but just looking a little aged so we are going to repair them and reuse them on our build. Fig. 2 2007 Wrangler JK Rubicon - JACKAL missing her fenders and bumpers Fig. 3 2007 Wrangler JK Rubicon - Another shot of JACKAL sans fenders and bumpers Fig. 4 2007 Wrangler Rubicon - Rear bumper prepped and awaiting topcoat Fig. 5 2007 Wrangler Rubicon - Winch plate prepped and awaiting topcoat Fig. 6 2007 Wrangler Rubicon - Front bumper prepped and awaiting topcoat Fig. 7 2007 Wrangler Rubicon - Interior looking SWEET after our thorough cleaning Fig. 8 2007 Wrangler Rubicon - Passenger rear fender GONE 4.  Of course, we also had to remove the console, etc. in order to clean as much of the rest of the interior as we could.  The best part was that overall, the interior was in pretty nice shape, all things considered, and will give JACKAL’s new owner much joy! 5.  We always perform our EXCLUSIVE WranglersDirect.com “Wrangler Physical” and generate a custom “Vehicle Condition Report” for all of our Wranglers.  We inspect over 350 items covering all of the various Wrangler systems, from stem-to-stern and top-to-bottom.  We want to know everything [...]

Fig1. WranglersDirect.com's first TJ! 2003 TJ REDandBlack just like our 'colors'. How cool is it that our TJ matches our jacket? Here’s your  first look  at our soon-to-be-like-new 80,000 mile 2003 Jeep Wrangler TJ  Sport Freedom Edition. RED's powered by the venerable 4.0 liter inline six cylinder engine and the highly sought after 5-speed manual transmission.  She looks awesome from the outside but don't they all? Notice the Red and Black theme going on already. That hoodie and this matching TJ are both representing the WranglersDirect "colors"  so we just knew that our purchase was meant to be. Once she was ours, we began to treat her like one of the family.  We’ve decided to call her RED and we couldn't wait to get her back to our "Wrehab Lab" at WranglersDirect to see what  exciting things she is going to teach us as we embark on this incredible journey TOGETHER. We hope that you”ll join us for all the challenges and fun we'll encounter as these TJs usually teach us quite a few lessons along the way. That first drive back is always exciting (and somewhat terrifying, too).  Remember, RED is a 15-year old vehicle from the surrounding New England area.  Taking her home for the first time isn't just a simple check the gas gauge and drive her home.  Fortunately, the engine sounded great, the clutch shifted smoothly, and the brakes...well, she could stop but we knew there was work to do there, for sure.  RED turned out to be pretty close to all that we hoped for.   Once we had her in the shop, we began our thorough WranglersDirect 'physical'…and she looked an awful lot better than she actually was…she had some 'cancer' (i.e., RUST!).  We needed to get her into treatment ASAP!  Let's start our RED's JOURNEY here... These next few pictures show what we needed to cut out in order to replace the floor pan on the passenger side.  The challenge is always to find out where the rot ends and the good metal begins...nothing is ever simple (or FAST or CHEAP) with rust repair.  The driver's side had already been done by the previous owner, and although it isn't how WranglersDirect.com does floor pan replacements, it wasn't necessary (or cost-effective) to re-do the work since it'll hold up well enough and give the next owner plenty of fun-filled years Jeepin'… Fig 2. 2003WranglerTJ_Another view of cut out passenger floor pan Fig 3. 2003 Wrnagler TJ - Rotted passenger floor 2.  But this wasn't the only area that concerned us.  We had several spots behind the driver's floor area where the seat bolted to and nearby.  WD hates rust and we were on a mission to save RED from its ravages… Fig 4. 2003 Wrangler TJ - Two rot areas under driver's seat. Fig 5. 2003 Wrangler TJ - Rotted section along rocker area at driver's seat. [...]