Well, after waiting patiently since July 10, 2006, my wife and I were finally able to pickup our brand new 2007 White Stone Jeep JK Wrangler Rubicon Unlimted and bring her home!! No joke, there were times that I was convinced the 2008 models would start showing up on the lot before we got it but in the end, it was totally worth it
Click here to see more pics of our new Jeep
Eddie
So I just checked got done having my new Jeep JK Wrangler tracked and as it turns out, the damn thing has been in Southern California all day long but I still can’t get my hands on it. From what I’m told, it spent the better part of the day hanging out in West Colton, which by the way is very close to Mira Loma (the rail yard my JK is supposed to be delivered to) but then for some crazy reason or another, it got sent all the way over to Los Angeles - what the hell?!
Needless to say, not only did I not get my JK today as I had hoped, not only will I not get it tomorrow as scheduled, but now it looks like I won’t be able to get it until Monday at the soonest. My JK is so close I could probably drive out to it in under an hour and yet I still can’t take possession of it!! My god, I swear this is like some kind of cruel form of torture.
Eddie
I know it’s crazy but I think I had an easier time waiting for my new Jeep JK Wrangler back when it was still sitting in BX status for the past 5 month. Now that I know it’s on a railcar and on it’s way, the damn thing simply can’t get here fast enough!! Everyday I track this thing as it makes its way sloooowly across the fruited plains and every day, it seems to just move an inch on the map. Hell, it’s taken almost 3 days just to cross Kansas! What could possibly cause a train to go so slow over flat ground? Okay, okay… deep breaths - deep breaths *sigh*
Man, is this ever torture…
Eddie
After six months of waiting patiently and… well, maybe not so patiently, our brand new Jeep JK Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited is finally on a railcar and on its way to California - whoohooo!! Dear gawd, I honestly was starting to think this day would never come and, so long as nothing goes wrong along the way (crossing my fingers), our JK should be arriving in Mira Loma on the 27th.
Anyway, for those who care, I just thought I would keep ya’ll up to date on things.
Eddie
Okay, quick update. Even though my JK was supposed to ship out back on the 17th (I always knew it would be a long shot) I did just get word that my new JK went from “F” status (paint) to “G” status (Trim) today. From here, it should be just a matter of days before it gets its emissions checked, loaded up onto a rail car and shipped to me - whoohoo!!
Eddie
Like many of you out there, I’ve had a White 2007 Jeep JK Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited on order since July 10, 2006 and if you can believe it… it just went to D1 status today - yippie!!
Okay, for those of you who have no idea why I am excited, going to D1 status means that my order has been approved and scheduled to be built. In fact, I have already received an estimated ship date of January 18th and let me tell you, it’s about damn time too. Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know where I’m at with things and will be sure to keep you up to date as I find out more.
Ciao!
Eddie
With the prospects of a new Jeep JK Wrangler on the way, I’ve recently had to make one of the hardest decision of my life… which one of my Jeeps will have to go. Believe me, if I could, I would easily keep them all as I truly love each and every one of them but, with me living in the small town home that I do and the cost of upkeep and insurance for four Jeeps, I had to start thinking about things more realistically. And so, with much sadness, I had to say goodbye to my beloved 1981 CJ7.
Of all the Jeeps that I’ve owned, my CJ7 was the one that really got me started down the road to working on them myself, doing write-ups and ultimately creating www.4×4xplor.com. Certainly, I bought this Jeep knowing it needed a lot of TLC from the get go and over the years, I have worked very hard to bring it back to life and make it a daily driver again. And, I guess that’s one of the reasons why I’m so glad that it’s now in the hands of Jim. As a recent survivor of cancer, Jim decided that he was going to enjoy life more and buying a vehicle that he’s always wanted… a good ‘ol CJ7. And, it is my sincerest hope that with this wonderful Jeep that I’ve enjoyed working so hard to bring back to life, he will be able to have many years of life to enjoy as well.
Eddie
Without a doubt, few automotive shows can even come close to the awesome scale and serious cool factor that the SEMA show has every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. More than just a show case of new vehicle models or concept cars that the auto makers have on display, the SEMA show places its focus on the aftermarket specialty equipment industry and all the parts and accessories they’ll be manufacturing for just about every vehicle under the sun and then some. Of course, nothing turns my head the way Jeeps do and boy were there ever a ton of new and hooked up 2007 Jeep JK Wranglers to drool over at this years show.
Among the many Jeep JK Wranglers I saw at SEMA, about seven or eight of them were sitting on Full Traction lifts including ones at the Superior Axle, Bestop, Toyo Tires, Walker Evans, Body Armor and Land Runner displays. Several other manufacturers such as TeraFlex, Skyjacker, Rubicon Express and surprisingly even Rancho had a long arm kit on display and, as always, there were several tricked out Jeep JK Wranglers on display in the MOPAR alley done by Skunkwerks and AEV (American Expedition Vehicles).
Without question, it think it’s safe to say that the Rancho long arm kit with reverse tri-link in the rear was the talk of the show. And, based on the comments that I’ve seen on all the bulletin boards, this was followed closely by the camper top and front bumpers that AEV is making. For me personally, I really loved the stripped down orange Skunkwerks 2-Door JK that was in Mopar Alley. The way it was broken down to the bare necessities gave it a nice retro CJ look that just grabbed me and pulled me in.
Anyway, I don’t think I need to tell you that the Jeep JK Wrangler was the hit of the show for me and likewise, was pretty much the only vehicle I covered while I was there. If you would like to see pics from the 2006 SEMA Show, I’ve got about 1,000 of them that you can see in my Project-JK.com photo gallery. Simply click on the link below:
Eddie
For those of you who were able to make it out to the 2006 Off Road Expo last weekend, I can tell you that you didn’t miss a whole lot. Aside from the usual display of hooked up and modified off road vehicles and killer deals you might of been able to find, there just wasn’t a whole lot new to be seen. Now, don’t get me wrong, I personally think there should have been a lot to see especially since there had been so much buzz about the all new Jeep JK Wrangler and all the cool products that are supposed to be out for it already, but with the exception of Full Traction, Off Road Evolution, Body Armor, Nitto Wheels and Kilby Enterprises, everyone else was a no show.
So was the show a total loss? Not at all. In fact, of all the things you could have seen, the Off Road Evolution 2007 Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited Sahara sitting on a Full Traction 4″ prototype lift and 37″ BFG Krawlers was all the rage. I was at the show both Saturday and Sunday and can tell you that quite literally, people were staring at that JK with jaws dropped and crawling all over it like ants on a half eaten piece of hard candy.
The other big attraction for me personally was the JC Fab Jeep TJ with a Full Traction 6″ Long Arm Kit and featuring the all new Full Traction Rok-N-Lok, manually operated, dual rated sway bar system. Up until now, the only time I had seen the Rok-N-Lok was at the 2006 Moab Easter Jeep Safari and only on a display rack. Seeing it installed and flexed out on a ramp really was impressive and from what I could tell, made a lot of TJ owners drool over it.
Also worth mentioning was a set of modular tube fenders and rocker guards made by a brand new company called Rev111. While I personally thought that their welds were nothing to write home about and their choice of 11 gauge steel for their rocker guards seemed a bit thin for my taste, I will have to say that they had some of the most original, fresh and cool looking designs that I have seen in a long time. Kudos to Rev111 for pushing beyond the envelope of the aftermarket Jeep products industry.
To see more photos from the show, click on the link below:
>> 2006 Off Road Expo Pics
Eddie
Well today was the day - my very first close encounter and test drive in the all new, 2007, Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited. And, let me just say right off the bat - this thing is HUGE!! No, no, no… maybe I should say more accurately that this thing was just SUPER LONG. 
No joke, this JK Unlimited was parked next to a 2006 TJ Unlimited and looking at the two side by side, the wheel base of the JK was considerably, noticeably and measurably longer than the TJ!!
Okay, having said all that, I will say that with all its extra length and longer wheel base, the Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited also gives you an extraordinary amount of cargo space, rear passenger room and a ride like no other Wrangler I’ve ridden in - period. Taking it out for a quick spin on a fairly rough road and over two rail road crossings, the JK Unlimited provided a very smooth and comfortable ride but without feeling mushy like an oversized SUV or harsh like an unloaded pickup truck. The other thing that really took me by surprise was how absolutely quite this thing was. Granted, I’ve been driving in a TJ on 35″ mud tires and an aftermarket muffler for sometime now but compared to it, the JK Wrangler was like driving with pillows over my ears.
The only real downside to the test drive that I’d have to point out was its sluggish feel it has under foot. I don’t know if it due to all the extra weight or because of the automatic transmission or a combination of both. Stepping on the gas to get going up a freeway on-ramp, the engine did eventually find itself and jumped to life but it still felt like it was laboring to pick up speed. Perhaps a JK Wrangler equipped with a 6-speed may put a little more pep out if for no other reason than the fact that you can control the shift points.
In my opinion, the new Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited really is an impressive step up for Jeep. Not that it couldn’t benefit from a few modifications here and there if you know what I mean, but the basic platform offers a lot right out of the box. The length of this thing is really gonna take some getting used to for me but I have to admit, I am starting to think it really has potential. Coming in this morning, I was convinced that I would be getting a 2-Door Rubicon but after today, but now… I may just have to get an Unlimited. 
Anyway, be sure to check back soon as I will definitely have more to come. In the mean time, click on the link below to see all the pics
>> 2007 Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited X - Blue Steel Photos
Eddie
P.S. I really need to thank Jeff Sladick over at Don-A-Vee Jeep for spending so much time with my wife and I and for being so accommodating with all the photos I wanted to take.