The Capt'n 2003 Jeep Wrangler “Freedom Edition”

Capt'n

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 17, 2019
Messages
186
Location
Southern Oregon Coast
My New to me 2003 TJ. Freedom Edition. Just brought her home and beginning "the process". She's pretty much stock but in need of a refresh. Started to clean her up and to evaluate things.
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There's one you don't see very often, a Freedom Edition!

Got to love it in red, it looks damn fine!
 
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There's one you don't see very often, a Freedom Edition!

Got to love it in red, it looks damn fine!
Thanks Chris, Shes not in bad shape but does need a new passenger floor pan. She spent all but about 500 of her 73,000 miles in Manhatten NY. Her frame is amazingly rust free for being from the East. She needs a front suspension make-over as she was a bit lively at times driving her home.
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Oh yeah, the floor pan needs some work, but that's not bad. It could be far worse than that. That's mild compared to some of the crazy rust I've seen on here!
 
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Oh yeah, the floor pan needs some work, but that's not bad. It could be far worse than that. That's mild compared to some of the crazy rust I've seen on here!
I just read through the post entitled "Newbie needing advice on how to tackle rust" and suddenly i feel much better about my floor pan issue. Happy to be a new member here. Thanks for the Welcome.. Cheers.
 
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I just read through the post entitled "Newbie needing advice on how to tackle rust" and suddenly i feel much better about my floor pan issue. Happy to be a new member here. Thanks for the Welcome.. Cheers.

Yes, that's one of the recent posts that comes to mind for me as well. Some of that rust is so bad that it's actually dangerous to be driving around with.
 
X2 on the "not too bad". It's always difficult to tell the exact extent of the damage from pics (it's one of those things that ya just gotta see it in person) but, it might be that you only need to weld in a patch or two rather than a complete pan. Obviously, I'll have to leave that to you since you can see what we can't.

That is a rare bird indeed; and the paint looks mighty good from where I sit!

Welcome to the forum and best of luck with the new "baby"!

EDIT: I re-read my post and realized my "complete pan" reference may have been a bit ambiguous. What I meant was a complete passenger side floor plate/pan. Not a complete bucket pan or something anywhere near as drastik.
 
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Thanks Chris, Shes not in bad shape but does need a new passenger floor pan. She spent all but about 500 of her 73,000 miles in Manhatten NY. Her frame is amazingly rust free for being from the East. She needs a front suspension make-over as she was a bit lively at times driving her home. View attachment 82910View attachment 82911View attachment 82912View attachment 82913
What did you use to paint the interior trim? That turned out nice, I have been thinking about repainting mine, but have been unsure of which type of paint to use.
 
What did you use to paint the interior trim? That turned out nice, I have been thinking about repainting mine, but have been unsure of which type of paint to use.
Hi Travis, I wasnt sure what to use either but dove in anyway. Its Rustolueum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover. 3 light coats of Semi-Gloss Black & 2 coats of Semi-Gloss Clear. Debated on semi-gloss vs satin finish as I didnt want too much shine. Probably could have gone with Satin clear but it im content with the finished product and happy to move forward. Would love to see you before and after photos once you get into it. Cheers. 82967
 
Hi Travis, I wasnt sure what to use either but dove in anyway. Its Rustolueum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover. 3 light coats of Semi-Gloss Black & 2 coats of Semi-Gloss Clear. Debated on semi-gloss vs satin finish as I didnt want too much shine. Probably could have gone with Satin clear but it im content with the finished product and happy to move forward. Would love to see you before and after photos once you get into it. Cheers. View attachment 82967
Thanks for the reply @Capt'n, did you sand or prep the surface in any way? The interior trim has that textured look, and I can see that in detail from your pics after paint.
 
X2 on the "not too bad". It's always difficult to tell the exact extent of the damage from pics (it's one of those things that ya just gotta see it in person) but, it might be that you only need to weld in a patch or two rather than a complete pan. Obviously, I'll have to leave that to you since you can see what we can't.

That is a rare bird indeed; and the paint looks mighty good from where I sit!

Welcome to the forum and best of luck with the new "baby"!

EDIT: I re-read my post and realized my "complete pan" reference may have been a bit ambiguous. What I meant was a complete passenger side floor plate/pan. Not a complete bucket pan or something anywhere near as drastik.
Thanks for the comments. The floor pan has small pin holes scattered throughout the passenger side in addition to a couple quarter sized holes. I will swap out the entire pan so that it'll be solid for the next decade. Im not a welder so i have been researching the use of 3M panel bond as a potential installation method. My replacement pan arrives later thus week so patiently waiting. Cheers.
 
Thanks for the reply @Capt'n, did you sand or prep the surface in any way? The interior trim has that textured look, and I can see that in detail from your pics after paint.
I was afraid of scuffing up the finish so the only prep was a hot soap n water bath and a toothbrush scrub on all the pieces. Rinsed with water and set them out to air dry. Light coats will help prevent filling in the texture with too much paint. The rubber cup holders i washed similarly and then soaked them in 303 protectant. They look brand new!
 
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Rockin' on (y). While you're in there, pull the shifter boot and check the rubber seal/boot on the top of the transmission shifter tower. The one in my 2001 was totally fried.
 
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I was afraid of scuffing up the finish so the only prep was a hot soap n water bath and a toothbrush scrub on all the pieces. Rinsed with water and set them out to air dry. Light coats will help prevent filling in the texture with too much paint. The rubber cup holders i washed similarly and then soaked them in 303 protectant. They look brand new!
I am going to add this to my list of things to do, which is getting longer day by day.
 
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I have used the 303 protectant as well, it's amazing stuff. I even used it on my soft top, it worked great, it made the top look brand spanking new. Let me see if I can find a pic...

Edit: Here we go, ahh..summer time. This is a 5 year old soft top and that point in time.
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I have used the 303 protectant as well, it's amazing stuff. I even used it on my soft top, it worked great, it made the top look brand spanking new. Let me see if I can find a pic...

Edit: Here we go, ahh..summer time. This is a 5 year old soft top and that point in time.
View attachment 83144
Looks brand new! I did the same on my soft top. Good product!
 
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