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Eric Kootte of SFK Manufacturing, LLC makers of Skid Row Offroad products
shares the build of their 2003 Jeep Rubicon that was custom built for the 2004
SEMA show.
Story by : Eric Kootte
Edited by: Mark Smith
Edited by: Mark Smith
About the build:
The Jeep was purchased new by me in February 2003. I actually ordered it with few options rather than buy one off the dealer lot. It was never intended to be built up for offroading, let alone the SEMA Show, and was to be used for only two things: as a daily driver and for prototyping some new items to fit the "new" version of the TJ. I drove it until August 2004 and racked up almost all of the miles that register on the odometer. That plan changed when we decided that we needed to display our products at the SEMA Show in order to grow our business.
The Jeep was purchased new by me in February 2003. I actually ordered it with few options rather than buy one off the dealer lot. It was never intended to be built up for offroading, let alone the SEMA Show, and was to be used for only two things: as a daily driver and for prototyping some new items to fit the "new" version of the TJ. I drove it until August 2004 and racked up almost all of the miles that register on the odometer. That plan changed when we decided that we needed to display our products at the SEMA Show in order to grow our business.
We attended the 2004 Carlisle All
Truck Nationals the first weekend of
August and made the first three of
many business contacts that made it
possible for us to create this
awesome Jeep: Bushwacker, Fabtech
and Toyo Tires. These companies
provided the fender flares,
suspension, and tires that give this
Jeep its tough, offroad look. After
their initial commitment to our
project, I created a drawing of what I
wanted the finished Jeep to look like.
That drawing included some new
concepts like our NightCrawler
Modular bumpers and our
MountainScape Rocker Panel Guards.
Ultimately, I was quite pleased with
how close to the concept the finished
Jeep became.
The Jeep was built in our shop which, at the time, was actually the drive-in basement of my house. That
meant low ceilings and doors, as well as the need to move the Jeep out of the way in order to keep up with
production. It was a little scary to start cutting up what was basically a new Jeep with plenty of payments left.
Just the same, I took a deep breath and made those first cuts in the hood to install the NACA ducts that I had
found online. They were actually intended to fit a 1st generation RX-7 and were really a perfect fit.
Another detail that folks might be interested in
knowing... The fog lights in the grill? I found
them at a swap meet. The bezels around the
fog lights, we machined them from a pair of
stainless steel kitchen sink drains from Lowe's
Home Center. You never know where you
might find something useful!!
fog lights in the grill? ....
After installing the Fabtech suspension lift, we had to use some puny 205-75-15 tires that were the originals
from my first Jeep, a 1994 Jeep YJ with a 4 cylinder engine. Without those small tires the Rubicon wouldn't fit
through the garage door! The Jeep looked quite strange with those tiny tires on it.
Two days before we were supposed to leave for the Jeep's debut at the 2004 SEMA show, the paint job got
screwed up and the front of the Jeep had to be totally redone. We delayed our departure and stripped the paint
from the hood and parts of the fenders. Using EXTRA care, the paint was redone. The next day the Jeep was
hauled to the detail shop to get it ready for the show. That afternoon the Jeep was loaded into the trailer for the trip
to Vegas the next day and we STILL hadn't seen it with its new wheels and tires installed!!! Why? Because it
wouldn't fit through the shop door or into the trailer with them on! We literally didn't get to see the completed Jeep
until we were ready to roll the Jeep into our booth at the SEMA show. The very first time it was driven was to the
photo shoot. I was SO glad that it actually made it there and back without incident!!! Like I had any doubts.
We asked Eric how he got started in the Jeep business,
here is what he had to say.....
"I've always been a car guy and was working as a mechanical design engineer when I purchased my first Jeep in October 1993. I loved how the Jeep literally got me anywhere I wanted to go, regardless of the weather. My vacation in May 1995 I was attending the Jeep Jamboree USA Maine Mountains Jamboree. I had a great time on the trails in Maine, but ended up with serious damage to the Jeep's exhaust pipes and oil pan. I decided that I would go on another trip only after protecting the underside a bit more. So I created an engine/transmission skid plate in my home shop. After seeing it, many of my offroad friends wanted one for their Jeeps since nothing like it was available at that time. So, in 1999 I finally went into business creating skid plates and other accessories for Jeeps. Eventually that included products for several Jeep models as well as Toyotas, and Nissans."
"I've always been a car guy and was working as a mechanical design engineer when I purchased my first Jeep in October 1993. I loved how the Jeep literally got me anywhere I wanted to go, regardless of the weather. My vacation in May 1995 I was attending the Jeep Jamboree USA Maine Mountains Jamboree. I had a great time on the trails in Maine, but ended up with serious damage to the Jeep's exhaust pipes and oil pan. I decided that I would go on another trip only after protecting the underside a bit more. So I created an engine/transmission skid plate in my home shop. After seeing it, many of my offroad friends wanted one for their Jeeps since nothing like it was available at that time. So, in 1999 I finally went into business creating skid plates and other accessories for Jeeps. Eventually that included products for several Jeep models as well as Toyotas, and Nissans."