Mixing the Raptor coating is simple. Getting the Wrangler prepped? Not so much.
Mechanically, the JK Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon can take a good deal of abuse. As its name implies, it’s designed to enter one of the gnarliest trails on the planet and come out at the end in one piece. On the other hand, its paint can only take so much. Forest pinstripes are one thing. Hideous broad scrapes from rocks are another. One JK-owning Youtuber, T Mogo116, decided to protect his rig’s good looks by sanding off some of its paint and covering it with durable Raptor liner.
The compound consists of a base goop, a hardening agent, and the desired tint. Easy enough, right? Right. The hard part is getting his Jeep ready for its new skin. That requires taking off a light bar, the front grille, the hood latches, the half doors, the weather stripping, and other major components. Then comes all that masking tape on the glass, tires, and other areas that shouldn’t be sprayed. One of those is the Rubicon lettering on both sides of the hood, which requires careful cutting to make sure it stays shiny and factory fresh.
As if that weren’t time-consuming enough, the next step is sanding down every surface of the Wrangler by hand. We don’t know T Mogo116, but we can tell he’s an incredibly patient man who’s willing to put in the elbow grease it takes to get what he wants.
After all of that work, T Mogo116 still has to perform one more step before he can start laying down coats of Raptor liner. To make sure the Raptor sticks, he sprays the entire Jeep with an adhesion promoter. Then it’s finally time to let the Raptor loose.
Was it worth all of the hassle? Yes. Once T Mogo116 gets most of his JK back together, he’s so satisfied with the outcome that he can’t stop looking at it. We can see why.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
