EarthRoamer XV-JP "Northwest Edition"

PaulJensen

Custom Builder
Road Test...

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(above) Why...

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(above) From home to here about 2.5 hfrs. all of it feeling uphill... The shape of the roof enhanced the grip at higher speeds... It loves 55 and so do I...

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(above) Easy roof access... This could be a photographers dream, or anyone else...

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(above) It's a head turner for sure... Fun standing back and watching...Fun for my new daily driver...

More later...
 

PaulJensen

Custom Builder
Ride Report - How it Drives...

It drives better than it looks...

After the being scared of the size while piloting down the local roads, the freeway experience was an easy arc in the learning curve...

Basically it is very quit... I noticed that immediately... Not what you might expect given its first appearance... Freeway wind sounds are no different than my Sprinter, and the cab construction of glass/balsa/glass is very quiet... You hear the tires but not something you stay focused on... The engine is quietly in the background, purring like a big cat... After driving it for a couple of days, I wonder why pay for an expensive vehicle, and not really listen to it...???...

The driving position is compact, very comfortable, up high above the road, and the controls and gauges are not distracting... It's a big step up to get in, but once you get seated, it is super easy to drive... The mirrors cover all the typical blind spots... It starts easy, shifts to gears smoothly... Like driving a Subaru with large volume tires and lifted... Compact turning radius too... It feels wide but really isn't...

Once rolling, you adjust past theories about driving... Something about the quality of the ride... Bentlyesque... It feels big but moves easily... Wind drag never came into mind, other than noticing that there was little, even with the hardware store hanging outside and on the roof... It felt at higher speeds, that the roof shape was pushing it down onto the road...???... Braking at first had a bit of a pull to one side, then self correcting... On the second day, it went away... On the freeway I was enjoying the ride so much, my goal for the commute into Seattle was to drive as fast as traffic and drive as if I had no brakes... Good game to play with a new car... Figure out how it handles neutrally...Parking in congested Kirkland was easy, despite the size of the rig... My sole focus point when parking is overhead clearance... I need to measure it...

The combination of tires, shocks, brakes, suspension and drivetrain finally installed was balanced and neutral... It just drives good... Nothing getting quirky, which does happen once you leave Stock... Everyone setting this up got it right...

So far it has been a lot of fun both to drive,and to share with anyone interested in seeing it...So far...
 

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
It's great that it's going to work out for you, Paul. Congratulations on making it happen. Quite an accomplishment.

Mike
 

PaulJensen

Custom Builder
Loved the finished product. From day one I've always thought this vehicle, in all of it's various forms would be a solo photographers dream vehicle!!
With the high roof rack, camera mounting tracks facing every direction, lot's of power to recharge things and even a fridge to keep your film, if you are still shooting that... Yeah...
 

PaulJensen

Custom Builder
56 - Upper rear cabin walls...

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(above) Keeping it simple... Fence board cedar...

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(above) The boxjoint tray is leftover from an entry column job a few years ago... A dado was ripped into the fence board and the wood was screwed and glued... Only over the sink side...

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(above) The stove cover/cutting board in done... Magnets hold it in place... Doubles as a lap tray...

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(above) Trying to keep it simple up here so the fancier woodworking can be the focal point... Fail...

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(above) 1.69 each...

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(above) The bed/seat curb is done... Simple box joints keep the corners together...

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(above) Keep it simple ...
 

PaulJensen

Custom Builder
57 - Pull-out Bed

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(above) A set of 300# drawer guides with a 36" extension are mounted in the cab-over...

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(above) Extended, the new bed is 48" wide x 84" long... More to do on this...
 

mk216v

Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
A great upper bunk Paul.
So, possible sleeping for 4 (2 cozy adults up top, 2 shorter kids below) if you brought alone a "filler/stacker" piece for the forward section of the passenger side rear seat?
 

PaulJensen

Custom Builder
A great upper bunk Paul.
So, possible sleeping for 4 (2 cozy adults up top, 2 shorter kids below) if you brought alone a "filler/stacker" piece for the forward section of the passenger side rear seat?

The passenger seat does not slide or tilt forward very much, so only an infant could sleep on the curbside bench seat... The wall cushion on the driver side is 20" wide which is the width of the floor... So you could get two on top, one on the bench seat/bed and one on the floor... Cozy for sure, but pretty amazing considering the size of the rear cabin...
 

PaulJensen

Custom Builder
58 - Walls and Upholstery

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(above) Found some interesting fabric for the bench seat/ bed and wall cushion (not shown here)... The area right above the bench seat is now finished off with redwood sealed with Watco Danish Oil...

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(above) The wall cushion is sized to fit on the floor for another sleeping option...

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(above) The curb-side walls are now completed...

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(above) Cork, and a bit of hammered aluminum over the sink...

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(above) Glad to get all of this done...
 

PaulJensen

Custom Builder
Progress report

The past two days have been productive... Two days of unhurried work on electrical connections... Starting with the small circuits then going onto the bigger ones... Installed concealed strip LED lighting in the rear cabin and tweaked some of the outside lighting a bit...Also connected the waterlines to the faucet, and the gas line to the stovel... I am really enjoying the process... We have been using the Jeep a few times each week for daily driver errands... Such a good way to meet people...
 

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