mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Moving on to Plan B
Many have posted and sent me private messages expressing their hope that I’ll be able to put the events of the past two months behind me and that the XV-JP Northwest Edition can be fixed up to again serve as expedition truck. And we’ve even had the recent burst of volunteers to help put the Jeep back in service. I’m touched by both the support and the sentiment.
I have to admit, though, that there’s a good chance I couldn’t do that. After my losses, I can’t see putting in more money just to get the vehicle back to where it was before it left Oregon last June. And while the “barn raising rebuild” proposed above is very cool, I’m worried that every time I went to use the rebuilt camper, it’d just remind me of Dion and my abortive effort to help Red Cannon.
My local friends and I have gone through a lot of different plans about how to make use of just the chassis. The Wrangler only has about 26K miles on it, and was fixed up with some very nice equipment, especially the aux fuel tank James Lombardo put in, the engine-driven air system, and a very well-tuned nth Degree (AEV) suspension. The truck also has lots and lots of good farkles that make it special—big brakes, heavy-duty tailgate hinges, nice in-cab-controlled winch, and about forty other things. So we were thinking about making it into a pickup or flatbed, or something like a troop carrier, or maybe a motorcycle hauler.
But I am, and always have been, a advocate of highest and best use. Making yet another Jeep pickup wouldn’t be much of an accomplishment given that we’d started with something unique that was one of the country’s best-equipped off-road campers. It’d also waste of a whole lot of high-grade systems and components. There is no question that making the remains of the XV-JP back into something really special would make me, and everyone else who cares, less gloomy about what happened in Iowa.
SO (drumroll, please) . . . I’ve arranged with Paul Jensen to take the whole thing away and rebuild it however he wants. When he wrote “I see potential” as his initial reaction to this mess, I inquired, and it seems Paul is the person most likely to exploit the well-hidden silver lining. He’s enthusiastic about this “blank slate,” is pleased the roof is toast so he can make a new one, and sees how it could be a good thing that the entire interior got torn out. And my two e-mails pointing out to him how bad things really were got totally upbeat, “no worries” replies. You can readily see his positive approach in the post he made this morning.
It seems to me that involving Paul is the best way to keep the spirit of the XV-JP Northwest Edition Jeep alive, especially since Paul has previously entertained, and frequently informed, readers with his build thread photos and descriptions. He’ll design and build it however he wants, and we’ll get to follow along. While Paul would, by far, be the best person to make the Jeep just like it was, I’ve got the idea that he’s not going to just reassemble the camper given there’s a chance to do something new. In any case, though, it’ll be up to him. And while I’ll certainly help if there’s ever a request, Paul’s going to be responsible for everything, including all of the costs involved. He could keep the finished product himself, but if he builds it out on spec or for a client and makes money through a sale, something will likely come my way on the back end.
Most everyone knows the care Paul put into his work on the Jeep, but I’ll bet a lot of you don’t know/remember that Paul made a pretty sweet loop around the west side of Washington as a shakedown cruise after he finished his work, and he bonded nicely with the truck and left us some very nice photography of the trip. He knows how well the setup used to work.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/7601
In summary, I think he’s the optimum answer for where to go from here, and I hope most of you agree.
Many have posted and sent me private messages expressing their hope that I’ll be able to put the events of the past two months behind me and that the XV-JP Northwest Edition can be fixed up to again serve as expedition truck. And we’ve even had the recent burst of volunteers to help put the Jeep back in service. I’m touched by both the support and the sentiment.
I have to admit, though, that there’s a good chance I couldn’t do that. After my losses, I can’t see putting in more money just to get the vehicle back to where it was before it left Oregon last June. And while the “barn raising rebuild” proposed above is very cool, I’m worried that every time I went to use the rebuilt camper, it’d just remind me of Dion and my abortive effort to help Red Cannon.
My local friends and I have gone through a lot of different plans about how to make use of just the chassis. The Wrangler only has about 26K miles on it, and was fixed up with some very nice equipment, especially the aux fuel tank James Lombardo put in, the engine-driven air system, and a very well-tuned nth Degree (AEV) suspension. The truck also has lots and lots of good farkles that make it special—big brakes, heavy-duty tailgate hinges, nice in-cab-controlled winch, and about forty other things. So we were thinking about making it into a pickup or flatbed, or something like a troop carrier, or maybe a motorcycle hauler.
But I am, and always have been, a advocate of highest and best use. Making yet another Jeep pickup wouldn’t be much of an accomplishment given that we’d started with something unique that was one of the country’s best-equipped off-road campers. It’d also waste of a whole lot of high-grade systems and components. There is no question that making the remains of the XV-JP back into something really special would make me, and everyone else who cares, less gloomy about what happened in Iowa.
SO (drumroll, please) . . . I’ve arranged with Paul Jensen to take the whole thing away and rebuild it however he wants. When he wrote “I see potential” as his initial reaction to this mess, I inquired, and it seems Paul is the person most likely to exploit the well-hidden silver lining. He’s enthusiastic about this “blank slate,” is pleased the roof is toast so he can make a new one, and sees how it could be a good thing that the entire interior got torn out. And my two e-mails pointing out to him how bad things really were got totally upbeat, “no worries” replies. You can readily see his positive approach in the post he made this morning.
It seems to me that involving Paul is the best way to keep the spirit of the XV-JP Northwest Edition Jeep alive, especially since Paul has previously entertained, and frequently informed, readers with his build thread photos and descriptions. He’ll design and build it however he wants, and we’ll get to follow along. While Paul would, by far, be the best person to make the Jeep just like it was, I’ve got the idea that he’s not going to just reassemble the camper given there’s a chance to do something new. In any case, though, it’ll be up to him. And while I’ll certainly help if there’s ever a request, Paul’s going to be responsible for everything, including all of the costs involved. He could keep the finished product himself, but if he builds it out on spec or for a client and makes money through a sale, something will likely come my way on the back end.
Most everyone knows the care Paul put into his work on the Jeep, but I’ll bet a lot of you don’t know/remember that Paul made a pretty sweet loop around the west side of Washington as a shakedown cruise after he finished his work, and he bonded nicely with the truck and left us some very nice photography of the trip. He knows how well the setup used to work.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/7601
In summary, I think he’s the optimum answer for where to go from here, and I hope most of you agree.
:chef:
