2010 PW Adventurer 4WheelCamper Build

[ianewk]

Hello All,
We decided a couple years ago to ditch the Airstream and get a little more off the beaten path. After a lot of research and looking at Sportsmobiles, Outsidevans, XP Camper and Hallmark--we decided to put our money into a Four Wheel Camper Pop-Up build. Bonus...the HQ is 30 minutes away from us in Woodland CA. We got a full factory and assembly process tour and weighed our options (figuratively and literally). We stumbled across a great deal on a 2010 Power Wagon and the build was on.

Since we were spending a good bit of coin on the camper we really wanted to minimize the aftermarket costs for the truck. The whole rationale behind the PW to begin with is that it's so capable right off the factory floor. It was somewhat decal free when we bought it but I still stripped it of excess advertising as it just isn't my style. Here's the truck the day we got it (sorry for the crap pictures).

[ianewk]

I started by waging a little war on chrome. I tried to rattle can the grill but removing, stripping, sanding and painting it flat black. It worked I suppose but I didn't really like the results.

Some other issues we were dealing with was tire selection. I'm a huge fan or Nitto Terragrapplers as I've had them on my last four rigs. I wanted to go with an old school type of wheel like I had on my FJ and my 100 series so I decided on a 17" Ultra Type 164 and 305/70R17 NTGs. That said, I needed a spare tire solution. I like Aluminess rear bumpers but I don't like the price tag. My wife found a gently used WILCO hitchgate rear tire carrier on craigslist in the Bay Area for $400. Win!

After deciding I didn't want to spend thousands on front and rear bumpers I decided to remove the front and rear, have them stripped and then Line-X'd. I had it done at Line-X for $400 and they used the good stuff that won't fade. I really like the way it ended up.

I also went with the Recon blacked out cab lights about that time. Simple solution that made a big difference aesthetically.

I little while late I talked the wife into a cool-guy mod and got the AEV raised air intake system. It came in pretty fast but finding someone to install it was harder than I thought. nobody wanted to cut a hole in my truck and I sure as hell wasn't going to do it! I ended up taking it to a 4X4 fabrication shop in Auburn called WFO Concepts. They're an AEV distributor and said they'd do it no prob...even though it was their first time. They did a great job!

With the truck pretty much done I had a small special project. Because of the rol it would play I didn't feel that Power Wagon was a good indicative nomenclature for the truck. I then found was I was looking for on Ebay...a new old stick Dodge 200 SE Adventurer emblem from the 70s. I had to do take off the SE 200 box and polish up the edge but it is my favorite part of the truck and makes pretty unique. I think it's a much better description of what this truck is intended for.

So then the day came. After 12 weeks of waiting for our camper to be built it was time to put it on. The guys at 4WC loved the truck! Since the install I had to get a Ride-rite bag system with an on-board compressor, wireless monitor and firestone bags. It takes the sting out of the camper sitting on the ass end and prevents people from flashing their hi-beams at me!

Not much more to do except some sliders and maybe a light bar and lights up front. I'm loving the setup so far!

[azracer]

The whole rationale behind the PW to begin with is that it's so capable right off the factory floor.

That was my rational too... Didn't work too well for me though.

[Will]

The whole rationale behind the PW to begin with is that it's so capable right off the factory floor.

That was my rational too... Didn't work too well for me though.

Looking that way here too

[jcodyj]

Wow, this might be my favorite set up on the site. Great job dude.


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[TommyG]

Great build. Enjoy yourself out there.

I love the Adventurer badge. Very cool idea.

[gun45boat]

Awesome man!!!!!!!! Great planning... Looking forward to seeing more:)

[JBM Power Wagon]

Nice, simple and functional set up!!!!!

[Cactus Red]

Good choice! The 4WC is durable. BajaXplorer now has over 400 nites in his unit. The only modification they made was getting an upgraded fridge that is all electric, similar to an upright ARB. It offers better temp control in hotter climates. The only downside is it requires 200+ watts of solar to maintain batteries.

Dennis Miller "You can't order black coffee anymore. It's un-creamed..."

[Colibri]

Looks great, nice build!

[SheepdogOutdoorsman]

Just finished my build as well. Congrats! Nice looking rig.

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[ianewk]

Good choice! The 4WC is durable. BajaXplorer now has over 400 nites in his unit. The only modification they made was getting an upgraded fridge that is all electric, similar to an upright ARB....

Thanks for the positive feedback everyone.

We opted for the 100 liter all electric fridge. We had a electric/propane in our Airstream and had nothing but issues. We prep for trips by cranking it on shore power then turn it down when we roll out and let the solar do what it can. So far so good.

Finished a couple small projects today. Relocated the hi-lift to the underside. Two reasons. First, the pop-up has assist but it's still manual. Any additional weight on the roof is pretty easy to feel. Second, this thing is already pretty top heavy so any weight I can distribute lower is better.

With the hitch gate tite carrier the license plate was pretty covered up. I relocated it but it wasn't lit. I ordered a LED light and did a little modification to mount it in. I didn't really feel like given Smokey any reason to pull me over.

[gun45boat]

^^^^^^^^^ Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gun45boat]

FYI. Hellwig has a Sway bar kit for the rear of the Ram's,,,,,yes it will work with a PW (a buddy of mine used the kit) It will improve everything when installed,,,might take away a little rear flex on the trail, but might be worth the comp for on road handling. I stepped up my factory Sway bar on my 3500 Diesel to the 1.5" Chromoly rear sway bar and holy shit it made a HUGE difference in all aspects of towing/driving with the camper on the rear.

http://www.hellwigproducts.com/lookup/i ... 22+lift%22

Might be the answer,,, might not be,,, but it made a big difference on mine;)
*****Also,, I have to say the location on the High Lift...... I would mount that bitch on the spare tire.. Where you have it,,,,it will be a bitch to get it off when stuck,,,,it will get covered in road grim and rust,,, I like to keep mine high and dry, and easy to get too..

Keep up the great work on the rig...

[Cactus Red]

Ditto on the hilift. They need to be clean and lubed to work properly.

Dennis Miller "You can't order black coffee anymore. It's un-creamed..."

[ianewk]

Thanks. Good advice on the hi-lift. Call it the complacency of my third year in a four year drought here in NorCal. I forget the bottoms of vehicles actually get dirty.

My original plan was to use the existing mounts on the lift gate but there's not enough space between it and the camper. Any suggestions on the spare tire carrier? It'll have to go on the outside.

[ianewk]

From today. A little trip to Sly Rec Area outside Pollock Pines. We "day use" in style.

[gun45boat]

Mount it next to the tire mount on the steel arm with the bottom of the jack down. Weld a little bracket there on the back of the mount to support it. Looks great man!!!!!!!

OR throw in up on the rack on top of the camper,,, get one of those plastic storage cases for the high lift jack to keep it dry/clean etc.


I SEE ROCK RAILS IN YOUR NEAR FUTURE

[14PowerWaggy]

Nice set up! So how are you liking the tire gate spare tire carrier? Does it rattle around much? I'd like another option for my 37" spare other than the bed of the truck...

[14PowerWaggy]

Also, WilCo/Tire Gate has a mount for your hi lift jack... It puts it behind your spare tire... Not sure if that would work for you with the camper but just a thought

[Low_Sky]

Sweet looking truck, Ianewk. Will that wheel and tire combo clear the fenders if you need to flex it? Looks like it would be a close fit.


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[ianewk]

Also, WilCo/Tire Gate has a mount for your hi lift jack... It puts it behind your spare tire... Not sure if that would work for you with the camper but just a thought

My original plan was to use the existing mounts on the lift gate but there's not enough space between it and the camper. Any suggestions on the spare tire carrier? It'll have to go on the outside.

Mount it next to the tire mount on the steel arm with the bottom of the jack down. Weld a little bracket there on the back of the mount to support it. Looks great man!!!!!!!

OR throw in up on the rack on top of the camper,,, get one of those plastic storage cases for the high lift jack to keep it dry/clean etc.

I SEE ROCK RAILS IN YOUR NEAR FUTURE

Thanks gun45boat, I originally had it up top mounted to the rack but the weight of the jack coupled with the rack itself and my solar panel made for a pretty heavy manual lift to pop the top (and I already have a torn up shoulder). It was also making it really uneven when lifting the back end and I didn't want to twist the roof that much.

I've looked at having something fab'd up to place it next to the tire on the A-frame but even at an angle, there's not enough room for the foot of the jack to clear the camper. I thought about moving it father out towards the other side too but I plan on putting fuel there eventually. Rock rails are definitely in my future plans.

Nice set up! So how are you liking the tire gate spare tire carrier? Does it rattle around much? I'd like another option for my 37" spare other than the bed of the truck...

Doesn't rattle at all. There's a system with a 3/8 bolt on the inside of the receiver that tightens it down (like an old style quill bike stem). It's solid as a rock.

Sweet looking truck, Ianewk. Will that wheel and tire combo clear the fenders if you need to flex it? Looks like it would be a close fit.

Thanks. I get a tiny bit of rub up front at full lock and flexing a bit. Keep in mind, with the added weight I'm not doing any rock crawling in this thing...just trying to get off the beaten path a bit and away from the RV'er hoards that plague the Western states' more scenic areas.

[Cactus Red]

You might be interested in my friend BajaXplorer's experience with his 4WC Hawk. He's posted quite a bit on Wander the West, so search for his screen name there. http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topi ... rney-2012/

[ianewk]

Just finished my build as well. Congrats! Nice looking rig.

Sweet set-up! How are you liking the off-road trailer? We tried that with my Tacoma before buying this. Hated the 55mph law here in CA among other things. Have a little one was a bit of a challenge too.

[SheepdogOutdoorsman]

Just finished my build as well. Congrats! Nice looking rig.

Sweet set-up? How are you liking the off-road trailer? We tried that with my Tacoma before buying this. Hated the 55mph law here in CA among other things. Have a little one was a bit of a challenge too.

I enjoy it. My wife and I won't be having children and we both like tent camping, so it works for us. I had originally looked into a FWC Hawk, but after speaking with Carli and Thuren about it I realized that I wouldn't want the truck to be a dedicated camper hauler, so the trailer idea worked out a little better for what I use the truck for. I still love the idea though, and your setup is awesome. I say whatever helps you enjoy the outdoors more, go for it. I think we both ended up with a couple sweet offroad rigs.


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