Overland XJ Build. Not my first Rodeo.....(video included)

[Overland History]

As promised, a few more pics from my exploration of West Virginia. I'm planning on heading back in the next month or so for some more exploring. I found some pretty fantastic places along the way.




I also stopped in Warm Springs, VA to visit the Jefferson Pools to take a quick dip. The octagonal white building has a 98* natural spring running through it. It was built in 1761, and Thomas Jefferson used to bathe in it. I swam in it years ago when I was younger, during a quick stop during a family ski trip to Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia. It's exactly how I remember it. The smell of the inside, the creak of the old wood boards under your feet, and the flaking paint were very nostalgic in reminding me of this special place.




I crossed the WV line and headed into the Monongahela National Forrest. This was taken on Route 39.




I went as far west as Marlinton, WV. I stopped there to cook a quick meal out of the back of the XJ. I had 3 curious people walk over from the gas station across the street to check out the tailgate setup whilst I cooked, including a gentlemen whom I believe was homeless. I cooked him some chicken on the grill with sautéed veggies, which he was very appreciative of. I couldn't help myself, so I sent him on his way with an ice cold craft beer.






I turned back East and headed north on Route 28 towards Seneca State Forrest.

I stopped along the way to explore Seneca Lake and the surrounding trails.




I came upon the Forrest Ranger Fire Tower. Someone was camping at the base of the tower and also inside. There was a small fire burning down at the base of the tower, but I suppose the occupants were out on a hike, as I didn't see anyone around to talk to.

 

[Overland History]

I found a couple of decent spots to camp along the trails around the lake, but I wasn't sure if it was legal or not, and I really didn't feel like being woken up in the middle of the night by a Ranger, so I decided to move on.

I got back on Route 28 North and saw a sign for camping only about a mile down the road from the lake entrance.

I decided to set up camp for the night since it was pushing 4pm, which is dangerously close to Beer:30.

Oh, I almost forgot. When I was at Overland Expo 2 weeks ago and had to deal with rain, I realized the necessity for an awning. I walked up to the Rhino Rack tent during the event and ordered a Foxwing Awning by Oz Tents. I absolutely LOVE this product! As Pat ("F40"on the forum) recently said in a text message, it turns camp into a shanty town! Jay(Jason) with Rhino Rack (whom I believe is also affiliated with Rocky Top Customz based in Knoxville, TN) gave me such a great deal, that it actually beat Amazon's price!



I also got a chance to use my 90watt Solar Panels that I purchased from Overland Solar at Overland Expo. I bought the very last one they had at the event, and they kept my cranking battery topped up all weekend, even when running the stereo in camp for hours. (I've yet to install and wire my Aux Battery to run the Fridge and Freezer)







I headed back east towards home on Sunday morning. I took Route 28 North to Route 250 East back into VA. I got a couple of good shots along the way. For those of you planning to visit VA, I HIGHLY recommend taking Route 250 from the WV/VA line, all the way into Staunton, VA. The essence of Virginia and it's beauty can be found along this route...(I've done it no justice with these pics)






I'm planning another trip into WV in the next month or so, if any of you are interested and would like to meet up.

 

[HercDriver]

I'm in Charleston WV. Id be down to meet up and wheel the next time you're out here!

 

[jswift716]

Hows the job market near you? I need a change of scenery lol

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[Overland History]

I'm in Charleston WV. Id be down to meet up and wheel the next time you're out here!

I'll let you know the plan as soon as I know. I'm working on getting a couple of people together!

Hows the job market near you? I need a change of scenery lol

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

That depends entirely on what your resume looks like.

 

[Overland History]

I decided to head due south of home last minute this past weekend to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I've got a few more pics up on my Instagram: @overland_xj

I had an awesome time and I'll write up a trip report one night later this week!

 

[Overland History]

Well, last week really got away from me, as I was working to finish the interior sleep platform, which I FINALLY did!!

I'll have some detailed pictures of that build written up before the end of the week.


In the meantime, I promised y'all a trip report on my Hatteras, NC trip weekend before last...


On my way south, I decided to visit one of my favorite Lighthouses, Bodie Island Light. It was built in 1872, has a range of 18 Nautical Miles and stands 165ft tall just south of Nags Head, NC.






Since the Outer Banks of North Carolina are so narrow and lack seclusion in a lot of areas, it's very difficult, if not impossible to find remote camping outside of a campground. I didn't want to piss off any local law enforcement, so I called "Camp Hatteras" Campground on my way south and made a reservation. The Campground was very clean with nice facilities including hot water showers, wifi and beach access.(For the record, I felt really spoiled...)







I bought this Founders Brewing "All Day IPA" because it had a Red Jeep Wagoneer on the box, and turns out it's a damn good beer!




I marinated some chicken tenderloins in this "Carolina Treet" BBQ Sauce and cooked some mixed veggies on the Grill Stove for dinner. I met a few very nice people who came by to check out the RTT and Foxwing Awning setup. People whom have never seen an RTT before seem to think it's a space ship or something.....




The next morning found me with a slight headache from too much stargazing while IPA....ing.

There are many entrances to be able to drive on the beach along Route 12, considering you purchase an Off-Road pass. This can be done online or at the office in Hatteras. If I remember correctly, a weekly pass is $50, and an annual pass is $120.




I stopped along the way to watch the Kite Boarders catch some good air on the Sound side of the road.

 

[Overland History]

I made it to Hatteras Lighthouse to purchase an off-road pass so I could go explore the beach trails.




Off I went....








Some of the inside roads between the dunes and between the beach entrances were cool to explore. If you look really hard, there are secluded little beaches on the Sound side of the dunes to be able to picnic and/or fish.




It's amazing how much the dunes remind me of the bush in South Africa. Once I got done taking this picture and doing a 360* video, I went to get back in the Jeep and realized I was only standing about 10ft from a large snake!




Since it was a Sunday and getting into the early evening hours, it was time for some dinner on the beach. I warmed up the previous evening's chicken, rice and veggies all mixed together. Delish!




This was my view while cooking dinner, looking south towards Frisco.




Last pic of the weekend. Hatteras, NC has permanently left sand in my flip flops and my soul. Oh, and in my Jeep. What a wonderful weekend with beautiful weather!!

 

[spc15t]

I wasted most of my day reading tbis whole thread. I like your shower idea alot. Makes me miss the 94 Cherokee i let go of to move to Hawaii. Now that im back in VA, Im planning a similar style build with a 96 Suburban.

 

[Overland History]

I wasted most of my day reading tbis whole thread. I like your shower idea alot. Makes me miss the 94 Cherokee i let go of to move to Hawaii. Now that im back in VA, Im planning a similar style build with a 96 Suburban.

Thank you!

I'd love to see a build thread on your Suburban! Does it have the big block?

 

[Overland History]

I've really been neglecting this thread. eepwall:

I've got some good updates and tech info coming this week.

In the meantime, if any of you haven't heard, there's an excellent event this Saturday in Bedford, VA at Blue Ridge Overland Gear for their Open House.

I'm excited to say that I'll be there and I hope to meet some more of ya'll!

Join Mountain State Overland and Blue Ridge Overland Gear for the Overlander Flea Market in Bedford, VA Saturday, December 10 at 10:00a-5:00p. Tents, fridges, truck caps, storage, bags, swag and much more. Bring it, buy it, sell it, trade it and show it - there's bound to be some deals made! Planning to camp? Contact info@blueridgeoverlandgear.com for details. Event location - 126 South Bridge St, Bedford VA

 

[jonb8]

Great read, when you get back to WV give me a yell... Were wanting to do alot of exploring in the WV mountains this spring.

 

[Overland History]

Well, here goes a long overdue bit of tech for my sleep platform build. I decided not to do a write-up on it, since it's such a prototype build with way too many obscure measurements. I can, however, provide info on all of the parts and hardware that I used.

As y'all may remember, when I had my buddy weld in the patch panels from all of the rust that I cut out of the floor pans, I coated the entire interior with POR-15 to (hopefully) keep the rust from ever coming back, so I wouldn't have to pull the sleep platform apart again to make repairs.




I put the factory carpet back down to use as the base to begin the build....




I pulled the RTT off of my rack and loaded up (3) 4x8ft 3/4in thick pressure treated plywood from Home Depot, which ran me around $90ish.




Back in my shop, I used a lift as my sawhorse to take measurements and make cuts on the plywood.






I dry fit my Dometic CD-030 31qt Drawer Refrigerator. I largely built the entire sleep platform around this Fridge and also my 10.6gal Front Runner Outfitters water tank for the On-Board Hot Water Shower System.

I used a 3/4in piece of plywood and mounted it down to it with the mounts that came with the Fridge, so that the drawer on the Fridge would clear the bottom of the tailgate minimally. Keeping the Fridge as low as possible allowed me to keep the height of the platform also as low as possible.








Anyways, more to come tomorrow when I can escape the Fam for a few.

 

[Overland History]

Back to it, I cut a cross-brace for the front of the platform. It's cut tall in this pic with the trans hump cutout, since I didn't have my platform height dialed in quite yet. This piece is cut to sit just behind the interior frame cross-brace that sits underneath of the rear seat.






As you can see, it sits just behind the cross-brace. I later used L-brackets that I made out of 1/8in steel to anchor the platform down to the holes that you can see just aft of the tank.




I used an old camp sleeping pad that I had laying around and cut strips. I apoxied them to the bottom of the board where it sits on the bare metal floorboard in the XJ to keep if from rubbing and squeaking.






I contoured 3 ribs to the cargo area and also the slope in the floorboard. I used a lot of cardboard to get the contour as close as I possibly could. The nice thing about wood, is that it will afford minor mistakes in cutting here and there.

 

[HercDriver]

If you're making a sleep platform in the jeep what is the RTT for!?