I was in Baja, Mexico when I first stumbled across the ER2K. I saw it advertised in the forum on Expedition Portal. I owned a Chinook Diesel at the time and was planning on converting it to 4×4 with single rear wheels. The logistics and limited post operative four wheeling capabilities were a huge concern so I was keeping my eyes open for an alternative. My first impression was that it was really cool, but also small. I spent the next couple of days getting more info and making mock ups to try and visualize the interior.
Luckily the current owner was an architect and was able to send me enough info to draw my own sketchup version. I found this little hidden space at the front of the bed with the measurements. That little triangle of space comes in handy in such a small vehicle.
My first impression was that it just wasn’t big enough. It was such a good package overall that I kept looking at options and finally came up with this version. My goal was to fit a couch in there so I could have two separate beds. I was still being a cry baby about maybe living in such a small space for months at a time. Then I thought of this guy Paul that I met in Hood River. He lives in a Honda Civic and is happy as a clam. See a short write up of him on my other blog here.
I made my way from Baja to Toronto. It was only 5 degrees there and I was freezing my tail off. The truck was what I expected and more from the very beginning. There were many issues to deal with. The seller and I came to an agreement and I drove South.
I had to import the vehicle back into the states and it was a bit of a nightmare. I got through it within a couple of frustrating days and was on my way again.
So here I am driving the most off road capable camper I’ve ever owned. So where do I spend the first night. Walmart of course. I wanted to drive on, but the first of numerous issues didn’t allow it. I had no running lights so was limited to daytime driving only.
Made it to my brothers house in Houston in a couple of days. I didn’t have much choice but to start right into troubleshooting and fixing issues. In this shot I had just finished resealing the roof seams. Next was to remove about an acre of sticker glue.
A before and after shot of sticker clean up. A good days work, but worth it.
Ah, that’s much better. So at this point I’ve owned the vehicle only a week and I’m starting to realize just what I’ve gotten myself into. It seems that when systems started to fail they were just left or disconnected. Unfortunately the previous owner didn’t do any maintenance. In fact the truck sat neglected in sub zero weather for 5 years only being driven a few thousand miles. Yes I knew it was a project and had absolutely no regrets. The important stuff worked, engine, transmission, drivetrain, etc. Almost nothing else did. No water, battery dead (but showing life), air compressor dead, cooktop kind of worked, roof and sides leak, windows cracked….. that’s enough for now.
How about some good news. A 26″ wheel fits perfect in the rear box. It drives nice but wanders a bit. One winch works, the seats are very comfortable. The cummins is great and has good power even with the weight. Yes, I’m on cloud nine and ready to roll up my sleeves. If you want to read more about the “story” of how the truck got from Toronto to Arizona go to my personal blog here. I’ll try to keep this blog all about the truck.
