Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Showcase your Jurassic Park vehicle, or build progress.
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Dwight
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Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Post by Dwight » October 22nd, 2019, 6:22 pm

So a few months back I sold my JP18 build to a fellow enthusiast and decided that I wanted to try my hand at an Explorer. After months of daily FB Marketplace and nationwide Craigslist searches, I'm happy to report that i've found one that checked all the boxes i needed it too. You'd be surprised at how hard it is to actually find a decent 2x4 Explorer! My plan is to convert it to as close to screen accurate as possible and document the process along the way. It's going to take a lot of time/money/work, but i'm up for the challenge. Part of the fun is seeing it come together over time. Also, i'm not entirely sure which number i'll go with (probably #5), but we will see.

A little about the vehicle:
- 1994 XLT (Automatic)
- 133K Miles
- New Tires
- Tan Interior
- New Alternator
- New Radiator
- New Brakes lines, and other brake system parts
- New AC compressor/lines
- Not a speck of rust on it
- Still has the original owners manuals and a paper showing where it was purchased in Orlando back in 1994 (kinda cool)
- $1300 purchase price after some negotiation
Explorer Day of Purchase 1.JPG
Explorer Day of Purchase 2.JPG
Last edited by Dwight on October 25th, 2019, 10:17 am, edited 3 times in total.

jp41
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Vehicle Make/Model: Jurassic Jeep 41
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Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Post by jp41 » October 22nd, 2019, 6:40 pm

solid find!

RustyRodder
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Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Post by RustyRodder » October 23rd, 2019, 8:31 pm

That thing is CLEAN. Going to do the bubble roof too?
JP25- Jurassic Park Maintenance, 1988 Jeep Comanche
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Dwight
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Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Post by Dwight » October 24th, 2019, 5:30 am

That’s the goal! Bubble roof, working tour guide and all the custom interior.

NathansPROPS
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Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Post by NathansPROPS » October 27th, 2019, 7:44 pm

Sweet! Cant wait to see the Build!

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Dwight
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Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Post by Dwight » October 28th, 2019, 7:52 pm

A few shots of the interior. This post is mainly for memory sake since the interior will look nothing like this at the end of the project (except maybe the carpet). The dash will be completely custom, the center console removed and replaced with custom pieces and screens, seats custom upholstered, steering wheel replaced with a 1992 steering wheel, and so on.
JUXN0345.JPG
PEYS3443.JPG
CMEF3153.JPG

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Dwight
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Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Post by Dwight » October 28th, 2019, 7:56 pm

Since the Jurassic Park Explorers were 1992's and in 1993 they introduced the lower trim piece, I went ahead and removed that today. Left a lot of rivet holes so i'm going to need to Bondo those before painting. They were pretty easy to remove with a little elbow grease.
SCJK8470.JPG

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Dwight
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Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Post by Dwight » November 1st, 2019, 7:41 pm

Today I went to a local junkyard that had a 1992 Explorer and managed to grab a few things I need for screen accuracy.

The A Pillar trim pieces in 1992 were screwed in VS how my 1994's had those plastic screws. They cleaned up pretty nicely with my store brand MYSTICAL ERASER :lol:. However, these don't mount up perfectly so most likely i'm going to have to make the holes that hold the plastic clip (that the screws go into) a little bigger.
A Pillar Trim Before & After.JPG

Got 3 black vents for when I get the custom dash in. Its a lot easier to find black vents rather than trying to spray paint the tan ones that are currently in my vehicle. I'll just need to clean them a little.
Black Vents.JPG
Lastly, and most exiting of the 3 parts that I got, is the rear hatch handle. The ones in the movie had the word "GLASS" & "GATE" on the handle, but my 1994 one had a solid black handle.
Rear Hatch Handle.JPG

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Dwight
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Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Post by Dwight » November 3rd, 2019, 6:04 pm

Started to strip out the interior. Planning on removing everything so that I can Dynamat the interior and have a blank canvas to work with when running all the wiring.
Stripping the Interior.JPG

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Dwight
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Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Post by Dwight » November 4th, 2019, 4:58 pm

Not a huge update, but I got my Mac Mini (A1176) in the mail. Cant wait to start working on the tour programming. Gives me something to do while I save up for the more expensive things such as the paint.

Mac Mini.JPG

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