This is my experience on rooting the EVO V which may help someone later on. If you do not follow every step of the instructions, you will be lost, and you'll end up on google (or back here) like me.
I had decided that I wanted to run 4EXT instead of TWRP as my recovery. I also decided not to flash the ODEX ROM provided in the instructions either. This brought up some issues which I was able to resolve with some google-fu.
1. If you don't flash the ROM, you aren't rooted. Simple as that. The ROM flashing is what gives you SuperUser. I didn't realize this as it's not spelled out 100% in the guides, though the longer guide (post #2) briefly touches on this. Anyone who wants to skip the flashing of the stock ROM with SU enabled MUST flash the SU.zip file.
2. In order to flash the SU.zip file, you need a recovery. Remember how I decided NOT to install TWRP and instead, use 4EXT. Well, 4EXT can't properly install without BusyBox, and BusyBox needs SU permission to work. 4EXT also needs SU permission, so you're stuck there scratching your head wondering what the hell you did wrong.
I'll tell you what you did wrong, you didn't follow the directions to the letter. That's what
So I realized that I was just going to have to install TWRP as that's the one in the instructions. Some other ones may have worked, but I didn't go that route. I also asked a Guide in another forum if Recoveries will automatically write over each other. They do. The main reason I didn't want to install TWRP was that I thought parts of it may linger when I installed 4EXT on top of it. Apparently this doesn't happen. Sweet!
So I lost an hour or more of my evening trying to get it all sorted out.
3. Which SU.zip file do I need? Well, with google help I found the SU.zip files, but there are a few versions. Rather than assume, I then looked into it and determined that I need the ARM version, not the x86 version for the EVO V. Perhaps this tidbit of info can be added to the guide. If it's there and I missed it, then I guess I deserve the extra 15 minutes of wasted time sorting all that out. Also, it should be made clear that without flashing that ROM, SU isn't installed. Perhaps the wording in the guide can be elaborated on this point as well.
Once you get SU flashed, you can install BusyBox, and then move to 4EXT.
So this is where I am now. Rooted, S-ON, SU flashed, 4EXT as the recovery, and a backup made. I am contemplating obtaining S-OFF, and in the process of determining if I really need this.
I'll start a new thread about S-OFF questions as I articulate my thoughts on some of my concerns.