So, I've decided rather than buy an already modified Rover I'd like to modify it myself. I'm starting with an entire blank canvas, a stock 1998 Discovery. My first move was to increase my ground clearance and thanks to Mountain Goat I'm rather impressed with what a zip saw can do, as you can see in the picture I completely removed the bottom front spoiler, except the metal and end caps. (I trimmed the end caps.)

So guys, I'm the very casual off-roader, and to be honest looks count as much as functionality to myself. My tastes lean towards trail-riding, camping, and hiking....not mudding . Also, I'm hoping to get the Rover into the shop next week in order to unfreeze the CDL.



These sort of things are what I'm looking for, but not limited to:

-2" Suspension Lift of some sort
-Larger tires (Recommendations? I've heard good things of BFG A/T)
-Discovery I Heavy Duty Rear Bumper (Land Rover Discovery I Winches, Bumpers and Accessories Available from RoversNorth.com)
-Fog Lights (Lots of them)
-Half Rack
-Rock Sliders
-Skid Plates
-Hi-Lift Jack


Like I said, I'd only be off-roading a few times a month, therefore the focus needs to be on on-road performance; MPG, driveablity, etc. I've gone ahead and put resale value in the back of my head, because there's hardly any value anyways, haha.

 

You need to decide what bumpers if any you want before buying a lift so you can get the right one, if you are planning steel bumpers all around go heavy duty.

 

So you're full bore going for it huh? Awesome. I'd say yeah, if you're just going rear bumper and leaving the front as is which is fine (maybe throw the 10$ saudi grill mod in there too with a black grille) then pick your lift. Is this on a budget or do the pockets run deep? tweak is right about knowing your bumpers before buying your lift but i'd buy the lift first. Do you need HD? with the rack and the lightbars and what have you? If you're a casual off roader and aesthetics count as much, why the hd rear bumper? I'd say the way i would do it, and the way it would shake out cheap is
-stock bumpers (modded like you did up front but with the saudi grill)
-fj coil lift (fzl and spring spacers for more) (shocks if you want)
-skid plates/diff guards
-treadwright guard dogs or some other mt (you can get 5 in 265/75 for like $600)
-Then drill some foggers into your stock bumper the way long haul did. It'll save you from buying a light bar and it looks good
-then skid plates
-then i'd put 24" spinners on it (sorry i've been drinking)

 

I'm doing the same thing. Started with a '98 two weeks ago. Here's what I think. It's just an opinion.

-2" Suspension Lift of some sort

2" lifts are mostly for looks -- chiefly to fit bigger tires which are mostly for looks. You do get some ground clearance but at the expense of very stiff springs. For offroading, you really want to seek articulation not merely lift. However, given your goals, the suspensions with articulation over stock are probably not worth the expense. Consider keeping the suspension stock and replacing worn shocks and tires only. If you just put stiff springs on it to make it ride higher, there are some tradeoffs.

-Larger tires (Recommendations? I've heard good things of BFG A/T)
For looks. There's nothing wrong with 30" tires with the 2" lift. Some people will tell you they fit 33's but if they're not rubbing it's only because their springs are so stiff they don't move, and wouldn't anyway because they've never gone off the grade.

-Discovery I Heavy Duty Rear Bumper (Land Rover Discovery I Winches, Bumpers and Accessories Available from RoversNorth.com)

Why? The main problem with the rear bumper is lack of recovery and jacking points but you can get by without them (using alternatives). Bumpers are expensive and if it's not broken or ripped off already, why fix it?

-Fog Lights (Lots of them)
Obviously for looks. I don't know, I'm just not impressed with bling. If the lights are cheap, I think it's gaudy. An array of Hella Rallye 4000's is impressive but the Camel Trophy days are over. Discoveries are old junk. Putting a bunch of lights on them that are worth more than whole rest of the car is crazy. What I would like is one good worklight off the back of my roofrack.


-Half Rack
You must be single.

-Rock Sliders
-Skid Plates

I suggest doing some wheeling before you drop over a grand on armor. There's a good chance you won't need it. There's nothing wrong with dragging bits in the dirt here and there. I'd see if there were really rocks out there. I mean, it's not like a 2" lift is going to make a full-on rock crawling buggy out of a Discovery. At least put it off for now since you should start by driving fairly conservatively anyway.


-Hi-Lift Jack

These things are really not desireable. A necessary evil maybe. When you don't need them, they're like boat anchors. Just don't put your anchor on the roof rack. Some people hang it behind the spare, others across the top of the brush bar.

In use, they're scary. Let's say you want to change a wheel. If you lift from the bumper (and you'll need super expensive aftermarket bumpers), you've got to fully decompress the suspension and then lift the wheel off the ground, so you've got to jack it really high where it's tippy and totally unstable. If you're a little smarter, you get a lift mate and jack up the wheel, lifting the axle instead of the body. But you need to change that wheel so you have to carry a jack stand or something to put under the axle so you can take the jack off it. A bottle jack under the axle works far better.

Suppose you're going to use it to winch. That might be their best use. Just don't forget the rest of the recovery kit, the treesaver, some winch line extensions, shackles, etc. etc. and hope you have a good anchor wherever you end up. The better bet is a ****** strap and a buddy's truck.

But yeah, they look cool right?


I don't want to be hard on you. I hope my second thoughts are useful, that's all.



The first thing I did was get a full size roof rack. I'm not single. We're four people and a dog. Not only that, but we have a full-size long-bed 4x4 truck we're used to camping with. But when I was single I could camp 10 days and hike 120 miles with nothing but a 40 pound sack, and that was mostly food and water. Anyway, roofracks are mostly good for light bulky stuff, like sleeping bags. Just don't put Jerry cans up there -- that's insane. With water or diesel maybe but anyone who puts gasoline containers on their roof isn't too bright.

I just installed a rear locker and front lsd. For me they are critical offroad, but I've seen people do amazing things without them. If you don't know your limitations, you should do some driving without them first. Get to know your limits, and understand when you need them and why. Most of the time there are alternatives by airing down, picking a different line or just going through with a little more inertia. You will solve one of the Rover's weaknesses by replacing the 2 pin carriers in the differentials though.

Get rid of your rotoflex driveshaft if you still have it.

My '98 came with 30" BFG mud tires which are fine for me. I have a different highway truck. The PO put on a spacer lift to fit them. Don't use spacers. My next project is to get rid of them. I'm going to a 3" lift with a lot of parts but I would seriously consider going back to all stock as a good alternative.

What else? Well, I have a lot of chores to do. The PO already did the head gaskets, the headliner, and ten other little jobs. I flushed and changed out the coolant, the transmission fluid, the oil and filter, replaced some vacuum lines, and I still need to change the trasfercase oil, flush and bleed the brakes. I need to do a complete brake job on all four corners, pads, rotors, hardware, hub gaskets, seals, lockwashers, and I'll replace the bearings too.

I've also got to replace leaking oil and transmission cooler hoses. Then I'll see if my steering box is leaking yet.

My Land Rover is strictly for offroad (and the highway to the trailhead). I offroad every day. I'm relucant to replace the front bumper/brushguard at least until it gets ripped off or mangled. I mean, why fix it if I haven't even broke it yet? But the whole recovery plan has me worried. I have a Hi Lift and stock bumpers. I need a better plan. If I get an aftermarket bumper, I will be tempted to get a winch and just ditch the Hi Lift. Hi Lifts are still useful even on a front-mount winch equipped vehicle but for me maybe not useful enough to carry that bastard around. Maybe if I had room for it in the cargo area, but my dog doesn't want to sit on it.

Best wishes

 

Thanks!

Nevada; thank you for the plethora of information. So you're saying I can solely replace coilovers and gain some lift? Also, what are those tradeoffs you speak of?

 

Winch tray and winch should be on that list. First get the cdl fixed. I would do the Terrafirma lift and treadwright tires second. Then winch tray and winch. Diff guards after that. Hitch recovery point. You don't need sliders if you are casual. What the heck are fog lights way up high going to do?

 

Look badass, lol. Plus, I camp alot and sometimes we don't arrive at our camping spot until late. They won't really be practical but I'll enjoy them, that's all that matters.

You think a winch though? I'm not sure about that, $$$$$$$....

 

Sliders wil you cost as much as a good used winch. Instead of fog lights get four hella 500ff or 700ff's.

 

Wait, you guys have misunderstood me. That's what I mean, not fog lights on top, I guess you could call them driving lights? I'm not sure, but I enjoy the road being well lit and knowing exactly where you're headed. I'm been performing some intensive research, Hella has an impressive resume, KC's are too Jeepish/ Redneck, in my opinion though.

I was liking Hella 1000s

 

With all your plans, the stock rear shocks will soon be out of there. Here is a photo of ones I swapped out last night (97, 172K, original I guess). Note how much shorter they are than the box the new ones came in. With the shipping retaining strap off, the new ones seemed almost a foot longer. My 97 Disco weighs 800 pounds more than my F250, so I guess these shocks can get quite a work out. The ride quality improved quite a bit.