what’s this mount under the seat? Went to nothing

 

amps too high.
Like John said - surface must be clean steel-no rust. Grind down to shiny steel - primer with weld thru primer (don't skip this step) - then weld.
Welding is a bit of an art - charts for amps and wire size/speed should help you get it dialed in - youtubes...
AFIK - door skins, quarter panel, fenders are aluminum (I think the hood skin is too). - roof and under skeleton of the body are steel

 

what’s this mount under the seat? Went to nothing[/QUOTE]
Being screwed on, looks like some aftermarket attachment, not factory for sure.

 

Being screwed on, looks like some aftermarket attachment, not factory for sure.[/QUOTE]

Here are some custom modifications I’ve made to the rear bumper for off roading.

I’ve taken the rear bumper lights out, and have made the reach around sections out of metal. To be welding less than two weeks, and never having fabricated anything in my life. I’m happy with these.

Also have picked up and ARB bumper and 34 inch tires!

 

looks nice!!!

 

Man thanks for the props! This **** is fun!! Can’t wait to see it all come together eventually.

 

Think about it before you mount it permanently. Those end caps are plastic for a reason. If you rear bumper moves inward (toward the front of the vehicle) because somebody was texting instead of paying attention and rear-ends you, the metal end caps will damage the body under the tail lights.

If they are plastic, they just disintegrate with very little damage to the body.

FWIW, it looks VERY nice. Just not sure it is the best solution. Sorry if I am being a downer.

 

there are some rear bumpers that wrap all the way to the rear wheel arc, with the deletion of the lower rear quarter - I think those look pretty cool - this extension can allow the bumper sides/corner to be tied into the frame.
Walt has a point, its a bit close to the body - I would at least give a 'finger' gap between bumper and body.

 

Good points gentleman! Will make adjustments before mounting it permanently.

I have some questions!

1)- I would love to fab up a roof rack, but I cannot find decently cheap tabs to connect it to the gutter rail. I know Atlantic British sells packs of 4, for $250. I’m thinking I’ll need 6-8, so that isn’t feasible. Anyone have any “universal” ones that are good for our discoverys?

2)- I want to run about 6 inches of lift. I’m thinking 2 inch suspension block spacers, 2 inch strut and coil over lift, and 2 inch body spacers. I’ll add the 4 inch brake line extensions if I have too. Pretty sure all the brake lines will be replaced anyways so I may just make new lines the right length for the added lift.

Is this a good way of doing it?

I think this is the most approachable way without having to change a ton of stuff under the vehicle.

Here is a picture of the type of under spring / strut block I was thinking. Is all this feasible?

 

Next you need a plasma cutter, large vise, pipe bender and a torch. - then you can fab nearly anything - including your rack....

1) Prolly need van gutter mounts. If you want to be trick..... take a look at the Camel trophy discovery's roof racks. There is a variant that utilizes the factory roof rack mount point (thru the roof) for the front and middle mounts and then utilizes a standard rain gutter type at the rear on each side of the rear door. Though I would imagine using 4 gutter mounts on each side would bare more load than the Camel type I mentioned.

2) as I understand a 2" (total) suspension lift is the most cost effective lift for these vehicles. Above that you start needing new linkage, double Ujoint front driveshaft etc..... - just things to keep in mind. These vehicles have serious articulation in stock form - 1st pic is mine bone stock. - 2nd pic - mine currently - 31.5" tires / 2" lift. A 2" lift only requires caster correction radius arms & extended brake lines (and obviously springs and shocks). Personally, I think a 2" suspension lift and 1" body lift would prolly suit the 34's (if not super wide) with some additional 'Camel Cut' trimming. (Again, I only have a 2" - someone else may have better info regarding taller lifts/tires). When it was stock I had no problem keeping up with lifted toyotas on 33's - my truck was referred to as boring b/c 'it just lumbers over everything'