...around my 2003 Disco!


Hi guys. I've used this forum for a few years now, repairing/replacing/modifying and just all around enjoying the truck I've owned for almost ten years now. I thought it might be fun to show off what I think is the result of watching and learning from what other Rover enthusiasts have done, and maybe share a few of my own original mods.

My name's Rick and I live in Carefree, AZ. My Rover turned 100k two weeks ago. Well, the chassis did anyway. The engine has just under 60k on it, but I'll get to that later on in the story. I refer to my Rover as a girl, because well, she's my girl. And she's got a pretty decent story so far.

It's 108 degrees out today, so I need an indoor activity to keep busy. New pics/notes every few days or so, but I'm more than open to comments and questions along the way.

Here she is:

 

Nice photos - what's her name? I like the front bumper..


Pete

 

Love that third pic....using your Disco the way it's supposed to be used!

 

Ya just gotta love a place called "Carefree"! Nice pics, reminds me I have to get a high jack and shovel for my basket after I get it mounted.

 

looks great! glad you're enjoying your 'gal' there. what kind of set up do you have on the roof?

 

Love it!
A very purpose built rig, yet it retains the elegance of the original design. Those are all mods (especially the front bumper) that I want to make to mine after she gets a clean bill of health from the shop.
I also dig the third pic. That is a Land Rover's natural habitat, not the mall parking lot!

 

Oddly, she doesn't have a name other than "The Rover". I'll work on it!

The front bumper is a Terrafirma with winch mount and swivel shackles.

The pics show a few things, like the rubber pad for the winch hook (part of an old motorcycle tank guard), the cutout I had to do on the grille for winch control access, the washer bottle guard on the left underside of the bumper, and the winch mounting plate (has a "M" cut into it). The winch is a Warn M8000-S and the lights are Hella 500ffs, with Sylvania Silverstar zXe 50w bulbs, connected to the stock fog light wiring.

 

I definitely use the "utility" portion of this SUV!

I carry a ton of stuff on the roof. That even included several sheets of drywall, plywood and lumber when I remodeled the house. The rack parts are all Yakima, with two crossbars attached to the factory rails and another two on gutter-mount towers. It took some doing, but I've arranged everything low enough so that it fits in the garage, just brushing the rubber flap above the door opening with the kayak mount as the truck goes in/out. I'm currently set up to carry four bikes (two road, two mountain) and two kayaks.

There's a lot going on up there, including the jack mounted with u-bolts to the Yak towers (complete with "locked to rack" warning sticker), a pad made from an old motorcycle tank guard, which cradles a pulaski perfectly, grip tape on the rear of the roof and in a few spots on the crossbars (safer for standing on while tying down kayaks). That stuff at the front of the roof is 12"x 12" rubber diamond-plate floor tile from Harbor Freight. it's protected the roof from things like firewood, a couple night's trash, a North Face Basecamp Duffel (with the tent, sleeping bags, folding chair... the 'house bag') that get strapped up there. I've carried two of the blue 7-gallon water jugs up there too, but they're pretty heavy to be up so high and now ride inside.

 

Here's an electrical update to my walk around thread!

I run dual batteries since I have a fridge and a winch. I'm running a National Luna dual battery charge controller. I had to fabricate a mounting platform for the batteries, since I couldn't source a dual battery tray for my '03. I made it out of aluminum angle, and padded it with 3/8" adhesive-backed foam. This required removing the factory battery box and jack storage. The auxiliary battery is a Sears Platinum Group 34M. I've had the red-top optima for almost a year and when it dies, I'll replace it with another Sears Platinum, but probably a group 34 automotive, which is more suited to starting duties vs. running the fridge and accessories. I fabbed a mounting bracket for the National Luna Smart Solenoid right behind the batteries, and used multipoint battery terminals sourced from Amazon, which allow multiple connections to the positive leads. Inside, I ran the wiring for the monitoring panel up the right side A-post and used a Dremel tool to slightly enlarge the opening which would normally hold sunroof switches in other Discovery models. The flush-mount controller fits right in that spot perfectly. The controller's pretty cool. I can turn the battery display on and off, and can link the two batteries together for winching, or if I need to jump start the main battery with the auxiliary. I'm a fan of labeling things, since I'm becoming more and more forgetful these days!

I'm a 10-mph-over type of guy during road trips, so I have my trusty radar detector mounted up nice and high, where it can get a good view of the road ahead. The Rover's not a speed demon, but I've always used radar detectors in every vehicle I've owned. They've saved me a fair share of $ over the years!

I have a cheapie 400w Black & Decker Inverter mounted to the back of the center console, wired to a battery terminal under the passenger's seat, shared with an Alpine 4-channel amp. There's a cord plugged into it which runs under the carpet and up the C-pillar to a power strip which is mounted above the left rear window. The strip has both 12v and 110, allowing me to charge phones and iPads, or run low-amperage electrics, like an AeroBed inflation pump. When the Black and Decker unit gives up (the cooling fan is sounding horrible), I'd like to upgrade to something different and probably mount it to the read door somewhere.

So there you go, a quick view of her electrics!

 

By sheer luck, it tucks into the ladder perfectly and with the Quick Fist clamp and it's very firmly attached. It's a one-gallon tank, sourced from a local RV store; Camping World, I think. I lock it to the ladder with a bicycle lock. I got tired of using the little green bottles. This tank will easily support a week of travel, with stove use morning and night. I believe that if someone wants to steal your stuff badly enough, no lock/chain/cable will keep them from getting it. The lock's more of a deterrent for short periods away from the vehicle while we're on the road.