Hello guys, I am trying to get a modern dashboard on my 2003 LR Discovery II. This has been a project car and made all exterior changes (engine to ball joints). Now I am moving to the interior and would like to replace the bottoms of the front seats leather (need ideas how to do that) as well new dashboard with GPS navigation system. Will be replacing the lining on the ceiling and carpet.

 

Soo.. You want to do a dash swap with a newer LR?

I am confused at what you're asking.

 

Well, will that fit? I am unfamiliar with interior upgrades?

 

I have no idea, i don't think anyone has done / cared to do a dash swap with something newer in a D2. VW people do it all the time with older GTI's and such but it is no easy task. Lots of cutting and fab work along with a ton of electrical stuff -- certainly not for the faint of heart.

First thing you need to do is figure out which dash you want to swap in and measure measure measure measure measure and decide what to do at that point.

 

I find the D1/D2 dash to still look pretty modern. HVAC is digital, radio can be swapped out, and the rest of it looks great.

 

Well I come from the VW world and dash swaps are very popular over there....

You will have a-lot of work ahead of you. You'll need to do proper triming etc. I wouldn't do it on a daily driver.

If the length of the dash is similar from lr3 - to D2 then you'll have a much easier time with it.

I'd advocate buying 2 LR3 dashes in case you cut too much on the first one. If you don't, then you could sell the other.

 

If it's a trailered off-road only vehicle, I suppose you could do most anything you wanted. If you drive it on the highway, beware the dash is carefully engineered and crash-tested. A 2003 doesn't meet current standards, but screwing with it isn't going to make it better.

Personally, I want a XY plasma table and those mad TIG skills so I can build a totally custom plate aluminum dash, but since I'm short on those tools and skills, and on budget for a roll cage, safety seats and harnessess, it's not going to happen.

I did just rebuild my dash though. I pulled the dashboard out prepped it and refinished it with a SEM coating. I mostly matched the original color, but restored what was badly faded or color-changed by UV damage. While I was putting it back together, I inserted an 1/8" layer of neoprene foam, some dynamat/kno-knoise CLD, and I either epoxied or replaced a lot of cracked ABS parts with take-offs from eBay. The interior build quality is very poor, and it's more than 20 years old (in my case), but there's just not much more to be done. Everything is tight now and it doesn't rattle over the cobble stones they way it did before.

I'll reiterate how poor quality the 2004 and earlier Land Rover dash and interior is (if newer ones are better, I have no idea). I have older vehicles from the 80's, 90's, 2001, 2006, and I have a 2019 all from other makes and the Discovery 1 and 2 dash only comes close the 80's dashes from other makes. Land Rover was a very small shop by comparison and they obviously didn't invest much in the interiors which were mostly UK-sourced.

To work on these interiors, you'll need basic skills and knowledge in working with vinyl, ABS, and PPO (p-phenylene oxide), but you can learn on-the-job. You'll want to be able to distinguish the various types of plastic because they behave differently. You can learn to repair ABS using acetone to "melt" it, ABS cement, and epoxy. You can learn where to use cyanoacrylate and where it won't work. If parts are badly damaged, you're better off replacing them, but you will find that most used parts you find will still need some repair or reinforcement.

You could learn to upholster the leather or vinyl or to work with a shop to do it for you.

These skills and relationships are transferable to future projects, but I would caution against too high expecations from a Discovery project.

As for modifications or enhancements, I would suggest the following:

replace worn speakers
consider modifying the stock or replacing the audio receiver to integrate with modern media players/phones
add an Ultraguage or equivalent OBDC display esp. for engine temperature

I can't think of a lot more. Again, repair is probably more important than upgrades or mods. The Discovery presents something of a dilemma for me because it is far more comfortable than an older Jeep and it's safer, but my personal taste is decidedly running toward minimalist.

Here's an essay on automotive UI: Where did we go wrong? ? DRVEN

If there's anything I could do to the interior, it would be to delete stuff. I could do without the audio system entirely. I suppose I could do without climate control, but it does make things more pleasant. I don't think it needs to be as overly complex as it is. I don't think I even need a speedometer or tachometer. The former is mostly to avoid exceeding arbitrary limits which I'm unlikely to do in this vehicle. The latter might be more helpful with a manual transmission, but probably only one where the shift points are pushed to the extremes which is again very unlikely in a vehicle like this. I'd want just a fuel gauge and switches for the basic controls, lights, signals, and wipers. I'd want problem indicators for coolant temperature and oil pressure, but the more detailed diagnostic information wouldn't need to be at a glance.

I have a 2019 vehicle from another make which I bought for my wife. It's an outstanding vehicle by popular standards, but in my opinion it and every other new car I tested is so wrong in this area.

My wife wanted memory seats because her last car had them and they proved to be valuable to quickly adapting the car to two very different size drivers. The new car has them only because I purchased the higher trim level, but stupidly doesn't adjust the mirrors or steering wheel. The pedals are also not adjustable. So the things that actually matter to the driving experience are neglected, and the focus seems to be on the 8" touch screen infotainment system that's full of inane menus, a faulty voice recognition system, outdated navigation, and annoying radio features I don't use. The whole user interface is bristling with buttons and switches I could do without. I'm no luddite. I have a career in technology. But gratuitous technology with an additive user interface is just lame.