"King Leonidas" Build thread!

Ok so I know the name is kinda dumb, but one of mine friends called it that, and then everyone called it that, so it stuck. My friend's reasoning was because she thought the roof rack looked like a crown... I just said ok and left it at that. Anyways lets get this started.

It's a 2003 Zambezi Silver DII. It came into my possession halfway through freshman year of college. I've put about 25,000 miles on since, bringing the total to about 74,443 or something. Everything on it has been as a result of saving money, hard work, and patience. I wanted to do things right and not quick. So here are some pics.

I don't have any driveway pics of it stock but here a a few trail shots:






It stayed stock for about a year while i saved up the money for mods. I believe the list goes:

-Tail light guards(Line-X'd)
-Roof Rack(Rhino-lined... Mistake and hate it. Will probably end up renting a sand blaster and repainting it)
-Ladder(Line-X'd)
-16" Land Rover Wheels

I liked the 03-04 model's 16" wheels.So after searching everywhere i finally plucked them off of eBay, all five. I liked how they looked stock, but i wanted something slightly different. I went to Napa Auto parts and got some Duplicolor Wheel paint. The pictures make the center caps look like a different color but they are a spot on match. I liked how they turned out but to each there own:

-320 grit sandpaper
-Time...
-10 coats color
-Time...
-10 coats clear coat







Then Some Rovertym goodies:
-2" Springs
-OME shocks
-Offset Spare Tire Mount





Lifted it!

Hey Pete...JC here...good to see you you joined! Your truck is pretty darn sweet man.

pnorvell said:

Everything on it has been as a result of saving money, hard work, and patience. I wanted to do things right and not quick. So here are some pics.

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That's the way to do it.

Welcome to ExPo!

Then came the tires! I was originally going to stick with the 18's, but after searching for tires, i realized that anything in an 18" rim is just too exspensive for my college budget. Through further research I felt I would be happiest with 255/85/16's. I got the BFG MT's and love them! I've put almost 10,000 on them and they still look new. I think the secret is not driving aggressive( all the time!) and rotating at every 3,000 miles.

Also, somewhere in the mix i got a hood blackout from Viggs Design. Really easy to do. Its nice to have two people but i think you could do it by yourself. Don't hold me accountable though! All you have to do is soak the hood with soapy water, lay it on there, and squeegee the water out from under the blackout. Pretty simple.

So here they are mounted on the painted 16's:







I'm pretty much obsessed with the stance of the truck now! I love the look the tires give it.

Next on the list was getting my lights wired. They came with the rack when i purchased it. If i could have done things differently i would have gone with the Hella 4000's, or the LightForce 170's or 240's. But since they came with the rack i figured since i practically got them free why not use them. All four of them are pencil beam with 135watt bulbs in them, so they are decent.

I know some of you out there are going to be mad that i paid to get them wired, but i can't do electronics; wiring=stress in my mind!

I got an A-bar from a friend of mine a pretty good price. I knew i wasn't getting a bumper for a while so i opted for the A-bar. It was chromed out when i got it so i sprayed it with some semi-gloss Rustoleum. In the end I wish i hadn't purchased it, but i do like the way it makes the truck look.

Here are some pics of the truck with the lights and A-bar:




Captain Morgan Stance



I did buy my reverse lights though. $10 a piece from 4wheel parts. I wish i had opted for nicer lights but that's a project for a another day i guess.



Last month i was planning on already having a Safari snorkel and a drawer system for the rear cargo area, but my driveshaft and battery went on my at the same time. That set me back but i got much nicer replacements
Driveshaft- GBR(Great Basin Rovers)
Battery-Diehard Platinum( It's an Odyssey battery but has the Diehard name on it. Exact same specs as the Odyssey PC1500)

Whats one thing a Land Rover does really well? Act as scaffolding! I used it so many times to aid me in my latest project. I don't have any pictures of it being in direct use but you get the idea:





So to sum up:
-Light Guards
-Roof Rack(Safety Devices)
-Ladder
-2" Rovertym Lift
-OME Springs
-Offset Tire Mount
-255/85/16 BFG MT's
-A-bar
-Land Rover Genuine Lights on rack
-GBR Driveshaft
-Diehard battery

Soon to come:
-Rovertym Old Style Full Brush Bar Bumper
-Drawer System in the rear
-Custom sliders and rear by Michaels at some point

So that brings us up to date. I have a few pictures from today that I will upload in a bit. Thanks for looking,

Peter

Some pics from earlier today. I really wanted to make a run up to my favorite spot, Amicalola Falls, but i settled for some back roads near home. I also noticed i left some stuff out. The flooring for the rack is chicken coop flooring from Farmtek.com. Works great and holds up to everything i throw at it. I also have a tent cot that fits pretty well up top the rover. Now i don't have to worry about my tent flooding(NOT FUN) nor do i have to wake up to scorpions in my shoes(ALSO NOT FUN) All in all i love this truck. Anyways here are some pics:












I'll keep the thread up to date as much as possible. Thanks again for looking,

Peter

Now that you mention it, it kind of does look like a crown. Nice. I like it.

hey pete! how many scorpions do you find on a normal day in the southeast? i don't even see spiders that often...

I don't see scorpions that much actually. I just remember waking up on one of my backpacking trips, reaching for my shoes, and almost getting stung. It was a tiny one too, those are the ones you worry about

24HOURSOFNEVADA said:

Now that you mention it, it kind of does look like a crown. Nice. I like it.

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Haha I'll have to tell her! But your right though

Good job with the wheels. When I first looked at the pics I didn't realize you had done anything to them, which I think is a good sign! Now I'm reconsidering doing mine...

My I be so bold as to recommend sliders next? I think you'll have greater need for them than the bumpers (at least that was my experience in the southeast).

Stephen

SMD said:

Good job with the wheels. When I first looked at the pics I didn't realize you had done anything to them, which I think is a good sign! Now I'm reconsidering doing mine...

My I be so bold as to recommend sliders next? I think you'll have greater need for them than the bumpers (at least that was my experience in the southeast).

Stephen

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i should be making him a set sometime soon! gotta love it when buddies want to buy stuff from you!

SMD said:

Good job with the wheels. When I first looked at the pics I didn't realize you had done anything to them, which I think is a good sign! Now I'm reconsidering doing mine...

My I be so bold as to recommend sliders next? I think you'll have greater need for them than the bumpers (at least that was my experience in the southeast).

Stephen

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Thanks man! It wasn't too bad doing them. Be sure to take a lot of breaks if the room is not ventilated well. Leads to killer headaches. Yet another thing i left off the list! Michaels on here builds sliders so I'm buying from him when i get the money saved up. But your right, that will be my next purchase. thanks for the input

Nice thread Pete! Now I've gotta step it up and do this for mine.

Rig looks great. I like your approach to the mods you are doing.
Next thing from your list I think you should do are sliders.

jeff_wright said:

Nice thread Pete! Now I've gotta step it up and do this for mine.

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Haha I know Jeff we need some DI's around here!