Let's take a walk...

[redriderrick]

...around my 2003 Disco!

Posted on another Rover forum, thought I'd put it here too.

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.

I went to Overland Expo this year and last. The visit last year inspired me to get to work upgrading and modifying my truck to meet our needs a little better. It's definitely come a long way.

Here are some introductory views:

 

[macro1]

Lookin' Good.

I'm kind of digging the propane carry.Do you have a base that attached to the ladder?

 

[redriderrick]

Thanks. No base for the propane tank. By sheer luck, it tucks into the ladder perfectly and with the Quick Fist clamp, 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.:chef:

 

[redriderrick]

Today, My Dual Battery Setup

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!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

That setup is very cool! I'm planning on the National Luna setup for my Frontier.

That is a cool looking headliner by the way

 

[SwampMonster]

Very nice, where did you find the LEDs that fit into the dome light? I can't find any that will fit. Keep up the pics!!!!

Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk

 

[redriderrick]

That setup is very cool! I'm planning on the National Luna setup for my Frontier.

That is a cool looking headliner by the way

Thanks! I've been very pleased with the way the NL system works, kicking in to charge the Aux battery 5 minutes after startup, unless bypassed inside the cabin. I shamelessly copied another D2 owner with the same headliner. Install was, uh, challenging.

 

[redriderrick]

Very nice, where did you find the LEDs that fit into the dome light? I can't find any that will fit. Keep up the pics!!!!

Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk

They're available from Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FKPJJNY/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

VERY bright in there at night now!

I ordered two of these and doubled up on the rear light by splicing them together:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007VLFA4M/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[SwampMonster]

Awsome, just ordered them, thanks

Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk

 

[jerdog53]

Nice Rick!

 

[redriderrick]

The Roof Situation

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 Hi-Lift 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 and 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.

Although rooftop tents look the business for a lot of overland vehicles, I really can't fathom losing that much storage space and would probably have to pick up a trailer to be able to carry everything and have a RTT.

I also made a small platform out of 2x4s which, when cradled between the two rear crossbars makes for an excellent elevated platform for photography.


If you guys have any questions or comments, let's hear 'em!

 

[Buddha.]

Really like this build!

 

[EricG]

I've got an 03. Twice as many miles as yours do like that color.

 

[da10A]

You make me miss my D2. If only it would have beem a tiny bit more reliable, I'd still own it for sure...

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Looking good. Yakima is some seriously tough *******.