Overland Journal: Discovery I, 5-speed

Scott Brady

Founder
FourByLand said:
Are diesel swaps allowed in AZ?

What are the stipulations.

Well, it really depends on what county you live in.

The diesel swap for my Disco will happen either during or after my SA trip. For now, my focus is on building the EarthRoamer, though I will perform the first set of modifications on the DI
 

FourByLand

Expedition Leader
Will you have it done locally or out of state.

Congrats on the ER, sorry you won't be doing it in the D1 but I know Stephanie will like the comforts alot more!

What will you be doing to the D1 to begin with?

:arabia:
 

revor

Explorer
Regarding a front swaybar

If you look closely you will notice that the front sway bar on a D1,RRC or Defender will limit downtravel significantly.

You normally find out the first time you droop the front passenger wheel with a lift and longer shocks on the car. Generally a nice shiny bare steel ring on the driveshaft.
 

Scott Brady

Founder
FourByLand said:
What will you be doing to the D1 to begin with?

:arabia:

In all reality, I love this vehicle even in stock form, so modifications are going to be very slow and tempered. I am going to start with the suspension and shocks and steering stabilizer, as it needs that most. Then I will install the NATO wheels and 215/85 tires. Next will come all of the bumpers, side steps and rear locker...

Right now, it is just about available time.
 

Andrew Walcker

Mod Emeritus
SB, I gotta say that in person it is the cleanest pre-loved Disco I've ever seen, pictures don't do it justice! Looking forward to following her (already have it pegged as a girl for some reason:) ) on a trail soon. :beer:
 

Alaska Mike

ExPo Moderator/Eye Candy
I was a little worried you were going to go straight to the 235/85s and miss out on all of the fun to be had with the stocker. Now I see I had no reason to worry. As this is the Steph DD for now, I guess it needs to be relatively moderate to keep operating expenses down and street-worthiness high.

I am also curious as to the specific tires you are planning, since I don't see a whole lot of BFG options available in that size.

If you ever get a weekend to wrench on it, post up some pictures. We'd love to see them.
 

Scott Brady

Founder
Ok, quick update:

Phase One:

ARB Front Bumper- Installed
M8000 Warn- Almost installed
Rovers North Rear Bumper- Installed
OME Suspension (F-751, R-762)- Installed
OME Steering Damper- Installed
EE Spring Retainers- Installed
LR Genuine Spring Isolators (F&R)- Installed
Sandstorm seat covers- Installed
LR Genuine Floor Mats- Installed
LR Genuine NATO wheels (black)- Tuesday
LR Genuine steel lug nuts (black)- Tuesday
BFG AT (245/75 R16)- Tuesday
Lightforce HID- Soon

Much to my horror, the 215/85 BFG AT is no longer available. So, the 245/75 is my next choice, and a nice size for the Disco IMO. It measures as 30.5 x 9.8 (on a 7" rim), so on a 6.5" rim, it will likely measure 9.5".

The seat covers are awesome.


Pictures and details in the Fall issue of Overland Journal. I will post more details once the article has run. It will also be at the LRNR and at SEMA.

Phase II- Just before SEMA

Rock Sliders- TBD, still looking for a classy solution
Rear Lower Links HD- RoverTraks
Drag Link and Tie Rod HD- RoverTraks
Differential Covers- Still need to find a good solution
Great Basin Rovers Axle Shafts
Great Basin Rovers 3.9 or 4.1 Axle Gearing
ARB Rear Locker
Compressor
Great Basin Rovers 4.7:1 Low Range Kit
Larger AGM main battery with low-voltage cutoff (no dual-battery system planned)
Adventure Trailers new drawer system
National Luna Fridge
HAM Radio
Navigation Solution
iPod integration Solution, using factory radio
LR Genuine Switches for lights, etc.
235/85 R16 BFG MT on Outback TX1 wheels (for SEMA only)
Tool Kit and Spares Kit
Recover Kit

Despite the long list here, the vehicle will overall be a mild build, and I will gladly remove anything from the list that compromises the reliability and driveability goals of the project.

As I have mentioned to many of you, this Discovery is a very personal project for me, and a vehicle I have loved and longed for since driving the first one in 1995. The '01 DII I owned just didn't work, but this '95 is pure love! Only the best for this little beauty will do :)

A huge thanks to Jeremy and Tim for working on the Disco while I was traveling. It looks awesome. And a huge thanks to Ho from Expedition Exchange for all of the excellent advise, and for threatening to do me bodily harm if I screwed this pristine Disco up ;) In addition, thanks to Keith from Rovertraks for the diesel advise and for understanding my goals with this project (i.e., not a rock crawler) and suggesting HD components that can greatly improve reliability. Thanks to Bill from Great Basin for the tour, and for letting me sit in the 130 and make diesel noises.

Onward!

oh, and I promise to post a pre-Overland Journal teaser in the next couple days, once the tires are installed.
 

bigreen505

Expedition Leader
Can't wait to see it. Shrockworks used to make a set that looked totally stock. That is what I was planning to put the (admittedly over-priced) Disco that got snatched out from under me (why I bought the Trooper). I don't see them on their site now, but they looked like an extension of the body -- totally blended in. However, I prefer a slider that sticks out a bit from the body and these did not, but hey, with form like that, function becomes a close second.

This build is a little painful to watch, makes me want a Rover again, but deep down I know they are too small for my needs. Sigh. Maybe I should bug Pangaea for pics of the one I almost bought, he had a bunch on his site. It was built much like the plan you have outlined. My only solace is from a friend who works at a Rover dealership and says that one has been coming in with a lot of problems and rattles lately. Ah well, sorry for the hijack.
 

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
Your welcome Scott. I love the stick shift on that truck. The power is really nice compared to what I expected. Very smooth and pretty darn quick for such a heavy vehicle. The ride is nice and firm, but great riding with the new ome.
Those spring retainers are the devil to install, but great quality!!!!

I can't wait to see those rims and tires on there. That will complete the look!



expeditionswest said:
Ok, quick update:

Phase One:

ARB Front Bumper- Installed
M8000 Warn- Almost installed
Rovers North Rear Bumper- Installed
OME Suspension (F-751, R-762)- Installed
OME Steering Damper- Installed
EE Spring Retainers- Installed
LR Genuine Spring Isolators (F&R)- Installed
Sandstorm seat covers- Installed
LR Genuine Floor Mats- Installed
LR Genuine NATO wheels (black)- Tuesday
LR Genuine steel lug nuts (black)- Tuesday
BFG AT (245/75 R16)- Tuesday
Lightforce HID- Soon

Much to my horror, the 215/85 BFG AT is no longer available. So, the 245/75 is my next choice, and a nice size for the Disco IMO. It measures as 30.5 x 9.8 (on a 7" rim), so on a 6.5" rim, it will likely measure 9.5".

The seat covers are awesome.


Pictures and details in the Fall issue of Overland Journal. I will post more details once the article has run. It will also be at the LRNR and at SEMA.

Phase II- Just before SEMA

Rock Sliders- TBD, still looking for a classy solution
Rear Lower Links HD- RoverTraks
Drag Link and Tie Rod HD- RoverTraks
Differential Covers- Still need to find a good solution
Great Basin Rovers Axle Shafts
Great Basin Rovers 3.9 or 4.1 Axle Gearing
ARB Rear Locker
Compressor
Great Basin Rovers 4.7:1 Low Range Kit
Larger AGM main battery with low-voltage cutoff (no dual-battery system planned)
Adventure Trailers new drawer system
National Luna Fridge
HAM Radio
Navigation Solution
iPod integration Solution, using factory radio
LR Genuine Switches for lights, etc.
235/85 R16 BFG MT on Outback TX1 wheels (for SEMA only)
Tool Kit and Spares Kit
Recover Kit

Despite the long list here, the vehicle will overall be a mild build, and I will gladly remove anything from the list that compromises the reliability and driveability goals of the project.

As I have mentioned to many of you, this Discovery is a very personal project for me, and a vehicle I have loved and longed for since driving the first one in 1995. The '01 DII I owned just didn't work, but this '95 is pure love! Only the best for this little beauty will do :)

A huge thanks to Jeremy and Tim for working on the Disco while I was traveling. It looks awesome. And a huge thanks to Ho from Expedition Exchange for all of the excellent advise, and for threatening to do me bodily harm if I screwed this pristine Disco up ;) In addition, thanks to Keith from Rovertraks for the diesel advise and for understanding my goals with this project (i.e., not a rock crawler) and suggesting HD components that can greatly improve reliability. Thanks to Bill from Great Basin for the tour, and for letting me sit in the 130 and make diesel noises.

Onward!

oh, and I promise to post a pre-Overland Journal teaser in the next couple days, once the tires are installed.
 

Navman

Adventurer
expeditionswest said:
This Disco is about as much simplicity and balance as I can manage.

I have another project that is already in progress that will be my primary expedition rig, so the Disco is about flexibility and balance between trail performance, road performance and reliability. :)

I also don't know if I mentioned this, but one of the things I really like about the Disco is that it is not built to the hilt with huge tires and an endless list of trail mods. As a driver, I have to work harder and that has brought back a lot of the fun for me. My Tacoma and my previous Jeep were so insanely capable that it just became point and shoot. I want the Disco to be more pure, and with an emphasis on recovery capability (i.e., a big winch and an extensive recovery kit).

It is just a different approach that appeals to me at this point.

I can't believe in all of my lurking here that I haven't seen this post. Now that I've come out of the shadows I may as well use my first post on a Rover.

I have a '96 Disco and have the exact same philosophy. In the 8 years that we've owned it, the Disco spent more time on my wife's shopping expeditions (how does that happen??) than tasting dirt. I've since regained ownership and want to do a sensible and relatively cheap mod. After some expensive repairs at 60k, it has been relatively trouble free for the last 90k. Also with this high mileage I don't want to put too much money into it even though it runs great.

I also plan on building a different primary expedition rig so I want to keep the Disco simple and light and enjoy it as it is. Thanks for doing the homework for me Scott. I'm sure I will do a lot of the same as you are (and already planned to).

Now, just if I can afford an Earth Roamer...
 

Scott Brady

Founder
I am pleased...

Other than the sliders, and other minor interior details, the Disco will never look much different than this on the exterior. My goal was to keep it simple and functional - clean. It drives perfect with the small lift, and despite my disappointment from the 215/85 not being available, I believe the 245/75 will actually be a much better tire overall.

More details on the specific parts used, etc., in the Fall issue of Overland Journal ;)

DI_PhaseI_Fquarter.jpg


DI_PhaseI_Rquarter.jpg
 

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