My Rover

[ChrisJB]

So I'd figured I'd show off the rover and use this thread to document the changes as I go along.

 

I don't have a cool nickname yet, but I am working on it

 

I wanted to get a plate that states "pussmgt" but the dmv person must have seen Borat and wouldn't let me have it. I also thought about NCC1701, but some other nerd already took it and thinking about it now, I probably would have gotten beat up a lot.

 

For those who don't know what I drive. It's a 2004 Discovery Trail edition.

 

I bought the vehicle off of ebay from a dealership in Atlanta Georgia in September of 2006 (birthday present to myself). When I took delivery of it, it had less than 13k miles on the OD and well under bluebook. For me it was the deal of the century. I have always wanted a Land Rover, but didn't think I could ever afford one. I almost became a typical jeep owner, but I was saved lol

 

This was taken on a hill overlooking Carson City. It was about a week after I took delivery of the truck. First time I have ever driven on dirt. You can see the dealer temp plate, so I wasted no time in getting it dirty

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/P1014015.jpg

 

My first "mod" was to trash the running boards. I learned pretty quick that they get in the way and need to go asap.

 

Looking clean and shiny sitting on my driveway :cool:

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/P1016252.jpg

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/P1016251.jpg

 

Testing the new Nitto AT Tires in the mud at Brunswick Canyon, Carson City NV

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/P1016264.jpg

 

Hollister, California

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_2916.jpg

 

Ellis Peak, Lake Tahoe

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_2962.jpg

 

Upgrades currently on the Vehicle

Nitto Terra Grapplers AT Tires 255/55-R18's

Rear receiver hitch shackle

OEM A-Frame with off-road light

G4 style Rear tail light guards

 

Upgrades that I have but need to be installed

Borla stainless catback exhaust system (will install at a later time when I get my hands on a set of headers and hi-flo cat)

OEM Steering guard

x2 Hella Ralley 4000 HID lights (will install when I get a new bumper)

 

Items to be purchased and installed (In no particular order)

QT Front and Rear Diff Guards

Tom Woods front and rear drive shafts

Rovertym Gas Tank Skid

Rock Sliders (safari gard or inland rovers)

HD Steering and trackbar (any suggestions on brand?)

2" RTE Lift (HD springs, OME Shocks)

x5 16" wheels (preferably OEM 6 spoke alloys)

x5 BFG AT's or MT's 265/75-16's

Dual Battery

ARB sahara bumper (painted to match the vehicle)

Warn XD9000 winch

roof rack w/ x4 Hella Rallye 4000 HID compacts

Rear ladder

Engel 45 fridge

Tint the windows

Dog guard

New stereo

Mantec or SD snorkel (maybe)

CB Radio

 

Current GPS Equipment

Dell Axim x51v PDA running Nat Geo Topo!

Garmin bluetooth gps receiver

Powered Windshield Mount

 

New GPS (soon to be installed)

Dell Mini 9 (1.6 ghz atom, 8.9" screen, 1 GB Ram, 8 gb solid state hard drive, windows XP, AT&T 3G)

OziExplorer GPS software

laptop auto mount (Still searching for a good solid mount)

 

Issues

Fix bent wheel

I hear a vaccum leak when the engine is cold (goes away once engine warms up)

Driver side window makes a popping sound when going up or down (window regulator was replaced early last year)

Need to replace weather stripping around window or door on the rear driver side (can hear wind rushing into the cab from that door)

Front and rear suspension makes a loud creaking sound when going over bumps.

 

I am going for the overland/expedition type. Rock Crawling isn't something I get too excited about, if I ever do go that route then ill buy a cheap rusty beater so that way I wont cry everytime I touch a rock

[ChrisJB]

Here is the steering guard that most of you have already seen on my other thread. (some info is a repeat just trying to consolidate all the info from my diff threads in the general forum)

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_3144.jpg

 

The brackets were galvanized and got beat up in shipping. I wanted to put a coat of paint to protect them from rust. I sanded the brackets with vinegar and warm water to etch the surface to help the paint adhere to the galvanized finish. I started with a 3M medium/course sanding sponge for the initial surface prep and I finished with a 3M fine/medium sanding sponge before I layed on the first coat of primer. Due to the cold weather, I heated up the brackets with a hot air gun to get the surface warm to dry the part and to allow the paint to actually dry vs just freezing on the surface. I used Rust-oleum professional paint (rattlecan)

 

I layed on 2 light coats and 1 heavy coat to ensure even coverage

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_3146.jpg

 

Here are the brackets completed. I layed on 2 light coats and 2 heavy coats of black paint. Not perfect. I didnt sand between coats and some dust settled into the paint, but wasn't looking for a concours finish, so it's good enough for me

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_3148.jpg

 

I made an attempt to install the guard, but failed miserably. I could not figure out how to remove my bumper so I can access the existing bolts to install the brackets. At this point I am stuck because I was quoted $200 from local mechanics to install this for me. I may take a trip to california and bribe a fellow club member to assist in helping me out if anyone is interested

[ChrisJB]

I wanted to get my wheel repaired so I can go wheeling again

 

Today I dropped my wheel off at my local alloy wheel repair shop. When I picked it up, they then notified me that their equipment can't quite handle bigger stronger suv wheels and really couldn't get it fixed properly.

 

Here you can see the bend. It was a lot worse before so at least they made some progress. The problem is not only did the wheel bend in towards the center of the wheel, but also outwards so the bead of the tire won't seal very well and cause an air leak. Even with this slight bend now, it still won't hold air because of the wheel is pulled away from the bead.

 

you can also see the dents from a hammer when I made a desperate attempt to fix it myself so I can go wheeling tomorrow, and that was another fail. That is a strong wheel and the rock I hit must have been made out of diamond.....

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_3150.jpg

 

The wheel shop is going to be getting some heavier duty equipment in a couple of weeks, so will try again in 2 weeks. It's will only cost me $50 so it's worth it for me to fix it vs replacing it. I don't want to put too much money into wheels since I want to replace them soon.

 

*UPDATE*----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The wheel is fixed! (I hope)

 

After doing some research on the intarwebs and talking with some fabricators, you can hammer a bent alloy wheel without cracking it if you have the right hammer I was told you need a hammer that made of a softer material than the alloy wheel such as copper. I went on eBay and bought a 4lb copper sledgehammer. It arrived today and gave it a try. After a couple of wacks, the wheel was bent back into shape without too much issue. It's still bent a little bit, but I aired it up to 45psi and mounted it on the truck. With the weight on the vehicle on it, I am not hearing any air escaping, nor after spraying it with soapy water, no bubbles. Hopefully it will stay inflated by morning, and if so then I am good

 

I paid about $60 for the hammer (used). It was a bit pricey but copper hammers are a specialty item. The cost to have someone fix it was $125 and replacement could be $200. If it works then i'll come out ahead and i'll have a new tool to add to my toolbox

[sasquatch]

Great thread Chris! I like NCLR071 for a vanity plate??? I really like your color. That's quite a list of future mods! Keep us posted on the progress shots. I see one heck of a trail rig being born. Looks kool...

[ChrisJB]

Great thread Chris! I like NCLR071 for a vanity plate??? I really like your color. That's quite a list of future mods! Keep us posted on the progress shots. I see one heck of a trail rig being born. Looks kool...

 

Thank you My goal is to buy something at least once a month to put on the truck so hopefully I can get this truck looking and handling the way I want it to relatively quick. For those who don't know "NCC1701" is the designation for the Star Ship Enterprise (Star Trek). Using NCLR071 as my vanity plate number is something I never thought about and thats a really good idea!

[ChrisJB]

This morning I bought a rear ladder. I decided to purchase one from roverracks.com. I know there have been some questions regarding the quality of the stuff they build. I figured i'd pick up a ladder from them to get an idea of the quality of the stuff they make without spending too much money (I really like and want their voyager off-road challenge roof rack). I picked one up off of ebay as it was cheaper then if I bought it off of their website ($125 after shipping vs $159). What I like about the roverracks unit vs the OEM, is that they use larger tubing so it looks alot stronger and it's powder coated. The OEM ladders use that vinyl coating which after a while the coating becomes brittle and can come off causing the metal to rust. Roverracks.com had some good feedback on the ladders on ebay so I'd figured i'd give it a try

 

Here is the link

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching&item=290291923873&viewitem=

 

QT diff guards will be ordered in 2 weeks!

[Disco2Guy]

Nice Chris. One advantage to the steel wheels over the alloys is if the same thing happens the hammer trick will actually work. A lot of times the alloy wheels will crack instead of bend, but the steel will just bend. Makes a trail side fix a lot easier. For your steering guard, check out this site.

http://www.discovery2.co.uk/steeringguard.html

Nick (aka UrbanPanzer) is a great guy. He's helped me with the CDL install, and the one who pointed me to the QT Defender TD5 front diff guard. Looks like he's using the same setup you are for the steering protection. His email is at the bottom of his home page.

[LandRonB]

Very nice write-up Chris!

 

Sounds like when you have your 16s and more side walls, it's time for "Return to Ellis Peak" again this year late Sept/Oct perhaps with a lil snow and deal with those diamond sharp rocks again.

 

My 18s got damaged also on our last trip.

 

Next time I will run with my 16s and MT tires.

[ChrisJB]

I hope to be able to make it to Ellis peak if you guys come out. I may not have my camping gear by then as I am so set on getting the rover fixed up.

 

With wheels, I have been back and forth between steel and alloy's for a while. It gives me a headach thinking about it. IMHO steel wheel look like ass and just don't like them, alloys look a lot better. Of course the benefits of steel is they can be stronger and easier field repairs, but alloys are lighter and look a lot nicer. I am listening to boths sides. I have friends who swear by steelie's and friends who swear by alloy's. I think whats making this so tough, is this is the first vehicle I have ever owned where no aftermarket companies make a nice looking off road wheel. I am stuck with steel's or OEM's

 

I met up with Ron from LRRForums (Rocky112540) this past saturday and he was nice enough to show me what bolts I need to remove to take the bumper off and I now know how to do it. Ill be making another attempt this coming saturday on installing that steering guard.

 

Yesterday morning I bought a set of the G4 style rear tail light guards off of ebay for about $45. I know this and the ladder don't really add any functionality, but something buying the little things keep you motivated and excited in between buying the big things. I like to have a little bling

[Disco2Guy]

That's a great deal on the lamp guards. I do the same thing, if it's on the list (but not quite ready to buy) and see a great deal I'll snag it then. I learned that lesson when I had saltwater aquariums and would see a great fish at the LFS (local fish store).

[astateofmike]

That's a great deal on the lamp guards. I do the same thing, if it's on the list (but not quite ready to buy) and see a great deal I'll snag it then. I learned that lesson when I had saltwater aquariums and would see a great fish at the LFS (local fish store).

 

Great score...

 

My advice, buy whatever you want when you see it, if you can pay cash. Everything else, wait on.

 

You never know when it may surface again.

[ChrisJB]

The tail light guards arrived today and mounted them onto the vehicle. Def like the way they look. I am just surprised they retail for so much, so I am glad I didn't have to spend more that I had to

 

The 2nd quickest mod after putting the NCLR sticker on my rear window

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_3152.jpg

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_3153.jpg

[ChrisJB]

So the ladder came in last week from roverracks.com. I got it installed today and I am fairly pleased with the results. I was a little bit nervous about drilling 1/2" holes into the door, but I took my time and everthing lined up nicely.

 

I can't wait till the weather gets better so I can finally wash and wax my truck

 

 

Final Results

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_3169.jpg

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_3170.jpg

 

On the upper mounting points, there is a gap due to the mounting hardware that sits between the door and the flange. I went ahead and filled the gap with silicon to add addition weatherproofing (the metal anchors have rubber o-rings)

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_3171.jpg

 

The welds look decent. Not as clean and neat as I would like, but Prettier welds means more $$ and these do the job. Powdercoat is quality.

 

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/audisportracer/DSC_3174.jpg

 

Overall it's a good product at a good price. I am def happy with it. Will make accessing my ski rack a lot easier.

 

While taking pictures, I realized I still have the Lexus dealer license plate frame so I went on ebay and bought a Land Rover Discovery Frame