Lucky8’s Project Discovery 3

FIVESPDDISCO

FIVESPDDISCO

2
Apr 29, 2004
6,776
2
Clarence center
www.lucky8LLc.com
Lucky8’s Project Discovery 3

Well, it's time for me to eat some crow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_crow

I’m sure if I looked back at some of my posts from 2005 I would find a slew of things saying why the Disco 3 is not going to be a good off road choice. Unfortunately for me but fortunately for the Land Rover community I may need to retract some of those old post. Watching what people like Nathan Woods, Adam Spiker and Gerald King have accomplished with their trucks has not only proven me wrong but made me want one of my own. Please except this as my apology and lets get started with the project!


Without further ado here is the L8 Disco 3 in all its stock form glory




Some of you keen eyed observers may recognize the finger in the uper corner. That finger belongs to none other than Bart from RMR or as most people know them Red Mountain Rovers.

http://rmr4x4.com



Tim and Bart knew I was batting around the Idea of getting into a Disco 3 and when they saw this on the clock they knew were its new home should be.



I only had one question for them. Does it have



The answer was A resounding yes and the Disco was immediately shipped off to Lucky8



Like most Lucky8 Project truck’s the goal is to build a truck that can be a daily driver and still stand up to the abuse of the Easter Expedition. In order to do this with a Disco 3 we will need to push hard on our vendors for new products and work in house on innovative ways to tap the hidden potential Land Rover left for us to find.
A side from the standard bolt on goodies here is a quick list of things I would like to accomplish.

1 expanding the selection of rims available.

2 A different suspension set up that does not overstress the air bags when lifted.

3 A dual battery system that has a built-in solar power charger. These trucks are so dependent on electricity we need every possible backup system to make sure they're ready for the challenge ahead.

4 This may be a pipe dream but aluminum bumpers, rock sliders and air Compressor guard.

5 Finding out the things this truck needs that I don’t even know about.


Start at the start.
Tires are the foundation of any build, and that is were we will begin.

When I’m asked for recommendations about building a truck the first thing I ask back is "What size tires do you want to run"? The answer to that for this project was "stuff a 33 under it". Unfortunately it's not that easy on a Disco 3. Our Disco like most HSE’s came with 19in wheels. To say the 19in tire selection is dismal is an overstatement and now we find ourselves at issue number one on my list. Rim selection. What most people do is go out and find a used set of 18 inch rims. That's not a bad option but I think Lucky8 can do better. Remember when I said we needed to be innovative? Well I don't want to let you down so have a look at this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Qhuj_pVwk&feature=share&list=UUUnCLXtAqip_9qd-T1NenbA
 
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FIVESPDDISCO

FIVESPDDISCO

2
Apr 29, 2004
6,776
2
Clarence center
www.lucky8LLc.com
Lucky8’s Project Discovery 3 Update : 17’s on my feet.

Why 17s you may ask? When you flip through a tire catalog you can not help but notice the unbelievable selection of 17 inch mud tires. Now consider the additional half-inch cushion provided by the sidewall. Those two factors alone made it a no-brainer to pursue a 17in rim option for the Disco. Putting 17in rims on a V8 is not as easy as bolting the wheels up and driving away. First off there is the rim selection or I should say lack there of it. I could not find any 17in aftermarket rims for the Disco 3. The next logical step was to try and make some.

First we had to find the right combination of parts to allow the rim to clear the break caliber.





The next hurdle was contending with the off set. We definitely wanted additional offset to help compensate for the narrow stance on a lifted truck. The stock offset is 6 3/8



The minimum offset we could make the rim without compromising the strength and clear the caliber was 4 3/8.



The end result was this bit of magic.





Picking the tire size was the next issue.

With the added offset the truck gained a more powerful stance. Unfortunately there was a downside to the extra offset. The tires wanted to rub the molding in front of the doors when the wheel was turned. Our first try was a 33/12.50/17 Mud Grappler. We could not turn the wheel with out it jamming into the side molding in front of the doors. Just for reference the front bumper had no chance of survival with these wide boys on. Next up was a more reasonable choice, 285/70/17 Trail Grappler. This size rubbed a little in hi mode on the molding in front of the doors and again the bumper had no chance of survival. When it is acceptable to take a sawsall to the fenders this is the tire size I will probably go with. Finally we were able to sneak by with a 255/75/17 Trail Grappler. They clear the molding in front of the doors and just touch the bumper. Knowing that the front bumper is on the way out the 255’s became our new tire. I was hoping for a true 33 but had to settle on the 32s.



This is the only rubbing we are getting and could easily be avoided with a little smaller tire.



This is how the truck sits in high mode



A stock D2 for reference.



The extra offset is about spot on for a 2 1/2 inch lifted truck in my opinion. Here are some side-by-side pictures of the truck in high mode . As you can see the stock tire is tucked way inside the fender well.



Here is a picture with the Lucky8 wheel tire combination and it sitting almost flush with the fender flare.



Let me know what you think about this set up.

And finally the poser pic, Boriana on ice.

 
D Chapman

D Chapman

1
Jan 3, 2005
11,746
73
On Kennith's private island
I don't like it already. The wheel pattern just does not jive with the truck. They look odd and added on. Nothing stealth about them. It's kind of like putting American Racing wagon wheels on a 1982 Chevy Blazer. There are some nice and attractive LR3/4 wheels out there. Sometimes doing something just because you can is not the best choice. A lot of times that "additional half-inch cushion provided by the sidewall" can be achieved by simply researching the actual tire diameter as not all 32" tires are exactly 32" in diameter. In other words, you could have installed the 285/65R18 and saved yourself a lot of shit work for not much reward, and had a better looking end result.

216335_1007543599166_8220_n.jpg
 
seventyfive

seventyfive

Well-known member
Jan 3, 2010
4,280
100
over there
jafir said:
I'll bet these would work:

http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/DTC100810G.cfm
Click to expand...

i had those once. they don't like to be pulled off more than once. they hold mud, grit, and filth so your studs rust quicker. but they do make the wheel look good.

i understand justin having his stuff painted grey so people know they are Lucky8, but they look terrible on the truck… black would probably look a lot better.
IMG_20100913_143005_zps8e5f9b5e.jpg


I'm curious about the 255/75 size, my gold D2 is bone stock with 265/75's and they don't rub at all. so the picture comparing the D3 to the D2 is not a good comparison of the stance. the D3 may be better out of the box BUT when the electronics fail on the D3 you're done god forbid you're in the muck and the EPB decides to lock up, the air compressor needs relocated inside the truck, what happens if the all terrain control module decides to crap out, yada, yada.

not trying to be negative, i'd love to see the D3 pushed to it's extents, but there are more constraints than previous Disco's. the newer generation rovers are a double edged sword. very capable out of the box but they are limited to those gadgets that make them as capable.



you could always just cut the parking brake cables and leave the EPB plugged in to eliminate that failing in the woods.
 
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D Chapman

D Chapman

1
Jan 3, 2005
11,746
73
On Kennith's private island
I think the LR3/4 would look good with a 1.5" lift and a 3" tire. A tire that fits the fender well and broadens the stance. I think this would look better than a stock truck. The stock truck needs something. It look wimpy and kind of dorky. Not soccer mom dorky, but boxy dorky. Some say the LR3/4 looks like a refrigerator going down the road. But with a slightly larger tire it looks more manly and aggressive. I think it helps the look of the truck.

If you're going to build up this truck to wheel a 33" tire is plenty big. 35's look hideous on LR3/4's. 35's on an LR3/4 look like 38's on a Defender. It looks dumb. Sure, it may increase the capability of the truck, somehow, but you look like an idiot. Either put 35's on a beater LR3/4 and wheel the crap out of it, or don't try and sell us on your "tasteful mods" just so you can fit 35's. There's nothing tasteful about it. But 33's are just about right.

An LR3/4 with a 33" tire and some Rover Specialties sliders without the nurf would be tough. Without the nurf you can't even tell the LR3/4 has sliders installed. Sure, you can justify the nurf all you want. I get it, it may help when you're rock crawling through some boulders at Big Dogs Super Duper Off-Road Park and Corn Hole Center. But the other 364 days a year you look like an idiot.

I don't think we'll ever see an attractive front bumper. Not until we can print one out of steel on a 3-D printer. But some options are better than others. The ARB is actually not have bad. Don't get me wrong, it looks like shit. But if you're going off road the stock bumper would not last 20 minutes. It has to go. So an ARB bumper is better than no bumper at all.

The hard part is the rear bumper. All options I've seen to date look like total dog shit. Kamar at one time had the closest thing to stock, but it still looked like dog shit. Someone could probably sell some LR3/4 rear bumpers that looked decent and stockish. The rear bumper is not like the front bumper. If you hit the front bumper it would look like your truck was in a wreck. It would crack and bust and the paint would flake off. Plus, with an aftermarket front bumper you can mount a winch. So an aftermarket front bumper is almost a must have item. But if you hit the rear bumper, or drag it on a rock, it just pops off. All you have to do is snap it back on. Yes, it's a pain in the ass. It's a pain in the ass when the fender flares pop off, too. But we don't remove and replace the fender flares with steel tubes. That would look like shit. So do the LR3/4 aftermarket rear bumpers. If someone would make a nice looking rear bumper it would be a lot easier to pull the trigger in one. But the people who replace the rear bumper and then bolt on some Jerry Cans, a second spare tire, and a Trash-a-Roo look like fucking idiots.
 
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