| Author | Message | ||
     Jeffery Joel Smith (Wolfman) New Member Username: Wolfman Post Number: 1 Registered: 09-2003 |
Want to do off roading in my 2002 D2. Light trails at first with other LR owners in MD/VA/WV area. Looking for advice on entry-level, basic modifications needed to safely off road on day trips and overnight off road camping trips. Priorities of winch/bumper, skid plates, sliders, roof rack, etc. There are so many choices - Thanks for your help. Who do I see at Germantown Best Buy and LR Rockvile? | ||
| Jamil Abbasy (Jamooche) Member Username: Jamooche Post Number: 97 Registered: 05-2003 |
Got my 99 Disco II in June. Check out my website for what I have done so far... http://www.jamilabbasy.com/discovery.htm | ||
| Jeffery Joel Smith (Wolfman) New Member Username: Wolfman Post Number: 2 Registered: 09-2003 |
Jamil, Thanks! Looks like you went with bumper and bars first. Why did you ditch the roof rack? Where did you put the firestick mount? RTE over ARB - I'm struggling over that for front end. RTE is just down the road from me actually. I was thinking of bumper, winch (suspension?), tires in that order. | ||
| Jamil Abbasy (Jamooche) Member Username: Jamooche Post Number: 98 Registered: 05-2003 |
The Rovertym bumper is awesome. Good looking and really strong. I've hit it really hard already. The ARB is big and hangs down low. Some say it's bigger than the stock bumper. Strong, but no real increase in approach angle. I have no use for the rack and it's too tall for the garage I park in. This past weekend it would have been ripped off by the low trees. It's really useless, what am I going to put up there. There's a gas station and a McDonalds every 20 miles on the east coast. Firestik is mounted to the tire carrier. http://www.pbase.com/image/21523575/original There's a tech article here: http://www.expeditionexchange.com/cbantenna/ Jamil | ||
| Jeffery Joel Smith (Wolfman) New Member Username: Wolfman Post Number: 3 Registered: 09-2003 |
Jamil, Thanks for your help. I'm putting my running boards on the wife's 2003 disco to get some more ground clearance on mine. 2003 is SWEET. Never fails, I get something cool and she gets next model that is better and cheaper. Hopefully she doesn't do that to me after the bills for the off roading come in... | ||
| Paul D. Morgan (V22guy) Dweb Lounge Member Username: V22guy Post Number: 1979 Registered: 02-2002 |
Jeffery, Your D2 from the Dealer Floor can perform very well in its stock configuration. Drive it, wheel it on your camping trips; then figure out what you want to do based on your expectations. Jamil, I dig the all black look you got going there. Very nice. Paul | ||
| Robert Sublett (Rubisco98) Senior Member Username: Rubisco98 Post Number: 1046 Registered: 04-2002 |
But a good way to begin with modifications are protection. Skid plates, diff guards, rock sliders, then bumper, winch, lift, tires, etc.. I wish I had rock sliders before I had the lift.. I'll say that much | ||
| Paul D. Morgan (V22guy) Dweb Lounge Member Username: V22guy Post Number: 1980 Registered: 02-2002 |
That is a good point Rob. Protection is key. I made some mistakes early on by just going out and throwing money at the Pig. But then realized certain things I had done did not work out well with what I expect the Pig to do. That means, I did some swapping out of parts / mods. | ||
| Rans (Rans) Senior Member Username: Rans Post Number: 554 Registered: 08-2002 |
And I waited until Paul made his mistakes and then made my Mods!!! LOL | ||
| Eugene (Eugene) Member Username: Eugene Post Number: 88 Registered: 02-2003 |
I don't want to state the obvious, but remember to acquire several good recovery straps and shackles. Verify that you have strong front and rear recovery points. If you have the trailer hitch, get a shackle for the hitch. After the recovery gear, I chose to go with diff guards and rock sliders. The rock sliders saved my door panels when I slid off a muddy embankment and into some rocks on my first trip. There are some terrific threads in the archives about initial setup. Basic recovery gear people carry ../17/18151.html> Advice for new Rover owners ../17/1252.html> Recovery equipment ../17/90.html> Starting from stock ../17/2212.html> -Eugene | ||
| Axel Haakonsen (Axel) Moderator Username: Axel Post Number: 345 Registered: 02-2003 |
Paul's advice is sound. Do some easy trails with the truck as is first, to get a feel for it. Once you start modifying, look at basic protection first. Your diffs are the lowest point on the truck, so they are vulnerable. A damaged diff housing will also stop you cold, so diff guards should be high up on your list. Next you should look at recovery points. You need something to attach to so you can get pulled out once you are stuck. Rock sliders are also nice, and is something you will need if you are going to wheel regularly, even though a dented sill is only cosmetic and is not something that will stop you in your tracks. - Axel | ||
| carl seashore (Drcarl) New Member Username: Drcarl Post Number: 28 Registered: 07-2003 |
just remember your stock truck will impress you. front and rear recovery points are essential, plenty of water and some snacks-you always get back later than you think. as for mods i'd update your shocks and springs before putting all sorts of heavy parts on the frame. | ||
| Jack Quinlan (Jsq) Senior Member Username: Jsq Post Number: 470 Registered: 10-2002 |
There are certainly lots of options when you start out, and everyone is different, but if you think about it carefully there is a pretty logical order. Alot of the modifications you might make are dependant on others. Of course, this is just my opinion, but you asked for advice right? First off I'd go with the recovery gear. Get a hitch and shackle for the rear and maybe jate rings up front. A couple of tow straps and more shackles and you can go out and play with a friend and get yourself out of most trouble. Then I'd go suspension and tires. The reason being that you really NEED to do your suspension before you start throwing all sorts of weighty mods on your truck. It kills me to see an otherwise stocker driving around with a bumper and winch and practicaly plowing the road with the sagging front end. After the truck is set up to take the load, get the bumper, winch and sliders. After that the truck is pretty well set up and you should work on improving yourself before you do anything more to it eg lockers, more lift, big big tires etc. Remember, so many things are interdependent. A 1 or 2" lift is just springs and shocks but if you want to take it to 3" it can mean shock mounts, retainers, trailing links, driveshaft, brake lines, etc. Just do lots of research and you'll figure it out. Like everyone said, the stock truck is very capable, but we all know that it's more fun to change it and if you're here, it's already inevitable that that's the route you're going to ultimately take. | ||
| Rans (Rans) Senior Member Username: Rans Post Number: 556 Registered: 08-2002 |
Jack, I agree on the whole except that I would suggest inserting the protection items even before the suspension/tires. They don't weigh that much, and can make a world of difference as I am sure you already know. | ||
| Erik Olson (Jon) Senior Member Username: Jon Post Number: 480 Registered: 02-2002 |
I third the recovery gear suggestions. Front and rear points, tow strap, tree strap and a few 3/4" shackles. Using your shiny new recovery gear almost always requires a second vehicle, a built-in reminder to never wheel alone. e | ||
| Jeffery Joel Smith (Wolfman) New Member Username: Wolfman Post Number: 4 Registered: 09-2003 |
You are right I asked for it! No, I really do appreciate all the help - thank you. I live in city so no radical lifts for me, gotta drive the Rover to work and fit in parking garages. I do very light off roading to get to our cabin on weekends. We keep the road "rustic" to deter casual, unwelcome visitors. Drove a 4-runner 11 years - sometimes struggled in snow and mud at cabin. Rover kicks 4-runner butt so far. Did the Equinox 1/2 day school so I pretty much know enough to get in a good jam I think. Thanks for pointing out the archive threads, I'll read those tonight. I'm glad I got brave and posted my question instead of just reading. Thanks for making my first internet posting very productive. Joel | ||
| Brian Dickens (Bri) Senior Member Username: Bri Post Number: 712 Registered: 08-2002 |
Rans is correct. Protection before you get real capability will make sure that your learning process does not completely hammer your vehicle. | ||
| Greg French (Gregfrench) Senior Member Username: Gregfrench Post Number: 608 Registered: 11-2002 |
Recovery gear first. Yes. Depending on where you are and what you are going to do should determine what you add next. I added the roof rack next, as I do a lot of camping, kayaking, and surfing- Usually all in one trip -with my wife and daughter, so I needed a place to carry all my gear. Most of the stuff I do is here in South Carolina, and we don't have rocks, so I haven't added too much protection yet, but it is coming. | ||
| Jeffery Joel Smith (Wolfman) New Member Username: Wolfman Post Number: 5 Registered: 09-2003 |
Great! Sounds like I'll be making a list of recovery gear based on the list in the archives and here. I do like the idea of the belly armor first or second. We do have a few rocks, stumps, and trees (fallen ones) to crawl over around the area. It will be a while before I get a chance to do some work on the car. I'll try to take some pictures to share. |
