Hi All,

I posted this once before, but wanted to post it again since we are starting over a bit.

I drive a stock 1999 Disco II and although it is very good off-road as stock I still want to Pimp my Disco over the next year. So my question is...

Looking at the modifications you have done on your Land Rover or even dreamed about doing, what order would you rank them if you had a 1999 Disco II?

Here is my current list:

1) Front and rear Tow points
2) Cdl Mechanism (even if it is the 50.00 version)
3) Front and rear Diff breathers
4) ARB Front bumper with winch
5) ARB Snorkel

I know there are a million opinions out there, but hey I just want to hear what your perspective is and what you are passionate about.

Cheers,
Chris

List looks good to start with. Maybe a roof rack if you need the space.
and some spinners, yeah, spinners are still cool

your list looks good. the rear recovery point is easy-just get a shackle mount that goes into your receiver hitch. 4wheelparts.com or ebay has em. the front is harder because the easiest solution is a bumper with recovery points but doing that before some of the other stuff...well that just seems like something i would do!

don't forget sliders and diff protectors, though it is in my limited experience that in the relatively "soft" terrain we have here that those aren't as critical as say, colorado. of course, next time i go out i'm going to be very sad...

andy

ps-i second the spinners...or maybe you'll be so pimp that when your truck stops, the wheels stop turning and the whole car spins!

1, 2, 4

Then I'd add diff guards and a steering guard since they are both pretty vulnerable on a D2. I'd also pick up a recovery strap, D-shackles, gloves, snatch block, and chain. Either a bolt in dog guard or some good tie-downs and boxes to hold all your stuff inside in case you wind up upside down. Oh.. and throw in a shovel and some carpet rolls. Hi-lift jacks are kind of over-rated, especially if you don't have a lift and large tires. A come-along is helpful if you don't have a winch (and sometimes when you do).

My $.04 worth (inflation)
--Craig

50% inflation is pretty steep.

You can get Jate rings for front recovery points. Cheap and they work but with a D2 you might to drill just a little (they attach to the frame and not the bumper/horns up front).

Oh yeah, all the other recovery stuff is good.
You state a hi-lift is over-rated but then you say get a come-along (which is handy if you don't have a winch). But sice a hi-lift can be used as a come-along, and other things, I find it quite handy. You do have to have something to jack against though, so if you're stock and don't have sliders or strong bumbpers, it's not as useful.

Come to think of it, I'd get teh sliders before the breathers or the snorkel. You many not think you will, but you'll use them before you use the snorkel and if you have a V8, you'd be better off with sliders than a snorkel.
So yeah, get all the protection stuff first and then get the things that let you do other stuff.

pwc

I just find that a come-along is easier to use than a hi-lift for short pulls. If he plans to put a lift and bigger tires on (and sliders for jack points) I'd reccomend the hi-lift.

It's a slippery slope Chris. When I first started "lightly modding" my truck I wanted to get front/rear recovery points. I did the rear reciever shackle. Then on the front I decided my best option was a new bumper. I realized I'd need a lift to support the heavier bumper so I put on an OME 2" lift with my existing 255/70/R16s and added the CDL. I should have stopped there. But no, I'd had a taste now. My tires wore out (I'd had them for a while with the truck otherwise stock) and I decided that I'd put 265/75/16s (32s) on as I read this is the largest that the stock gearing is really suitable for and fits nicely with an OME 2" lift. Crud, now my bottle jack doesn't work... so I added the sliders, rear bumper (and fuel tank skid), and bought a hi-lift. Eventually I also had to upgrade my driveline because it was old and the lift made short work of finishing it off. Some items lead to the need for other items. This doesn't even touch on what the impulse buys wound up also requiring.

All that said, I'm considering a snorkel for my "birthday present". If only I could rationalize spending the dinero to buy a rear ARB locker somehow. Hmmmmm....

It's a slippery slope.

echo the need for sliders, good REAR bumper. you can avoid alot of damage to the front with smart steering, but the rear can get banged up pretty quickly.

I have the JATE rings on the front of my rangie and they work well. let's you get a good solid pull by using a smaller strap connected to both rings. put a d-shackle on the short strap and away you go.

about hi-lifts - they scare me, but in certain situations they're indespensible. having good bumpers front and rear and sliders will help with safe useage of the hi-lift. I think jackpoints are a good idea, but I've got neither bumpers, sliders, nor jackpoints and have used my hi-lift all the same. just be mindful of its capacity to maime or kill, and you'll be fine

as for come-alongs, I've used one of these units before and they're really cool:



I feel this is a safer unit than your average come-alongs, and they have a 2-ton dead-lift capacity rating. Check the stats on your more common come-alongs; generally they're rated for straight pulls. The handles are aluminum and will bend as a safety mechanism to prevent you from overpowering the device and compromising your safety.


The cost is reasonable - about $150.

https://www.wyeth-scott.com/orders.asp


A rear locker and HD shafts will get you 90% of the places you'd ever think about going. It's a worthy investment and will make off-roading more difficult trails not only a safer proposition, but also it helps avoid damaging the trails with relying on throttle to get over obstacles.

Skip the roof-rack if you can avoid it, and learn to pack light for extended camping trips. The additional weight overhead is really bad for center of gravity, and makes side-hilling very uncomfortable. Having said that, getting the spare tire and jerry cans for water and fuel up top are a good way to clear space when you have kids, dogs, a spouse, and a long weekends worth of compliments aboard. just be mindful of the COG issue when on more difficult or perilous trails, especially in the manastash and naches areas.

cheers
-isaac

Man, I can't wait until we go camping again and you have to fit Merlin in the back now that he's about 40 lbs heavier.

I think Craig had a list up at the other site, but some things to add are a first aid kit and fire exstinguisher (sp)

Thanks all for your great feedback and insight. It is helpful to hear from those who have done mods, as craig said I know it is a slippery slope :-) - I am looking forward to slidding down that slope though :-)

My opinion

1. First aid kit, fire extinguisher, flashlight, radio (BB, FRS, HAM, etc.), SafetySeal, small air compressor, tools (minimum ticket to anything)
2. Rear recovery hitch adapter and something for the front (number of options), recovery straps, shackles
3. MaxAx (http://www.maxax.com)
4. diff guards and HD drag/track bar (recc. RTE)
5. Sliders (recc. RTE with holes for highlift)
6. Front bumper (recc. RTE), skidplate and winch (recc. Superwinch E9.0) [B](until this stage travel with someone with a winch)[/B]
7. Redo all bushes (recc. PolyBush) and add Lift (recc. RTE w/ Bilsteins(3") or OME (2"), extended brake lines and tires (recc. TruXus MT) to match (I'm assuming you have some reasonable ATs or MTs now)
8. highlift now a good thing to have
9. Rear bumper with added reversing lights (good time to do a fuel tank guard also)
10. lockers (many opinions, I'm leaning to TT/DT) and HD shafts (regear if needed due to tires)
11. Snorkel (recc. Safari Snorkel)

I'd add a roof rack at any point you find a good deal. If adding the rack, aux lighting is a good thing (Hella 4000 2x pencil and 2x cornering). The rack comes in handy and if offroading you don't need to load it. I find it very nice when camping as I load it with firewood before heading out.

Again, this is just my opinion on things.

I've done all but #9 and #10 and I have the bumper, just need to do a few mods before its on. Fuel tank skid (RTE) is already installed.

Thanks Michael. That looks like a good list. Where would you place the CDL in there? #3?

CDL would be item # 4.5 in my book. All the stuff above is really minimal for safety and to avoid getting stuck hard. You'll note that I don't have a front diff guard on my D1 and it makes me nervous. I really need to get that panhard bar off and take care of it.

Yep makes sense and thanks!

I just ordered a TT/DT combo with 4.11 gears. After the lift/tires going up steep grades is killing me!

Bam! You will be happy. The only gripe I have with the TT front is that it sometimes doesn't want to engage even with a heavy left foot.

Did you order a complete setup from GBR? When swapping out the thirds, I think its a good idea to pull the front axles / cvs instead of taking the swivel housings off of the axle housing to be able to get the front out. Its a total pain to try to maneuver the heavy housing around to get the axle back in the diff. Also, it gives you a chance to check out the cvs and repack the bearings.

<< Bam! You will be happy. The only gripe I have with the TT front is that it sometimes doesn't want to engage even with a heavy left foot. >>

have you tried using a bit of brake? doesn't need much - just drag the pedal a bit and it will usually "lock up" with simultaneous application of the throttle.

if it still seems like it's not engaging, it might be defective .... or ... maybe you're comparing it to an ARB equip'd rig you've driven before? the torque split never approaches 50/50. IIRC, it was something closer to 70/30 in the best case.

cheers
-isaac

Isaac, when I was out with Craig a while back, we were in a heavily rutted section with very loose rocky soil. I was making a climb and was left foot braking and on the throttle. I saw a video that Craig took & it is really apparent that the torque split was more like 90/10 at least in that situation. When I was in Moab, there were times that I would try an obstacle and the TT was running open and just a slight touch of the brake was all that was needed to make a huge difference in traction.

I'm not sure if the loose soil was what made it act open, who knows? The issue I have with it is that the performance of it seems to be inconsistent.

ok, i get where you're going now. i have also noticed some of the same things in terms of inconsistency but maybe not quite as pronounced.

:edit: i've only got about 2k miles on my TT - what kind of mileage is on yours? has it seemed to degrade?
:/edit:

i have a feeling that it likes certain RPM's traction - differential side to side to get optimum lockup. in a gooey mud pit it worked pretty well without using the brakes, in other slippery and slower conditions i've found it takes a bit of playing with the throttle and brake pedal to get it to hook up. i'd much rather have a fully locked front diff; don't think it's going to happen this year, however.

i've been told by vendors that the rear application TT is set to be alot more aggressive in it's lockup than the front. there is probably a preload of some kind that could be adjusted to tighten it up to be the same specs as the rear, but i don't know how or haven't heard of anyone attempting this as a mod.

before anyone gets any ideas - since the diff rotates most of the time in different directions, a front TT won't work in the rear; rear won't work in the front - they have to set the direction of the gear mesh on the bevel to the "drive" side, sort of like "normal" and then "reverse-cut" ring and pinions.

might have to call tractech one of these days and ask if there's a way to adjust the lockup.

cheers

Isaac, I have about 20K on mine. It still feels like it is about the same as when I put it in. The other gripe I have with the TT is the way it acts during on road driving. When you are in a turn under throttle and then let off it gives a weird steering effect. I bet that if the TT was more aggressive in the lockup, the on road side effects would be even worse.

I doubt that I'd ever go to an ARB. They are nice in some respects, but the TT is probably the best option for me.