96 Discovery I - Let The Money Flow!

[R_Lefebvre]

The 03-04 lights use H7 bulbs which put out 1450 lumens compared to your bulbs which are 9003/HB2's and put out only 1000 lumens on low beam. Plus the 03-04 have dual reflectors, which I think tend to work better as the reflectors are optimized for each of low and high beam.

I might suggest putting in some simple 100/55W bulbs for like $10/each and uprgraded wiring harness for lower voltage drop. You'll be stock-ish and non-blinding on low beam, but with improved high-beam light. I don't know if your reflectors can handle 100W or not, but I've had good luck running 100W bulbs in other plastic reflectors as long as you turn off the high beams when you're not moving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNYjjLPVQdk

Then the money you save can go into some real lights. I would suggest something like a Hella 4000 Compact at the higher end:

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=1221

Or 700FF's on the lower end:

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=2167

I use FF1000's on the bumper and am very happy with the light I get out of them. But can't recommend them anymore due to reported problems with the mounting system. I have FF500's on the roof which work well, but I wish I'd had the balls to buck the trend and just put tractor lights up there, as that's what the truck really needs. I generally drive slower than 30mph offroad, and I'm only looking to light the 200 feet or so in front of the truck. I really don't understand the need for 2 mile pencil beams on a Land Rover.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I was missing something... like this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrRv-WcFeNA&feature=player_embedded

So now my quesiton is... is this real? I see the testing... how about the real world?

I guess it's real. But for the price... I don't tend to get shot at, nor do my lights get hit with rocks or baseball bats very often. I did have one smashed out, I think it was vandalism. But for the price of $70/pair, I just buy another pair. Yeah "what if it happens miles away from anywhere?" Well, I have 12 forward facing lights. I can survive with one or a couple missing.

 

[Intentional Wanderer]

I don't tend to get shot at, nor do my lights get hit with rocks or baseball bats very often.

For some reason, almost every time I drive to Tucson, I get a rock on the windshield. I have gone through 2 replacements on my Volvo... 1 new one on my Jeep... all within the last year. As I pulled out of the LR place and onto I-10, whammo... got a 'bullseye" on the Land Rover... The windshields are about $200... so not that big a deal... but at $550/pair, I would worry about these hanging out there...

Yeah "what if it happens miles away from anywhere?" Well, I have 12 forward facing lights. I can survive with one or a couple missing.

I agree... I mean, it is a light or two... not a show stopper...

Reminds me of a story from a friend of mine who happens to be an F-16 pilot: As he was sitting on the ramp, waiting to take off... the tower came on to hold him back from his departure... a B-52 had reported an engine out and was declaring an emergency... to which the F-16 pilot retorted to the tower... "Oh no! Not the dreaded 7 engine landing! What ever will they do?!?!" The B-52 crew was not amused... the tower controller almost had to change his pants... he was laughing so hard...

Don't know if any of the Tucson-area folks caught the Thunderbirds at the Davis-Monthan AFB airshow this weekend... they were stunning as always!

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

This thread is really lacking photo's.

 

[RoverDude]

Buy a set of used Hella 4000 and convert to HID (complete kits are running less than $100). Easy and saves big bucks.

 

[Intentional Wanderer]

This thread is really lacking photo's.

Did you really want to see the photos of the work to date... about $1,200 worth of tie-rod ends, steering boxes, drop arms and power steering hoses...

Ummm... okay...

 

[JEFFSGTP]

Buy a set of used Hella 4000 and convert to HID (complete kits are running less than $100). Easy and saves big bucks.

Truth He speaks it:victory:...best recommendation yet....if your not opposed to ebay you can probably get a kit for around $45-50 shipped, I have a set in my car that I have been running for well over a year with zero issues...I would love to see what 3000K HID bulbs do in a set of Hella 4000's...if you do it post pics please.


Depending on how bright an output you want they can be had for as little as $25/set + S&H here: http://www.ddmtuning.com/index.php?p=page&page_id=hid_kit_sales_pricing (please don't beat me up for posting a ricer site...the HID kits are priced well):smiley_drive:

 

[Intentional Wanderer]

Baja Rack

I installed the Discovery I, low profile rack - which I got from Columbia Overland. Please don't take anything I say here as a negative statement regarding Columbia Overland. They shipped out the product as they were given. I would definately buy products from them again. As for the Baja Rack... well...

While I really did like the styling of the Baja Rack, buying the low profile did require that I had to remove the stock load rails from the Discovery. As it turned out, removing the existing rack was 90% of the effort, since you do have to drop the headliner to get to the four 1/2 in bolts.

*** Rear nut location ***

I have to say, the back ones were much easier to get to than the front bolts. However, I did find the Land Rover interior panel puzzle to be rather interesting - not difficult, but interesting. "To remove this panel, first remove that panel.. which requires that you remove the other panel, etc, etc"

*** Pieces required to get to the nuts ***

It was at this point that the first dumb problem reared its ugly head: the cover plates used a 1/4 in nut when the original nuts were 1/2 inch. ARGH!

*** The top one is the nut/washer I had to buy. The lower nut is the oroginal from the Discovery. Did I mention, "ARGH!" ****

Okay, not a big deal... more of a PITA. ARGH! Back from the store with my new nuts/washers, I was on to the "dry" fitting of the rack.

*** Dry fitted rack ***

I really do like the style and fitting of the rack... I think it looks pretty darn good... HOWEVER... when it comes to the instructions, the fittings, the overall quality of the welding... okay, okay... let me get ot the details.

First, the mounting instructions were a light, one page affair that essentially said, "Put the rack on the vehicle". Some items that should have been menitoned that were not were: there are two types of hold down brackets and where to use those types of brackets

*** Two types of guter mounting brackets (with the most angled of the flatter ones) ***

Yes, it was only a matter of fitting the brackets in the correct places (you can't use the larger bracket on the rear gutters), however how hard could it have been to have specified this in the instructions?

To this point, my problems with the Baja Rack have only been annoyances, things that made me stop and ask, "Why did (or didn't) they do that?" It was then that I noticed the funamental problem with the quality of the welding... and the manufacturing quality of the brackets.

The rack portion of the brackets need to have been welded slightly out of perpendicular, angling slightly up, to ensure that the force of the gutter mount puils at an angle, not vertically - and certainly not angled down, which would cause the force to actually pull the gutter mount away from the vehicle... The folks at Baja Rack must have understood this because 5 of the 8 of the brackets were done that way... that, of course leaves 3. 2 were perpendicular and the third - the right front - was actually angled completely the wrong way.

*** Note the gutter mount (rear of the picture, right front of vehicle) about to pop off just sitting there***

As the right front bracket was welded on slightly the wrong way, the "flatter" gutter mounts all slipped off with even a slight amount of lateral pressure. Only one of the "flat" gutter mounts was angled appropriately; the rest I had to add angle to using a hammer and chisel. The right front one would not even hold with the additional angle. I took the Discovery on the shakedown cruise up Madera Canyon today and that mount... is somewhere on that road... after only about 5 miles... unacceptable.

In order to fix this problem, first.. I have to have another bracket.. we shall see how well the BajaRack folks respond... I will let you know. Secondly, I have to take a grinder and angle the right front bracket the opposite way so that the force will be applied correctly... which will strip off the anodization off, so I will have to paint the spot. ARGH... and double ARGH....

 

[lwg]

I've basically got the same rack except it's the EXP version. I have experienced some similar issues and have passed on some of the suggestions to BajaRack. I managed to get them all tight with a little finagling. I have since mounted up the tent and put quite a few miles on it without incident. It should be fine.

 

[Intentional Wanderer]

Do you have a contact at Baja Rack that can send me a replacement for the bracket that is laying somewhere on Madera Canyon Road?

It really is a good rack... if they just QC'ed their welds a bit better, the rest are just annoyances.. which I tend to find with most products in one form or another. I would have them rewrite their instructions as well... but that is just a pet peeve. In the "contra-male" way, I actually read them!

The angling of the brackets is a fundamental flaw that shows a lack of tight shop floor controls...

Of course, since I am a process consultant, this is kind of what I do.. so I may be a bit sensitive to this.. as this is precisely the kind of thing that I am hired to fix...

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

Nice pics... Great image with the overlays.

 

[yubert]

Do you have a contact at Baja Rack that can send me a replacement for the bracket that is laying somewhere on Madera Canyon Road?

It really is a good rack... if they just QC'ed their welds a bit better, the rest are just annoyances.. which I tend to find with most products in one form or another. I would have them rewrite their instructions as well... but that is just a pet peeve. In the "contra-male" way, I actually read them!

The angling of the brackets is a fundamental flaw that shows a lack of tight shop floor controls...

Of course, since I am a process consultant, this is kind of what I do.. so I may be a bit sensitive to this.. as this is precisely the kind of thing that I am hired to fix...

You should give John Gjata a call. He's the US manager for BajaRack in Vista, CA. Both John and Sergio (the owner) were very responsive to all my requests when they built my D2 low-profile rack. I'm sure they'll take care of your issues. Below is John's contact info.

John Gjata
Baja Rack
jgjata@bajarack.com
(760) 560-1310

Just curious, are your mounting brackets stamped "F" for front and "R" for rear? I didn't get instructions but I already removed my headliner before installing the rack. Sounds like that process could be better documented.

 

[Intentional Wanderer]

Thanks for the information. This company seems like it is a pretty "stand up" company.... and OVERALL, the quality of the welds, the design.. is all excellent...

However, you only get one chance to make a first impression.... and the devil is in the details, as they say....

.... and no, there are no stamps on the brackets - only 4 x larger ones and 4 x smaller ones...

 

[lwg]

Yubert beat me to it... However I will send them a note as well to see if they can get you that bracket next week.

And like you David my brackets aren't stamped at all. I do know that Bajaracks was in the process of "staffing up" recently to help meet the growing demand that the expansion of their product line has created. I think they are essentially going through some growing pains. Additionally like you I am very much a process oriented person which comes from trying to replicate items over and over again. Unfortunately I've learned this through trial and error, this is now incorporated into every product we build as well. The idea being they will always be exactly the same, even if no two rovers are

Feel free to shoot me an email at larry (at) columbiaoverland.com for any other questions.

 

[BajaRack]

Hello Daniel,

I received two urgent e-mails this morning from Larry and Yubert in regards to these issues, first I want to apologize for the problems you have encountered and rest assure we will take care of them in a timely fashion:
These racks have been on the market for a few months and we had done several field test, Yubert was extremely helpful and patient in this process, I even bought a Disco to develop more products for this rugged vehicle.
I have already e-mail Engineering and Quality Assurance the issues we have so we can discuss the corrective action on our 8:00 A.M metting.
Please send me you e-mail address and phone number to call you on Monday.

Kind regards