Overland Journal: Discovery I, 5-speed

[Scott Brady]

I look forward to running the Dusy with this Rover. From what I understand, it is a touch more difficult than the Rubicon. I would consider the Rubicon quite doable with a lightly built Disco with some armor and a patient driver

 

[stevenmd]

Couple of the guys in our club run it every year. Check out the website, perhaps you can make it out for the run.:rally_guys:

 

[Green96D1]

I look forward to running the Dusy with this Rover. From what I understand, it is a touch more difficult than the Rubicon. I would consider the Rubicon quite doable with a lightly built Disco with some armor and a patient driver

I heard that it is too! :iagree:

A 2-3 inch lift
bigger tires. choice wise most would say MT's
Armor (bumpers ,diff guards,rock sliders)
rear locker. good spotter

is basically all that one needs to do the Rubicon in a Land Rover

 

[Roemer1]

Hmmm... Pierce worm drive sounds like a cool option for the winch.

I think that the choices for your build are spot on considering your criteria. You will get the majority of trail capability increase from the rear locker and, in my opinion, the Discovery in stock form is quite capable of anything you wish to tackle. You may reconsider the swaybar disconnects after you have installed the HD springs but that is the beauty of the whole process. Nothing need be carved in stone, if you try it and don't like it, then change it.

 

[stevenmd]

I haven't run sway bars on any of my rovers once I switched to HD springs, never noticed a difference. ...if you notice a difference, I figure you're driving like a sports car, not a landie...:bike_rider:

 

[Roemer1]

I agree, but the person that has to be happy with this build is Scott, so the final decisions are up to him and neither of us is capable of determining what that magic combination is...

Britt

 

[stevenmd]

I agree, but the person that has to be happy with this build is Scott, so the final decisions are up to him and neither of us is capable of determining what that magic combination is...

Britt

Of course, I did not mean to imply that I was telling Scott what to do.:violent-smiley-031: :jump:

 

[MuddyMudskipper]

I look forward to running the Dusy with this Rover. From what I understand, it is a touch more difficult than the Rubicon. I would consider the Rubicon quite doable with a lightly built Disco with some armor and a patient driver

I have ARB's front and rear and rarely use the front. I did the front since I was doing the gears and as a "nice to have just in case" piece of equipment. A rear is plenty good IMO. Scott, when you go out to Dusy and you want some company let me know. I've never been and I'd love to get out there some time.:ylsmoke:

 

[Roemer1]

Sorry Stevenmd,
I didn't mean to sound reprimanding either.

 

[silverscout]

My choice to not fit a dual-battery system in this Discovery is only because of my goals for this truck, which is weight savings and simplicity.

I get it, there is a charm and sense of adventure with simplicity. Especially when thinking in terms of your vehicle. I know for a fact that your Disco has great capabilities in stock form and is truly amazing. The diff lock alone is a fantastic aid. I also know that some of these primitive roads in Central and South America are as tough as they get. I recall the blokes from Ihana http://www.ihana.com/big_trip/stuck/stuck_20020828.htmgetting into some hairy situations where I'm sure they wished they had a winch or lockers. I'm sure you adventure will be just as fantastic though. All the best!

 

[Scott Brady]

The Disco is not going to South America It will just be used for my "daily driver" and fun trail machine.

The vehicle I am taking to South America has lockers F/R and three batteries total, along with all kinds of other goodies.

 

[Scott Brady]

R/E the swaybars.

I will take the rear off when I install the suspension. It will see a lot of highway, so time will tell if I want one in the front or not. I will probably just keep it on.

The truck does great on the trail even stock. With the addition of more clearance and a rear locker and good tires, I am sure it will exceed my expectations for the intent of the build.

 

[stevenmd]

Sorry Stevenmd,
I didn't mean to sound reprimanding either.

No worries! I did not take it that way, I just didn't want to be misunderstood myself. See you out on the trail!:smiley_drive:

Scott - since you usually pull a trailer, you probably won't miss the sway bars much once you switch springs. If you were to load up the roof rack, you might want to keep them, depending on your driving style. I load up my roof rack quite a bit (I have no choice being a family of six!) and with the 3" RTE springs I did not notice a difference. In fact, I went to take them off and when I crawled underneath to do it, I had forgotten that I had already taken them off!:hehe:

 

[craig]

It sounds like Scott has a very balanced build planned that will suit the intended vehicle use perfectly.

I found that removing the rear swaybar made no difference in on-road handling. When I removed the front I didn't notice any difference until I drove it in the wind. The truck blows about quite a bit now; enough so that my wife won't drive it unless she absolutely has to. Although I found them to be a bit of a hassle, I'm going to put the quick disconnects back on and only disconnect them when running trails... or for most trails, not at all.

I have a complete 3" RTE HD lift w/ Bilstein 7100 shocks and have been running it for 2.5 years as a daily driver and easy to moderate trail rig.

 

[sinuhexavier]

Yes, I have to agree, the only place I notice the loss of sway bars would be in the wind. I like to call it involuntary lane changes.

The worst situation I have come across is when passing a semi during a windy day. It feels like nice and calm when riding along inside the giants wind shadow, as I approach the cab I brace myself as I know that once I clear the cab, it's going to get interesting.