Project Victory_Overland 08 LR3 Build Thread!

[Victory_Overland]

Everyone knows by now that I've been looking to do a 17" wheel conversion for a dedicated set of mud tires for Victory (Landy LR3). Well, the first wheel showed up and I will be taking my sweet ***** time taking measurements for fitment all around before I order a full set. The plan is, start in the front since that is the known are of trouble for fitment and go from there.

My goal: 17" wheel gives me best tire choice availability at a drastically reduced cost, more mud-tire options for that size, cheaper to replace and more sidewall to all for airing down. Additionally, the lava rocks will destroy aluminum wheels here so I figure for those dedicated trail weekends up in the hills, a dedicated set of wheels and tires for that environment is the way to go.

Anyone with experience please pipe in anytime as I'm all about team sports. I do not plan to post much about the wheel other that it was purchased from Germany and showed up from Australia:wings: Built for Euro Spec Disco 3 TDV6 but i'm told with some fairly mild mods, it'll fit NAS LR3 V8. Once I know they work, I will surely get the word out to the masses; right now its just an experiment.

 

[Ray_G]

Are you switching to diesel D3 brakes too?

 

[DiscoDavis]

Yes ditto on Ray's question. You're entering uncharted waters here! If someone's been doing this on NAS trucks already, they haven't posted much about it.

 

[DiscoDavis]

Once I go snorkel kit

SA-FA-RI, SA-FA-RI, SA-FA-RI... :snorkel:

That said, take a look at what it's going to take to drill the A-pillar. Without exception, every guy that has done one knows how horrible the install is...

...snorkel works great though.

 

[ColoDisco]

Love your thinking. Will be keeping a eye on the results. I agree on the FR rack. Plan on putting one on my rig this winter.

 

[Victory_Overland]

Are you switching to diesel D3 brakes too?

That is one option I'm looking at for sure. The biggest issue with running 17 on a D3 is most people want an aluminum. Aluminum are much thicker so caliper space is super tight. I will be able to compensate for much of that space with the steel wheel as the material is not as thick and it provides more space. Another major issue with 17 on the Disco 3 is the backspace so I'll be looking at if a spacer will be required as well. Depending on the size required, that will determine if I continue on or not because I am not looking to sacrifice driveline components, suspension for the wheel fitment.

I plan to take a front wheel off this weekend and start with wheel to wheel measurements to see what I am dealing with. If that allows me some time to attempt to mount it, I will but for now its a science project and I want to ensure I have everything right before I waste a bunch of time.

Wheel clearance will obviously be my biggest issue. Once I have that figured out (I hope) then my options for tire model and size goes up dramatically. I am not planning on running big tires. I want pizza cutters with tall side wall and LT load rating.

 

[zelatore]

That is one option I'm looking at for sure. The biggest issue with running 17 on a D3 is most people want an aluminum. Aluminum are much thicker so caliper space is super tight. I will be able to compensate for much of that space with the steel wheel as the material is not as thick and it provides more space. Another major issue with 17 on the Disco 3 is the backspace so I'll be looking at if a spacer will be required as well. Depending on the size required, that will determine if I continue on or not because I am not looking to sacrifice driveline components, suspension for the wheel fitment.

I plan to take a front wheel off this weekend and start with wheel to wheel measurements to see what I am dealing with. If that allows me some time to attempt to mount it, I will but for now its a science project and I want to ensure I have everything right before I waste a bunch of time.

Wheel clearance will obviously be my biggest issue. Once I have that figured out (I hope) then my options for tire model and size goes up dramatically. I am not planning on running big tires. I want pizza cutters with tall side wall and LT load rating.

Will be watching for updates

 

[Ray_G]

I like it. You are def entering some interesting waters and I will be watching too.

 

[Victory_Overland]

Update to 17" wheel modification

It's been a while since I have posted any updates on Project Victory. There has been a change in thought process due to some much-needed advice from some of our overseas friends in the UK. Specifically, member A.J.M. who has volunteered himself to assist greatly in my endeavors to get 17" wheels on Victory.

The current update is this: I have decided to hold off on the experiment of attempting to make fit what has already been done for me with genuine LR components. A.J.M. is sourcing me five OEM 17" Disco 3 TDV6 wheels from his connection in the UK. He is also getting me the genuine caliper carriers and new genuine LR rotors and pads.

The bottom line is, I am going full TDV6 set up on my 08 LR3. After making some performance comparison, I think for "MY" purposes this set up is going to have more gain than loss. The calipers for TDV6 and V8 are the same, and I will go to the higher performance LR shoes to help close the gap on the minimum performance gain from the V8 rotor. Performance numbers directly from LR on rotor size show the minumum gain in stopping power on like weight vehicle testing at my operating speeds and loads. LR made the move to larger brakes for higher freeway speeds and of course the Brembo upgrade for those "Sport" tagged vehicles. Yes, a fully loaded Victory will make a difference and I believe will lengthen my stopping distance at higher speeds however I do not drive much faster than 65mph anyway, and that is 5mph over any posted speed limit in Hawaii anyway..hahaha.

Fully loaded, I figure Victory will be around 7500+ porky pounds. With a TDV6 set up which has worked wonders for LR all over the globe, this still gives me better performance than most other vehicles on the road, but ultimately my driving nature is my safety bubble regardless of what is in the LR performance page. My thought process is heavier always means slower speeds, and I am sticking to off-road performance gains with wheel and tire choice selection. Those off-road speeds, I am more than confident LR has done the math and proven the TDV6 is well capable of braking power, and there is no change between TDV6 and V8 vehicles in gross weight or operating limitations.

My selection of a 17" LT rated tire will also keep me going in the right direction on the safety + performance side of things. Although I am trading some braking performance with the initial set up at highway speed, some other mods on Victory will show gains in the end for the overall performance of my vehicle IMO.

Stay tuned as the kit should be here on the slow boat within the month and the project will begin.

As always, I appreciate any constructive ideas from all of you in my endevours.

Mahaloz from Hawaii!

 

[Victory_Overland]

Crawlorado Hood Black Out.

Picked up this hood black out from Crawlorado. Great how to vid on YouTube as well and super easy install.

Took about an hour because I'm OCD and it had to be perfect only to come out 99.9% perfect. Haha.

Remove washer jets = 1 min
Measure 50 times = 50 min
Peel and squeegee = 8 min
Install washer jets = 1 min
TOTAL INSTALL = 1 HOUR

They make them for Disco 1-4

http://crawlorado.com/ocart/index.php?route=product/category&path=62_65

 

[Bama4door]

Nice that looks great with your paint color. I have one of their hood black outs on my FJ62.

 

[Victory_Overland]

Nice that looks great with your paint color. I have one of their hood black outs on my FJ62.

FJ62!......nice.

Yeah I saw a Euro Disco 3 on line with much of the vehicle wrapped or blacked out in some fashion and it was really clean looking. When my 17" wheels get here, I'll surely be blacking them out to ease the covering of the trail rash. Hahahaha.

 

[krick3tt]

Other than the 'That really looks cool' factor what is the take away? Why not just get a second hand hood and paint it?
Seriously, I am putting exorbitant amounts of money in this LR3 of mine and want to know.
Does it shed water or just gather it?

 

[DiscoDavis]

Other than the 'That really looks cool' factor what is the take away? Why not just get a second hand hood and paint it?
Seriously, I am putting exorbitant amounts of money in this LR3 of mine and want to know.
Does it shed water or just gather it?

At least for the lighter paint colors, if you have ever driven during certain hours when the sun is going up or down, the reflection off the hood is pretty bright. The black cuts down the reflection into your eyes. That's the rationale for the blackout I know. Some just rattle-can their hoods instead of the 3M stuff. And getting a second hood for the newer discovery models is just stupid expensive.

Looks good Eric!

 

[Victory_Overland]

Other than the 'That really looks cool' factor what is the take away? Why not just get a second hand hood and paint it?
Seriously, I am putting exorbitant amounts of money in this LR3 of mine and want to know.
Does it shed water or just gather it?

Thanks for the comments Connor!

As Connor said, it's for glare reduction on the hood, especially for when roof mounted lights are installed. Hence the flat black finish. I thought about wrapping the whole hood or plasti-dipping the entire hood but I like the break out of the body lines with this precut kit.

It also helps protect the high spots on the hood from tree limbs when I do not have my limb risers on. The detailers spent a great deal of time buffing the trail striping off the hood, this is just an added bit of protection.

$50 for a blackout patch vs a new/used hood to paint or wrap would be an unnecessary expense across the board.