PHASE 5: Seat covers, roof rack and the rest
Along with some of the really cool upgrades we have done to the Discotech that have taken days and even weeks to complete, we will also be installing some upgrades and options that go on quickly and work great. One of those quick to install, but cool and useful items, is the full length Safety Devices Highlander roof rack. This is the same basic rack that Land Rover used on the Discovery XDs, and we really like its look and function over any other rack offered.
This rack goes on easily (installs in minutes) and has a great look, combined with great function and strength. We really like the fact that it has a full perimeter tube that goes along the drip edge of the Discotech. As most of you who off road where trees reach into the trail know, it is really easy to dent the factory drip edge if you get too close. The new Highlander roof rack will give us some more beef in that area, so if we do happen to rub a tree it won't bust up the plastic trim on the rain gutter, or bend the edge.
The rack also has mounting tabs for 4 front lights and 1 rear light. We already have 3 Hella 4000s planned for the front of the Discotech, so we won't be using the rack mounts, but it is a nice feature.
Another nice feature is that the rack works with the factory grab bars and both the factory sunroofs. It also works with the factory rear spoiler we installed.
Inside the Discotech we are adding some simple upgrades as well. In the image above you can see the new rear seat cover in place, as well the heavy duty Genuine floor mats that we installed front and rear.
This keeps our back seat free from mud and dog hair, and the floor mats help keep the carpets clean and they clean up easy.
The Discotech already has steering protection on the form of the Safari Gard front skid plate, as well as ECR ROX heavy duty drag link and a tie rod guard, but we also need some side sill protection, just in case those big tires don't clear as rock you may be crawling over.
To that end we'll be custom making a set of ECR ROX sliders for the project. These units will be a new design because the flares are unique and we need to work with them, as well as incorporate all the ECR ROX strength and toughness. In the image above you can see that we have set up some basic lines on the body and from these points we'll design a new rock slider. The units will be mounted in 2 ways to the body and will be made from a combination of 3/16 and 1/4" steel. Then they will be epoxy primed and painted for long life. We paint our sliders rather than powder coating them because we want people to use them, and paint can be easily touched up, powder coating can't.
The basic design is like other units on the market, they stick out past the body to allow rocks to pass by the doors without damage, and this also gives you a nice step for getting in and out, or strapping items to the roof rack as well. The units mount to the body with rivenuts in the door openings, but we also go one step more to make sure the ECR ROX sliders can take hard core off road abuse.
We modify the lower sills with heavy duty plate and weld in anchors to the Disco that allow us to mount not only in the door frame area (as seen above), but directly under the sill so that all the force of hitting a rock is taken up along the entire length of the slider.
We also add Hi-Lift jack points (as seen above) in the correct locations on all the ECR ROX sliders. These points allow you to jack up the side of the vehicle with a H-Lift jack without the fear of it slipping out to the side This way if you need to field fix something, or get the vehicle off an obstruction using a Hi-Lift jack you can do it with ease.
The ends of the sliders were changed from the standard ECR ROX sliders to allow for the wheel flares. We made this as stylish as possible to keep in line with the angular flares and keep the project looking good, as well as being tough as nails.
This image shows the finished sliders, painted in satin black to match the front and rear bumpers, and installed on the Discotech, ready for action, with a lifetime guarantee.
One item we didn't like about installing the Safari Gard front bumper on the Discotech was that it eliminates the amber front marker lights. We know why they get rid of it, but we can do better. The Series I Discos have a nice "running light" built into the headlamp, but this is hard to see from the side, so we thought we'd do a trick light set up in the front that will give us an amber side marker light, as well as keep a factory appearance.
So with a couple of parts borrowed from a '95 or '97 Defender 90 we can make a really simple and factory look marker lamp for the front. We routed the marker light wires up to the turn signal area and cut off the factory plug. We then took apart the turn signal plug and tossed the original single filament bulb housing. With an new 2 element bulb, a D90 style bulb holder and a 3 pin connector all mixed together you get what you see above. This new set up plugs directly into the Discotech's amber turn signal housing with no modifications and gives you...
an amber side marker light, AND the brighter turn signal when you need it. This gives your rig better visibility from the side at night so that Granny doesn't back into your pride and joy when she leaves the shopping mall. We' can easily set this up as a cheap D.I.Y kit, so let us know if you are interested.
If you have any special requests or questions about anything on your Disco or our Discotech project, feel free to email.
We'll be more than happy to help.
Below is a small gallery of the finished Discotech project. Enjoy.
Thanks for checking out this ECR ROX project!
Keep watching the ECR web site for our next project: Range Rover 4.6 ROX
PHASE 1: Paint and Body
PHASE 2: 300 Tdi and 5 speed install (also includes bumpers, etc)
PHASE 3: Stage II Suspension, wheels and tires
PHASE 4: Differentials, ARB lockers, etc