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Disco Section
Please be aware that ECR is now a Defender repair and modification shop only.
We no longer work on Range Rovers, Discos or Series Rovers.
These pages are from work we did in the past and left up for your enjoyment.
This Discovery I's owner came to us from Indiana to have some upgrades done
for a trip he is planning to South America. The first thing we suggested
was some protection underneath the Disco to make sure it comes back in one
piece. We also installed a slight lift by fitting Old Man Emu springs and
shocks. We also strongly suggest a rear shock drop kit with this installation
to make sure you retain all your rear axle articulation. The Image above
shows the Disco with its new lift kit in place and a few service items taken
care of (repaired the cruise control, etc.).
TIE ROD GUARD AND STABILIZER UPGRADE (Disco I)
One of the first things we suggest when people
are going to take a Disco or Range Rover off road is to relocate the steering
stabilizer to the front and protect the tie rod from off road hazards.
We've attended too many off road events where a Disco hits the trail only
to come back with a squashed steering stabilizer or a bent tie rod. This
can mean that the vehicle can't be driven home in some cases (if it can't
be repaired) and can really ruin your weekend. The best bet is that knowing
these items hang down way too low in these vehicle is to move them up and
out of the way. There are a lot of ways to do this and the images below
show you how ECR tackles this problem, just like we did on the Discovery
above.
In our ECR ROX Discovery tie rod guard set up we first remove the stock
tie rod and rear mounted steering stabilizer. These items are discarded.
We then install a Defender style tie rod (as this a one piece rod and has
no mounts on it).
Next we install the ECR ROX system. The tie rod guard is fabricated from
2"x4" 3/16 steel tube that sleeves the entire tie rod and mounts
to the left and right radius arm mounts for strength. The radius arm mounting
points have sliders on them to help the front end slide over rocks or logs
if need be. Notice that the stabilizer mount on the front differential
has been removed. One benefit of the ECR ROX system is that you can retain
your front sway bar if you like. You can use sway bar disconnects or remove
the sway bar, our system is flexible to your needs. In the image of the
Disco above you can see the ECR ROX tie rod guard in place keeping the
tie rod from harm and you can also see the sway bar is still doing its
job as well.
This heavy duty steel tube completely protects the tie rod from damage
from rocks, stumps or other hazards. We've used this system for years on
our own rigs, and have tested it on everything, and we've never come home
with a bent tie rod.
In the front of the system we fabricate a heavy duty drag link that is
much stronger than stock (just in case you do bump something. Check out
the image above and see how thick that drag link is!) and we use an adjustable
mount that attaches to the drag link. We fabricate a custom bracket that
bolts on with no drilling for the frame end of the steering stabilizer
and install a new Old Man Emu Defender style stabilizer to keep the front
end "shakes" under control. As you can see from the image above
the parts are all tough as nails and fit nicely even behind the stock air
dam. Hidden in the background of the image you can also see this Disco's
new OME springs and shocks.
With the ECR ROX steering stabilizer system you'll no longer have to worry
about bending your tie rod, and you'll have a much tougher drag link just
in case it does take a hit. These parts are almost the same units as we
use in our own Defenders and Coil Rovers and we've put them to the test
from Labrador to Moab, and they've never let us down.
The ECR ROX steering stabilizer relocation kits and tie rod guards are available for Range Rover Classics of all years 1987-1995, and all model Disco Is. Currently they are available for in house install only.
Let us know if we can help you with any of your Land Rover
needs, from general service to custom fabrication, we can help.
ECR