2003 Land Rover Discovery 2 Build

[Roamin Rover]

Looks great!! When I built my 03 I just pulled the front output section from a low mile transfer case with the locking nipple and did the swap. Much easier than a full swap and I knew what my transfer case condition was versus a donor. I used a PTO/drag shifter cable and the factory bracket on the case to activate the lever. The 03 has the wiring already there just need to splice it in.
I am going to chime in on some jewels I picked up along the way. Buy an ultra gauge/scan gauge and find out what your cooling system is doing. The factory temp gauge is a dummy gauge. Once you are out on the trail moving slow it will be an eye opener. Then read up on the inline thermostat mod. The inline modification was the best thing I ever did. No more high temp worries and with the D2 engines heat is the bigger enemy. I have found that if you attack the known issues with these guys and get them squared away your experience long term will be better. Good luck with the disco.

 

[Stickbow]

What wheels did you get? I may have missed that earlier.... The stock wheels on mine (3" lift, General Grabbers) are ok; I just prefer steel wheels and hate the little covers on the lug nuts. Of course, there's much more to be done before I replace the wheels...

 

[disco_unchained]

What wheels did you get? I may have missed that earlier.... The stock wheels on mine (3" lift, General Grabbers) are ok; I just prefer steel wheels and hate the little covers on the lug nuts. Of course, there's much more to be done before I replace the wheels...

I moved from the stock 18s to the 16x8 terrafirma/all makes steel wheels from Atlantic British (believe they’re still on sale for a set of 5). Also got the black/grey steel wheel nuts (from lucky 8).

 

[disco_unchained]

I am going to chime in on some jewels I picked up along the way. Buy an ultra gauge/scan gauge and find out what your cooling system is doing. The factory temp gauge is a dummy gauge. Once you are out on the trail moving slow it will be an eye opener. Then read up on the inline thermostat mod. The inline modification was the best thing I ever did. No more high temp worries and with the D2 engines heat is the bigger enemy. I have found that if you attack the known issues with these guys and get them squared away your experience long term will be better. Good luck with the disco.

Thank you - I had genuinely never heard of the thermostat mod or that problem!

 

[Tinker]

Looks great!! When I built my 03 I just pulled the front output section from a low mile transfer case with the locking nipple and did the swap. Much easier than a full swap and I knew what my transfer case condition was versus a donor. I used a PTO/drag shifter cable and the factory bracket on the case to activate the lever. The 03 has the wiring already there just need to splice it in.
I am going to chime in on some jewels I picked up along the way. Buy an ultra gauge/scan gauge and find out what your cooling system is doing. The factory temp gauge is a dummy gauge. Once you are out on the trail moving slow it will be an eye opener. Then read up on the inline thermostat mod. The inline modification was the best thing I ever did. No more high temp worries and with the D2 engines heat is the bigger enemy. I have found that if you attack the known issues with these guys and get them squared away your experience long term will be better. Good luck with the disco.

Great advice! I always forget to mention the "dummy" coolant gauge on these trucks. Pretty much shows 3 heat values: off, everything is fine, Chernobyl!!! The inline thermostat mod (meziere makes a good housing) definitely helped me keep my own 4.0L around a bit longer when it started revealing the symptoms. Drill & tap it for a radiator style petcock & it makes bleeding even easier. But it's worth mentioning too that I think the 4.6L engine's like his Disco has are much less prone to the issues of previous engines.

 

[Roamin Rover]

Well, like all great Land Rover improvements one issues goes away and a few others fill the void. Remember, the 4.6 is just a stroked 4.0. Nice thing about the Discos is the wealth of information out there and the trucks are old enough that they are much easier to work on. Download the RAVE manual find some good vendors and start tinkering. I would not trade the experience for anything.

 

[disco_unchained]

Hey @Tinker , given you've basically rebuilt one from the ground up - have you found a dual battery tray off the shelf from anywhere or did you fabricate your own / have one fabricated? I've tried Aedofab and Sierra Expeditions, Lucky8, etc. and noone seems to make them anymore.

 

[disco_unchained]

Looks great!! When I built my 03 I just pulled the front output section from a low mile transfer case with the locking nipple and did the swap. Much easier than a full swap and I knew what my transfer case condition was versus a donor. I used a PTO/drag shifter cable and the factory bracket on the case to activate the lever. The 03 has the wiring already there just need to splice it in.

@Roamin Rover - I was just counseled by a mechanic that specializes in Land Rovers to replace the whole transfer case, but the price was egregious (~$1500 - granted I live in California). So, now I'm back to considering replacing just the front output housing myself and finding or making a cable/shifter. What were some of the gotcha's you ran into in doing it yourself? I'm not a mechanic, but I did put in a new suspension, new brakes, new bumpers, and stay at a holiday inn. I'd just be following these instructions: https://landroverclubvi.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/9/8/2398536/cdl_install_write_up_5-17-10.pdf

 

[Tinker]

Hey @Tinker , given you've basically rebuilt one from the ground up - have you found a dual battery tray off the shelf from anywhere or did you fabricate your own / have one fabricated? I've tried Aedofab and Sierra Expeditions, Lucky8, etc. and noone seems to make them anymore.

I discovered the same thing. Even universal battery trays I could maybe modify were a bit too much $ for my taste, so I built my own from scratch. A bit time consuming, but if you access to a welder it'll only cost ~$15 the way I did it here: https://youtu.be/yHXrLsF-kOA

If you end up digging into the LT230 transfer box then it wouldn't hurt to toss out the damage prone 2-piece diff pins for an upgraded cross shaft/pin. Loads cheaper than a limited-slip setup, & easily solves 1 of the 2 only weak points in the LT230.

 

[Roamin Rover]

@Seamanrob That is a good starting point. There are also some good posts on landroverforums.com. The issue I had with the directions you are mentioning is that it was made more difficult I assume because they were using an older case. I used a 2004 case and it is literally pulling the bolts off the output case and swapping the nose piece. The internals are the same, the 2003 just did not have the internal bits in the front output case to allow lock/unlock. It takes some time to make room to do the swap as in removing wye pipe etc. but once you get is all cleared out it is not that hard. The second time was even easier (don't ask). I did a bunch of searches and pieced together a process. I do not think there is an easy way to do the shifter, I went with a cable and knob. Not real fancy but it moves the lever. I will look at my notes and see if there are any links I can send you. You could just swap the whole thing but for me this was the way to go for the reason mentioned earlier.

 

[disco_unchained]

I discovered the same thing. Even universal battery trays I could maybe modify were a bit too much $ for my taste, so I built my own from scratch. A bit time consuming, but if you access to a welder it'll only cost ~$15 the way I did it here: https://youtu.be/yHXrLsF-kOA

Thanks dude!

 

[disco_unchained]

@Seamanrob That is a good starting point. There are also some good posts on landroverforums.com. The issue I had with the directions you are mentioning is that it was made more difficult I assume because they were using an older case. I used a 2004 case and it is literally pulling the bolts off the output case and swapping the nose piece. The internals are the same, the 2003 just did not have the internal bits in the front output case to allow lock/unlock. It takes some time to make room to do the swap as in removing wye pipe etc. but once you get is all cleared out it is not that hard. The second time was even easier (don't ask). I did a bunch of searches and pieced together a process. I do not think there is an easy way to do the shifter, I went with a cable and knob. Not real fancy but it moves the lever. I will look at my notes and see if there are any links I can send you. You could just swap the whole thing but for me this was the way to go for the reason mentioned earlier.

Thanks, @Roamin Rover - in absence of being able to find a 2004 in a scrap yard, every heard anything positive or negative about this front output assembly? http://store.toddcosuspensions.com/diiilodi.html

 

[Roamin Rover]

I saw that and the guys in Utah have one too. My thought was to find a full case, do the swap for my rig and sell the donor with my non locking nose piece on it. I think I paid like $215.00 + Tax for the whole case from LKQ. I think I can get like $150 for my old one on CL.

 

[Tinker]

I'd say the same as Roamin, & if you're striking out in local yards then I'd check ebay too. There are a few legit Rover parts sellers on there I've personally had great luck with. I saw a locking LT230 in the "ky_scrap1" ebay store for less then $300 (with free freight shipping) a week or two back, but looks like it must've sold recently. They usually restock pretty quick or if you contact them they can sometimes rush a new listing up for you. There are loads more on there too, although if they don't specialize in Rovers they may not know for sure if it's locking, so you'd want to get extra photos to check the tag or the shifter housing itself.

 

[disco_unchained]

I saw that and the guys in Utah have one too. My thought was to find a full case, do the swap for my rig and sell the donor with my non locking nose piece on it. I think I paid like $215.00 + Tax for the whole case from LKQ. I think I can get like $150 for my old one on CL.

Thanks man. Did you end up having to shim it to load/preload it?

 

[Roamin Rover]

No I did not.

 

[Roamin Rover]

Sorry for posting here but could not figure out how to post pics on the private side. Top pic shows what the 2003 front case looks like notice no spigot/nipple for CDL. First step in actual removal (after all the connections, front driveline, wye pipe and TC supports are out of the way) is to remove the Hi/Lo selector cover and cable which is hard to get to but use of a ratchet end wrench helps. Then remove the bolts holding the front case on and it slides off. No need to remove the output flange as it is all part of the front case. One you have the 2004 donor on the bench and take it apart it will make plenty of sense. Take your time, read up and be safe. those links I sent should give you the steps from several perspectives. Good luck

 

[disco_unchained]

Got the front output housing with the CDL on and finally got it out into the woods today. Ton of fun to test out all the mods and upgrades. It’s a tank and I love it.

One problem however that makes the highway driving to get places suck: vibration from my new HD Tom woods drive shaft (primarily from 30-50mph, and chills a bit after that, but doesn’t go away entirely). @Tinker @Roamin Rover (or anyone else for that matter with experience with this) - have any advice? I’ve take it off, greased the hell out of it and it still vibrates. I took it off entirely and locked the diff and drove around with just the rear shaft and the vibration went away.

It’s a brand new double cardan HD shaft.

Thanks if anyone has any pointers!

 

[RyuKyuRvr]

View attachment 83762

Got the front output housing with the CDL on and finally got it out into the woods today. Ton of fun to test out all the mods and upgrades. It’s a tank and I love it.

One problem however that makes the highway driving to get places suck: vibration from my new HD Tom woods drive shaft (primarily from 30-50mph, and chills a bit after that, but doesn’t go away entirely). @Tinker @Roamin Rover (or anyone else for that matter with experience with this) - have any advice? I’ve take it off, greased the hell out of it and it still vibrates. I took it off entirely and locked the diff and drove around with just the rear shaft and the vibration went away.

It’s a brand new double cardan HD shaft.

Thanks if anyone has any pointers!

Probably not the drive shaft unless it’s out of balance, this could be your steering as they tend to wear out as well though a good way to check is remove the drive shaft and see if it effects the vibration!

 

[Tinker]

View attachment 83762

Got the front output housing with the CDL on and finally got it out into the woods today. Ton of fun to test out all the mods and upgrades. It’s a tank and I love it.

One problem however that makes the highway driving to get places suck: vibration from my new HD Tom woods drive shaft (primarily from 30-50mph, and chills a bit after that, but doesn’t go away entirely). @Tinker @Roamin Rover (or anyone else for that matter with experience with this) - have any advice? I’ve take it off, greased the hell out of it and it still vibrates. I took it off entirely and locked the diff and drove around with just the rear shaft and the vibration went away.

It’s a brand new double cardan HD shaft.

Thanks if anyone has any pointers!

My first thought is to look over it closely to see if there are any bare/oddly painted spots of a roughly quarter sized coin shape. The shafts I've ordered from them have all had little coin sized steel balance weights (seen below, pair in the foreground) held on with a pair of fat tack welds... and I've often wondered how much it would take to knock one off if the weld didn't penetrate for whatever reason, whether by trail impact or even just a rather rough shipping to someone. Also may be worth mentioning that having a shaft balanced at a drivetrain shop is inexpensive, or at least it has been in my experience. But then I suppose it depends how near you are to such a shop.