Update 8/13/05 Looks like the tires are a go. I should be getting them in a week or so.

Update 8/11/05 After more thinking I have confirmed that I want the Superwinch EP9.0. I had to do more research on warentees this time, and if it fit the ARB bar or not. I first found out that it does fit the ARB, by about 5cm length wise. As for the warentees; Warn has 1yr electrical, lifetime mechanical. Superwinch has 1yr for everything. But then Ho Chung from EE e-mailed me back and it was what I needed to assure myself of my decision.

ME-
"Ive been looking at the Superwinch EP9.0 and the Warn XD9000.

Besides the much faster zero line pull of the superwinch, they are fairly even; except for the warrantee's. It seems like the warn has a 1-yr electrical and lifetime mechanical, where as the Superwinch only has a year for "parts and labor".

I like the EP9.0 better as a winch, but the warentee of the warn is so much better.

As a superwinch dealer and long time users of superwinch winches, would you guys still prefer the superwinch over the warn? If so, why?

Thanks,
Josh Shapiro"

Ho Chung- "my choice is superwinch.

in the earlier days, i thought all planetary winches were similar, and we'd be splitting hair by choosing one over the other.

but after using both superwinch and warn, the choice is clear.

the build quality of superwinch is superior and beefier.
warn winches look very nice with very pretty parts. but the fit and tolerance isn't even close to superwinch.
see it for yourself. compare them side by side. play with the clutch lever, the spooling, etc.

the EP9.0 is specially appealing for it has the drum brake mechanism located outside the spool. this eliminates the heat issue when using synthetic lines that are made of ordinary yarn.
________________
Ho Chung"

Update 8/11/05 Its a slim chance, but a friends friends friend might be able to get my dream tires for cheaper (around $130/tire). The BFG M/T's 265/75-16. If this can be done, I would get the tires tomorrow (or as soon as possible).

Update 8/9/05 Finally have enough money, so the next Mega-MOD is planned for October!!! The Rover will be taken down to Los Angeles while my parents are on vacation. While its there it will meet the guys at ExpeditionExchange and get some new toys at a total cost of around $2000 including installation. They are allowing me to film the installation; this would probably involve a stationary camera that was positioned tward the rover, I will try to get it on film. So far the list goes;

--1x ARB Land Rover Discovery Series II (1999-2002) Winch Bar Front Bumper (3432060) $890
--1x Superwinch EP9.0 Planetary Winch With Roller Fairlead (9032) $569.95 @ quadratec, w/o remote; $650 at EE, w/ remote
--1x 3/4" Bow Shackle (ARB207D) $15
--1x Discovery Series II Cruise Control Switch (YUH100370) $27

And before the trip to LA either two Optima 750U Yellow Top Batteries ($176.99/batt-Sears) or more likely one giant Optima D31M Blue Top Battery ($196.99-Sears) will be purchased.

Update 8/9/05 Went off-roading again at Caughlin Ranch, Reno, NV. Took the camera with us to get some great footage of the CDL in action! Can see when the tire pics off the ground there is no or little spinning! Check it out on PAGE 4!

Update 8/8/05 Posted Printable picture used for a printable iron-on T-shirt. Makes a white shirt cool! See PAGE 5! Off roading at Caughlin, Video arrives soon!

Update 8/7/05 I finished the CDL linkage last night, and the cool thing was that I did it with only a hammer and electric hand drill. My neighbor with the drill press and great tools was out of town, so thats really all I had. It turned out to be about $7.00 total, so if I want to do it right in the future, I wont feel guilty ripping this one out. It was amazing to find what I did that nearly perfectly fit the strangly shaped CDL bolt, it was a fence tension band, I just pounded it flat, and drilled it a bit bigger, then cut it in half and bent it to fit. Last night I painted it to wake up and spray WD-40 all over it and watch the paint 'melt' away, so I ended up using paint thinner to take the rest off and just mounted it unpainted, I figure that if it rusts, I will just replace it. I live in a desert, it rains 4-6in a year here, so no big worries on rusting.

Update 8/6/05 Posted new MEDIA page! PAGE 4! Check out the 4 sets of videos that are there, expecially the RoverNuba video. See the original NubaNuba video at Newgrounds.com

Update 8/6/05 I have completely changed my ghetto CDL idea to something a lot better. After looking on the internet for a while I stumbled across this. Its much easier to use, at the cost of being more complex to build. To bad they are out, for the price they were selling at, it probably wasnt worth fabricating. (http://www.rovershoppe.com/cdl_handle.html)

Update 8/5/05 This weekend's mod is to get the CDL on my rover working. I was ultra lucky that I got a rover made in Feb of '01 so mine has the CDL, I just have to get it turned on. Ive already got the parts, im using a pretty ghetto setup, but its super easy and will take about 2 mins to make, 2 mins to install, and cost $0.74 (I already bought the parts). I am using a small and short 3/8ths (or 7/16ths) wrench welded to an 8mm washer that is all held on by a small 8mm nut. Then I will paint it yellow or orange to protect it and make it stand out. I might add something for an easier reach later, but otherwise I will stick with this setup. Just reach underneath to engage/disengage, have to watch out for hot parts though.

CDL ENGAGED/DISENGAGED (manually, prior to mod)

SETUP

Update 8/4/05 Some pics from the video we took up at Caughlin Ranch, Reno, NV. Video is available to download here:

LOW QUALITY Caughlin Video 725KB
HI QUALITY Caughlin Video 18.5MB

Update 7/30/05 Some old trail photos from a couple months ago. Friend just e-mailed them to me. We just went out for a couple hours and did some fun stuff; this time we got it on video so I will be able to post many images from it soon, within the next week I hope. Pyramid Lake, NV.

Update 5/7/05 Accidentally put my laptop's AC plug into my good camera, and killed it, I think. Forgot to check voltage before plugging it in.
I have another camera, 6MP tiny one, but it take kinda crappy pics, so there wont be many new ones till I get a new camera soon. Looking at a Panasonic FZ30.
Updtate 4/19/05 Built myself a small cargo separator for the rear cargo. It fits over the HiJack and off road crap so I can have a flat surface. I could have left more room underneath but I decided to make it like 2 compartments. Only made out of wood, but it was $15 and solved the problem. Here are some shots of it being built, I finished it that day but I cant find the 2nd half of pictures I took;

ADDED 8/7/05

Update 4/2/05 Havnt posted in a while, but its good to say that everything worked out. They did end up fixing it so its an even 3" around, looks real nice. Now I just need some nice tires to fill those wheel wells.
Update 2/27/05 Some pics after spending a couple good hours washing and waxing after a whole day trip through trials at Pyramid Lake.
Update 2/23/05 This is a pisser, so I get back and after a couple hours I realize that it looks taller in the front, so I get a tape and its 1" off! I check under the rear and can instantly tell that they put the spacer inside the spring, ontop of the spring seat! This is nuts! I was very specific in what I wanted and even gave them instuctions and the company to contact if they had questions. Instead, they called British Atlantic and installed them this way! Then they wanted to charge me to fix it!

After going over and showing them what the problem is, which they say is miscommunication (which must be between the eyes and the brain of whoever put it together) but they agreed to fix it. I can understand creating kind of like a cone using the spacers so the springs dont slide out, but seriously, I told them to use it as a SPACER, so that it makes and even 3" lift, not 3" in front and 2" in back! Come On!

Update 2/22/05 Yes! I got my rover back, and boy does it look sweet, just have to work on filling those wheel wells with some 32's
Here is a before and after:

Uptate 2/20/05 Sadly I would have thought they would be done by now, but very soon. I brought it in to a 4Wheel Preformance Parts last thursday, the 17th. They couldnt work on it for a whole day because they check thier books, and double checked with OME (ARB), which said they "STRONGLY RECOMEND, NOT to use the 751 springs in the front, that they are Rover Classic and DiscoI springs only." They said to use 777's that only give 2" of raise. After hours of more research, and calling them back and forth (ARB and expeditionexchange.com), I decided to use the 751's. The problem is the camber correction when raising to that hight. It seems though that Expedition Exchange has done tons of discoII installations with this same config, and that people who first used 777's (the recomended ones) have returned to use 751's, plus spacer.

Update 2/7/05 The Old Man Emu parts have arrived, it cost near $800 (parts alone) from ExpeditionExchange.com, I am booked to have them installed Feb 17th. I purchased exactly what I have described; a custom 3" OME suspension lift made by using 751 springs in front, 781 springs + 1" spacer in back, N107 Front Nitrocharger shocks, and N108 Nitrocharger shocks in the rear. I also bought an OME steering stabilizer to complete the kit.

Update 1/26/04 LAND ROVER DiscoII off-road wall paper photoshopped (page 3) Added some pics and stuff I found, another modification model to base mine off of! See page 2.
Update 1/3/04 Added a couple pics, changed wording to ARB vs TJM, added favorite links.
Update 12/28/04 $3.3k worth of parts to upgrade, get money within 3 months or so. Hooray!
Update 12/14/04- Sux bad, busted lights, others wired, ARB Bull Bar $850??! then install $$$? What to do?! Interior pics are now in! Off road pics to be posted once sent from friend. Update 11/4/04- 3"-4" Suspension raise SIMULATION. And More PICS! ALSO, all the snow melted! Yep, in reno it only takes a day or so. Everything is mud now, but tomorrow it will be dry :P
Update 11/3/04- first snow fall, take it off-roading in the yard. >:] ***Can find video on media page***

PAGE 1- News & Updates
PAGE 2- News & Updates II
PAGE 3- News & Updates III
PAGE 4- Intro & Mods
PAGE 5- Everything Else
PAGE 6- Media (Videos)
PAGE 7- Custom LR Wallpaper :)
PAGE 8- Rubicon
PAGE 9- Black Rock Desert
PAGE 10- Moonrock, NV
PAGE 11- Misc. Pictures
Myspace Page