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I have always had a soft spot for Discos. No, not the 80s dance music that featured a thousand-mirror sphere hanging from the ceiling. I mean the Land Rover Discovery trucks. Dual sunroofs, leather, third row seats, creature comforts, and all of that at what seems to be a steal of a price for a used example!

this is of course because Discovery’s get a bad rap for reliability. They tend to have more issues if they are not cared for, and maintenance costs are a bit higher. Still, that doesn’t deter me from drooling over them every time i see one on the road.

Jeff Blake’s 2002 Discovery

Jeff Blake owns one spectacular Discovery 2 example. He is a member of the Overland Bound forum, and he has a detailed build thread there with all the hard work he put on his Disco.

Land Rover Discovery 2

This guy knows his way around a Rover. You would be hard press to find a spot on this rig that Jeff hasn’t laid a finger on. Here we will go into just some of the cool things he’s put together, and other things he’s taken apart.

Mechanical Work

Most older vehicles, when purchased by the 3rd,4th, and up owners, need an extra bit of TLC. Land Rovers are no different. I would say they are actually the imperative example of a used vehicle that needs wrench time before you go out to the middle of nowhere without a single screwdriver.

Jeff started his build right, performing the following maintenance and repairs.

Rebuilt engine

Rebuilt transfer case

Removed AC system

Replaced complete cooling system: hoses, thermostat, water pump, viscous clutch

New steering box

Terrafirma heavy duty steering rods

Terrafirma adjustable panhard rod

New power steering components: pump, lines, hoses, reservoir, pulley

All fluids replaced

Transmission filter replaced

Replaced brake calipers, pads and rotors

Electrical Work

I don’t know much about this guy, other than the fact tat he has a cool ride. If i had to guess, id say hes either an electrical engineer, or some sort of handyman or contractor. Looking at the seemingly disastrous mess of wire in the drivers rear quarter panel gives me anxiety. I only hope he has a fire extinguisher somewhere in that rig!

Some of the thorough electrical modifications done on this discovery are below.

Dual battery system

5 separate circuit breaker/fuse panel systems



Jeff Blake’s Land Rover Discovery 2





Under roof rack solar panel slide



Jeff Blake’s Land Rover Discovery 2



Other items include:

Roof rack mounted reverse lights

Dual front spot lights

Front Runner 40″ LED light bar

Exterior Mods

My particular favorite part; but don’t tell anybody. Where your overland rig starts looking like one to everyone outside of the ride! below are some of the useful items used in this Discovery 2 build thread.



Land Rover Discovery 2





Interior Mods

Things start getting a little crazy here! no headliner? all the nice looking plastics we all know and love? Jeff, what are you doing? there must be a method to the madness. Read on to see the final product of the interior in this Discovery!

Removed all interior trim and plastics

Custom 1/2″ King StarBoard flooring

Attic style shelf

Window guards on all glass behind driver and passenger seats

Auger gauges to monitor voltage, water temp, oil temp and oil pressure

Double din radio

Pioneer 5 channel amplifier

Infinity component speakers

Wakeboard tower style Polk Audio subwoofers and speakers

Front and rear cameras

iPad Mini for navigation, using Gaia Maps on a Ram mount

Garmin inreach Explorer paired to iPad on a Ram mount

iPhone 7 on a Ram mount



















Offroad Mods

After seeing that interior, we can all assume that whats under the body and between the chassis is equally as impressive. This Discovery leaves nothing to be desired with a selection of tasteful yet very purposeful modifications.

Camping Mods

And when the wheeling is over and you are ready to unwind? is there anything planned for that as well? you bet. Everything but the kitchen sink is an understatement.

On board hot water and shower system

Dual 20 Liter (~5 gallon) roof rack mounted jerry cans

Dometic 65L fridge/freezer on a slide and custom made enclosure

Rigid molle panels on all 4 doors

Pelican case with lid organizer











Wrapping up

This Discovery is well equipped for overland, offroad, and the next zombie apocalypse. So can yours! We have tried our best at logging the source of most items in this build; in some cases something can be missed. if you are looking for something in particular, contact us or Jeff an we will figure it out together.

Jeff Blake’s Land Rover Discovery 2