Before: As you can see, this...
Before: As you can see, this Land Rover is all business; notice the bottom half of the plastic bumper is missing. (We're told this modification was necessary to provide some much-needed approach angle clearance.)
During a recent visit to California's Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreational Area, we noticed a 2000 Land Rover Discovery that the park officials use to patrol some of the more remote regions of their 800-acre Upper Ranch facility, the same location where we conduct our annual Top Truck Challenge event. After a brief conversation with one of the rangers about the vehicle's day-to-day use, we were befuddled by the rig's mildly-built nature.
Basically, the vehicle was stock, except for a 9,000-pound Warn winch that was mounted up front. Cruising through Hollister's 24-plus miles of dirt trails each day isn't exactly easy on a vehicle, especially when laden with an arsenal of law enforcement equipment and personal rescue devices. Couple that with terrain challenges such as steep hill climbs, washed out two-tracks and even the occasional stream crossing, and you have a unique scenario where park rangers actually needed improved ground clearance, better approach and departure angles, and solid extraction anchors to do their job more efficiently.
Additionally, the Land Rover's limited interior cargo space presented further challenges to park officials when the occasional unruly guest required personal escort from the premises. After learning about these difficulties, we questioned chief ranger Jeff Gaffney about the idea of modifying the Disco with products we felt could better fortify the Discovery for their particular needs. Gaffney agreed to our offer and even arranged to have his lead maintenance supervisor, Gilbert Mayorquin, perform the installations for us.
After: Armed for duty, this...
After: Armed for duty, this Discovery is every park ranger's dream ride.
Our first priority was to improve the vehicle's suspension system so that a definitive improvement in ride quality could be achieved. A mild suspension lift would also add valuable ground clearance to the otherwise-capable Discovery chassis, which is always a good thing in our opinion. A front winch bumper from ARB would resolve the whole issue of extraction anchors while increasing approach angle significantly. Up top, we added a roof rack to increase the vehicle's storage capacity, and to ensure that park officials would actually be able to use the roof rack we added a pair of ARB Protection Steps. Check out how these parts were bolted on to make a hard-working Land Rover the best it could be for our favorite park rangers.
1. These are the new Old Man Emu progressive-wound coil springs and Nitrocharger shocks supplied to us by ARB. The system shown here is a 1.5-inch lift designed specifically for the Discovery Series II. We like this system because Old Man Emu engineers designed it to handle the rigors of the Australian outback, where unmaintained dirt two-tracks are the only roads around. To help absorb bumps while negotiating harsh terrain, similar to what you might find in the Australian outback, Old Man Emu incorporated several smart features into their Nitrocharger line of shocks. Innovations such as triple lip seals and extra-thick body tubes ensure that Nitrocharger shocks can survive even the worst of conditions without springing a leak. Another thing we like about the Nitrochargers is their eccentric sliding intake valve arrangement, which greatly improves rebound response time while also reducing operating noise. Thanks to durable urethane bushings at each end, these shocks are super easy to install in the factory mounting locations.
 2. Here you can see Rogelio...  2. Here you can see Rogelio Mendoza, Mayorquin's assistant, installing the new Old Man Emu variable-rate coil spring on the driver's side rear corner of the Land Rover Discovery. |  3. Old Man Emu also provided...  3. Old Man Emu also provided us up with a twin-tube steering stabilizer to help dampen abrupt steering feedback that can occur in the dirt. These are a must-have for vehicles with larger-than-stock tires. |  4. Before: Notice the equal...  4. Before: Notice the equal spacing between each of the coil's windings; this is known as a constant-rate spring. This means that the spring rate remains consistent throughout the entire range of travel. |
 5. After: Here you can see...  5. After: Here you can see the new-variable rate Old Man Emu coil spring installed. Note that the top three windings of this coil are much closer together than those of the factory spring it replaced. This is what gives the spring a "variable" rate. This type of coil spring provides two distinctive benefits over traditional constant-rate coils: First, the regular-looking coil wraps ensure a smoother ride over smaller bumps because they are set at a softer rate than factory springs. Next, the tighter windings prevent harsh energy spikes, also known as "bottoming-out events," because the additional spring-wire material increases the spring rate at the top or end of the spring's range of motion. This type of spring is much more difficult to manufacture than a regular constant-rate coil spring. |  6. With all the suspension...  6. With all the suspension modifications completed, we turned our attention to the new aluminum roof rack by Aluminess Products. Aluminess specializes in aluminum bumpers, nerf bars, storage boxes, and racks similar to the one seen here. We like this roof rack because it is made entirely in the USA and features six 3-inch-wide load-bearing slats that are supported by five lateral tubular support braces. Each intersecting bar is beautifully TIG-welded for strength and good looks. The whole unit was powdercoated with a durable matte-black finish. |  7. Check out the system that...  7. Check out the system that Aluminess products uses to secure the roof rack to the gutters of the Discovery. Included with these stout aluminum brackets are stainless-steel fasteners with Nylock locking nuts. We like the fact that Aluminess Products utilize all non-corrosive hardware because it ensures that the exposed fasteners will never rust or become difficult to remove later on down the road. |
 8. To install the new roof...  8. To install the new roof rack, Mayorquin bolted the six gutter anchors loosely to the sides of the vehicle in the approximate location where the corresponding rack mounts would be. Next, he and Mendoza placed the rack on top of the vehicle and lined up the mounting holes. Finally, as seen in this photo, Mayorquin secured the mounting brackets with the included hardware. Once all the bolts were snugly in place, the two tightened up the gutter mounts as recommended by the instructions. |  9. Here you can see the new...  9. Here you can see the new roof rack mounted to the vehicle. Notice the four extra tabs that Aluminess included on the front portion of the rack; these tabs are designed for mounting auxiliary lights or an optional wind screen/spoiler that Aluminess offers. |  10. With the roof rack installation...  10. With the roof rack installation completed, we started on the new ARB winch bumper. To do so, Mayorquin and Mendoza first had to remove the factory-installed winch mount and OE bumper. |
 11. The Warn 9,000-pound winch...  11. The Warn 9,000-pound winch fit perfectly inside the new ARB bumper. We were impressed with how the new bumper included provisions for relocating the OE headlight washer nozzles. These are the little details that help to set ARB's winch bumpers apart from others in the industry. |  12. The new ARB bumper also...  12. The new ARB bumper also features built-in turn indicator lights and rubber bumper pads for pushing disabled vehicles without causing damage to the rescue rig. Two stout shackle mounts provide a beefy attachment point for snatch blocks, tow straps, and other recovery equipment. |  13. After the bumper was finished,...  13. After the bumper was finished, we started on the ARB Protection Steps. Here you can see Mayorquin using a reamer bit on a pneumatic grinder to open up the existing holes in the Land Rover's body mount brackets. Essentially, four small square holes on each side had to be enlarged slightly and made round to accommodate the new mounting hardware included with the Protection Steps. |
 14. The ARB Protection Steps...  14. The ARB Protection Steps offer similar benefits to conventional side steps, such as improved vehicle access and a reduction in stone chips caused by road debris. Unlike most other side steps on the market, they act as a structural barrier between your vehicle and trail obstacles, and are far less likely to sustain damage. |  15. The ARB Protection Steps...  15. The ARB Protection Steps include a textured aluminum tread plate that provides grip when in use. Once installed, the steps made accessing the roof rack super easy. | |
Our Take
As with most installations, you don't know the final conclusion until you have spent some time with the vehicle in its modified state. The verdict is still out on this particular round of upgrades because the park rangers simply haven't had enough time to evaluate them in every possible scenario. However, they did tell us that they appreciate the supple ride afforded by the new Old Man Emu suspension system. We also know that the new ARB winch bumper suits their needs just fine in terms of extraction points and approach angle. However, we fear that the mounting location of the winch may make operation a bit more difficult than the previous arrangement, simply because the remote control plug is only accessible from under the front of vehicle--not exactly a convenient place when buried in deep mud. Otherwise, we look forward to updating you about these upgrades and how they hold up to the abuse of the Hollister Hills rangers in the coming months when we start modifying the park's new Land Rover LR3--stay tuned.