Thread: 2nd battery, pod filter, power steering bracket mod

Take your pick!

Well....The 2nd battery's in there but it's yet to be wired!

So I finally got around to doing the mods that would give me enough room to fit the 2nd battery. To do this I decided to take out the RR air box and replace it with a K&N. While doing upgrades to the diary when the herd was dry we decided to increase filtration capacity and air volume going to the electronic pulsation system. The system had a meaty K&N pod filter that was then surplus to requirements so I put it to one side and waited until the dairy work has settled down before launching into the mods necessary to fit it to the Disco. There was a second reason for replacing the old air box...I had wanted to fit a 2nd battery but I wasn't happy about the cramped space available for it especially when the power steering reservoir would have to be moved backwards.
Really, it was a piece of cake! After removing the Rover air box I cut the end of the soft rubber air ducting hose square so that it would be perpendicular to the pod filter. I then found an old length of 3" aluminium irrigation pipe and cut 3" off it to act as a joiner between the air duct hose and the pod filter (you could use PVC pipe from a hardware store if you aren't on a farm). Next I found some scrap aluminium 2mm plate and made a cupped bracket with which to mount the pod onto the top of the mudguard. This was secured with self-tappers. When connected the aluminium jointer sits in the bracket and is secured by a home made clamp, however a cable tie or hose clip would do the job.



Next I tackled the power steering reservoir. I found a length of 4mm x 25mm flat mild steel bar and drilled it at one end for the power steering clamp. No dramas.... the existing bolt was long enough to pull it all together. At the other end I drilled 2 holes and fixed the bracket to the angled side of what will now be the battery tray. It sat in nicely lying along the existing "L" shaped structure and was secured with two "Steelfix" hex-head self-threading screws. I had to put a slight bend in the bracket to position it so that it didn't chafe the radiator top hose.



So the next move is to wire up the battery. The pod filter makes an amazing difference to performance. The Disco is much more responsive and it's nice to hear the whistle of the turbo more clearly when it comes onto boost. Having said that, there is no induction "roar" and except for being aware of the turbo doing its job, the noise level hasn't increased.

I would recommend this mod to all.

It's a 300Tdi and no, I wouldn't be silly enough to ford any streams with this setup and not even with the original. This is a working vehicle not a recreational 4WD.