NextStepDesigns

In April 2006, I had the opportunity to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous (infamous?) school of Architorture, Taliesin West. The buildings are interesting, but not all that impressive. However, the story behind the buildings, the conditions underwhich they were created and used, is fascinating and well worth the visit. Should you go, be sure to go on the guided tour. It was quite enjoyable, and very informative.

Below is a link to photos taken during our visit. We started out with a short wait in the gift shop, until our group was assembled and ready for the tour. We were not able to visit the studio, because it was during the work week, and the studio was in session.

Photo Gallery (external link to SmugMug.com)

We had huge plans for Memorial Day camping/off roading weekend, but they fell through at that last moment.  As a consolation, the Woods Family and rover buddy Mel Tan headed up the Cajon Pass for a satisfying afternoon trip to the Cleghorn trail for some off roading fun.

Photo Gallery of May 27th Cleghorn Trail: (40 photos)

The base model LR3 (Discovery 3) does not come fitted with steering wheel mounted radio control buttons. However, it does come prewired for them!

Order part number #XPD500500WVH “Switch Assembly” (about $85 USD), and then follow the excellent step by step directions shown on the Disco3.co.uk web forum.

The finished assembly:

Special note: My truck required an electronic reset of the air bag system at the dealership, which they did for a minor fee. (Sharp eye’d readers may note that the bottom photo is from a right hand drive model. I don’t have a picture handy of my new steering wheel, but it looks just the same.)

The human model Land Rover uses to design the front seat leg room is about 6′-3″ tall, or so one would assume based on how it feels. For those of us with a bit more generous proportions, more leg room is essential. With the help of Frank from Franks Fab Shop, I extended my leg room by off-setting the seat rails 2.5″ rearward. This was done very simply by making extension plates that mounted on top of the existing seat supports, and bolting the seat rails to them. There is a plate both front and rear, on each side, four in total. Now, even at 6′-7″ tall, my knees no longer rub against the front dashboard. It’s quite wonderful.

Detail photos. Click to enlarge:

My LR3 (Discovery 3 to my friends overseas) is a Base Model 5 seater. As such, it was not furnished with a rear 12 volt DC power outlet. This feature is rather important for my RC Sailplane hobby, as I need to be able to charge my planes and transmitters while they are being transported in the rear of the truck. I found some unconnected wiring harnesses stuffed into the left side rear panel of the truck, and figured that one of them was most likely for the power receptacle. After communicating a bit with my local LR dealership’s part manager, the 7 seater’s DC outlet was ordered and shipped. Part Number: YXW500030PVJ “Socket Assembly”.

The install was straightforward. The hardest part was finding the purple and black wiring harness. It’s tucked WAY up in there, elbow deep. It is accessed from the removable plastic hatch on the lower left hand side, right below the dummy cap. Once everything is connected, you have to very firmly set the socket into place. I whacked mine into place with the palm of my hand two or three times before it was driven home properly. Be sure your alignment is right, because it will not be easy to correct later on!

Click on a photo below to enlarge the image. These are the simple steps involved in this modifcation/upgrade:

My family had the opportunity to travel to Gorman CA (about 45 minutes north of LA) with 16 other Land Rovers from our dealership. This event is held every few months as an introduction to new Rover Owners into their Land Rover’s abilities, in a controlled environment. While a bit basic, it was certainly fun, and it was really cool to see so many Land Rovers on the road in a convoy, and then scrambling all over doing what the love to do…getting dirty!

The event went to the Hungry Valley State Off Highway Recreational Park. They have a 4×4 practice area with boulder fields, off camber traverses, steep climbs, mud runs, sand pits, frame twisters”, and everyone’s favorite, the stairs! Our group of Rovers had the practice area rented for the day, complete with catered BBQ, plenty of staff from the dealership that worked as spotters and coaches, and even a few demo vehicles including the full size $90,000 Range Rover HSE.

After lunch, we then went on a several hour long trek through some easy, but very scenic and rugged terrain. It was great!

Photo Gallery of the day (about 50 images)

In a third trip in a row to the now infamous Cleghorn trail, I arranged a small group of rovers from my local club: SCLR.org

Four Rovers, lots of fun, no carnage (other than my sacrificial plastic rocker panel), many hundreds of photos between Omid, Adam and I. Buddy didn’t bring his camera, he had his hands full with twin 2 year old boys!

We proved to ourselves just how amazing the new class of rover is (LR3 and RRS), tackling everything Buddy did with his beefed up Disco II, and if I dare say, making it look easy.

We got to use Adam’s winch (unsticking a nicely wedged Buddy). Buddy trapped his exhaust pipe up tight against a steep slope, cutting off the airflow, and stalling his engine. Quite a predicament! Fortunately, Adam had recently fitted a winch, and was soon able to pull Buddy far enough out the ditch to start his engine again.

Adam was the most aggressive climber, willfully going up everything, first if he had the chance. Omid I think was the most adept at picking the right line. His accents looked so smooth… Buddy win’s the Man award, going down a nasty bit that the rest of us wisely opted out of.

(Buddy on the radio, “I think I need new brakes, I’m not slowing down at all” My reply, “No, they are working great, none of your tires are turning, you are just sliding down the hill”).

Cleghorn Photo Gallery (about 100 images)