The Ultimate Land Rover Discovery Build Episode 30! Trailing Arm and Air Bag Test!

I can't believe we have 30 episodes of us building out this 1 ton swapped Land Rover! What a great Project.
Today, we are going to install some air bags I imported from Australia as well as button up a couple loose ends. Then we will finally hit some dirt with my son to test out the trailing arms and the new Hellwig sway bar. I'm thinking in 4 or 5 more episodes this overlanding Land Rover Discovery 2 will finally be complete! We just need to swap the engine, transmission and transferase and fine tune a few things.
Thanks for watching! I hope you have enjoyed this series!
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#overland #overlandbuild #landrover

[@MrBrandonh98]

Your sons ability to recognize you didn't understand him and explain it to you in a different way was awesome...smart kid.

[@ThomasLips]

Your son's laughter was fantastic!! Keep pushing forward with the airbags. We'll all learn with you👍👍👍

[@CLGravy]

Man, I've got two boys, one of them about the age of his kiddo and that laughter was pure joy. That one little gem was so good. Great vid, Nate. You're blessed to have that relationship with your boy.

[@MacsSpecialitiesMotorsports]

Love kids laughter! So Contagious!!

[@danielrogers32]

Listening to that little fella laugh is the absolute best! Take him with you all you can, man, because they don’t stay little for long. Love your channel.

[@IdExplorMor]

Dirthead Dave is an airbag fanatic....so there's that. If you can get them to be reliable you are right, total game changer

[@TheTroysVideo]

Love the shots of you and your son. As an older guy, soon to be a grandpa, those are the simple times you and he will remember for years to come.

[@XtremeChiliPepper]

One of your best well-rounded videos - a bit of everything! Fell over when your boy said "All day ... and all night" He was having a great time LOL!

[@tyleraustin9914]

I always get a laugh at all the small bits of your plumbing and construction experience show through in your work on your rigs 😄

[@brittsangster9726]

Love seeing your boy out with you on the trails. I’m looking forward to my son being old enough to come with me in the future. He already loves watching all the off-road videos.

[@DirtLifestyle]

Dude, it's the best! Just make sure you get them started early 👍

[@mitchellsnider4198]

I’m looking forward to this too - my son’s 2 and daughter is 5 months - All I need now is to finish the rig, hopefully in time for a maiden voyage this fall close to their birthdays. This video gives me the boost I need to keep working!

[@Tiggerlooker]

My son is 4 and thats how our conversations go :D it so adorable when you are trying to figure out what they are saying. priceless

[@bryanmckillip4371]

As a long time Land Rover owner and owning an 04 d2 for almost 11 years, I think your application warrants the heavy duty bag set up. I ditched the bags and went with a 2” medium duty coil lift. The old style LR bags were crap and would eventually leave you on your bump stops. I currently own an 08 Lr3 and will always keep the factory air as it is much improved and way more reliable. I love what you’ve done to your d2. It is a totally different animal that a stock d2 and as you know you will have challenges and benefits. Keep up the awesome work! Cheers

[@DirtLifestyle]

Thanks man! We had a LR3 as well. I absolutely loved it! Great ride quality, plenty of power and great tech for how old it was.

[@iankovac1878]

Had a 07 LR3 v8 se with the HD package. Loved the way it drove, but every 3 to 5 years had to replace the air struts. For you I think it is needed, that thing looks like 7000 lbs sitting there at least. It might be a pain to keep the air, but I think it will be worth it.

[@andyeverett7611]

In response to your reliability concerns. Hundreds of thousands of semi trucks roll down the road for a million miles hauling 80K lbs with all airbag rear suspension with great success. Granted the compressors are mostly gear driven by the engines instead of electric. I think you can have a totally reliable setup that may require working out a few bugs initially. IMO. Good Luck Nate!!!

[@BenNawrath]

I'm an engineer for a surgical equipment manufacturer, and we use super lube grease too. It's the good stuff, and it's available wherever, which is nice too!

[@jk_wrangler13]

That's the best time. Spending time with your son. I don't have a son of my own, but I remember things I done with my dad.

[@KS-dv4xt]

Go faster! Hehe. I love the idea of air bags on each corner and all of the adjustability but the part I don't like is more potential failure points. Dang I sound like my dad when he says oh it's just another thing to break! Either way it's all trial and error and if you didn't experiment with them you'd never know and that's how we learn.

[@3vil8unny]

Omg i love the giggles from the kid thats the best thing with hanging with dad.

[@JeepTJay6]

11:04 God I miss these moments with my daughter 😂 So special. ❤

[@ThomasTribeTrails]

13:47 on the time line is the best still and says it all. Great video so good to see father and son shenanigans.

[@inca4x4]

I am exactly the same way. I have a jeep gladiator with camper a JLU Rubicon with camper hardtop, and a 2006 TJ Rubicon and I always tell people my favorite vehicle that I would never trade is my 1997 five speed Land Rover discovery it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.

[@wonderingdonkey6758]

Reminds me of my buddy's old suburban the way it sways,waytop heavy.Or compared to a boat floating over waves.Thing is still bad ass!

[@DirtLifestyle]

Such a great comparison! This performs and handles very similar to my buddy David's barn door burban. Plenty of sway lol

[@RunDub]

As a fellow Rover owner, I completely understand the whole "not the best, but still the favorite" truck feeling. My Disco 1 is my favorite by far, but it's not the best thing I've ever owned.

[@tonydowd8566]

You, with your abilities and attention to details, can absolutely make those airbags 999.9% dependable. So, definitely worth it. I had air suspension on my 84 F 350 6.9 International 4 X 4, and absolutely loved it.

[@clemensschimmele6346]

Justice for all ftw! Also I dig how much you like the disco, it's kind of an underdog thing, too, where you like it even more because it's an unlikely hero

[@DirtLifestyle]

Lol I was wondering if someone would catch that. And I agree, these have their reputation for a reason but I still think it's an underdog

[@kylancook3477]

What's the time stamp to look for?

[@donaldwatson6342]

If anybody can resolve the airbag longevity issue for a heavy offroad rig you're the one to get it done. Dirthead Dave has had good success with airbagged lightweight rock crawlers, but his builds are not designed for overlanding. Looks like your son is going to be the next king of the hammers winner.

[@tophatvideosinc.5858]

your kid is trying to convince you to make a rally vehicle as your next build. and im all for it. go very very fast!

[@marcochavanne]

I have dreamed of LS swapping one of those for years. The rear suspension design is so cool.

[@chir0pter]

5:45 One idea I've toyed with on my Cayenne air suspension is adding an extra in-line Superdry air dryer, since it's on atmospheric air I figure reducing the amount of moisture should help reduce internal corrosion of the pump etc due to salt and moisture intake. But that's a very long-term reliability thing not necessarily something that will save you from getting stuck in the middle of the woods anytime soon

[@VelcorHF]

This video is so fun and I love your land rover. Theres so many channels that are just JEEP or YODA and you not only do custom shit but you really break the mold with these kinds of builds. This has to be one of the most legit discovery 2s out there on youtube.

[@coreyalfredson7986]

Dude.... That look of what is this kid saying confusion is the most relatable moment I've ever had with this channel 😅😅

[@bobw9297]

Hands down , air bags are a total game changer from my tractor trailer to my Ram pickup with our camper , I even have some small ones on my Rav 4 for our tear drop ....eh

[@samfuller6273]

Kid is great. He'll let you know when you're having a good time!

[@ErraNssoN]

I would go with a belt driven compressor with a ac clutch on it. Dont really like the small electrical ones... with that said, i really love the landrover build!! Keep it up!!

[@Wr3ckZ]

On a completely non-offroad related topic: I've listened to my kids enough while they were growing up, that I immediately understood what your son was saying!!! BWHAHAHAHAH!! the wonderment of children can illuminate even the most mundane things in life. Enjoy it while it lasts! (They become grumpy adults pretty dang quick, all things considered)

[@swarbrickjesse]

You are such a pro man. Your channel is such a breath of fresh air! Been here for a while and still loving the content and the variety.

[@offroad6309]

Listening to your son brought back a flood of memories. I used to take the kids to Moab a couple times a year with my friend and their kids. They had a blast. My son still talks about a trip out of the mountains with a motor issue in my bronco and us coasting down needing to keep up speed for the next hill. Highlight for him. Thanks for sharing and keep being a great dad, they grow up so fast. Take Plenty of pictures.

[@northwestoff-roadopportuni7176]

Love the true laughs from your boy 😂 it’s the best when my kids do it too.

[@matt34003434]

‘It’s rad if it works”. Isn’t that the Land Rover motto? 😂. Great video as always!

[@soundadventure]

Boss are solid, you won't disappointed.

[@chuckieswickedgoodfab]

HA ha ha, Nate I play this game all the time with my son and daughter, "what does" or "what did" or "what is that called again" and the stuff they come up with is hilarious. Great moment right there.

[@black_decal]

Keep the air bags, I had so much more advantage with my Discovery 2 with rear air. Plus, your sons laugh is contagious,. Keep up the great work.

[@Weidjeep]

I miss the giggles from my kids back in the day wheeling. They're grown now and have no desire to go wheeling (sad face). It is less food, fuel and water needed for my trips though lol. Your son brought back memories of times long gone. Enjoy his pure happiness while you still can.

[@dhripper00]

Buy an ARB Twin and be done with it. Love seeing your son out there with ya Nate!

[@williamfrye9441]

Love seeing the videos with your son! Can’t wait to take my little dude out with me! 😂

[@mazevx2451]

Yes if available and not crazy expensive I would go for 4 corner airbaged suspension for a variety of reasons they work reliable in a huge amount of cars and billions of miles on semi trucks and trailers

[@lukebrsm6210]

I usually lurk on the channel and give videos the thumbs up here and there. This video was so entertaining both from an educational perspective and from a humour perspective. You and your son laughing your heads off had me laughing along with you. Great work Nate, love the channel, love the content.

[@badm0t0rf1ng3r]

I know exactly what you mean man... the D2 is the worst, perfect car. Like i cannot fully describe it. Ownership was an expensive headache, but when it worked, it worked so well. I loved how it drove. I love how I felt driving it. I love the looks it got. Just miss it a lot.

[@brianjustice7098]

I’ve watched and learned a ton from your videos over the years. Your last video with your boy was great! My son and I had the same experience when I took him wheeling for the first time. It’s the best. I’ve got an xj and live 10 minutes from walker valley. Let me know next time you head this way. 👍

[@thunder_lloyd]

Your kids laugh was my favorite part of the vid

[@CFairNH]

I think the bags are awesome!! Once the bugs are worked out you can't best that flexibility and options with them!! Very cool set up!

[@barnetts9812]

I've done the going faster off trail with kids... Priceless 💕 Good job dad 👍🏼

[@robottaway]

Think I am in love with your Disco2. Had a professor in college with a Defender and probably started me down the path of lusting after one. Was looking at the new Defender a couple years ago but ended up going JT due to practical reasons. Maybe one of these would be a bit more "affordable" in terms of making a posh overlander. Keep turning those dreams into reality digging watching it happen. Cheers!

[@808touge]

Wrenching, off roading and family time… best video you have put out 🤙🏽

[@chir0pter]

13:38 future WRC champ right there!

[@randumadventures]

Watching you and your son just makes me smile! Oh and nice truck too lol

[@aaronwermers4160]

Air Ride: Love the ride and the gains you talked about. That said it was a thorn in my side for years with a Range Rover we had. Went to coils and no issues off road. I also did not have the beefed up system you currently do so I am curious on the testing you do. Also your kid is awesome, that part of the video made me smile, so glad you 2 can share this!

[@janmartens7954]

the music around minute 3 is amazing!!!!!! Love the episode

[@Charlie-ec3bc]

Enjoyed watching the video with my 5 year old we love the disco we own a xj Cherokee. We had a wk2 Cherokee with the air ride best ride on road of any car ever owned I’ve owned a lot it’s was very handy to lift up the suspension to clear a obstacle and lower it back down but the ride off road was very harsh !

[@squeakin3]

I have a big heavy rig, I don’t have weight up top anymore but it’s still big and heavy and going from 2in to 2.5in shocks made a huge difference. Shock tuning also took it to the next level

[@BuildSomethingAuto]

I think if I were to go with bags I'd have to insist on a belt driven compressor (for example a converted york AC compressor, therangerstation has a how to). I just wouldn't want to have to rely on an electrical system and AC compressors are proven to rapidly cycle for 100's of thousands of miles without issue (not to mention they're just quieter). Thanks for testing this stuff for us it's super informative to see you try out different ways of doing things 👍

[@leefhead1]

kids are amazing. Keep up the great work dad. As for the airbags, i probably wouldnt put it on anything other than a light overlander, so the reason of reliability. Sometimes the juice, is not worth the squeeze.

[@samhartfieldlewis5247]

Definitely think airbags worth it for all the plus things, maybe dodgy compressor or coupling. Also new stuff things just sometimes need ironing out. Nice one go steady

[@nepicness]

Can't wait till your sleeves slip and you have to LS swap it! My swaps been super reliable. Alternative conversions swap kit is great.

[@UkraineTrain21]

Your kid is a riot! 😀

[@searlearnold2867]

I come from the oil and gas world, and mild off roading, not crawling or overlanding, but.... air suspension? Absolutely !!! I've built a lot of industrial trucks and hauled heavy equipment into and out of remote locations. Off highway class 8 trucks and equipment are at the limit of air suspension and the systems are basic, but work, are reliable and last. Keep going and developing, There's really no limit to hit when you have air bags that support 100.000's of pounds of heavy equipment compared to an overlander or rock crawling truck. You can always go bigger.

[@karpo888]

Nice D2. You did good. I been Land Rover guy for ltl over 10 years. I owned D2 for 10 years and now got a D1. D2’s are very heavy cars. What i did to clear up that sluggish off-road feeling. Very very, i mean very heavy duty Springs, and very heavy duty shocks. And you will see a big difference. And at that point, you don’t even need a rear sway bar.

[@DillonFinnegan]

Dude our sons are the same age and I swear we’ve had almost that exact same conversation before haha, Love it buddy.

[@chrisrundlett3707]

Great video! Thank you for the Land Rover content!!! I am building a D2 now and I don't think I would go with the airbags for my build - but I do love how easy it is to level the rig with them. Keep up the good work!!!

[@UrbanOpsOffRoad]

Hell yeah bonus Tuesday!

[@josiahdegroot5341]

Love that your pushing through with the airbags. Can’t wait to see your solutions to these problems.

[@chir0pter]

7:20 totally bananas! 😂

[@antoniomaldonado683]

Looks awesome!👍🏾

[@DirtLifestyle]

Thanks, man!

[@scott5106]

I absolutely love these Rovers! I have had three 04 Discovery's and I would never ever dream of doing what you have with them, but I'm not you, and I love what you've done... I really think it's an amazing place to start and I can't believe how much you've accomplished, Thank you so much for sharing your expertise!

[@almamdani6564]

Cutest copilot ever! 😀

[@vernonbennettiii3646]

Best part of the whole video was seeing how thrilled your son was on the ride!

[@Redchvy]

As much as i like ur fab videos, i absolutely love seeing and hearing how much ur son enjoys the wheeling! Reminds me of the times on the trail with my now 16yo that is way too busy for dad 😂

[@MrIlovemetals]

Bags are always worth it!

[@eliotspencer9212]

Air is absolutely worth it, it would be cool to see all round air suspension. I wouldn't worry about reliability, when something breaks find out why and make it better like you do with everything else. love the channel man super inspiring

[@mikemorgan4670]

Your Boy made me lol! Great memories.

[@nickyduhr8355]

You're kid is awesome!

[@blacktristan40]

Quarls!!! Love it. Kids add a whole new dynamic to getting out and wheeling.

[@ndafarachaitezvi1139]

Awesome content as always.Thanks for sharing and taking us along

[@jlautomotive6349]

Another great video… looking forward to seeing how you fix/mitigate this compressor issue… Also your sons laughter and asking to go fast is heartwarming!! Keep up the incredible work 👍

[@TheShooter466]

Bonus Nate Video

[@ericnunn8856]

Thought the same 🤙

[@DirtLifestyle]

I'm going to try to do 2 videos a week for the next couple weeks 👍

[@Jramirez18]

Golden rovers makes a great dash mounting plate for your hardware. No drilling required.

[@wesleydavis3793]

We definitely need a father and son driving series! Love the content and all the knowledge gained from it!!

[@chir0pter]

it's my favorite build of yours as well!

[@dwaynehoffmann8538]

Yes for the air bags!

[@brianshotton3353]

Awesome to take your boy out and have some fun! Those will make for some great memories!

[@brianmorse8811]

Yeah, Dirt head Dave did the air bag thing in the back also. I'm looking now for bags for spring helpers, for loading my lifted truck. so many choices...

[@avongil]

Super cute. I went with those simple airbags that just inflate and change the spring rate. They dont level, but its great for a trailer. 150 bucks and super simple. Not going to work for you, but for most Disco folks its a decent compromise. Good thinking on the UK rebuilt 4.6, the non standard engine swaps are a nightmare in custom engineering and the Rover V8 is dead reliable if you have a good block to start with! I think it sounds great albeit my 4.0 feels anemic by todays standards.

[@FlawedOffroad]

I bought my D2 after watching you build this one, but I smoked something in the top end. So its sitting here parked with a bad tick and running on 7. Probably a valve. These things are such a beast on snowy roads! Your kid is a riot haha

[@ARFunIn]

Concerning your closing question, yes I would use airbags as my rear springs. Your spare airbag could be built up to a complete assembly as a hot spare, just because. This would leave 'clean room' sealing of the airbag to a home exercise. With respect to the air source, the best way to mitigate failures associated with a specific design is to employ either instances of differing technologies, or at a min differing supplier hardware.

[@chrispclimbs]

I’m running your OG setup. It works for my needs and I like that it was all bolt on. I think I’d go with what you just did now if I had the fab skills! Oh and the rover bags don’t float they do lock top and bottom, your locking plate went with the rover axle when you swapped.

[@dylanlangham9566]

Just a thought... try a Primary Belt Driven Air Compressor and a Secondary (backup) Electric Air Compressor. Often times belt driven compressors are more reliable and with bags instead of coils it might be a better option. But I'm not sure it's feasible with your space constraints. Just a quick thought. I enjoy the work you do. It is very inspiring, thank you!

[@joshuajohnson4800]

Loved that you included your son. Offroading is so much more fun with the kids. Also I can 100% relate. When you had no idea what he was saying Iv had the same conversation with my boys .. HAHA. Great stuff.

[@Onward_Forward]

I'll take coils anyday over bags just because of the reliability. It's always a give and take. Yes they are nice but I'll stick with the reliability of the coil. Love the disco you've built.

[@ChrisZBr0wn]

Love it! I’m thinking about bags and running them off my engine driven OBA. (Converted Denso AC). Tell the OnX guys there’s a semi significant group that wants APRS integration! I want to see where my friends are, be able to message them, and see their VFO freqs. It shouldn’t be too hard to do, BackcountryNavigator has some integration. I’d may even pay extra for it on OnX

[@matthewbair5539]

Love seeing your kids with you ! It’s the best to have them enjoy the things you do .. now it’s time for a trophy truck

[@Abourgeois17]

Im running a Viar 480c compressor in my XJ. I installed mine inside the vehicle to keep it out if the elements. Been 5+ years with no failures *knock on wood* lol but I also have a 12v plug in style (cigarette lighter plug) as a just incase.

[@JuanSanchez-bd3fi]

Nate that was awesome your son and yourself will remember that moment for life great dad enjoy them while their young they grow up so fast

[@snivesz32]

I had a thought regarding the “controlled chaos” of the lurchy landrover. There’s good info on crawlpedia about body roll center, basically, you can set up your rear 4 link to try to intersect the roll center with the CG plane and theoretically should minimize body roll. Admittedly your CG is quite high on your rig, as you say in the video, and a big sway bar helps, but my thought is if there was a different mounting geometry that would get the RC equal to the CG you wouldn’t need as much sway bar and it may work much better. It would be a good excercise to sketch up on your whiteboard to think through that idea!