Disco 1 Project, experiance required! :-)

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Squares

Squares

Member
Posts
63
Location
Herts.
Hi All,

Thought I would pop a post up to say hello, and introduce my "new" 300tdi Disco 1. She is a 3dr 1995 vintage in conisten (sp?) green, and after looking at quite a few this was the least rusty by a long shot.:D

She is of course not perfect, and has covered 171k, but apart from the boot floor, she is really sound, and this has been traced back to a leaky sunroof.:doh: Which is about to be silicone sealed in a big way.

There is a plan of attack, and a long list of wants/nice to do's, lots of which I will need some help with.

It came with:

  • General Grabber ATs allround
  • Rebel Steering guard.
Fist of all I plan to give it a bloody good service to include:

  • Engine oil and filter
  • Air filter
  • Fuel filter
  • Gearbox and diff oils
  • New rear discs and pads
  • Check front brakes
  • Brake fluid change
  • New water hoses as these look a little crispy!:eek:
That should get it a bit more loved. There is also a oil leak from the rocker cover and I was going to try and clean up under the bonnet a bit to check over what looks good and what doesn't.

As far as using it, its already been great in the 2 weeks that I have owned her, I was in the woods going down a local Byway and getting it muddy when the ink was still wet on the V5.:dance: and at the weekend I loaded it with camping and fishing gear and drove over an hour to some lakes, upon arrival we had to drive all around the lakes on muddy tracks, so she was in her eliment.

Basically I need it to be reliable as possible and be used for weekends away, fishing, camping, mountain biking and surfing etc. I also want to do more greenlaning and maybe a little non damaging off roading.

Planned mods in no particular order, and when finances allow are:

  • Snorkle
  • Fridge
  • 2nd Battery and split charge
  • Rear door table conversion
  • Diff Guards
  • Poly bushes (sooner rather than later)
  • And I would LOVE some Wolf Wheels, has anyone got any pics of these on a Disco1? They seem to be fairly rare.
I collected a new boot floor last night, and already have a friend of a friend who should do a nice job of replacing it. I am also going to seek some advice about the clutch and cambelt, as I think they could both use replacing.:rolleyes:

Writing all that out makes it sound like a real wreck, but its not I promise...I will post some pics.


Cheers and thanks in advance,

Squares.

PS - If I removed the rear seats, is it possible to get a load liner like the 3dr commercial discos?
 
p1010578u.jpg
 
I think most of the standard accessory firms do load liners. If you want a cheap one, get hold of one of those big bags they sell sand in (the 1 cu m ones) slit it down two edges and fold the free side in to give you access.. Almost perfect fit, and if you need to protect your back bumper you can fold the free side out again.
 
From your list I would swap the ATs for some MTs, the steering guard for some HD steering arms and relocate the steering damper.

Don't use poly bushes, stick with standard rubber and fit genuine.

Getting rid of all the back seats saves a lot of weight and you can use the seat belt eyelets in the floor as tie down point for you kit box.
 
Hi chaps, thanks for the ideas. The sand sack is a good one, and I have seen the load liners (and the price?!?) but wondered if there was one that extended further for vehicals that have had the rear seats removed. So covered ALL the really manky carpet lol.

Andy, thanks for the ideas. Would you swap out the steering guard because it would save weight? Or is the one that came with this Disco not the best?

Thanks for the tip on seats, tie down points and poly bushes I will do that. For fear of opening a massive can of worms, would you briefy mention why you would swap the tyres? Do they basically still work well on the road but much better in the mud?

Care to shortlist the brands you would reccomend?

Many thanks for any further help.

Squares.:)
 
Squares said:
Andy, thanks for the ideas. Would you swap out the steering guard because it would save weight? Or is the one that came with this Disco not the best?
Click to expand...

Weight saving is a moot point on a 2000kg Discovery, I have seen too many act as ploughs and are often the cause of people getting stuck or 'high centred'. Once you have HD steering arms and a front diff guard there is little else to protect............unless you are planning on getting extreme (I hate that word!) then you will find that a full bodied Discovery is the limiting factor rather then you under body protection :)

Do they basically still work well on the road but much better in the mud?
Click to expand...

No mud tyre will be as good on the road as an AT tyre. Just depends upon usage. You will get a fair way on ATs, but you will find the added grip of MTs far more fun :)

No recommendation on make, that really is a can of worms, but I would recommend this thread pattern.

fedima.jpg


They are directional but have lots of grip and are one of the best self cleaning thread I have seen. Also fairly well mannered on the road, even in the wet.
 
Hi Andy, thanks for taking the time to reply. You realise of course that I have no idea at all which companies even makes a tread pattern like that lol. :doh:

Thanks Heavy Breather, good luck with yours too mate.:D
 
andyb66 said:
They are directional
Click to expand...

Make sure you point them in the CORRECT direction (the army were notorious for getting this wrong, and now use non-directional ones). The point of the V should hit the ground first, so that the tyre is self-cleaning. They are very noisy if fitted back to front. I used to have V-pattern tyres on the back (only) of my Series III. They were so good in the mud that I couldn't steer (no comparable grip on the front) but they slid all over the place on wet tarmac.:)
 
so if they are directional with a direction of rotation how do you go on with one as your spare ? surely this would mean its only good for one side of the car ....or am i being dull ....
 
landrovermilfer said:
so if they are directional with a direction of rotation how do you go on with one as your spare ? surely this would mean its only good for one side of the car ....or am i being dull ....
Click to expand...

No that is exactly what happens.

I have run the spare 'backwards' twice and to be fair they are not that noisey and given that you have 3 other tyres 'pointing' (and gripping) in the right direction I've not found it a handicap.
 
landrovermilfer said:
so if they are directional with a direction of rotation how do you go on with one as your spare ? surely this would mean its only good for one side of the car ....or am i being dull ....
Click to expand...
No they work and are safe the wrong way round, just less efficient. So you get the other tyre repaired and put it back on (or get the cover reversed on the spare, if that's the better tyre).
 
Kingpin Amazon, FYI.

I have a set of 255/65 R16's on my steels for off-road use, but a set of BF Goodrich A/T for on-road on my alloys.

fedima.jpg
 
Thanks for the replies. To be honest, tyres are right at the bottom of the list at the moment, I need to sort the boot floor and then get things like a fridge and rear load area sorted. I have found a few threads on the subject which have been good. Once I have done this I might well need a set of muds, but the AT's should be ok for most of the use the Disco will get.:)

2 Questions:

1) Any favorite fridge deals out there at the moment?

2) Do most people cut out there own bit of ally sheet for a rear door/table conversion, I have seen the door card shape, but £40 seems a little steep.:eek: Or am I being a tight arse....

Thanks again for all the help.

Oh, I picked up the boot floor panel the other night, so just got to get that fitted now.:) and seal up the sunroof!:doh:
 
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