Discovery 1 300tdi

Hi,

I got my first discovery back in 2012 (I think). It was an N reg 300tdi - I loved that car and spent a lot of time working on it to get it sorted. I then made the HUGE mistake of selling it, i still regret it!

I have recently bought another discovery, it's an M reg 300tdi - Now, this is my "toy", so it's a project. It's been off road a fair bit and has battle scars to prove it. But I do enjoy a project, and plan to sort everything out.

Firstly, this was my first Disco.

Before


After



New clutch, no rust, sorted the electrics, de-cat, straight through exhaust, couple of gauges, 2inch lift, larger AT tyres, sound system, hoses etc.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Now on to my new one.





The first thing I set about doing was cleaning it, as it was filthy and hadn't been cleaned for a while. I also removed the spotlight frame from the bumper as i don't like how it looks.



Engine before cleaning



And after cleaning



The interior was filthy too - i've cleaned it a bit, but it's still dirty.







Now, the seatbelt didn't work - it wouldn't retract past my right shoulder so it could not be worn. I took it apart, and it turns out it will full of mud and rust. I purchased a new one, so that's sorted now.



The alternator wasn't working either, so I bought a nice new shiny one. I removed the viscous fan at the same time, as I will likely fit electric fans at some point (I keep it in the boot just incase).



I had some problems with power when i hit boost, turns out the intercooler was packed with mud.



Then we move on to rust - it's actually not that bad really, the chassis looks OK which was my main worry. But the boot and the arches need work.







It has plenty of other bits that need "sorting". I've fitted a new seatbelt, a new alternator, new indicators and cleanred it. It needs a new clutch, the 2 rears have slow punctures, I'm not a fan of the chequer plate on the rear 1/4 panels, a few dents to knock out, the seals around the windows need replacing, door handles don't work properly... the list does go on.

But i'm looking forward to cracking on with my project, and then taking it out to play.

Foz.

Replaced the boot floor yesterday.

It was much more difficult to remove the old boot that we first thought.



We also weren't aware that there is a brake pipe that runs just underneath! We accidently cut through that and had to replace it.



The chassis is in really good condition, much better than I had expected. Painted it with hammerite.



And finally the new boot floor in after welding in new lips on the sides, and reattaching the cross members.

Did some little bits today.

Shortened the rod in the door as it wouldn't open from the outside, and some tidying up.

Fitted a boost gauge, and a EGT gauge too - well, they're plumbed in, but not mounted on the dash anywhere yet.



Whilst I had the door apart and dash out, i found these. Anyone know what they are?

Inside drivers door -



By the fusebox under the steering wheel -



It also looks like I have a leak from my caliper



Anddd finally just a picture of it once I had put it back together

Only done a few little bits recently.

One of my rear calipers was leaking, so I had to replace that last weekend - first time I've done one, it was much easier than I expected.



Fitted a boost gauge.



Removed my rock sliders as they aren't for a Discovery, about 4 inches too longer each end.





Started on my MUD pod - 2 switches will be for rear work lights and front LED spot when i eventually get one. Screen is for EGT readout.

Not sure what else to put in it really - volt meter perhaps.



I also made a little box for under the bonnet to isolate the winch, and a switch to wire up LED strips to light up the engine bay for those late night repairs...

Interesting project there!

You've some work just to clean that properly tho !!

The red connector under the dash, with the yellow sleeving is for the air bag system. From the appearance of your steering wheel and dash - your disco hasn't got any - but most of the loom is common to all disco 1's

And, IIRC, the switch inside the drivers door is either the EKA switch, or the central locking key actuation switch. If the alarm still works, it might be a good idea to look into this a bit more, in case the fob spits its dummy out...

Great thanks for that.

Yeah it's still filthy - i've cleaned it loads, too!. I've found mud in some interesting places to haha.

No key fob, no central locking - another thing to fix...

Cheers.

Nice! I do like a good Disco 1 off roader!

Finally got around to fitting my MUD pod and EGT gauge.

As these are designed for a Defender, I did have to modify the installation method.

I used gorilla glue to stick wood to the dash, to then screw the pod to. Simple.



Pod mounted.



Here is the start to the wiring for any extras i add to the car. Currently taking the live from the radio, so that everything powers on with the ignition. In the future i'll take live from the battery and use a relay.



Now to put the dash back together...

Foz

Had a bit of free time today, so fitted and wired up the LED lights for under the bonnet.

Fused connection from battery live to switch -





Drilled some holes and cable tied on the LED strips -



And this is how they light the engine bay at night -

Oh snap, they could be brothers
Just added the winch this weekend, and have to tackle the dodgy shock next weekend.

Hi all, sorry to hijack but can I please ask a question...

Fozt and press, can you and would you mind if possible telling me
-tyre make and size
-lift and shockers
-offset/wheel spacing
And how you find them to drive, power, clearance when articulating etc.

I'd be really grateful cos I'm trying to decide wot to put on mine, and keep the pics coming I love seeing a vehicle come together

Many thanks

Towsey

Tyres - Insa Turbo Special Track (tubeless 265/75 r16)
http://www.insaturbo.com/ver/en/ficha/special-track/U3BlY2lhbCtUcmFjaw==

Lift is a +2, +4 is a little extreme imo but the rear right shock took a hit from a branch which has broken it. It wedged up between the chases and the body above the rear crossmember, so I need to change the rears. Currently looking at a set of OME nitro as they look sexy. Unfortunately at 4x the price, ill likely go for a more realistic set.

Don't think I have any spacers, ill double check when I fit the shock for you.

Drive - needs the boost pin fitted, no smoke no poke and all that
Torque - bags of it, great engine
Clearance - fine, its still got the same diff clearance though, so fit a steering guard etc.
Articulating - Never really known anything else except the leaf springs on a series 3, so very good in comparison to that
Ride - bouncy but fun

Hope that helps

Press - Yes they definitely are brothers! Mines the ugly one! haha.

Towsey - Same tyres as Press, 265/75/16 Insa Turbo special track.

I'm not too sure on my lift. I think i have standard height springs and 2inch spacers, which i will swap out for +2inch springs at some point. Again, not sure on the shocks but they aren't standard. Maybe +2. Rear anti-roll bar has been removed to allow for better articulation. I have spacers on the wheels too, 30mm.

I agree with everything press has said really. I 2nd the boost pin, standard power is useless with larger tyres. Torque is good. Clearance is ok, fit guards to be safe. Articulation is good enough for me, as i said removing the rear anti-roll bar will help. Ride is bouncy and leans alot around corners haha.

Thanks you 2

Cheers for the info, I'm on the quest for the perfect all rounder... but started with a land rover...hmm.

Have either of you turned or checked the standard boost pin or any of the other things that can be done. There's power to be had for just a bit of time

Thanks again

Towsey

Yes on my previous discovery I turned the standard one and it made loads of difference - that was lifted 2 inches with 265/75/16 all terrain tyres.

A new boost pin is just a steeper slope - but you'll notice a big different tuning your pump - lots of threads about what to do on here.

Yeah we all found main screw needs at least 2 turns to make it worth it. Bit more boost is a good improvement, on boost obviously, but to be honest the star wheel doesn't seem to make a lot of differemnce on this vehicle I've got at the mo. And I usually final tweek with smoke screw, it sometimes helps the balance of bottom end power and smoke

Towsey

Bought a T handle pull cable off of eBay, as I was only able to kill the power to my winch from under the bonnet.

So I drilled through the dash and mounted the T handle, and ran the rest of the cable through the bulkhead. I made a little "temporary" bracket for the cable to go through, and cable tied the rest in place.





So pulling the cable turns the key and kills power to the winch.

I actually got to make use of the LEDs I mounted, made finishing this up much easier.



I also put most of my dash back together.

Good effort, like that mate!!!

You have lined your self up for a question tho...Im wanting to put a choke cable/ throttle lock that I have lying around in the same place on the dash and take it to the throttle linkage on the pump. The idea is that I can lock the throttle at wotever revs from inside for wotever reason, and it will double up as a type of cruise control for the longer journeys.

The question is, wot did you come across on your journey from that part of the dash to the engine bay, and, how did you do it. Basically wot was the handle like to fit there???

Thanks

Towsey

towsey956 said:

Good effort, like that mate!!!

You have lined your self up for a question tho...Im wanting to put a choke cable/ throttle lock that I have lying around in the same place on the dash and take it to the throttle linkage on the pump. The idea is that I can lock the throttle at wotever revs from inside for wotever reason, and it will double up as a type of cruise control for the longer journeys.

The question is, wot did you come across on your journey from that part of the dash to the engine bay, and, how did you do it. Basically wot was the handle like to fit there???

Thanks

Towsey

Click to expand...

Hi mate.

I like that idea!

It was very straight forward.

Where I have put the lever in the dash is thicker than i expected, so I had to counter sink it slightly to get the nut on the other end - probably around an inch thick. The dash is very foamy and makes a mess. I then routed the cable behind, up and over the steering column, cable tied at the back with a bunch of others wires - all inside the glove box. I had an existing grommet in the bulkhead and pushed the cable through there - the rest is up to you!

Foz