Mad LWB disco idea (Now ultimate overlanding disco thread of rubbish

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LetsHopeItFits said:
Quick question, dont want to add clutter by making another thread so thought Ide put it here.
1996 Discovery 1 V8i manual.
The rev counter doesnt work.
When I bought it, it worked fine. Then after a while it went very wobbly over 3000 rpm.
One day I changed the HT leads after a friend snapped one, and to my supprise the rev counter worked fine! Shortly after that it stopped working entirely.
Should add that Ive driven it loads since then, so it cant be the alternator because thats working fine.
Thanks in advance!
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Is there a little wire to the alternator? 1 of these does the Rev counter don’t know the colours
 
 
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I just had a brainwave, although Im sure its probably not a good one.
So the original idea of trying to fit a disco body on a defender chassis wont work because its like trying to fit a lego brick on a mechano set, the bits dont match, and to make them match you need to weld stuff to the chassis and that IVA terratory. It also involves buing a defender and selling a big chunk of it, which is quite a waste of money if it can be avoided.

However, if you take a defender, or any old car, with a rusty chassis, you can replace that chassis with a brand new one, and its still the same car. (Note that if you repalce it with a chassis taken from another car, youre supposed to give the finnished car the identity of the car from which the chassis came from, and tell the DVLA about any engine/fuel/colour changes etc)

I realised that theres another way of putting a disco cab and a defender rear tub on the same LWB chassis - chop both the chassis in half and join them in the middle! Obviously, this is what is called a "cut-n-shut" and is completely illegal, but it would definately work because the main chassis rails are of the same specification, the same distance apart, etc etc.
So, here is what sprang to mind - what if I made (or more realistically, paid someone else to make for me) a brand new galv chassis, which is a 110 hicap or 130 at the back, and a disco at the front? Then Ive one new galv chassis, one chopped disco body, and a rear tub from a defender, an "of original type" engine/gearbox/etc, and they all fit together perfectly.

Now, some questions Ive got - First off, is this even legal? Or would it just be seen as a modified defender chassis and then need an IVA? Secondly, which car's identity would I use? Id want the higher payload of the defender, but of course, no part of that process actually requires buying a defender, just the rear tub, rear propshaft, and possibly the axle(s)? Along with a few other minor bits like wiring and brake lines.
 
As Kermit says you are building something that has never existed so an IVA is the only way to go.
I imagine you really know by now you can't modify the chassis, you can't make your own, you can't get someone else to do it, you can't weld two together or three together or four etc, without an IVA
Back in the day my dad built a chassis for a Beetle with a Rover V8 in the front, never made it on the road in the end.
My brother put a V8 in the back of his Beetle.
It's a lot more aggro to try and do such things now, to be honest that's probably a good thing to a certain extent.
 
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kermit_rr said:
Sounds to me like your building a new car that never existed so you'd need iva
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Quite!
IVA isn't the hell fire and brimstone that people think it is.
The regs are mostly easily understood and sensible.
As he'd be building most of it from existing tech then it'd be easy to ensure it complies.
@LetsHopeItFits, download the IVA handbook or whatever it is called. If Kit car builders and those building vehicles they have designed themselves can do it, you can do it.

Try reading kit car mags they are full of advice about it.;)
 
Find the thread with the 6x6 disco camper. He done a lot of changes & put it through the IVA.
Ask them what was involved.

As for cut & shut 2 diffent chassis,you will find dimension changes & also not permitted.
Yep you can buy 3/4 chassis but you are attaching it to the original specs.
 
Yeah - Im trying to avoid needing an IVA, partially because its quite complex and expensive, but mostly because it means that Ill need a Q-plate, and itll never be tax exempt. And as someone pointed out quite a while ago, its much more difficult to move around than your typical kit car
Okay, so chassis changes, even though they are quite minor, are a no-go.
So what if I adapt the disco body? Ill be the first to admit Ive no idea what this would involve, but it the cab was reinforced such that it was strong enough to sit on the defender mounts, with bracing and cutting of the cab so it sits properly, is that possible? It might have to sit a tad higher? But thats the same as having a body lift, so no big deal.
As far as I know, chassis alterations outside the wheelbase are IVA-exempt (like bobtails). Ive not pulled the front end off my land rover yet, but AFAIK theres nothing of subtance mounting-wise infront of the front wheels?
Ive also seen some discos and defenders which look like theyve got rollcages built into the front end, presumably to stop the front of the car getting completely mangled offroad etc. Im not a fan of how they look, but Im not overse to it if it would work.
Basically, what I want is a defender 110 that isnt a defender, so a disco windscreen, dashboard, seats, interior, doors, roof, etc.
 
kevstar said:
2 years on here typing sh!te about building a landy wot a bloody procrastinator. 🤣 🤣
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Ohh how I wish you were correct. See other thread "its still broken"
I wish I hadnt bought that one, specifically because its the 3.9 V8. At the time, petrol was £1.04/L because covid. Then petrol went through the roof, and it was costing me 70p/mile in petrol at one point. Then it broke ina an electrical manner, and nobody could fix it, then I bought another one for parts, and that drove onto the trailer to get it home, but didnt drive off, and that really killed my "mynadd" to deal with them, and theyre worth bugger all as scrap, so theres not much motivation to sell them either.
I then went to testdrive a couple of TDIs, because at least they dont have any stupid electronics, and they use half the fuel, and they can run on veg oil, etc etc. But because Ive had the V8, I was so utterly disappointed when I drove the diesel ones, they hardly move.
 
Just truck cab the disco and flat bed it. Make removable rear body & use roof tent.

There are wing kits. These are tubes bent to attach to chassis but need to fit to roll cage. Never seen these welded/bolted to the body work then you add flat metal to fill in.
The more you change the more you will get noticed and the local fuzz will check you out.
 
Anaconda said:
Can you bobtail, surely that's a chassis mod?
Can't be bothered to read all the rules, I presume you have.
What's wrong with having a Defender anyway?
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No more Bob tail that’s why they just tray back the disco. You can modify the body(truck cab) but not weld extra to the chassis. You just make sure you can bolt things instead.

If you do any of the above you just get them inspected (IVA)
I had full blown space frame racers inspected for road use and these passed. Inspector was funny he could not get his arse in the bucket seat of move his elbows when the door closed.
 
Hicap phill said:
No more Bob tail that’s why they just tray back the disco. You can modify the body(truck cab) but not weld extra to the chassis. You just make sure you can bolt things instead.

If you do any of the above you just get them inspected (IVA)
I had full blown space frame racers inspected for road use and these passed. Inspector was funny he could not get his arse in the bucket seat of move his elbows when the door closed.
Click to expand...
The worse thing happened to a member of my club when his kit was bing IVAd. The Inspectors themselves were being inspected.
So everytime they needed a tool of some sort they had to walk over to the box and take it out, which they did slowly, then they put it back slowly, then they did this over and over again. it took FOR EVER!!
He still passed mind.
Good thing, its bloody expensive and getting an appointment is not easy either.
 
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