Hello from Australia!

Hey everyone! Nice to meet you all, and looking forward to being an active member here!

13 years ago I learned to drive in a Discovery, and last week bought myself a manual 1996 S1 5-door Tdi. It was bought for use as a tourer, off-roader, daily-driver, and to move me and some possessions from Melbourne to Darwin (one end of the country to the other)...about 3200klm's away! It's fair to say it'll be used quite extensively.

So far it's got an ARB bullbar, Safari snorkel, tinted windows, LightForce driving lights (not the IPF's in the pic), new Bridgestone D693 tyres, Alpine CDA-105Ei headunit and iTouch, US model Sounstream Tarantula amp (speakers and sub to come), and a Quell fire extinguisher.

In the next couple of weeks, a few other goodies will be fitted. Cargo barrier, steering guard, diff guards, bonnet protector, head-light & tail-light grilles, half-roof rack, bars for front roof-bars, brass radiator plug, 2nd spare rim & tyre, Shu-Roo, UHF radio, air compressor with tank, plus some killer speakers and a sub. There will inevitably be more to add down the track, but it's a pretty good start so far!

It's in amazing condition thanks to a careful previous owner, and has recently had the timing belt changed, new fluids all-round, new wheel bearings, new suspension and steering damper, new clutch, new tyres, new hoses, etc. It took me months to find the right one, but I'm glad that I was patient!

Anyway, here's some pics of the Disco as it was when purchased. I will add some better pics when I get home in a couple of weeks time (on hols in Darwin atm).

g day mate.Very purpose ful looking motor that, could do with some more agresssive tires tho!

Owdo.

Seen the before , looking forward to seeing the after.

Cheers fellas! The tyres are new A/T's came with the Disco n will suit me for the time being as it's just about dry-season, but buy a second set of wheels with Goodyear MTR's on some RockCrawler rims later in the year when the wet-season kicks in again.

I'll be reunited with it in a weeks time after holidays, so will pick up the parts I ordered and take some better pics then okies. In the meantime, here's some pics of a few goodies so far.

ow do duk.

Welcome te the landyzone mate, can yer do us all a favour and send us some sun.Gettin bit tired and weary of this fookin cold weather. Where are you at in aus.

Cheers for the welcomes fellas! If you're wanting some sun then you're in the wrong part of the world I'm afraid... I was over in England and France over the chrissy/nye period during the cold-snap recently, so I know what you mean mate. Hehehe! I'm in the process of moving from the south-east, right up to the top-end, so it's all sun n games up here atm. Maybe have a look at my post under the "where do you live" section to see what I mean.

Hey all! I got back from holidays in time for one of my best mates wedding, was designated-driver for a few other mates, n had detailed the Disco up for the occasion.

I parked in a good spot at the reception (perks of being early), and the first thing I heard after opening the door was from a neighbouring parker giving a superb compliment about how immaculate it was. Naturally I was chuffed! I was told that my Disco was the best looking and presented 4x4 they had ever seen (2 days of detailing kinda does that eh?!). Seconds later, the groom ran over and mentioned that if he knew my new rig was that good, he would have had it as the bridal vehicle! LMAO! It ended up being the 'brides-maids mobile' which was fun!

It had impact from the start, was a first opportunity for a few mates to see it, plus a few of the country girls to stretch out in...it's a Toyota n Nissan world here, so good Landy's are akin to royalty. I picked up at the reception and ended up 'breaking the new car in'. Back seats folded and copious pillows n doona's works a treat! Hehehe!

Buying another Landy is absolutely choice!

Alrighty...time for an update!

While I was away, I left the Landy with dad for a few weeks to enjoy, and he decided to get it checked over in preparation for the big trip up to Darwin. The car came with a Roadworthy Certificate, which is a legal document for the authorities to say that the vehicle is free of defects and approved for transfer of sale with registration. I guess it's like your MOT n tax disc, and very strict.

It turns out that the document was signed saying it was all tip-top, when in fact there were a number of defects present, and the guy that did the roadworthy inspection hadn't bothered to even look at the car...he handed the job onto his cousin who was a bit shifty and just cleaned everything and siliconed over any leaks, and that was good enough for him. Big mistake on his part!!!

Bear in mind that I used to be a mechanic, but hadn't even had the vehicle in my possession long enough to go over everything myself yet cos of a tight schedule...the roadworthy is supposed to cover all the details. Besides, In the month I've owned the Landy, i'd be lucky to have driven it for 3 days total!

Anyway, an independent inspection from a trusted mechanic revealed the following:
- broken left rear engine mount
- weeping axle seals
- free-play in the steering knuckle
- poorly fitted left front wheel bearing
- leaking gasket for the transfer case
- leaking rear main seal
- power steering hoses perishing
- engine oil cooler pipes perished
- exhaust mesh broken

I gave him a call asking wtf, and he got very worried...the authorities flog vehicle assessors for pulling that stunt, n have been known to shut businesses down for it. I explained that I was mighty ****ed off n tempted to dob him in, so last monday I dropped the Landy off to him n he's now doing all of the work for free and replacing items with genuine parts at his own expense. I've demanded to see invoices for the parts and mentioned I'd be double checking that it had all been done to my satisfaction. Pawned!

I pick it up mid next week, n will end up having a mechanically mint Discovery. I can't wait to get it back so I can get busy with building it up. Hehe!

Anyway, here's a couple more goodies that I've picked up during the week. I got some replacement rear speakers...nothing crazy because they are only for the sound fill for the rear (not the gnarly ones like the front is getting). I also got a 1lt air tank to help with the ARB compressor which I'll be getting shortly. I chose the 1lt for the flexibility of install options, n for the amount of use the compressor will get, it's sufficient. I also bought one of those plastic spare wheel covers to hide the ugly steel rim...this will do me until I buy 2 spare matching alloys.

Hey how are you?
And i drove my first rover 2 years ago and got hooked

I spoke to the workshop today, and they said that the Landy will be ready to collect by thursday at the latest. Finally things are looking up, although I am pretty disgusted at how long it has taken them already.

I bought a few more goodies online today, nothing major though. I got two brass plugs for the radiator and the thermostat housing (to replace the crappy plastic factory ones), bought some front mudflaps to keep the side of the vehicle looking nice, and I bought an Alpine EX-10 ipod and bluetooth screen/controller unit. The last item was an indulgence, but at less than half price who could resist! All of these things will be arriving in the next couple of days...man I'm looking forward to fitting some gear up over the weekend!

My gf still hasn't seen the beast yet, so I reckon she'll be rather impressed when I take it back to Darwin. I'm dreading teaching her how to drive it though, as she's never driven a manual transmission before...uhoh! I've also been ordered to take her for a weekend of 4x4'ing and camping as soon as I get back. Hehe!

I picked up the Landy from the workshop yesterday afternoon, and thankfully everything has been done properly...even better was the 'no cost to me' factor! Hehehe

Here's some more photos of accessories I've purchased during the week. Today is the first opportunity I've had to do any work to the Landy other than a detail, so I'm going to make the most of the easter weekend and install all of this crap! "{

Since my last post, I've bought:
- a Thule roof rack basket (the matching Thule roof rack is on order)
- Alpine SPS-400 4" speakers (to get me by while waiting on my Focal splits to arrive)
- Focal BUS25 slimline 10" sub/amp
- Cadence 4-channel amp installation kit
- dual 12v socket (to be wired in behind the dash for accessories)
- Garmin Nuvi 760 gps unit
- a set of jumper leads

not sure on the carpet

I just tried to fit the Alpine SPS-400 speakers in the front, with no success...I'll be returning them tomorrow for a refund. Eh well!

Here's some photos of the Landy in its current state, and are a sight lot better than the only other ones I had!

The weather was kinder today, so I decided to fit the Focal sub/amp, and run all the wiring in a clean layout in preparation for the Soundstream amp n a few other items going in later. A seriously productive day!

I was really impressed by how easy the interior trim was able to be removed, and there was plenty of room to run cabling throughout the vehicle...it made everything so simple and painless!

Due to the moulding on the interior trim panel, I had to fabricate a bracket, using aluminium channeling, and some thick aluminium strips behind for strength. Between each contact surface of the ali brackets, I also used some rubber o-rings designed for tap fittings. This removes any vibration from the sub transferring through to the panels, and also acts as a damper when offroad. I decided to use in-hex head bolts, and used nylock nuts in conjunction with Loctite...peace of mind that it won't shake apart, plus makes it a nightmare for any light-fingered pricks. If they want it bad enough, they'll be at it for a while.

I also mounted the remote controller for the sub directly above the 12v outlet on the centre console...perfect size, easy access, and used the 'dead space' nicely. The little bit of wiring beneath the sub will be tidied and hidden better tomorrow...ran out of time before having to head off for a few mins.

As for the sub...holy f*ck!!! I had been assured that it was outstanding, but hadn't heard one prior to purchase...I figured seeing as it was the top of the market that had to be a good sign. My jaw dropped when I fired it up in anger! It is the perfect all-rounder sub, with excellent quality, and can handle with ease anything from easy-listening to the hardest of rock or techno-crap. The best bit is that it's very compact for a 10" sub, and being an all-in-one unit, takes very little space when installed. Speaking of installation, it came with everything necessary to fit. I cannot recommend this sub highly enough guys...bite the bullet and buy one, you won't regret it! Hehehe!

Here's some pics anyway!

righton burd wosson there then winter??

Beast o Bodmin said:

righton burd wosson there then winter??

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Hahaha! I'm doing the build-up WAY down south in Victoria, and the weather's been scummy the last few days...not much fun doing this in the pouring rain! Today was nice n sunny, so got stuck into it.

Adding to the list of purchases, I've just bought a set of diff-breathers, and they should arrive by thursday (damn public holiday long-weekend crap!). I'll post some more pics as soon as i get them n fit them.

As the Alpine SPS-400 speakers don't fit in the front doors (thanks to their ****y external fittings beyond the magnet). I bought these because of a salesperson from a reputable company insisting they fitted, n they didn't...the guy I returned it to (in a different city) got burned hard today...the moron was trying to sell me $50 units which fit, despite me telling him he couldn't dream of ordering in what i want. I'm going to have to be patient til next thursday when my Focal 100-VRS slimline split speakers arrive...these are $479 of audio perfection (sh*t loads of coin for any audio system), but I know exactly what kind of performance to expect now (esp after hearing the matching sub/amp i just fitted), n am waiting impatiently.

I realise that a lot of you English folk ask 'wtf' about why audio gear is such a priority for me...allow me to explain! I have a massive drive ahead over the most hard, boring and unexciting terrain all by myself. In your terms, think 2200 miles. Hehehehe!

mbikeboy said:

. In your terms, think 2200 miles. Hehehehe!

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In one go?
Your disco a five seater then?(seing where ya put the sub)

goonarmy said:

In one go?
Your disco a five seater then?(seing where ya put the sub)

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Yeah in one go...why, is that crazy by euro standards? Easiest way to put things in perspective is that we can put 7 times France in our country with room to spare. Down under it's a lazy 5 day drive (time permitting with wildlife between certain times). it's a 5-seater, but I couldn't really give a stuff as it's usually me and perhaps a passenger...it could be a single seater for all I care cos I bought it to chew the kilometres n carry a lot of my possessions from one side of the continent to the other. Once it does that, then it becomes a touring bitch n toy, as I'll be sending my 2006 Jeep TJ by freight for daily duties...plus my sportsbike with it. Anytime I like, I can swipe the C-Class AMG from mum (the gf's Hyundai auto doesn't do it for me), but i hate those kind of cars n won't go there unless absolutely necessary (ie having to walk).

Make no mistake though...the Landy is my pet and will be getting ALL of the goodies n fun stuff! It was bought as the unit for driving through and over anything we have to offer here in Australia. I'll save the dollars, then spend them straight back on the landy.