Gimlet

New Member
I'm a Landrover novice and I've got a 1999 Discovery TD5. The engine, gearbox, transmission and general running gear are all good. I converted the air suspension to springs recently and discovered quite a lot of rust on the rear half of the chassis. I've welded it all up but the chassis isn't great. There are various leaks, some body corrosion all in the worst possible places and its a Landmark model with a host of extraneous electrical gimmickry which throws up new problems on a near daily basis, the interior trim is slowly disassembling itself and the ACE components above the rear axle are in a very sorry state and look like they will be the next source of trouble.
And it doesn't entirely suit my purposes. A defender would be better for me. I could sell the Disco but I'd only get £2500 - £2800 for it so I'd be left with a Defender in a similar condition. So I'm thinking of planning a longer term solution.
How feasible is it to Defenderise my Disco by buying a rough 110 or even a seriesIII donor (chassis and mechanical condition unimportant but good body and controls), buy a galvanised chassis and bulkhead and transfer the good engine, gearbox, transmission and running gear from my Discovery and fit the donor Defender body and controls with a simplified utilitarian interior.
I want a light, simple, rugged and reliable workhorse that I can keep long term with few problems. I'd keep electrical extras to an absolute minimum, rewire the lot and fit a simple plain stainless plate dashboard.
I'd effectively have a new Landrover, minus the fripperies. Is it a goer, economically or technically?
 
theres already a fibreglass kit you can buy to do something similar, so I think it would be a cool project. Just dont change anything on the chassis or you'll run in to problems with the dvla/points system.
 
To be honest, with the cost of a galv chassis plus all the other stuff, you might as well go buy a tidy TD5 Defender to start off with, it will be cheaper and way less hassle.
 
Shop around theres still good Defenders / 110's coming up for not a lot of dosh, so better to spend a bit on that and improve over time I reckons.
Just steer clear of badly hacked about ones, find a genuine one in good order, thats a good base to use while you make all the tweeks that make it yours ..good luck :)
 
If you buy a galv defender chassis you cant use your discovery registration , as it isnt a discovery anymore . If you by a defender and then replace the chassis with like for like ,but galvenised, you can put your discovery engine , gearbox and axles into that vehicle and it will still be the same defender . Hope that clarifies it for you . So as advised by other poster , sell the discovery and buy a defender if thats what you want .
 
Thanks folks. The Discovery is being MOT'd and then it will be up for grabs.
The next question is then, if I'm not going to use my TD5 engine which engine should I look for in a Defender. Good TD5's ain't the cheapest but are they the best?
This is a vehicle for regular utility off-road and road use.
 
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I nearly built a 100" defender on a D2 chassis, It would be something with the traction control and extra steering lock.

 

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