Oh Deer

Oh Deer

Member
I've owned my 98 D1 for over six years now.

It's provided service as a DD for many of those years even if it's downtime has accumulated upwards of 12 months.

The frame is solid and clean compared to most Discos I've seen, but the body is rotting. Most seriously on the firewall where the hood mounts.

That does not look fun to repair.

The straw that broke the camel's back. The door lock torsion spring broke this morning, hours after I had finished another repair.

It. Never. Ends.

118,000 miles, two owners, and she's ready for the scrap yard.

However, I can't help myself eying a 4.0 D2. They're just so cheap. People can't give them away. $1,000 to $3,000 asking prices.

A hard habit to kick it seems.
 
before you send it to the metal yard in the sky list up the engine and what good bits you got some of us on here might be willing to buy a few bits we need and i can be sure you will make more from 2 or 3 bits than you will at a scrappy.
 
Oh Deer said:
I've owned my 98 D1 for over six years now.

It's provided service as a DD for many of those years even if it's downtime has accumulated upwards of 12 months.

The frame is solid and clean compared to most Discos I've seen, but the body is rotting. Most seriously on the firewall where the hood mounts.

That does not look fun to repair.

The straw that broke the camel's back. The door lock torsion spring broke this morning, hours after I had finished another repair.

It. Never. Ends.

118,000 miles, two owners, and she's ready for the scrap yard.

However, I can't help myself eying a 4.0 D2. They're just so cheap. People can't give them away. $1,000 to $3,000 asking prices.

A hard habit to kick it seems.
Click to expand...
Definitely not for the faint hearted these Landy's, but a bit like a vehicle assembled by a committee, some really great points then some stuff you really wonder "are they serious", but you either love 'em or hate 'em.
Sounds like you have been the owner of your '98 Disco the same time as I have owned my '98., even similar miles, mine has done 208,000 klms, but does not have any rust, anywhere, (the reason I bought it in the first place).
If you're a bit dissapointed with your D1, a D2 will be even more of a disaster, a guy I know did the change because of rust in the D1, the D2 is now sending him insane and broke, plagued by electronics problems and oil leaks, he is not mechanically gifted so paying out for all the repairs.
I have a foot in both camps, I bought a Toyota to use, I have my Disco for something to do in my retirement.
 
The driver side rear window mechanism failed shortly after making this thread as well.

Gazbo said:
Definitely not for the faint hearted these Landy's, but a bit like a vehicle assembled by a committee, some really great points then some stuff you really wonder "are they serious", but you either love 'em or hate 'em.
Sounds like you have been the owner of your '98 Disco the same time as I have owned my '98., even similar miles, mine has done 208,000 klms, but does not have any rust, anywhere, (the reason I bought it in the first place).
If you're a bit dissapointed with your D1, a D2 will be even more of a disaster, a guy I know did the change because of rust in the D1, the D2 is now sending him insane and broke, plagued by electronics problems and oil leaks, he is not mechanically gifted so paying out for all the repairs.
I have a foot in both camps, I bought a Toyota to use, I have my Disco for something to do in my retirement.
Click to expand...

I considered a 2004 Disco. I believe I can pick up one for less than $1,000 with a failed engine block and have it running again for under $10,000.

However, that leaves the question "what else?!" Another constant stream of frustrating faults or worse, expensive faults.

In the end I've picked up another maintenance heavy toy in the past year and the combination of the two has left me a bit distraught.
 
davidsmith1307 said:
Who can own a Landy AND afford to retire?
Click to expand...
I had to retire, because I didn't have time for two full time jobs, either the job had to go or the Land Rover.
You know how it goes in these love stories, my head said let it go but my heart says let it stay!
 
Oh Deer said:
The driver side rear window mechanism failed shortly after making this thread as well.



I considered a 2004 Disco. I believe I can pick up one for less than $1,000 with a failed engine block and have it running again for under $10,000.

However, that leaves the question "what else?!" Another constant stream of frustrating faults or worse, expensive faults.

In the end I've picked up another maintenance heavy toy in the past year and the combination of the two has left me a bit distraught.
Click to expand...


I have heard that some people over there have converted to Diesel by buying engine and ECUs from the UK.

The Diesel if looked after can do 300,000 miles and can be remapped to V8 power
 
MJI said:
I have heard that some people over there have converted to Diesel by buying engine and ECUs from the UK.

The Diesel if looked after can do 300,000 miles and can be remapped to V8 power
Click to expand...
Place in the US has a IH conversion kit .
 
My D2 TD5 has been a faithful member of the family for the past 9 years or so... over 300K on the clock, starting to use a bit of oil and a bit more difficult to start up from cold, but still running very well for a lady her age. In all the years, only time she ever let us down being the time one of the transmission cooler lines failed and she couldn't come home with us that night. Been seeing snapshots of the D5, and I just wonder if they're gonna be able to hold up to the test of time like our D1 and D2s.
 
Oh Deer said:
The driver side rear window mechanism failed shortly after making this thread as well.
I considered a 2004 Disco. I believe I can pick up one for less than $1,000 with a failed engine block and have it running again for under $10,000.

However, that leaves the question "what else?!" Another constant stream of frustrating faults or worse, expensive faults.

In the end I've picked up another maintenance heavy toy in the past year and the combination of the two has left me a bit distraught.
Click to expand...
Don't get me wrong I am addicted to the Landy, but like I said, it's a love hate relationship. If you are prepared to keep plugging away at all the little foibles as they present, many owners of the marque do just that and have a happy relationship with their Landy, but that is only practical if you can do all your own repairs, if you have to get everything done by a paid mechanic you are going to go broke.
Also do not forget, in many cases we are trying to keep pretty old vehicles that in many cases have lots of use, abuse and miles going, when most similar aged vehicles have gone to that big scrapheap in the sky.
 
MJI said:
I have heard that some people over there have converted to Diesel by buying engine and ECUs from the UK.

The Diesel if looked after can do 300,000 miles and can be remapped to V8 power
Click to expand...

How much does a TD5, ECU, & transmission cost?(edit: TD5 kit is £12,000+ or $15,000+( big lolno on that one.))

Transfercase should be geared the same?

A new 4.6 long block flanged & shipped is $6500 USD.

I'm curious as to what other major issues and/or costs are associated with the later D2s

Gazbo said:
Don't get me wrong I am addicted to the Landy, but like I said, it's a love hate relationship. If you are prepared to keep plugging away at all the little foibles as they present, many owners of the marque do just that and have a happy relationship with their Landy, but that is only practical if you can do all your own repairs, if you have to get everything done by a paid mechanic you are going to go broke.
Also do not forget, in many cases we are trying to keep pretty old vehicles that in many cases have lots of use, abuse and miles going, when most similar aged vehicles have gone to that big scrapheap in the sky.
Click to expand...

Only speciality shops will touch old rovers in the states.

My rover never has and never will touch a shop. I turn my own wrenches.
 
Last edited:
Oh Deer said:
How much does a TD5, ECU, & transmission cost?(edit: TD5 kit is £12,000+ or $15,000+( big lolno on that one.))

Transfercase should be geared the same?

A new 4.6 long block flanged & shipped is $6500 USD.

I'm curious as to what other major issues and/or costs are associated with the later D2s



Only speciality shops will touch old rovers in the states.

My rover never has and never will touch a shop. I turn my own wrenches.
Click to expand...


Loads hittin ght escrap yard with decent engines
 
Oh Deer said:
How much does a TD5, ECU, & transmission cost?(edit: TD5 kit is £12,000+ or $15,000+( big lolno on that one.))

Transfercase should be geared the same?

A new 4.6 long block flanged & shipped is $6500 USD.

I'm curious as to what other major issues and/or costs are associated with the later D2s



Only speciality shops will touch old rovers in the states.

My rover never has and never will touch a shop. I turn my own wrenches.
Click to expand...
What's wrong with fitting a Chevy small block lump into the Landy, a few guys have done it here, particularly the Rangie classics, makes them a really tough package, motor parts and performance bits very affordable and available in your part of the world.
 
Oh Deer said:
How much does a TD5, ECU, & transmission cost?(edit: TD5 kit is £12,000+ or $15,000+( big lolno on that one.))

Transfercase should be geared the same?

A new 4.6 long block flanged & shipped is $6500 USD.

I'm curious as to what other major issues and/or costs are associated with the later D2s
Click to expand...

My preference is the simpler d1 hotwire efi with a distributor. Less tech all around. Tbh I prefer a range rover classic with a hotwire v8 over a discovery
Plenty here love there d2s though.

Think it will end up expensive in the end buying a 4.0 Thor. How much will mapping cost for the 4.6? it has to be preferable but you need to fuel it.

If I were resident in the US I wouldn't be looking at land rovers with 1950s Buick cast offs. I'd find it hard to run the 4.6 ford modular, which is a so much better design, I could go SBC with your gas prices
 
SBC isn't an option for D2, especially later ones.

The rover package is too integrated.

Massive PITA that would take a fully equipped shop and massive custom fabrication. You'd more or less be transplanting the entire drivetrain and making custom axels. Not to mention costing far more than a flanged liner 4.6.

RR Classic & D1s would likely be easier but they're all rotten and ragged these days.
 
Oh Deer said:
SBC isn't an option for D2, especially later ones.

The rover package is too integrated.

Massive PITA that would take a fully equipped shop and massive custom fabrication. You'd more or less be transplanting the entire drivetrain and making custom axels. Not to mention costing far more than a flanged liner 4.6.

RR Classic & D1s would likely be easier but they're all rotten and ragged these days.
Click to expand...
If you have the will and the talent anything is doable, getting it legally on the road could be another issue, in Texas, but even then..............who knows.
The big money you are quoting must be for brand new stuff, over here second hand engines are relatively cheap, most conversion guys would just buy a whole written off donor car and you end up with everything needed for the job.
 
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