19 years old and ready to start overlanding but my vehicle isn't

[47Cris]

Im 19 years old and bought a 2002 disco. I plan to use it as my travel/offroad rig once its ready. Bought it for a thousand bucks with a head gasket leak. It runs but over heats after a few miles of driving. Probably should've payed less for it but who cares. I got all the gaskets for the engine and plan to replace them all next week once i finish my finals. Also going to check that there is no cracks in the block or i will be heading to the junk yard for a donor. My transfer case has no cdl so ive been working on removing a lt230 case from a 96 disco with cdl. Just waiting for the rain to stop in my area and let the junkyard mud dry before i finish removing the t case. Being this is my first time buying a car, i bought one with no registration and 500 in fees owed on it . My plan is to get the engine running strong then will be heading to big bear with my friends to camp for a weekend. From there i will start adding in the transfer case, bumpers, sliders, and build a bed/storage unit in the back.

These are the only pics i can post for some reason. i sent pics from my phone to laptop and they are stuck in HEIF format??? In the next year or two i plan to do a 4bt cummins swap like Tinker, Who inspired me to join and share my progress with the disco.
Hello to all other members and cant wait to meet you guys out on the trail if i ever make it lol.

 

[roots66]

Great first project vehicle. Easy to work on and tons of parts available. Good luck and keep us posted on results.

 

[madcratebuilder]

This kind of hands on experience is priceless, you'll go far pilgrim.

 

[Spencer Adams Jr.]

Welcome! D2s are great platforms to build for off road/overland/etc. Happy wrenching and wheeling!

 

[47Cris]

View attachment 98718
Started the process of tearing down the engine earlier than I expected. I’m having trouble with a stripped headbolt on each side. Waiting for reinforcements to get home aka my dad also degreased the valve covers and what I believe is the intake manifold.

 

[Spencer Adams Jr.]

These Rover V8s are so easy to work on. That is one of the things that I love about them. Take some time to fix the wiring looms and clean things up well while you are in there and it will reward you with much less headaches when diagnosing potential issues in the future.

 

[Coop17510]

Im 19 years old and bought a 2002 disco. I plan to use it as my travel/offroad rig once its ready. Bought it for a thousand bucks with a head gasket leak. It runs but over heats after a few miles of driving. Probably should've payed less for it but who cares. I got all the gaskets for the engine and plan to replace them all next week once i finish my finals. Also going to check that there is no cracks in the block or i will be heading to the junk yard for a donor. My transfer case has no cdl so ive been working on removing a lt230 case from a 96 disco with cdl. Just waiting for the rain to stop in my area and let the junkyard mud dry before i finish removing the t case. Being this is my first time buying a car, i bought one with no registration and 500 in fees owed on it . My plan is to get the engine running strong then will be heading to big bear with my friends to camp for a weekend. From there i will start adding in the transfer case, bumpers, sliders, and build a bed/storage unit in the back.
View attachment 98570View attachment 98569
These are the only pics i can post for some reason. i sent pics from my phone to laptop and they are stuck in HEIF format??? In the next year or two i plan to do a 4bt cummins swap like Tinker, Who inspired me to join and share my progress with the disco.
Hello to all other members and cant wait to meet you guys out on the trail if i ever make it lol.

Welcome to the family! Keep your dreams focus on one step at a time you will get there!

 

[The other Sean]

Where was the head gasket leaking? If you have coolant in the oil, that is VERY hard on the bearings. Make sure you change the oil and filter before firing up the engine and then I would change the oil and filter again after just a little bit of running the engine to flush out any remaining coolant.

Also, good luck on your project.

 

[47Cris]

Where was the head gasket leaking? If you have coolant in the oil, that is VERY hard on the bearings. Make sure you change the oil and filter before firing up the engine and then I would change the oil and filter again after just a little bit of running the engine to flush out any remaining coolant.

Also, good luck on your project.

I’m having trouble reaching the very back headbolt on each head. So I can’t get to the head gasket yet, but I’m thinking the outer edge of the gasket blew because of all the gunk building up around the outside of the head. While tearing down the engine the valve covers were in bad shape, and the intake manifold gasket was in pieces. So those could be my overheating/ oil loss problem, but since I’m this far I might as well check the head gasket, cylinders and block

 

[Gabriel Bozeman]

Im 19 years old and bought a 2002 disco. I plan to use it as my travel/offroad rig once its ready. Bought it for a thousand bucks with a head gasket leak. It runs but over heats after a few miles of driving. Probably should've payed less for it but who cares. I got all the gaskets for the engine and plan to replace them all next week once i finish my finals. Also going to check that there is no cracks in the block or i will be heading to the junk yard for a donor. My transfer case has no cdl so ive been working on removing a lt230 case from a 96 disco with cdl. Just waiting for the rain to stop in my area and let the junkyard mud dry before i finish removing the t case. Being this is my first time buying a car, i bought one with no registration and 500 in fees owed on it . My plan is to get the engine running strong then will be heading to big bear with my friends to camp for a weekend. From there i will start adding in the transfer case, bumpers, sliders, and build a bed/storage unit in the back.
View attachment 98570View attachment 98569
These are the only pics i can post for some reason. i sent pics from my phone to laptop and they are stuck in HEIF format??? In the next year or two i plan to do a 4bt cummins swap like Tinker, Who inspired me to join and share my progress with the disco.
Hello to all other members and cant wait to meet you guys out on the trail if i ever make it lol.

Welcome! Good luck with your Disco. I've got the brother (Range Rover P38). They are a blast to work on!