Refurbishing a cheap Disco 1

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Yep, the D1 has a steel bumper, and all the other bits are bolted or clipped to it to make it more aerodynamic\beautiful lol. Take off the spoiler, and trim the end caps and you’re left with a reasonably useful off road bumper.



Today my floor mats showed up, not much work, and Land Rover is certainly proud of them but I’m fairly certain the first set “lasted” 160k miles so these should last at least that long.


Before-
View attachment 125525

After-
View attachment 125526

What ? No Weathertech form fitting floor matts ? Disgraceful minimalist !! Have you no pride ? For Shameeeeeee !

 

[systemdelete]

Went to Chattanooga to pick up a manual e30 driveline for a friend. Of course, as I pull away from the seller’s home and back onto the main highway the brake pedal drops to the floor. Pull into an abandoned gas station and see brake fluid collecting under the front driver’s side tire. I ask my buddy to press the brake pedal slowly and find the leak. A hardline has cracked. We call in a favor and a local buddy swings by with his bubble flare tool and some 3/16 line so we could fashion up a replacement. As we’re installing that we notice the caliper is moving. The hard line cracked because a brake caliper bracket bolt is MIA! This truck continues to amaze me at times. So a slow trip to the orielly’s down the street and I found a suitable temporary replacement and we were back on our way.

The failed component next to my quickly fashioned replacement ready to install.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Went to Chattanooga to pick up a manual e30 driveline for a friend. Of course, as I pull away from the seller’s home and back onto the main highway the brake pedal drops to the floor. Pull into an abandoned gas station and see brake fluid collecting under the front driver’s side tire. I ask my buddy to press the brake pedal slowly and find the leak. A hardline has cracked. We call in a favor and a local buddy swings by with his bubble flare tool and some 3/16 line so we could fashion up a replacement. As we’re installing that we notice the caliper is moving. The hard line cracked because a brake caliper bracket bolt is MIA! This truck continues to amaze me at times. So a slow trip to the orielly’s down the street and I found a suitable temporary replacement and we were back on our way.

The failed component next to my quickly fashioned replacement ready to install.
View attachment 128408

Didn't you recently do a caliper replacement ?
Or was it a brake job ? So frustrating when parts like that fail, which isn't frequent. I forget though that your rig sat for awhile before you found it. I rebuilt an Austin Healy once that had sat for 7 years. I had to replace all the wheel cylinders and master cylinder as well as all the rear brake lines that had rusted away. It
Was a mess.
Glad your back on the road safely.

 

[systemdelete]

Didn't you recently do a caliper replacement ?
Or was it a brake job ?
Glad your back on the road safely.

Neither, I busted my finger knocking out that driveshaft before the road-trip to Canada and it’s just now fully healed up(but still quite sore). The axle and brake parts are still sitting here waiting for me to tear into them. I had found evidence of the PO’s brake job going south, and SHOULD have done my brake job immediately. The new job I started working has had me quite busy with training the last couple weeks, and three more weeks of it training to go.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Neither, I busted my finger knocking out that driveshaft before the road-trip to Canada and it’s just now fully healed up(but still quite sore). The axle and brake parts are still sitting here waiting for me to tear into them. I had found evidence of the PO’s brake job going south, and SHOULD have done my brake job immediately. The new job I started working has had me quite busy with training the last couple weeks, and three more weeks of it training to go.

I should have re-read your posts on the brake job. I remember now that you had mentioned the PO's bad repair work in previous postings.

Didn't know you were changing job's. Good luck with the new one. I really enjoy your updates.

 

[Billiebob]

The goal of the build is to get this Disco whipped back to a reasonable level of reliability. To keep it close to stock so it excels in light snow, and long inclement highway trips. It will be “at the ready” to get me wherever/whenever.

definitely the best route
reliability and function

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

definitely the best route
reliability and function

Everything has it's limits, some people just don't know what they are. Your experience has been your best teacher. Others have to learn for themselves, you can't tell them, that's their bad. Nothing wrong with trying, just know there are consequences to everything.

 

[systemdelete]

I should have re-read your posts on the brake job. I remember now that you had mentioned the PO's bad repair work in previous postings.

Didn't know you were changing job's. Good luck with the new one. I really enjoy your updates.

I haven’t said too much about the new gig, didn’t want to jinx it. It’s quite the hiring process, but I’m now halfway through training to be a 911 dispatcher.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I haven’t said too much about the new gig, didn’t want to jinx it. It’s quite the hiring process, but I’m now halfway through training to be a 911 dispatcher.

Congratulations, one more trade you can master. What led you to this type of work. ?

 

[Billiebob]

I'm definitely becoming a D1 fan.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I'm definitely becoming a D1 fan.

They grow on you. D1's don't have all the plastic junk on them like my D2. Wish I was as good at fixing them as our friend here !

 

[systemdelete]

Between the loose caliper brackets and the loose rotor bolts, I made it a point to tear into the front hubs before my holiday travels and install the new rotors, seals, and bearings. Glad I did. I found the previous bearings had been overtightened and under lubricated. Looks like they were just beginning to fail.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Between the loose caliper brackets and the loose rotor bolts, I made it a point to tear into the front hubs before my holiday travels and install the new rotors, seals, and bearings. Glad I did. I found the previous bearings had been overtightened and under lubricated. Looks like they were just beginning to fail.

View attachment 128834

MAJOR JUNK AT THIS POINT. I've thrown away better. How many miles do you think it had on it before you got it ? Is this the outer bearing ? Does the race show the same kind of damage ? I bet the rear bearings are just as bad. Good you are so thorough with this rig.
How do you like the new job ?
Do you have family there with you ?
Happy Thanksgiving, Enjoy the weekend !

 

[EXPO_D1]

that is a scary bearing! You have definitely saved your self a head ache down the road

 

[systemdelete]

MAJOR JUNK AT THIS POINT. I've thrown away better. How many miles do you think it had on it before you got it ? Is this the outer bearing ? Does the race show the same kind of damage ? I bet the rear bearings are just as bad. Good you are so thorough with this rig.
How do you like the new job ?
Do you have family there with you ?
Happy Thanksgiving, Enjoy the weekend !

Found out through carfax the PO owned the truck for around 4 years and 16k miles total. The last “maintenance” he did before he parked it was the brakes, then it wouldn’t pass emissions so he couldn’t renew the tags and he stopped driving it. It had been sitting for over a year when I got it judging by the tag’s expiration date.

That’s the inner, but the outer was very similar. I didn’t look at the races other than to check the brand as I knocked them out, the races at least were timkin. I put a full matched set of new Timkin bearings and races in up front, with new rear seals. I’ll put a few hundred miles on them this weekend then pull them down and re-torque them after they are broken in. Then I’ll dig into the rear one weekend soon.

I’m heading up to grab the fiancé and our daughter in OH over the holiday, then they’ll be down here through the first week in January. Then she gets to head to Montreal for her final immigration interview, which if all goes well means they could be down here permanently sometime in February.

The new job is tough atm, LOTS of training to get up to speed. Just finished my 5th certification exam(IAEMD) but it feels good to knock them out. Otherwise it’s nice to have a more regular schedule with real breaks here and there.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your’s as well!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Found out through carfax the PO owned the truck for around 4 years and 16k miles total. The last “maintenance” he did before he parked it was the brakes, then it wouldn’t pass emissions so he couldn’t renew the tags and he stopped driving it. It had been sitting for over a year when I got it judging by the tag’s expiration date.

That’s the inner, but the outer was very similar. I didn’t look at the races other than to check the brand as I knocked them out, the races at least were timkin. I put a full matched set of new Timkin bearings and races in up front, with new rear seals. I’ll put a few hundred miles on them this weekend then pull them down and re-torque them after they are broken in. Then I’ll dig into the rear one weekend soon.

I’m heading up to grab the fiancé and our daughter in OH over the holiday, then they’ll be down here through the first week in January. Then she gets to head to Montreal for her final immigration interview, which if all goes well means they could be down here permanently sometime in February.

The new job is tough atm, LOTS of training to get up to speed. Just finished my 5th certification exam(IAEMD) but it feels good to knock them out. Otherwise it’s nice to have a more regular schedule with real breaks here and there.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your’s as well!

All very good news, happy to hear everything is coming together so well along with your rig. Life will be different when you have them with you. Good luck Friend !

 

[systemdelete]

Well took the truck for a test drive this morning and it’s WORLDs better under braking. Seems the damaged rotor had tons of runout(I was intending to check it but I had lent out my dial gauge), often pushing the pads back causing more pedal movement than necessary.

One bolt holding the rotor to the assembly backed out, at speed at some point. The inertia broke the head off of the next bolt over, then it found anchor and began punching holes in the rotor until it escaped. Leaving part of the bolt imbedded in the assembly.


No more inspection holes!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

It scares me that you have been driving long distances under these bad conditions. I'm sure glad you know what your doing.

 

[systemdelete]

It scares me that you have been driving long distances under these bad conditions. I'm sure glad you know what your doing.

Well I intended to put all these parts on the day before I left for Ontario 6 weeks or so ago, but that was the day I injured my thumb in the shop working on my first project for the day(rebuilding the front driveshaft). After I got my hands clean, stopped the bleeding, and stitched my thumb up I was in no shape to finish any of it, so I loaded up all the parts and tools, and drove north. My plan from then up until this point was that should failure begin to seem imminent to pull into a shop local to the failure and have them replace it all for me.(again all parts, bolts, seals, grease, hub sockets, etc) were in the truck with me. Now that my stitches are out, and the skin is healed over I can get most of what I had intended all done.

As much as I wouldn’t have headed off into the remote wilderness with the truck in this condition, all along my route from Nashville to Toronto there are shops and friends with shops dotted along my path all within reach of a AAA tow should the breakdown occur unexpectedly. The bearings just started to finally sing on my trip Sunday night so I scheduled their replacement for my next day off.

There’s not a lot to these D1s I could talk about anyone somewhat mechanical through pulling down and rebuilding the front hubs with my tools in the truck, only question is how much bourbon, beer, or cash I owe them at the end b/c it’s a messy job.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Well I intended to put all these parts on the day before I left for Ontario 6 weeks or so ago, but that was the day I injured my thumb in the shop working on my first project for the day(rebuilding the front driveshaft). After I got my hands clean, stopped the bleeding, and stitched my thumb up I was in no shape to finish any of it, so I loaded up all the parts and tools, and drove north. My plan from then up until this point was that should failure begin to seem imminent to pull into a shop local to the failure and have them replace it all for me.(again all parts, bolts, seals, grease, hub sockets, etc) were in the truck with me. Now that my stitches are out, and the skin is healed over I can get most of what I had intended all done.

As much as I wouldn’t have headed off into the remote wilderness with the truck in this condition, all along my route from Nashville to Toronto there are shops and friends with shops dotted along my path all within reach of a AAA tow should the breakdown occur unexpectedly. The bearings just started to finally sing on my trip Sunday night so I scheduled their replacement for my next day off.

There’s not a lot to these D1s I could talk about anyone somewhat mechanical through pulling down and rebuilding the front hubs with my tools in the truck, only question is how much bourbon, beer, or cash I owe them at the end b/c it’s a messy job.

I worry that if I break down there is no one out there who knows anything about my D2 that can help. Only big city dealerships have people that are trained LR mechanics. Like Mercedes, they are high dollar. In reality LRD's don't have problems any different than other cars. They just come apart and go back together a little differently.

What bugs me is that mechanically they can be in perfect shape but the damn computers will shut them down and no one here knows how to over ride the computer. If I want a good LRD mechanic I have to drive 200 miles (Tucson Az). How do you drive 200 miles in a car that wont run. (my D2 runs good but for how long?) I have the same problem with my Dodge transmission. It works but not real good (fluid loss, three times in shop didn't stop it.) I'm afraid to drive it to Las Cruces 120 miles away in fear it may break down on my way there. You would think a town with 20,000 people would have a transmission shop, we don't ! The Dodge dealer here only replace not repair transmissions. The rebuilt tranny is $1800, a repair may only be only $100. What does one do ? It's cheaper to buy a used car than to have anything fixed. I hate being old and dilapidated ! Someone on another thread call it being over the hill, they just dont know what it's like to have a brain and not a body to do the work !