Disco 1 instead of my Series 2 109 ?

I've got a 300tdi disco out the back.

I'm about to chop it up with a 9" grinder...

Maer (or whatever that polish company are called) are doing chassis for the D1 now.

...but that wont sort the inner wings, footwells, sills, rear arches, boot floor, inner quarter panels etc.

On a defender, you have the chassis, the bulkhead, the sills, and the doorframes. Once they are coated in zinc, its largely sorted. There's a load more on the d1. And most of its welded together.


They're nice vehicle's though, reliable, and will do most of what you ask of them. We got about a decade of driving out of ours, with about £300 in parts each year, so cheap to run.

Thanks, good points. Maybe I'm fantasising that there are low rust Disco 1s out there still, at a reasonable price. I know that the RRC is a rust bucket unless rebuilt, and I guess they are very similar cans of worms. I can weld, but am not very good. Lots of birds poo type spatter.

RustHater said:

Thanks, good points. Maybe I'm fantasising that there are low rust Disco 1s out there still, at a reasonable price. I know that the RRC is a rust bucket unless rebuilt, and I guess they are very similar cans of worms. I can weld, but am not very good. Lots of birds poo type spatter.

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If you can't weld, a 300 disco will not be a cheap car at all, and if you want one it may be better to get a 300 90 and spend some money on internal stuff.

Id rather be upsidedown disco than a defender any day, but cages for defender 90s are cheap enough.

"Often I'm on side slopes too, which is one reasonwhy I'd rather not put a lift kit on a Disco"

I think every Disco in my club has at least a 2 inch lift and they have no trouble passing over side slopes that Defenders cross. Most of these vehicles also have roof top tents which makes them a bit top heavy. With a mild lift, good offroad tires and Traction control ( with the diff lock) you can follow a Defender anywhere and be a lot more comfortable. If you can get one with a diesel that would be perfect. The only thing I envy Defender owners for is the better mileage of the diesel compared to the V8. It's too bad we have no diesels in NA or I would consider one.

Gord Wedman said:

...and be a lot more comfortable.

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This line often comes up, but I'm never entirely sure why?

When I'm driving, I'm touching 4 things - the pedals, the steering wheel, the seat, and the air around me.

Pedals and steering wheel are pretty much the same in the disco or defender.

So then its down to seat and air.

Seat can be whatever you want it to be in a defender, within reason. I mean i could, i guess, bolt in my scrap disco seats, but o don't think they're any better.

Air... i guess the defender doesn't seal up as well, or is larger inside, so takes longer to heat up? People put those night heaters in... But i don't think its a critical deal breaker either way?


I've got a 300tdi disco, a 300 defender, and a 101 with a hs2.8 in it, so its not as if I'm trying to say one is better than the other, but I'm genuinely unsure why people constantly say that the disco is more comfortable?

(oh, and a FL2 also, but thats not really a proper landrover, so i forgot it in the list above!)

julianf said:

This line often comes up, but I'm never entirely sure why?

When I'm driving, I'm touching 4 things - the pedals, the steering wheel, the seat, and the air around me.

Pedals and steering wheel are pretty much the same in the disco or defender.

So then its down to seat and air.

Seat can be whatever you want it to be in a defender, within reason. I mean i could, i guess, bolt in my scrap disco seats, but o don't think they're any better.

Air... i guess the defender doesn't seal up as well, or is larger inside, so takes longer to heat up? People put those night heaters in... But i don't think its a critical deal breaker either way?


I've got a 300tdi disco, a 300 defender, and a 101 with a hs2.8 in it, so its not as if I'm trying to say one is better than the other, but I'm genuinely unsure why people constantly say that the disco is more comfortable?

(oh, and a FL2 also, but thats not really a proper landrover, so i forgot it in the list above!)

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OP said he couldn't talk to his wife above 30mph. I guess you always travel by yourself and never listen to music?

I ended changing only 3 of the injectors and leaving the wired one in as I was completely baffled by it.
Tricky as it may seem I do like the power and she really surprises me at times - well she used to.....

Disco has decent heater, and a/c is not unusual.

I do not think I have seen a 300 disco this year out and about.
Not seen a 200 for a few years now.
Td5s getting thin as well.
Loads of D3.

Gord Wedman said:

OP said he couldn't talk to his wife above 30mph. I guess you always travel by yourself and never listen to music?

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I dont have music in the 110, but ive not really noticed an issue. Maybe im just deaf anyway, from the 101?

(we both wear ear defenders in the 101 - does wonders for reducing arguments!)

lynall said:

Disco has decent heater, and a/c is not unusual.

I do not think I have seen a 300 disco this year out and about.
Not seen a 200 for a few years now.
Td5s getting thin as well.
Loads of D3.

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Seen a very nice clean D1 a few months ago, but usually see a couple of D2 on the commute

julianf said:

This line often comes up, but I'm never entirely sure why?

When I'm driving, I'm touching 4 things - the pedals, the steering wheel, the seat, and the air around me.

Pedals and steering wheel are pretty much the same in the disco or defender.

So then its down to seat and air.

Seat can be whatever you want it to be in a defender, within reason. I mean i could, i guess, bolt in my scrap disco seats, but o don't think they're any better.

Air... i guess the defender doesn't seal up as well, or is larger inside, so takes longer to heat up? People put those night heaters in... But i don't think its a critical deal breaker either way?


I've got a 300tdi disco, a 300 defender, and a 101 with a hs2.8 in it, so its not as if I'm trying to say one is better than the other, but I'm genuinely unsure why people constantly say that the disco is more comfortable?

(oh, and a FL2 also, but thats not really a proper landrover, so i forgot it in the list above!)

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Don't you find the Defenders handle worse than the Disco? so that the being thrown around or jolted makes it more uncomfortable? I have to admit I put better (GAZ) shocks on my disco 1 and it stopped it rolling on the bends, made it as good if not better than the Disco 2 TD5 with ACE.
The Disco is more practical on longer journeys which is what we use ours for, there's more places to put stuff, i.e. cubby box, glove box, decent door pockets etc, the sound system is good, the air con is good and the handling and springing mean that the wife can get out at the end of a 500 mile journey and still stand up which is not the case in many other cars. (She has a cage in her back, etc.)

I have an ACE equiped D2 and you can hustle it quite well for a large 4x4, I like scaring cars on roundabouts

lynall said:

I think main issue with edc is number 4 injector is nla, same issue on some volvo penta engines, I am guessing the car will still run with a duff injector sensor?

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Engine will run, but MIL will be on, which was an MOT failure and a fine - not now - rules changed.. Fuel economy is awful, and power not much better...

New injector is available, but is £1K (!!) - and has to be made from at least two other new injectors - hence the cost.

MJI said:

I _THINK_ they are now converting to the pump like the manual.

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Which is what I did to my factory EDC - took it orft, fitted mechanical FIP and FWIC and had it tuned - it is way faster than the fully working EDC, and better on fuel too - BUT EGT's will kill it stone dead with a moments inattention..

OP:- - rust is the main issue - covered above - if you can weld then go for it - be aware that the 3 doors are worse for rust, and harder to repair because of limited access to various bits.. Also the D1 chassis rust too, so VERY careful examination is required..IME they are worse than the RRC because LR were cutting corners

MJI said:

D1 and D2 both going up in value fast.
Both are capable.
Both are repairable.
Both have rust issues.
D2 rust can be permantly fixed if you are prepared to spend.

TDI300 Autos, rumours that some of the EDC parts are NLA, but supposed to be workarounds.
Difficult to find now, decent ones are appreciating and becoming a classis car.

D2 requires keeping on top of a bit more than a D1, best to keep certain spares with you.
Air suspension does allow more clearance. ACE does allow more cross axling. TC does work. TD5 is a beast.
They will be the next classic LR.

3 best LR engines are 200, 300, and TD5. Order unimportant.

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Is the TDV6 good or even more complex? Starting to look like Disco 1 with little rust may be hard to find. Lots more Discos. Nice to have up to 2001 for lower tax, but am surprised to find some TDV6 in budget if I was to buy newer than 2001 and wear the extra tax. Edit....think TDV6 was offered on D3 rather than later D2 (According to wiki). Not sure about maintaining and using its electronic IFS rather than a solid beam axle, better not I guess

Gord Wedman said:

"Often I'm on side slopes too, which is one reasonwhy I'd rather not put a lift kit on a Disco"

I think every Disco in my club has at least a 2 inch lift and they have no trouble passing over side slopes that Defenders cross. Most of these vehicles also have roof top tents which makes them a bit top heavy. With a mild lift, good offroad tires and Traction control ( with the diff lock) you can follow a Defender anywhere and be a lot more comfortable. If you can get one with a diesel that would be perfect. The only thing I envy Defender owners for is the better mileage of the diesel compared to the V8. It's too bad we have no diesels in NA or I would consider one.

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Thanks the side slope comment is reassuring. I did once tip a 110 Defender, very slowly indeed, when going up a track in Australia. It had a rooftop tent, without which I am certain, as the tip was so slow, that it would have been OK. I like the convenience of the rooftop tents, but won't use one again when greenlaning!

Stanleysteamer said:

Don't you find the Defenders handle worse than the Disco? so that the being thrown around or jolted makes it more uncomfortable? I have to admit I put better (GAZ) shocks on my disco 1 and it stopped it rolling on the bends, made it as good if not better than the Disco 2 TD5 with ACE.
The Disco is more practical on longer journeys which is what we use ours for, there's more places to put stuff, i.e. cubby box, glove box, decent door pockets etc, the sound system is good, the air con is good and the handling and springing mean that the wife can get out at the end of a 500 mile journey and still stand up which is not the case in many other cars. (She has a cage in her back, etc.)

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I'm not sure. I've not done any long trips in the defender since i got it road legal again, and its had silly offroad tyres on it until today, so it has been all over the place with handling, but i cant logically see why it should be any different from the disco. I mean the front axel is the same. Mine is a 110, so the rear is different, but the bulk of the stuff below the body is the same.

The disco has a heavier body so that would make a higher centre of gravity, i guess, but, again, i cant see why they should be much different if both set up the same. And that is what im slowly trying to do with mine.

Mine is road legal currently (only since june, it had been offroad for years prior) and ill be taking it off road again next summer, doing things like spraying 3m 2k stone chip on the footwells etc.

Things like them being louder is, im sure, a case of thin alloy panels. Id rather spend some time sticking some noise killer etc on parts than crawling about every year with a welder underneath if.

Again, we have had a 300 disco for over 10 years, some years doing about 20k miles in it, so a reasonable amount of driving. I like them, but theres so much on them to rust.... and not really the same possibility of coating them all in zinc in the same way as you can with a defender.

Maybe out of the box, a defender would be louder etc. but to make one quieter than a disco would probably be the same amount of effort as 1 years mot welding on a disco, and then its done, whilst the disco welding is ongoing. Again im not slagging off discos, theyre good cars, but im not sad to change to the defender at all.

Gord Wedman said:

OP said he couldn't talk to his wife above 30mph. I guess you always travel by yourself and never listen to music?

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Or never has to listen to the wife

Ian M in France said:

Or never has to listen to the wife

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She says i never listen. At least i think....

Great advice from you lot, thanks. On balance my ideal would be a Disco 2 on a galvanised chassis...but even a half chassis...auto, diesel, aircon. No matter if modded or not. Defender 90 perhaps, though they have lower spec. Who might be ready to sell one? Have seen some great value Disco 2s, but MOT histories suggest endless welding tail chasing...had that with my RRCs !

RustHater said:

Have seen some great value Disco 2s, but MOT histories suggest endless welding tail chasing...

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Normally confined to the rear chassis.....

Rich.