Disco 200tdi

Hi all,
Jake from East Sussex currently own a 200tdi 5 door disco. (Not to rot either) been reading this site for a few years on and off as owned various land rovers. Hoping to get advice and meet local green laners for the ones that are still open down here . Any local bods tackled a bobtail disco 1 project them selfs? Need some advise on marking out to cut any advice would be great I have read many different forums on here but am yet to find “where they measured from and to” lol.

cutting it up depends on what you want your finished vehicle to actually look like/be used for?

There are dozens of bobs out there on the net to look at for inspiration, I have not done a Disco but did a RRC a number of years ago, pretty much spent a weekend getting all the bits together I thought I'd need and the following weekend it was chop chop, perfectly doable in a weekend.

One piece of advice for this is remember you'll need to empty the fuel tank, relocate it or get a purpose made take made up.

A sheet steel edge joggler for the roof helps to get a little bit of wiggle room when re-fitting the rear section of the roof, ok it's only 10/12mm on either side but as long as you are precise with your cutting it's all you'll need, it helps seam welding the roof panels & gives a small void for the filler to make it look nice.

I went through about half a dozen 9 inch cutting discs, on the 4 1/2 inch grinder it was couple of 1mm slitting discs, few 3mm cutting/grinding discs, a couple of different grade flap wheels and a grinding disc.

I got a load of off cut 2mm plate from the scrap yard for the internal and external plating of the chassis rails and some 1.2mm sheet steel for the body work, a mate who worked for CAB glass cut me the laminated glass for the new shaped rear windows.

I can not stress enough the need for datums and precision in your cutting and fabricating, I made a few mistakes with it as it was my first, all of them are avoidable if you think logically about what you're doing.

Good luck, keep us posted with some pictures, we loves pictures.

Would be a shame to cut up a rot free 200tdi, can’t be many left!

Hi dieseldog69, that’s a great reply and very helpful info, I have a rough idea what I’m look for end result just not sure where to measure and marking etc but as for the parts list and what I’ll need very helpful thank you. Hello Adamd1 it’s only rot free with your eyes closed boot floor all the way through pretty bad I’ve sorted the rest out but before I went any further I’ve been drawn in by my mates tray back but still need some inside space.

A great many get chopped vertically from the back of the rear wheels, I saw a good one last year, 5 door, no back seats, custom fuel cell, full width of the rear foot well, divided into two separate cells with baffles and electric lift pumps, single filler fills both tanks and enables there to be as big a load space as is possible. Both rear doors opened but the glass had been replaced by premierbond composite ally nylon sheeting that is a bit flexible and returns to shape better than normal ally chequer plate that bends and dents upon impact, these panels were also insulated too, the back door window had also been replaced with the same material and also insulated, same with what was left of the rear most windows, the back door was also ply lined so that the recovery gear could be lashed to it and the shovel, machete etc, all were lashed tight with their own storage places. LED lighting in the roof that illuminated everything.

It was a very well thought out truck with attention to detail.

Not something I will do to my own as I have a tidy 3 door with virtually no rot anymore.

If you have the skills to weld it all up tidy then it can be a very nice looking and functional, purposeful truck.

Sounds like a very good and practical truck. Wish I had the brains and experience to achieve something like that. I could do with finding someone close to East Sussex that would be happy to help a “youngen” out. I’ve got a good mate who welds which is helpful but no one I no who has bobtailed one.

I live on Hayling Island, Hampshire, it's not that far away if you want I can pop over for a brew and a chat, I'd be happy to pop over to help you out with it on a weekend, I've dismembered several discoveries and welded them all back together, it's a doddle really, just time consuming.

That would be great I’m going to spend the next week or so trying to gather everything I need or I think I need then I can give you a message. Would really appreciate the chat and help marking out. Would be great.

I'll drop you a PM with my number, I'm back at work on Tuesday so they tell me so if you want to chat over the weekend I have plenty of time.

So after wanting to bobtail slight change of plan and is now going to be a trayback a weeks work so far

Nice work.

I did wonder why you hasn't called, but figured maybe you'd got cold feet, it seems you got a little more adventurous lol

How are you planning to finish the back of the roof and cab?

LOl got to the point where I fort f@!k it. With steel sheet and some tinkering and a lot of swearing then filler should all work out.

So you're not going to re-use the back end of the roof above the door to make it look special?

Schutz it to death as well, that way if the filler cracks from flexing it should stay sealed.

Ooooo it’s going to look special alright lol special needs excuse the bad tone. Na I did toy with the idea but decided against it. Yer I will mate the hard work has just begun tho. And happy with the progress so far. For a beginner aswell not bad if I say so myself.

SOme more updates of the tray back build had abit of a accident so haven’t done too much but had a weekend on it this weekend but working away all week so nothing going to get done this week. Getting there tho.

Gonna be alright, suppose weatherproof the cab an start on the roll cage next then

Getting there slowly yer lol not bad for a first time so far. I’m looking to buy a new ready welded just slip on roll cage but it’s quite dear. But don’t no anyone who can bend and weld the pipe.

Little update sorry for delays in posting and all the good stuff been a busy bee with work and baby and land rover amd house and jobs you gwt the idea. Anyway here are sime progress pictures and the current state of it.

Change of plan i cant remember how to add photos. O something happening.

Not working again there is more recent photos to go up but not sure how.