Disco 1 Is my Disco dead?

Hi guys
Joined this group a couple of months back after buying a 97 Disco with only 100,000 on the clock in February. Most fun I've ever had with a car- completely hooked. We've had a couple of trips from Kent up to the Lake District and spent a week camping on the Isle of Mull.
Now got a problem, however. Bought the car with MOT up to July and showing advisories of 'both sills corroding' but I thought nothing too bad.
Dismayed to take it into the local MOT shop only to be told that both sills are rotten to the body mounts and cost of repair almost needs a mortgage! First thought was that previous MOT may have been a little suspect! Second thought was that I was a numpty for not getting a more thorough check done before parting with hard earned cash.
Anyone know of and can recommend a welder in the Maidstone or Medway area that is reasonable both in expertise and price? If I can't find one I think my Disco days are over!

Get a cheap welder box section and mounts and do it yourself welding isnt hard job to do.
Thatl be the best and cheapest way as a garage will charge you a fortune. In both parts and labour

learn to weld you will save a small fortune and your play days will continue

A welder is one of the important tools when owning a Landrover. Either learn to weld self taught or take a evening class in welding. That will be as good a repair if not better than the garage and will more than likely cost a fraction that they will charge you.

^^^^^^^
Like wot he said, it's really hard to keep an old Disco on the road without either a WELDER or a shed load of cash to pay a WELDER or a good mate with WELDER
It's fairly easy to learn using a MIG but practice and patience.
BTW hope you get someone to help get it tested, I'm up in County Durham so a bit of a trek I'm afraid

as above really, pay out or learn to weld and buy yourself a cheap set-up.

the two go together like bacon and eggs im afraid, old disco = new welding skills.

Thanks to all of the above for their replies. I've now had a good crawl around under the car to see the extent of work required. Guess I need to learn to weld. I've also found 'Easy on' panels on the web and was looking at these repair panels.

http://www.froggatts.co.uk/page11.html

Has anybody used them? Are they as good as they claim?

if your sills are rotten crawl round the back, you will prob get your head through the boot floor aswellpersonally id take it to a proper welder/fabricator

I learnt to weld with my disco, it didnt end when i brought a fender!!

get to a steel merchant, decent grinder with disks, half decent welder and have a good go.

goodluck

There is a reason that this month's Land Rover Mag has a section on How To Weld and How To Pick A Good Welder! It's no coincidence!

IamRobbie said:

I learnt to weld with my disco, it didnt end when i brought a fender!!

get to a steel merchant, decent grinder with disks, half decent welder and have a good go.

goodluck

Click to expand...

as above it wont take long to pick up just practice on plenty of scrap steel and best of luck

There are some really great threads on here where lads have done some pretty amazing work replacing rotted sills and floor sections on Disco's.
If you are unable to do the work yourself it can cost a heap of cash to get this type of thing done at a repair shop, as others have said, get a welding machine, some RHS and "skill-up", lots of fun and really useful for many other things.
There is nothing like the satisfaction of a DIY job well done!

Bought my disco 4 and a half years ago, first mot ended up having to spend £800 on welding, was mortified, but the car has been well worth it since, very reliable and we only use to pull the horse trailer.
If you can't do the welding yourself, maybe look for mobile welders in your area . Find out how much a garage would charge, and make the decision to see if it is worth spending the dosh

Hi davidsmith1307
Could you please tell me which land mag has the article on welders and welding

Thanks very much

Jonathan

Land Rover Monthly Sept 15. Bottom left of cover says "Let's Get Welding" Main cover pic is about getting an off-roader for a grand.

Thanks very much for the reply
Regards

Jonathan

When mine rotted out, I replaced the sills with 4 by 2 box section steel ,did the same with the rear crossmember

Cheap as chips. About 20 quid , far far less than the 300 or so I saw sill sets at

Boot floor at 60, a frame ball joint when the floors up

A welder at 150 to 200 and your away

As said above. Landys amd welders go well together

Good luck with it, initially daunting , but pretty straightforward

Cheers

So what kind of welding set up are you all using and what kind of price are we looking at?

Sealy supermig 130 hobby size welder it does everything you need on a disco even chassis size plate. Paid about £270 I think

Corriefee said:

Thanks to all of the above for their replies. I've now had a good crawl around under the car to see the extent of work required. Guess I need to learn to weld. I've also found 'Easy on' panels on the web and was looking at these repair panels.

http://www.froggatts.co.uk/page11.html

Has anybody used them? Are they as good as they claim?

Click to expand...

I've sorta finished fitting a pair of their front inner-wings to my '93 200tdi D1, bought them in October & fitted the pass side in a weekend including the 'A' pillar & bulkhead repairs.......

just finished the drivers side started on 22nd November!

I bought their assembled inner-wings but without the headlight boxes & body-mount as these were usable, also the wing-mount rail is not part of the inner-wing, I left the originals on the body & slotted the new under between the bulkhead & headlight boxes


OK so I've been working / lazing & finding all kind of excuses to do anything except welding outside

as to fit & quality, I had slight trimming on both sides to fit but that might coincide with the bulkhead repairs as much as the Disco seam-sealer brushed on & some of hammerite's finest smooth dark green & its not too bad a job

I need to repair the sills next & will be phoning froggatts for some (I know I could use 60x100 box but its starting to be a slight resto as opposed to mot patching)

as to the welding set, I have a 20+ year old sealey supermig 185 with .8 'precision-wound' wire , I try to use 'argoshield' as the shield gas - compare welding to 'pub-gas' co2 & you'll understand

suppose I'll have to sort a few piccies & my own thread now

Rich.