Morgans Discovery 300 tdi Journal

Hi all, I’m starting this thread to keep track of the progress on my disco and will hopefully be of interest to someone else.

The car itself is a 1997 Disocovery 300 tdi ES Premium. Not sure what makes it Premium but will be looking into this at some point. I’ve had it for a while now, it was inherited from Dad, and the plan is to make it as much like new as I possibly can as I will never part with it and it’ll never be used as an off roader.

Here’s a couple of photos from a few years ago when it was in reasonable condition:







A more up to date photo:



The wheels were changed due to a couple of punctures and I had this set with nearly new tyres left over from an off road project. Plan is to get the original boost alloys refurbished and fit these tyres.

Thanks for looking,

Any comments or suggestions welcome

looks nice and tidy, i've always liked the dark green disco's

LandyMan said:

looks nice and tidy, i've always liked the dark green disco's

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Thanks, its in need of tidying up a bit externally, a few bits of rust but nothing major at the moment. Main issue at is the leaking sunroofs.

The greens my favourite colour, polishes up nice, and when its wet it looks a different colour

M02G4N said:

Thanks, its in need of tidying up a bit externally, a few bits of rust but nothing major at the moment. Main issue at is the leaking sunroofs.

The greens my favourite colour, polishes up nice, and when its wet it looks a different colour

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2 toned, nice!

ah, the leaky sunroofs, mine started to leak the other day

Finally got round to start sorting the leaking sunroofs out last weekend. Been leaking for ages and it has ruined the headlining so with a few hours free I decided to remove it .

Rear:



Front:



Not the best photo but removed:



Damage by the rear switch trim:





Random hole:


This was before I started pulling the fabric off, really was quite bad, think it was held on by all the trim:







After removal:







While I had them off I sorted out the sagging rear roof cargo nets.

Before:



After:



Much better!

That’s how it stands at the moment, I’ve got some new fabric, spray adhesive, and some fibre glass to repair the damage. Also got two new sunroof seals and some silicone sealant on the way to address the actual leaks. Also found a small patch of rust on the corner of one of the rear alpine windows so I’ll have to sort that before it all goes back together. Hopefully make some progress this weekend.

how long did it take to get the headlining out?

LandyMan said:

how long did it take to get the headlining out?

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It probably took me around three hours start to finish at a leisurely pace and taking picture for reference. It was a lot easier and quicker than I thought, I had been putting it off for a while thinking it was going to be a pain. I started at the front and worked my way back, remove a pillar trim, map pockets, sun visors, grab handles and rear alpine window trim, think that was all

M02G4N said:

It probably took me around three hours start to finish at a leisurely pace and taking picture for reference. It was a lot easier and quicker than I thought, I had been putting it off for a while thinking it was going to be a pain. I started at the front and worked my way back, remove a pillar trim, map pockets, sun visors, grab handles and rear alpine window trim, think that was all

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cool, thanks./ I really need to get mine done asap

Small update, I spent Sunday afternoon working on the headlining. I started by repairing any existing damage to the headlining using a fibreglass kit. Pictures below:













I then waited for that to dry then started by outing the new headlining fabric on top:



The adhesive used:



Started at one end and worked my way to the other, trying to get it in all the contours:







I then trimmed all the excess of and re installed the cargo nets and rear switch panel and the sunroof trim:







Overall I’m more than happy with the finish, is it perfect? No, but is it better than it was? Absolutely. I might look at painting the trim grey to get a better match but not sure at the moment as it could ruin it. Hopefully get time this week to start on the sunroof leak and get it back in.

For anyone who is thinking of buying an old Discovery its interesting to see the common Disco "problems" like headlining being tackled,
Nice job, thanks for the photos

Very nice job, need to tackle this in my new one! Looks ace afterwards!

purplemk said:

For anyone who is thinking of buying an old Discovery its interesting to see the common Disco "problems" like headlining being tackled,
Nice job, thanks for the photos

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+1 thanks for sharing.

IME, its worth looking at the sunroof drain tubes carefully - especially if you have rust around an alpine - it might mean that the drains are kaput...

The front one drains into the cill, which is a very VERY poor idea, but the rear one seems to cause problems with the top of the C post - I haven't seen enough in detail to know for sure, as it were, but given the obvious good nick of your vehicle, its worth a bit of time having a look....