My disco build thread.

[steve's P38 RR]

Well I've posted on here about problems with my discovery 2 I bought but thought I'd start a thread to show the start, during, and hopefully the finsh if your still interested.

This was the car when i got it dirty damaged but with full service history and had a bottom end rebuild and recon gear box costing £4k 2 years ago 12'000 miles

first job was to get some of east anglia off the bottomn and give it a wash

 

[steve's P38 RR]

I got the car a day before the LRO show at peterbough so got myself some goodies that I knew i was going to need but before they were fitted I needed to strip down the front and repair the damage

It was cheaper to but a winch bumper than the original one and wanted a light off roader as already had general grabbers to go on it.

then more parts turned up

got my wheels and spacers on

and day it passed the mot and first drive on the road

 

[GreenHornet]

Great - well done. Wanting to do a damaged repairable myself at some point as I used to work for someone who ran a company selling them from insurance companies. It's a good way to get a hold of descent cars if you can look past the wear and tear of a tree lol.

Keep the thread alive.....

 

[steve's P38 RR]

Great - well done. Wanting to do a damaged repairable myself at some point as I used to work for someone who ran a company selling them from insurance companies. It's a good way to get a hold of descent cars if you can look past the wear and tear of a tree lol.

Keep the thread alive.....

Thanks theres more to come and still lots to do.

 

[Fattone]

Nice work.where did you get that bumper? its very smart with the lights built in.

 

[steve's P38 RR]

Nice work.where did you get that bumper? its very smart with the lights built in.

I've been searching for you but can't remember the name of the company it came from if I find it i'll post it up, I looked at al lot of bumper and this was by far the nices and well built did the same one for a D1 too.

 

[steve's P38 RR]

I don't have pictures of all the other work carried out but before she hit the road I changed all the filters and the oil, removed the egr, and center exhaust box, she was sounding nice.

Also fitted cruise control, front fog light switch and reply for my new lights, heated front screen switch and reply, (ready for a new screen), Nearside door mirrow was replay as well as the rear door catch, Im sure there was more but I can't remember now.

Well I thought I had the best realiable spec posible, climate control, cruise control, heated front screen, front fog's but no sun roofs to leak and no ace to leak or play up, Its a seven seater so still got the sls (air suspension) but this is one thing that was a must after having my P38 as it made towing / loading aheavy trailer easy.


Well, on the drive home I noticed a loud bearing noise coming from the front only when you have the power on, it was coming from the front axle, so got on the bay and found myself a 60k front axle which came within 24 hours, I didn't get time to fit this the weekend after due to familiy commitments, and in the mean while I developed a slight miss-fire so ordered a new injector loom as even if there wasn't any oil in the ecu plug I didn't know when it last had one and thought it was better to change it now. well the it didnt fit the fault and after a lot of mucking about including fitting a new injector +programming and all new seals, I found out I had no compression on number one :doh:

 

[steve's P38 RR]

well after a lot of thinking It was going to have to be done so I took the head off, couldn't see anything wrong untill I filler the bores up with diesel on number one it just flowed straight past the rings, so out came the block for further inspection.

As you can see front the state of my bell housing i had a bad oil leak at the back of the engine that i didn't know if it was the sump gasket or rear main oil seal.

well I stipped the block and took it with the pistons and crank to a mate that work's at an engine recon place, He rang my the next day to tell me the bad news all 5 pistons and block were f**ked, great I thought was going to cost £900 plus vat to put it right. so I went away to think about it.

He said about looking for a second hand engine, but with it being a 15p engine the cheapest I found was £1400 and you never really know how many miles its covered or if it was looked after. I then found a second hand block quite local so took my bore gauge and went to check it out, it looked in really great condition, so did a deal and brought it home, decided to strip it to check it further and all was good even though I did decide to fit all new shells and piston rings as I had gone this far anyway,

So I set to work on my block and my mate was checking out the head.

 

[steve's P38 RR]

well took a long while deciding where to get my parts from and went to turners engineering in the end as they know what there talking bout and its quaulity parts, not britpart stuff.

well I wont tell ya what this little lot cost you can take a guess if you like

Well it was time to get rebuilding, new main shells and bolts and the cranks back in7

New rings on my pistons and big end shells and bolts and the pistons back in

oil pump back in and tread lock on all the bolts

and this is where i'm up to now

chain guides and front cover back on, sump, and oil cooler.

just waiting for a new water pump, turbo oil feed pipe and some push fit fitting to I can vent my bell housing as i'm going to seal my back plate to the block toi stop any water getting to my new land rover clutch and heavy duty aliminuim release bearing.

Already extended my gear/ transfer box breathers while the engines out and will be doing the axles.

 

[steve's P38 RR]

Got started on my cylinder head today, well my mate has had it giving it a pressure test, skim and recutting the valve seats and exhaust valves, I had to have 5 new inlet valves and just gave them a quick grind in.

Also got the last of the bits for the block, water pump, oil filters, turbo oil feed pipe and push fits to put in my breather.

 

[chrismb]

Good going. With the rebuild:smokin:

She sure was a used and abused beast....thinking I might have to do a block rebuild on mine soon, she's clocked up 155k on original running gear so think I'm on borrowed time...following this with intrest

 

[steve's P38 RR]

Good going. With the rebuild:smokin:

She sure was a used and abused beast....thinking I might have to do a block rebuild on mine soon, she's clocked up 155k on original running gear so think I'm on borrowed time...following this with intrest

If kept serviced well 155k is nothing, the block i'm using had done 120 ish and did not need a rebuild the bore's still looked like new with no wear, I was planning on needing rings etc for my old block and wanted to take the pistons out of the new block I'm now using to check them and it just seemed silly not to put new ones on while I was there.

Mine Had full history but was not serviced well enough for the conditions it was being used in, there was so much dust in the air filter that it was blocked and got sucked in to the top of the air box allowing the dust to be sucked in, so If driving in dusty conditions for a tenner on a new filter just put one in, or you'll be in the garage till 11pm every night and skint like me.

 

[steve's P38 RR]

Well the blocks all done hopefully back in tomorrow morning, I'll let the pic's do the talking, Oh and i'm well happy with my beather, modifing is so much more fun than rebuilds lol

 

[steve's P38 RR]

Whoop whoop the blocks back in this morning, easy for a mornings work you may say but working at home on grass it's not the easiest job just getting the engine out of the garage to the car, pics to follow.

 

[steve's P38 RR]

Was a bit dark last night looks much fresher in the day light

Also had play in my lower UJ so replaced the steering shaft, so easy with the engine out

This seam to be the best way of moving it, did it on the crane when I took out and that was hard work.

Clean bell housing now

Hard work going it over the slam panel and took a while to get it hanging at the right angles but worth taking the time to get it as close as you can before you drop it in the engine bay as it make it a lot easier to get it lined up with the bell housing.

she's in

 

[steve's P38 RR]

Well I hope there's some interest out there, I know i'll be looking at this in a few years to come to remember what it was all like,

picked up my recon starter and altenator yesturday he did a great job as always, used the same bloke for the last 10 years to take my altenators and starters to.

refitted my valves in my head, also glow plugs (new a month before it came off the road) camshaft and top half of head needed to take my injector seals to work so I can fit them back in tomorrow and hopefully the inlet manifold can go on to, only ordered my ne fuel pressure reugulator today so may be waiting for that, towards the end of the week.

 

[Paul D]

Looking good mate ..

 

[thebiglad]

Thanks very much for this thread and pictures. Really interesting reading.

Keep it coming please................................

 

[xat44]

most definatly interested

 

[1spin]

spot on thread mate...