my disco (the fun begins)

hey there im fairly new to the forum and the land rover way of life! iv owned my disco since easter sunday (last week) soon as i got in it i wanted to go exploring but i thought i was limited to fun as it is completely standard......... over the last week o i have proven myself wrong! i am shocked at how capable it is off road for a standard vehicle! i hav plans to lift the suspension and maybe the body? i would like the 300tdi headlights in aswell as i hear they give off better lighting, and a roof rack with spottys and of course mud tyres! any ideas welcome :-D heres some piccies of me havin a little play on a friends farm weve not been anywere too testing of the discos capability just a little track were a few ppl take off road bikes but we manag to make up the hills n through the puddles, no dramas!

Sort out the front bumper/spoiler - it was the first thing to go on my Disco! I think the side steps will get a bashing too, best removed and sold on eBay, etc...

hi, i took the steps off just after these pics were taken one was rotted underneath so they have been set aside for the scrap man, the bumper/spoiler will be next i think, i started to take the end caps off and noticed the rot eatin away so left them on to cover sharp edges until the funds r scraped together for a new one..........

Looks very clean

As said get those steps off ASAP otherwise they'll end up doing more damage than good!

I'd say basics are...

2 inch lift (no need for any more if its done properly),
Front spoiler off,
Towbar removed (or lifted up if it's still required... it's amazing how good of a plow they are!)
Mud tyres
Camel cut
Mud flaps off
Steering guard

Those mod's should make a vey capiable machine!

How bad was the rust on the bumper? I removed mine, wire brushed and sanded then hammerited it... good as new!

steps are off matey, and as for the tow bar im going to remove but keep it to one side incase it is needed, but for now it acts as a good guard for my tank i have already wire brushed and hammerited the front and rear bumpers but they are too far gone so front and rear bumpers are on the list....... also what is the camel cut?? cheers

camel cut is basically triming the back of the rear wheel arch so larger tyres will fit when suspension is articulating. it was carried out on the disco's used in the camel trophy (god rest its soul), hence the name.

if you havent found the limits of the disco yet there is no need to spend hundreds on lifting it and fitting massive wheels
learn what it can do first otherwise you will be one of those people who have very highly modified landies but dont know how to drive them and rely of the mods to get them through obstacles
(all the gear no idea) comes to mind
enjoy the disco as it is for a while until youve found the limits

cheers for the link and as to finding the limits, i think i "hit" the limits with the rear diff dragging along some obstacles last night.......... haha as iv just started a new job so funds i had to one side are keeping me alive until pay day im only at the planning stage so i have some time to think out exactly what i eed instead of my usual approach to things by just throwing money at it which is normally in the wrong direction! :doh:

ok first update in a while, iv sorted out the gear selection problem and also fitted a new aerial so i have some entertainment each morning on the way to work........ this week the folks are on holiday so iv been left with the other car, as a treat to myself iv just ordered a 2" pro comp expedition lift kit off ebay for £95 delivered its a used one but in good condition, iv also won headlamp surrounds and grill off the same guy which i got for the bargain price of £3.30 never know when youll need a new grill or headlamp surround, and to make myself feel better for being left home alone iv just ordered some new tyres! they are the kingpin amazons 265/75/16 so ill be able to keep my alloys which iv grown to like now.... they tyres delivered came to £280 from tyres direct which stock a shed load of tyre at good prices. give them a look up. ebay is so addictive iv bought too much this week god help me when i get paid again next week! and to make the most os my day off tomorow a friend and i are going to make a side exit exhaust to come out of the bottom of rear quarter panel with the cat removed obviously !

I find the method of doing lots of play and play days (ie having lots of fun and usage out of the car too) helps me to realise what is required for my kind of driving/usage etc.

ie it turns out i need to chop my arches more, because the new chunkier tyres are catching again, and i could probably do with heavy duty steering arms.

however i dont think i need light guards for example - take it steady through tress etc (im in no rush) and the bodywork does ok for itself, and im not planning on a steering guard, because i reckon HD arms will do ok on their own, and a steering guard would be better not there when ive been trying to winch out of a steep mud hole.

obviously the list goes on. but the principle is that lots of (careful) usage gets you maximum involvement and real time understanding of whats a worthy upgrade, without too much damage.

dont blame me if you break a lamp btw

ha ha not a fan of light guards myself to be honest matey, think heavy duty arm and a steering guard will be coming soon just to be safe, i just cant wait to get out in it when its got wheels and lift kit should make the world of difference i think.

what do you reckon to these tyres? look like theyll do the job and be liveable with on road!

mclovin said:

what do you reckon to these tyres? look like theyll do the job and be liveable with on road!

Click to expand...

i find tyres with the sort of 'V' shape tread to have a lot less road noise than a reversable tread, ive got a similar design and they work well

V8_Disco said:

if you havent found the limits of the disco yet there is no need to spend hundreds on lifting it and fitting massive wheels
learn what it can do first otherwise you will be one of those people who have very highly modified landies but dont know how to drive them and rely of the mods to get them through obstacles
(all the gear no idea) comes to mind
enjoy the disco as it is for a while until youve found the limits

Click to expand...

V8's right mate, just because you hit something with the diff don't mean you know its limits, i've had mine on greenlanes several times and on pay and play for the more serious stuff and not hit its limits yet, only thing i would do is fit some protection, diff guards for a start and some recovery points

wuhey seems like iv fianlly made the right choice!! haha hopefully theyll be with me on wednesday get them fitted and archs trimmed.... was meant to go and do my exhaust today but i was too rough from a wedding yesterday.
so hopefully this week my disco will be going through a transformation, iv just been reading on the stolen blog and i think after spending all this money on it ill have to step up the security.. im thinking two rabbie infested rotweillers that get fed once a week and some syringes sticking up through drivers seat that retracts once alarm fob is pressed.. fill the syringes with something to knock them out for a couple of hours..... or just pure water too f*ck up there blood system so theyll have a slow painful death the scumbags!!! any suggestions what the best type of protection is for my disco? its kept on a main road over night and my house is about a mile from the nearest motorway so it could be gone very quickly if they wanted it that bad!

simple security, move to Wales - every bugger here has a beat up old disco
dont rely on the mods - it's always interesting to watch the old **** kickers ( sorry, sorry members of the farming community) in their beat up old nineties get through any obstical on worn out tyres, all the mods in the world wont help if you dont know what your doing

mclovin said:

wuhey seems like iv fianlly made the right choice!! haha hopefully theyll be with me on wednesday get them fitted and archs trimmed.... was meant to go and do my exhaust today but i was too rough from a wedding yesterday.
so hopefully this week my disco will be going through a transformation, iv just been reading on the stolen blog and i think after spending all this money on it ill have to step up the security.. im thinking two rabbie infested rotweillers that get fed once a week and some syringes sticking up through drivers seat that retracts once alarm fob is pressed.. fill the syringes with something to knock them out for a couple of hours..... or just pure water too f*ck up there blood system so theyll have a slow painful death the scumbags!!! any suggestions what the best type of protection is for my disco? its kept on a main road over night and my house is about a mile from the nearest motorway so it could be gone very quickly if they wanted it that bad!

Click to expand...

Discklock and clutch claw. Turn your wheels on full lock before fitting the discklock.

ok bit of update... tyres landed yesterday got them put on with standard suspension :doh: rubbbbbbbin! so today we set out to fit the suspension i got off ebay! went to local land rover shopand got some poly bushs for the shocks and away we went! really happy with the results only thing is me being a tight arse i though id wait and get the dislocation cones next week or wenever didnt realise how much i needed them!!! so this week ill order some and get them fitted! heres some pics