Early Discoveries - Where Have They All Gone......
Discussion
As above, just started doing the jobs that my one needs to put it back on the road after 2 years, inc fitting a pair of new front h / duty springs and some as new Pro Comp explorer shocks that I took from an early 2 door Rangie I had a while ago. Got me thinking that I just don't see early Discos any more, they used to be so common!
A quick look on line reveals a couple of pages of 300tdis for sale, but lots of pages of Discos being broken ! With most adverts saying " breaking due to rot".
My one was sold new to Land Rover Warranty, air con and no sun roofs ( fortuneatly ) I suspect it was sold new to Japan, as when I bought it 5 odd years ago it was remarkably rot free. I Waxoyled the chassis when I bought it, but the rot is starting to take hold now, inc the front inner wings, the bulkhead / foot well area where the inner wings attach, the boot floor and worryingly the bulkhead seams behind the engine is rotting.
2 years ago, I tried to save that early 200 TDi in the above photo, but when I went back it had been crushed......
Edited by neutral 3 on Sunday 1st May 01:21
Edited by neutral 3 on Sunday 1st May 01:23
Edited by neutral 3 on Sunday 1st May 01:30
Edited by neutral 3 on Sunday 1st May 01:32
Definitely down to rot. Couple of my mates have them as off roaders and I remember when looking at a few I couldn't believe how rusty they could be. Shocked me and I'm into mk1/mk2 Escorts!
One mate has just bought a nice V8 Japanese import which was 100% rot free 12 months ago and he says its showing signs of rust already. Another mates is his pride and joy, had it for years and it's really well cared for and that's needed a boot floor and various other bits welding up. Great cars off road but serious rot boxes.
One mate has just bought a nice V8 Japanese import which was 100% rot free 12 months ago and he says its showing signs of rust already. Another mates is his pride and joy, had it for years and it's really well cared for and that's needed a boot floor and various other bits welding up. Great cars off road but serious rot boxes.
Gone to Land Rover heaven.
Corrosion was the main issue on all inner panels as you are finding now - inner wings, sills, floor, boot floor. Replacement panels are widely available but unless you can DIY not really financially viable.
Many chopped & modifed for offroad use until they expired.
Their 200TDi engine was taken out & used to convert other Land Rovers from Series to RRC either to the more modern engine or from V8 to diesel for economy - I did consider doing that to my RRC but went LPG instead.
Some 200TDi engine parts are now becoming difficult to get, cylinder heads in particular. Even Turner Engineering list that for reconditioning or modifying heads that due to unavailability of new ones they require the customers own to carry out the work on.
Corrosion was the main issue on all inner panels as you are finding now - inner wings, sills, floor, boot floor. Replacement panels are widely available but unless you can DIY not really financially viable.
Many chopped & modifed for offroad use until they expired.
Their 200TDi engine was taken out & used to convert other Land Rovers from Series to RRC either to the more modern engine or from V8 to diesel for economy - I did consider doing that to my RRC but went LPG instead.
Some 200TDi engine parts are now becoming difficult to get, cylinder heads in particular. Even Turner Engineering list that for reconditioning or modifying heads that due to unavailability of new ones they require the customers own to carry out the work on.
Morning guys and yes rot, the build quality is very poor on them, no thickness of under coating to the rear inner wheel arches and the front inner wings, floor areas as well. Steel quality is poor I suspect too.
I bought my first 300 in 2006, it was a 95 3 door model N reg, I recall the corners of the boot floor were holed even back then at just 10 years old.
I was planning on keeping this one for good as despite its shortcomings I'm very attached to it, plus no sunroofs. It leaks water into both front footwells ( badly on the drivers side ) and I just can't find where it's coming in from. It's a constant battle against keeping the rust at bay.
Anyone know if any panels are available from Land Rover still ? Rear inner wheel arches and front inner wings in particular.
I bought my first 300 in 2006, it was a 95 3 door model N reg, I recall the corners of the boot floor were holed even back then at just 10 years old.
I was planning on keeping this one for good as despite its shortcomings I'm very attached to it, plus no sunroofs. It leaks water into both front footwells ( badly on the drivers side ) and I just can't find where it's coming in from. It's a constant battle against keeping the rust at bay.
Anyone know if any panels are available from Land Rover still ? Rear inner wheel arches and front inner wings in particular.
Land Rover heaven is where they have gone.
Rust, lack of care, poor values and a drivetrain that gets swapped into knackered defenders has killed them off.
I know a few people running disco tdi engines in their 90s. It takes a bit of work but they fit and run happily.
Word is that 200tdi engines are now getting scarce as supply of donor cars and good engines are drying up.
Rust, lack of care, poor values and a drivetrain that gets swapped into knackered defenders has killed them off.
I know a few people running disco tdi engines in their 90s. It takes a bit of work but they fit and run happily.
Word is that 200tdi engines are now getting scarce as supply of donor cars and good engines are drying up.
neutral 3 said:
Anyone know if any panels are available from Land Rover still ? Rear inner wheel arches and front inner wings in particular.
Not sure on availability from Land Rover, but my mate sourced some new front inner wings which were bolt in rather than weld in, and think they were galvanised too. Seemed like a good idea and he was happy with them, at least until the rot took hold elsewhere so he gave up chasing it and bought the Jap import!neutral 3 said:
Anyone know if any panels are available from Land Rover still ? Rear inner wheel arches and front inner wings in particular.
Don't know about LR for panels, but you might like to have a look at what's offered by:http://www.yrm-metal-solutions.co.uk/Discovery-par...
and
http://www.froggatts.co.uk/page10.html
ETA Remove the door cards from your front doors & check that the plastic weather sheets that should be stuck to the door frame are A) present and B) undamaged and stuck to the door. If they aren't the water that gets into the door past the waist seals will drip onto the back of the door card and then into the car. When the sheets are in place the water stays in the door & runs out through the drain holes in the bottom of the doors as intended. When I bought mine they were missing altogether & if it rained heavily I could have kept fish in the front footwells. It's a very common problem on all vehicles - also seen it a couple of the Peugeots we had when previous owners had damaged them when fitting different door speakers - & causes a lot of headscratching!
Best stuff to stick it on with is butyl sealer - think 'very sticky plasticine': http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/butyl-sealer...
Edited by paintman on Sunday 1st May 16:09
Seriously, on a quiet day you can hear them rust...
I bought my 300 in 2007, and the bloke I bought it from put a new boot floor in it for the MOT. I then Waxoyled everything...it was pretty solid, but earlier this year I sold it as a breaker, and the inner wings, boot floor, rear body mount and sills had all just gone to dust. I was very sad to see it go, but all was soon forgotten when I replaced it with a Defender 110. Defenders have their faults, (although my chassis is rot free...even at 30 years old) but they are so much more DIY-able than a Disco, and if you spend money keeping a Defender on the road, it will probably still hold value in the future.
The Disco is arguably the better vehicle, but let's face it the 200 in particular has not aged well, is unlikely ever to appreciate or become desirable unless it's a "barn find" example, and it's simply not worth spending the time or money to sort out a rotten one. And the electrics are a total PITA on a Disco too.
My Defender has a Disco 200 engine, a D2 transfer box, and an A bar that although is originally from another Defender, spent 9 years on the front of my Disco, so serves as a little reminder of good times with an old friend.
I bought my 300 in 2007, and the bloke I bought it from put a new boot floor in it for the MOT. I then Waxoyled everything...it was pretty solid, but earlier this year I sold it as a breaker, and the inner wings, boot floor, rear body mount and sills had all just gone to dust. I was very sad to see it go, but all was soon forgotten when I replaced it with a Defender 110. Defenders have their faults, (although my chassis is rot free...even at 30 years old) but they are so much more DIY-able than a Disco, and if you spend money keeping a Defender on the road, it will probably still hold value in the future.
The Disco is arguably the better vehicle, but let's face it the 200 in particular has not aged well, is unlikely ever to appreciate or become desirable unless it's a "barn find" example, and it's simply not worth spending the time or money to sort out a rotten one. And the electrics are a total PITA on a Disco too.
My Defender has a Disco 200 engine, a D2 transfer box, and an A bar that although is originally from another Defender, spent 9 years on the front of my Disco, so serves as a little reminder of good times with an old friend.
Yup, rot. Friend of mine had an L Reg 300tdi that he bought new, took good care of and put ~180k on, but after a new boot floor and some other welding, it was the body mounts that put it in the scrap yard. Would have been repairable, but just not financially viable.
I don't know if defenders corrode/rust less or if it's just much easier to isolate and replace one panel at a time! I do know that mine has a surprisingly solid chassis & bulkhead for it's age (1999). Doors are gone but I can deal with that!
I don't know if defenders corrode/rust less or if it's just much easier to isolate and replace one panel at a time! I do know that mine has a surprisingly solid chassis & bulkhead for it's age (1999). Doors are gone but I can deal with that!
A.J.M said:
Land Rover heaven is where they have gone.
Word is that 200tdi engines are now getting scarce as supply of donor cars and good engines are drying up.
Yup. The 200tdi engine is slightly easier to transplant into a series and people do charge more for them compared to a 300tdi. 300s will be around for a fair few years, but I give it three to five years, befor the prices on the engines start to creep up. Hoping to buy a 300 engine at the end of this year. Don't want to wait fiove years and discover that people are charging £1000 for non runner! Word is that 200tdi engines are now getting scarce as supply of donor cars and good engines are drying up.
Also there are more vehicles out there with the 300tdi compared to the 200.
paintman said:
Don't know about LR for panels, but you might like to have a look at what's offered by:
http://www.yrm-metal-solutions.co.uk/Discovery-par...
and
http://www.froggatts.co.uk/page10.html
Thanks for that. I knew about yrm but not froggats.http://www.yrm-metal-solutions.co.uk/Discovery-par...
and
http://www.froggatts.co.uk/page10.html
paintman said:
This might be of interest:
http://forum.lro.com/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=9082...
Are you the same paintman that has a web site that sells paint for land rovers? http://forum.lro.com/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=9082...
Thanks, Some Interesting replies ! This is the floor under the drivers seat, took the seat out to sort the broken base webbing, suspected that the floor underneath would be rotting due to the seat base dissolving lol. Rust treated it and a coat of green paint will give it a couple of years more !
A major issue with the Discovery is the lack of load space length. And with the rear seats in place and those daft jump seats it's laughably small.
I took all the rear seats out but it's still to short, my previous 2 door Range Rovers were cavernous in the back by comparison. I like the Discos raised rear roof. On camping trips etc, i used to sleep comfortably in the back of my Rangie, but to do the same in the Disco and you have to lay diagonally.
I took all the rear seats out but it's still to short, my previous 2 door Range Rovers were cavernous in the back by comparison. I like the Discos raised rear roof. On camping trips etc, i used to sleep comfortably in the back of my Rangie, but to do the same in the Disco and you have to lay diagonally.
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