a disco wheeler???

[leftlanetruckin]

here's the scoop guys n gals....
i currently have a 98 hse for family duties, and a very built heep for wheeling duties.
problem is, with 3 kids that all want to come wheeling, we are falling short of seating in the heep!:banghead: relying on others to provide seats, not good! even talked the missus into wheeling the p38 for an hour or so on easier trails this past weekend so everyone gets a ride, to say she was worried is an understatement!
so, i have been considering a few options....
keep the heep and swap parts from it onto another heep, but the cherokee's etc have a unibody. not good.
redo my full cage and then reinstall a back seat in the heep. this would take all the room i have for tools and recovery gear though. and still leave us needing another seat (me, the missus, a 4,5 and 11yr old).
sell the heep and get something else to build and wheel.
if i sell it and build/buy a wheeling rig again, this is what it needs....
seating for 3 boys in the back.
be able to be road registered, although Mo is pretty relaxed about most stuff.
a frame, no unibody junk. been there and done that.
be able to fit @35's.
good parts availabilty for when i destroy stuff.
axles that can take lockers, gears and wheeling abuse without grenading every week.
reasonable admission fee (purchase price).
i have been considering a disco, but havent a clue regards what model has the best equiptment i'd need/want. also, the departure angle looks minimal, or is that just the way they look in foto's etc?
are the axles upto the job, or can i swap other axles in there without too much bother?
having worked on the p38 myself (proud owner of a faultmate!), the maintenance doesnt concern me too much. i know its british (like me) and has its "quirks" (like me), so am prepared for that.
ideas guys? or do i goto the toyota forums and ask there?
cheers
martin
edit: as an idea of the heep, its on 37x14.50's, soa on old man emu leafs, ford 8.8 rear, 4.88's, arb's, full dom cage, bored chevy 4.3/built 700r4, 4.3 atlas t/case, winch etc etc etc.

 

[CADisco]

Can fit 35's with only a 2" lift, very stable on the road, plenty of room for the kids:

 

[leftlanetruckin]

Can fit 35's with only a 2" lift, very stable on the road, plenty of room for the kids:

oh i forgot to mention, all my junk is paid for........and i like it that way!:applause:
there was a jk there this weekend, blew his fan and cooked the motor..... oops!

martin

 

[MUSKYMAN]

early D1's are dirt cheap can be built to very capable level for little cash and will wheel with the family in a very safe way.

the secret is buy a allready built rig that hasnt been ruined or buy a cheap clean stocker and watch the forsale sections for cheap mods.

the disco's have great suspension so you dont have to have 35" tires to go places jeeps on 35's go.

32" tires and a 3" lift with a pair of ARB's and a D1 will really go alot of places and not break all that often.

one thing to really keep in mind here is you are shifting gears now and what you are acustomed to in a off-roader wont carry the family in a safe comfortable way so you are looking at NEW options. Dont start inflicting requirements from your earlier off-roading days on a rover such as big jeeper tires and such. Buy one and let a bit of seat time tell you the direction you need to go with mods. There are tons of guys around here that come from other makes and have found a home in a land rovers because they found a truck that does what they want. Right now from what you said you are looking for exactly what a rover does best.

have fun..

 

[post]

I would figure out what your ultimate goal is for the disco, then start spending money on sencible upgrades rather than re-doing it over again and spending a sh*tload of cash(yeah, my experience). Besides that, the D1's a great platform to start with.

 

[scottagnew101]

what area are you located. Check the local craigslist.

 

[leftlanetruckin]

thanks guys!
i do realize that it wont be as big as the heep. a disco on 37's?!?!?!?!:smilelol:
do any years have stronger/weaker axles, or are they all the same?
same question for all other major components...
what options do i have for gearing the axles? that would be a big decider in tire sizes aswell....no point having too much tire for the gearing!
i was saying 35's because of where i go wheeling, i would say a 35 is borderline in most cases for me. not to say i couldnt have a blast with 33's though.... just have to think a lot more huh?
if i was to sell the heep, i would have @$8k budget to buy and build a disco with. sound reasonable to be locked, have a winch, geared etc for that? i can build the cage myself, and do most fab work for that matter. i have the 220 mig, bender, drill press, so on. so maybe i can rig some stuff up myself?
sorry for all the retarded questions, just easier to ask 5 times and build it once! and yeah, i learnt the hard way to build it right the first time!!:banghead:

martin

 

[Mongo]

the search feature is a wonderful thing...use it then come back and ask specific's...

 

[Timmy!!!!!!!]

Sell both and buy a fj-80 with front a rear lockers.

 

[leftlanetruckin]

the search feature is a wonderful thing...use it then come back and ask specific's...

and i would happily do so, but searching for "specifications" etc gets me no results....
also tried looking for a spec sheet that would list a newer models upgrades, like the ones on the rr and heep forums i goto, but cant find. if there is one here, point the way and i will happilly stop bugging you guys!
kind of hard to search for specifics when you dont know what needs dumping and what needs keeping. just asking opinions is all mate.....

martin

 

[Rocky]

D1 Route. $2-5k price or a 99 D2 or 04 D2. Don't recall if the D2 has a full center seat belt. D1's don't

Ok so you'll get a winch bumper, sill guards, axle and steering protection (rovertym)
Lift it arb or detroit in the rear, front is up to you, HD axle shafts. A 99 D2 will need the CDL added as well-D2 will need 16 inch wheels as well unless you get the S or SD versions

 

[leftlanetruckin]

sounds like a d1 model to me then!
dont need a full center seat belt, a lap belt there will suffice for the 11yr old.
thats exactly the info i was looking for. many thanks!!:applause:
any other suggestions??
martin

 

[Andrew Homan]

I would talk with or read tech post from guys like PT, Marc O, Muskyman, either of the Rupps, Post, etc I'm sure I'm missing many good sources just ones I thought of off the top of my head. These guys have been there and done it. Seems to me you want to do it right and would enjoy a rover.

My suggestions: 95 or 99 D1 or go 04. ARBs frt and rear 4:11 gears, RTE 3" lift and suspension. 33" MTs, rover tracks or GBR HD shafts, etc

My 2 cents

Cheers Andy

 

[Buddy]

Here is my personal opinion based mostly on my experience. If you plan on modding it. Consider buying something that already has most of what you need. You can save a lot and be closer to that $8k budget if you start with something already built. I started stock @4,500 and have more then that in it now and still have a good way to go.

I would look for an early DI thats already locked and lifted with HD axles.

I run 285/75's (about 33") and I'm pretty happy with that size I don't think I would want to go bigger given the platform.

 

[Calirovin]

My suggestions: 95 or 99 D1 or go 04. ARBs frt and rear 4:11 gears, RTE 3" lift and suspension. 33" MTs, rover tracks or GBR HD shafts, etc

My 2 cents

Cheers Andy

that's a good setup.:victory:

 

[craig]

I would talk with or read tech post from guys like PT, Marc O, Muskyman, either of the Rupps, Post, etc I'm sure I'm missing many good sources just ones I thought of off the top of my head. These guys have been there and done it. Seems to me you want to do it right and would enjoy a rover.

My suggestions: 95 or 99 D1 or go 04. ARBs frt and rear 4:11 gears, RTE 3" lift and suspension. 33" MTs, rover tracks or GBR HD shafts, etc

My 2 cents

Cheers Andy

Yep, this is what you want, although fitting gear for a family of 5 in the tail of a D1 will be tough. I hope you don't have a dog. If you carry a lot of gear, then you should look into something even larger like a Defender 110, Series IIa/III 109, or a Toyota FJ60.

A D1 on 33s will, generally speaking, go anywhere a Jeep on 35s will go. The D1 has things tucked up into the framerails a bit better than the Jeeps do, so you wind up with comparable breakover angles. The approach and departure angles of the D1 are good in stock form. HD axle shafts with 33s and lockers will be robust, but you will pop even HD shafts and CVs if you run on 35s. If you must have 35s, you will be looking at a complete axle swap to get something reliable.

 

[Roving Beetle]

I agree with the others here about the D1's and the mods they mentioned........... that said, I would seriously look into a FJ80 - FZJ80 Toy - With a mild lift and decent bumpers they are a beast off road and still drive well on the road too.

I was REALLY close to buying one to base my TDI swap on but simply couldn't stand the interior style & fit/finish and I didn't need quite that much room either. If you check one out and it appeals to you style wise go for it. They are a solid truck, yes they have their issues like anything but nobody can really argue about the fact that they are tough and reliable.

 

[leftlanetruckin]

good suggestions guys, many thanks!
as far as room goes, i take along a tool bag which sits inside a large plastic toolbox which carries spares and recovery gear in it. the plastic tub is one made for a pickup bed, and fits between the inner fenders of the jeep, so i am sure there will be plenty of room inside a d1.
the boys are 4,5 and 11, so the 2 youngsters need booster seats, and the 11yr old can do with a lap belt no problem. dogs can stay at home....
axles sound a lot like jeeps, the dana 30 can be built to last with chromo shafts. the rear dana 35 is a paperweight...thus the ford 8.8.
i was thinking 35's for the differential clearance more than anything else. although i would probably still need to give a few trails a detour with even those, not to mention 33's! but i wouldnt mind at all dropping back down, my junk went out of control with the 37's, and didnt mind at all the 35's i ran previously.
what are the easiest alxes to go in there if i wanted to be safe? looks like a passenger side drop front, so at least the chevy 60's are a bargain compared to the ford d/s drop ones...
thanks again guys!
sorry it takes me a few days to reply at time, i haul the 140' windmill blades and sometimes cant get online for a couple of days. the joys of the middle of no where....:banghead:
thanks again
martin

 

[varova87]

Sell both and buy a fj-80 with front a rear lockers.

x2

 

[Blue]

I would never put my children in the back of a built-up old jeep. Get a D1 for a couple grand, put HD OME suspension on it (in the unlikely event that it still has stock suspension), some slightly bigger tires, slap a detroit in the rear and enjoy some supreme off-road comfort.