New ‘03 DII owner

DiscoII_P

Member
Apr 13, 2021
6
3
SoCal
Hey guys, been a member for a lil while now (lurker status) and have FINALLY become a new owner of my ‘03 Disco II and am now a legit member of the Disco fam haha. A little background about me…

- HUGE car enthusiast (grew up helping my pops on our oldies back in the day…’54 Chevy pickup, ‘64 Thunderbird, ‘68 Camaro SS, ‘89 Mustang…dad had quite an obsession, and this wasn’t including the motorcycles he’s had 😭🤣)
- first car at 15 (my beloved Lexus SC300…Diamond white pearl, did ALL maintenance and mod installs myself…still miss that car till this day 😭) and have owned 6 cars, 4 motorcycles since (like father like son I guess haha)
- have ALWAYS wanted an off-road-capable vehicle just have never pulled the trigger…..until about 2 weeks ago..

Okay now that that intro is wrapped up, on to my Landy…
- ‘03 Disco II w/ 240,XXX miles 😰 I’m crazy, yes…I know, I just couldn’t resist..life’s about taking risks, right!? 😅😅
- Pros: Was a STEAL in terms of pricing; no rust, CA truck it’s entire life; prev owner’s done a few things including new water pump, tires, alternator, power steering pump & hose, radiator, spark plugs, O2 sensors, transmission; did complete fluid flush & oil change, and new battery right after purchase.
-Cons: plagued by the dreaded intermittent “3 amigos” (scanner’s purchased and on its way, hoping to do the bypass mod after pulling the codes); a few bulbs shot in interior; cloth headliner starting to sag a bit; rips in driver seat; few failed quirks to work out including fuel door not opening via button, odometer covering loose; small dings on exterior (I mean…it’s almost 20yrs old so this is expected and minimal imo)

once it’s fully dialed in mechanically, I do plan on building it into my ideal daily-functional off-road/overland rig slowly but surely. I currently daily a Challenger R/T, so why not have another V-8 as a daily option…gas isn’t that much of a factor, right?! 😭😭😭 alright, enough of the chatter…here’s a few pics…introducing “Lando”
1D0E76EE-2B2A-44D8-B79F-B48CCD8C4F4D.jpeg6E37ABC6-295A-48C0-8256-E6D2A5E9C4F0.jpegAC08814C-2F90-4256-A87C-DCF970DD495E.jpeg6E3FA495-A1EF-49E9-A7EE-BA7F3CBB9B58.jpegFDD9318F-95D2-477A-9992-B5471E11ED04.jpeg621FFA16-DF70-41B5-9457-F7A83A5B928A.jpeg
 
Aug 20, 2007
2,727
45
Nashville TN
welcome. I'd also recommend checking out the DII section on Landroverforums.com. It's a bit more active over there.

Some people don't like the inline thermostat on here, but it's a fantastic mod. If you don't do that, at LEAST install a soft spring 180 degree thermostat (britpart makes one). Your wallet and your engine with thank you. I also highly recommend installing an ultra gauge or scan gauge to constantly monitor your temps. Anything over 210 degrees and I start to take measures to reduce heat on the engine. the stock temperature gauge does not start to move up into the red well until it's too late. you don't want a big overheat issue.

Parts shortlist
New:
Atlanticbritish.com
roversnorth.com
rockauto.com
greatbasinrovers.com

Used Parts:
Will Tillery (rover guy.net he's on here)
Roverland Parts
Paul Grant

Lifts:
Rtefab.com
old man emu
Terrafirma (lowest quality)

offroad stuff:
goliath offroad
rtefab
ARB
Terrafirma

stay on top of your cooling system and address problems as they arise and you should be set.
 

LandyBobandy

Active member
Jul 8, 2021
34
8
Colorado
Welcome! I'm new to the disco game myself.

If you don't want to bite the bullet on a Ultragauge you can get a cheap obd scanner on Amazon and monitor your temps via an android or iPhone app.
 

DiscoII_P

Member
Apr 13, 2021
6
3
SoCal
welcome. I'd also recommend checking out the DII section on Landroverforums.com. It's a bit more active over there.

Some people don't like the inline thermostat on here, but it's a fantastic mod. If you don't do that, at LEAST install a soft spring 180 degree thermostat (britpart makes one). Your wallet and your engine with thank you. I also highly recommend installing an ultra gauge or scan gauge to constantly monitor your temps. Anything over 210 degrees and I start to take measures to reduce heat on the engine. the stock temperature gauge does not start to move up into the red well until it's too late. you don't want a big overheat issue.

Parts shortlist
New:
Atlanticbritish.com
roversnorth.com
rockauto.com
greatbasinrovers.com

Used Parts:
Will Tillery (rover guy.net he's on here)
Roverland Parts
Paul Grant

Lifts:
Rtefab.com
old man emu
Terrafirma (lowest quality)

offroad stuff:
goliath offroad
rtefab
ARB
Terrafirma

stay on top of your cooling system and address problems as they arise and you should be set.

Wow, thank you so much for this! I will definitely look into installing the soft spring therm and Scan/Ultra gauge, kinda figured the stock temp gauge was faulty since it hardly moved (if at all) while I had the truck running for some time. Last thing I need is for my engine to blow so I will be putting this at the top of the list