Blog my ride: Discovery 300 TDi -lowering + sorting

[John Clayton]

Right then Muddy Funsters,
Here's some gen on the world's longest, slowest and most tortuous repair of a Discovery (or so it feels).  I hope to update this regularly with new info on the project. 
Also, I'm new to this game so a number of things will probably be put to you, the jury, for decision.

To set the scene, here's a description of the vehicle:

VEHICLE SPEC

White 1994 Land Rover Discovery 300 Tdi
[R380 Gearbox] 3 door

Main use is weekend green-laning with road trips to get to the venues
Standard propshaft at rear
Front propshaft came adrift and broke off last time vehicle was driven (apparently from a poorly executed suspension lift)

3 Inch lift Kit (yellow springs)
Shock Absorbers: Delphi ‘De Carbon Performance’       
Serial numbers:   V45 3884 23 & V45 3883 23   [orange in colour]
Dislocation Cones.
Rebel Steering Guard.

Famous Four Steel, Tie Rod Guard.
JFT Rear Bumper
JFT Front Winch Bumper.
JFT Rock Sliders.
Fuel tank guard (bar grille)

T –Max 12000 Winch + Remote. (Possibly Used 5 times Max.)
 
Mach 5 Wheels  [no factory website found]
http://www.forgetec4x4.co.uk/   [these don’t look quite the same] 

5 x Brand New Bronco Grizzly Claw Tyres (Dec 2005). 
http://www.bronco4x4.com   
 
Diff Guards: Standard on front, QT soon to be fitted on rear
Safari Snorkel.
Heavy Duty Winch Battery,
New Alternator
New Starter Motor
Drivers Seat Converted to Range Rover. Original Still Here.
All Carpets Removed Floor Heavily painted,
Rear Shelving System For Extra Storage, (Made From 25mm Foamex)
New brake Pads
New Prop Joints
New Hand Brake Drum + Shoes
All New Track Rod Ends
New Steering Bars 
STD Spare Wheel But Shod With Grizzly Claw Tyre

[Range Rover Blues]

A 3" lift caused the front prop to break :shock:

[John Clayton]

The current plan is to re-install the gearbox (now fixed after the prop came adrift, flailed and knocked a hole in it)
G/box case was professionally welded and the internals inspected

Ordered a Britpart clutch but then was persuaded otherwise by you lot:
http://www.mud-club.com/forum/index.php/topic,56749.msg503957.html#msg503957
so have sent it back and paid the extra for an AP (Borg and Beck) -just waiting for it to arrive.

Have also waited 2 weeks for Mark of Discoparts to get back off sick leave and give me a quote -not happy with their slow service or the fact that only he knows the price of the parts and he is reportedly the boss so cannot take it up with anyone else there   :|

[John Clayton]

Yes, the 3" lift presumably took the standard prop to the point where it was either binding or just generally at too severe an angle, and it let go at the gearbox end.

I'm going for a wide angle front prop this time (I hope a standard rear prop will still be OK) and lowering it to 2" so that Castor correction etc. not necessary, as discussed here:
http://www.mud-club.com/forum/index.php/topic,31283.msg303804.html#msg303804
 

[Range Rover Blues]

How much is the wide angle prop then?

It's not what I would suggest but I guess without castor correction you may be ok :-k  I'd almost expect a standard gearbox UJ to wear out quickly with that much lift, but you were unlucky if it actually let go :-o

[John Clayton]

Well, I have to nominate www.discoparts.com for the 'Worst customer service award 2008'.  Mark (boss of Discoparts) and I initially talked through my order at length and he promised to get back to me by the next day.  However, he then took on a 2nd job (for which he could ill afford the time, apparently) and was away from Discoparts nearly all the time.  None of his employees were allowed to quote a price on anything (so therefore can't sell it!), and I left countless messages for him over 3-4 weeks.  I never got called back once (although I was promised 'he will get back to you in a couple of days' so many times).  Completely useless -and very rude, frankly.   [-X They have effectively ceased trading as far as I can tell.   
I don't need to be messed about by people, especially when I'm trying to give them 100s of pounds of trade! 

I then went to Peter of Exeter 4x4 who was a lot better.  The following was ordered:

4x Britpart springs (to lower it from 3" to 2"
Wide angle front propshaft £132.00 plus vat
P Gasket for water pump P gasket     Â£2.78 plus vat (genuine metal one!)
Steering drag link
Auxiliary drive belt  £6.77 plus vat.
2x Front wheel bearings
QT rear diff guard
Prop joints (GKN £6.83 each plus vat)
Rear a frame balljoint (adjustable one at £16.50 all plus vat)
Service kit inc Engine oil
 

[muddymart]

Well, I have to nominate www.discoparts.com for the 'Worst customer service award 2008'.

well that isnt really fair Neat40 as i already have a garage awaiting the said award !!!

can we have a thread for "garages that dont give a donkeys excrement "

[Xtremeteam]

have to say one thing,


they saw you coming :lol: :lol:

[John Clayton]

Here's a question, then:
If you want to avoid corrosion you've got to jetwash the mud off the underneath after an off-roading day, but this could blast the grease out of the bearings e.g. prop UJs (Catch 22).  How do you guys deal with this?

Anyone tried Waxoyl, Dinitrol or http://www.before-n-after.co.uk/ for rust-proofing?

[wizard]

The ujs are sealed to stop crud getting in. Once you have washed all the mud off give each uj a squirt of grease.

wizard :twisted:

[Range Rover Blues]

Wizard is right, washing is the first half of the job, LR like to be oiled and greased regulalry if they get abused.

[andyhubbard]

This is a family site :roll:,Andy what you and your good lady do in the quiet as nothing to do with us :lol:. Oh sorry your on about the landy. I'll get my coat and go now i just couldn't resist it.

[John Clayton]

Sorry for forgetting about this blog, but I'll get it going again now.
To catch up with things, the following has happened:


The Britpart clutch that was sent back got lost in the post so that wasted about £80.  Andy, the chap who was doing the work, sent it back normal post (i.e. not recorded) so I'm not sure if I'll even be able to get any compensation.

I then ordered some parts from DISCOPARTS.
The brake shoes were sent separately to the rest of the order and some random punter at my workplace (4000 people there) apparently signed for the parcel (stupid courier should have been more careful) and so they disappeared.  Dozens (if not Scores) of unanswered calls to resolve the problem eventually got a replacement parcel sent free of charge sorted but Mark Casey (DISCOPARTS) is definitely quite unprofessional as a trader in my experience and I would recommend going to somewhere less 'two-bit' to be honest.  I should have seen the writing on the wall with their earlier awful customer service (see earlier in this blog) so I've got only myself to blame.

Then Andy said that the newly welded up (and internally inspected) gearbox only worked in several gears, to my dismay.  I put loads of time into sourcing another 2H box until he realised weeks later that he had connected the linkage up wrongly.  It now drives but the change is very stiff 'cos he put some random oil in it rather than the proper stuff.  He did a service on the vehicle but it lacks power, I'm told.  He didn't get round to charging the battery and that is now u/s, although I think it was too far gone by the time he got involved anyway to be honest.  Andy changed the springs to lower it from 3" to 2" but reckoned that it didn't look any different from before.  I hope he's wrong 'cos Exeter 4x4 sold me the springs specifically to lower it and they had a full spec of the vehicle to calculate its weight and the necessary spring poundage./length

Andy is no longer able to work on the vehicle so there is another guy who has taken it on called Tommo who is a real enthusiast and seems very good from what I've seen.  His communication is regular and he's proactive and industrious so I think he will get 'The Landy Project from Hell' back on track if anyone can!

The side exit exhaust needs replacing but the new exhaust is stainless and we haven't got TIG kit to weld it so it'll have to be a normal exhaust -is that likely to be vulnerable compared to side exit types?

Next jobs are batteries, split charge system, welding, fitting exhaust, changing diff + gbox oil & getting it MOTd.

[Budgie]

I would get that gearbox oil sorted asap if it's being driven. If he's put something like EP90 in there instead of ATF or MTF then it could wreck the gearbox internal oil pump!!  ;)

You should be OK with the standard exhaust tail, although it maybe worth cutting the end back a wee bit as mine got squashed. 

[mandrover]

Well the gearbox oils are now changed for the correct ones. I have now fitted the new exhaust which sounds great. The car seems quite sluggish in the lower revs, especially when cold. It seems very reluctant to pick up  but is ok when the turbo kicks in, Any ideas?

[Henry Webster]

It's been off the road for some time.  I think you'll find giving it some heavy use will make a big difference really quickly. 

Mine gets used infrequently these days, and when I do get to take it out it always feels a bit sleepy, but after some heavy right foot treatment its soon back to normal. 

Fresh fuel might help too - have you changed the filters?

[Budgie]

If it still feels sluggish after that then maybe look into altering the position of the diaphragm on the injector pump to give you a bit more fuel (assuming that's not been done already  ;) ).

[thermidorthelobster]

Anyone tried Waxoyl, Dinitrol or http://www.before-n-after.co.uk/ for rust-proofing?

Had mine done at www.rustmaster.co.uk just before Christmas.

The steel bits that I can see all appear to be nicely protected.  There are a couple of downsides:  now when you work on the vehicle you get covered in black muck;  some of the mist settled on the paintwork and had to be polished off.

The main point I'm not sure about is whether all the insides of the box sections, doors etc are indeed properly protected.  They do aim to do inside everything but let's face it, the only way I'll find out if it worked is when the car doesn't go rusty in several years' time.

One other thought;  if they'd done inside the door sections then surely the windows would pick up a layer of waxoyl when they are wound up and down...  they don't...?

[John Clayton]

A number of spots of welding are due to be tackled now -"the more you look, the more you find", Tommo says!

Anyone know how hard it is to change a windscreen motor?  The current one is shot.

Hoping to put it in for MOT within a couple of weeks

[Henry Webster]

I don't suppose its much fun as it must be a dash out job.  Fairly straightforward on the racer with little in the way of dash!

Its a pity I've just sold s/h wiper motor you could've had!

H

[ChrisW70]

Wiper motor is relatively easy, accessed from under the bonnet.
Take the wiper arms off, the plastic trim under the bottom of the windscreen then a few large philips screws and the plate with the motor bolted to it lifts out - probably the most fiddly part is getting to a couple of the screws and the flying ground lead thats in the drip tray below the windscreen.

Going from memory that is... ymmv  :roll:

[Henry Webster]

There you go - shows how many I've had to change, then!  Its always a bit misleading working on a stripped out racer!

[John Clayton]

Thanks for the advice guys.

We had the vehicle out at this event 3 months ago:
http://www.abingdon4x4festival.com/

and it went very well, but it had 2 problems:
1.  There was a lot of clunking whenever we went round a corner (several marshals told us it was knackered CV joints)
2.  The new serpentine belt got chewed up because the alternator pulley was well loose on its shaft so it was pulled at an angle by the belt's tension.   This then meant that the belt was getting rubbed by the edge lip on the pulley.

Nigel, Stevie and I had a sesh on the vehicle yesterday and changed the CV joints + tightened up the alternator's pulley.  The latter job was really hard -we had to remove the alternator, put it in a vice, jam the core from turning by wedging a screwdriver in and then we took the pulley off by using a huge torque bar on its centre nut.  We then reassembled it with WD40 on the thread, but I was stunned by how much torque I had to put on with this huge bar to get the pulley tight against the shaft.  It was only when I was pulling as hard as I possibly could (with Stevie holding the bench to keep it still!) that we got it tight enough that the pulley wasn't able to spin on the shaft.  Is this normal?

We also snapped one of the front brake pipes (the short rigid pipe that goes into the caliper) -anyone got any ideas where I can get a new (or secondhand) pipe from that will be the right shape/end fittings?  I looked on Paddock's website but they didn't appear to have anything.

Also, the battery bracket is missing on this vehicle -nothing on Paddock's site or eBay -anyone got any ideas?

[Henry Webster]

The brake pipes are just normal short brake pipes with ends aren't they?

I may have some suitable short lengths that I made up as spares before we went fully flexi on the front end of the racer, that I could spare.  Sadly my brake flaring tool got stolen out of the van last year so I can't just make some up.

Otherwise most motor factors should be able to make them for you off the shelf.  Or buy a roll of brake pipe some ends and a flaring tool and do it yourself.  Flaring tool is a useful investment if you are into playing with cars anyway.

H

[Henry Webster]

Re: battery bracket.  Dead easy couple of lengths of M6 or M8 threaded rod and a length of small angle iron should sort it out I would imagine.

Battery bracket is really vital if you are going off road.  Very easy to crack battery if you are bouncing around!

[Disco Matt]

Battery straps aren't difficult - just go to your local Motorworld and buy a length of perforated metal strip, it already has holes drilled so you simply have to cut it to length and bolt it in. I've had one of these for ages as the original strap wouldn't fit the non-genuine parts battery.

[John Clayton]

We're having another go at fitting the new brake pipe tonight but the old brake pipe nut is seized in (the pipe snapped off leaving the pipe's threaded collar in place).  The collar is pretty much rounded off so I'm hoping Nigel can work his magic with a special removal tool to get it out!

[John Clayton]

Had a great sesh with these guys last weekend:


Landy was great and the lads who helped me restore it (not to mention the wife) got loads of driving as a 'thank you'.

We got 2 punctures in the last few minutes of the day   :'(  but thanks to Steve (one of the Club organisers) for lending me his spare wheel and generally helping us get mobile again.

Next job is to look at Ground Anchors cos I'm shipping the vehicle to the Falklands (got 2 months At Her Majesty's Pleasure down there).  There are no trees to winch off cos it's too windy for em to grow in the Falklands!

Any advice on Ground Anchors would be appreciated:
www.mud-club.com > Sales/Wants > Wanted > GROUND ANCHOR (or buying/using advice)
http://www.mud-club.com/forum/index.php/topic,77070.0.html

[J.D.]

I can do a folding ground anchor, spade type for about £80.00 plus shipping if that is any good. Will get some photos if you would like.

[John Clayton]

Yes please to the photos.  If you're going to post them onto this forum, can you do it on this thread, please?:

www.mud-club.com > Sales/Wants > Wanted > GROUND ANCHOR (or buying/using advice)
             http://www.mud-club.com/forum/index.php/topic,77070.msg623739.html#msg623739

Despite my best efforts to get the winch working again in time, the vehicle had to go on the ship to the Falklands before the Auto Elec had got it done, so I'm down here now near Stanley with no winch.

I went out for the first jolly the other day and recced out a nice stream to cross in a remote part.  It had been driven through before and was only 30cm deep.  Couldnt get up the far side.  Couldnt get back out again.  That horrible sinking feeling.  There was no way it was coming out.  On my own in the back end of beyond (I know its not wise but not easy to find playmates when youve just arrived somewhere).

Walked out to the nearest track and thumbed a ride back to camp feeling like a right moron.