Hell yea! Get it while the gettins' good...

Finicky-a$$ trucks; haven't had MIL lamp in forever & i suppose that since my registration & state inspect are due next month, the SAI is acting up with fault codes. Truck needs to get outta here with that nonsense. A never-ending battle is what the D2 ownership is.

 

Which "reputable mechanic" did you speak to?

You're local to me right? If so, you should give jahn Leonard a call at rovin rovers. V8 Disco's are regularly raced in Europe. Anyone telling you otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about.

Go check out friesian racing (sp?) on YouTube. They're getting sideways in a D1 with even less horsepower The V8 was a staple of the Bowler racing disco's.

i've been seriously considering rallycrossing a d2. I think it'd be a hoot!

 

it was a shop in Snoqualmie and he has a rally background. I have seen the videos and will give the shop you recommend a call on Monday.

if you want to get together and kick tires over breakfast, let me know

 

Update

After a fun run up some forest roads, I am re inspired to make Tricky Dick a Rally Rover.

I have been researching and the biggest problem I have is I don't have a template to follow so I may have to go through some trial and error. And...to be clear, I am not making a rock crawler, swamper, or cross country truck.

The first item that I need to sort out is the suspension. Right now on stock, I get too much body roll so I can't load up the suspension for the "Fin Flick".

The trade off here, or rather my concern is that if I go with a stiffer suspension set up, when I hit the jumps my spine will exit through my skull.

Looking at the Fox Pro Series & King but, not sure what travel size I should look at and...I can't find any type of "bump stop" for landing. Should I look at a specific set of springs instead of a "bump stop"?

I am really considering the King 2.5 Coil over Piggyback Reservoir with Spring

The second item that I need to sort out for V1 is the rear diff. I need to figure out a way to change the gearing ratio. Again, no template to go off of but, curious...has anyone swapped the rear diff for a different year or model to get a different ratio?

@Robert - I check out Jahn's website and may be giving him a call as he is just a few miles away from me. I am curious if Jahn has worked on a truck or knows anyone in the community that has done what I am trying to do.

 

here you go!
Jahn has a highly modified racing VW bug.
Another guy to ping is Keith from Northrup Fabrication. He just built a race ATV for his brother to compete in King of the Hammers in Vegas. He also built the chassis on his "trophy rat" that is often videoed getting some serious air. http://northrupfab.com/

 

Thanks Robert, I talked to Rovin Rovers today.

I will update the thread as more information becomes available

 

Jahn's very knowledgeable. The only challenge is that this is his livelihood, so if he's not charging billable hours he's losing money.

 

We did discuss that and I completely understand his business model. I am not opposed and he is interested in the project (who wouldn't be??).

We need to talk about the $$ and expectations a little more and will update as to the direction I will go.

If I decide to green light this, I will start a Tricky Dick build thread so others can follow in my footsteps. It will always boil doing to $$ and if I am willing to invest that into the Rally Rover verses buying a 944 for the track or a Subaru for the gravel.

I "might" toss out the feelers on the UK forums as the only Rally Rovers I have seen are over there.