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The discovering Discos aren’t junk resto DD buildo threado dealio
***EDIT*** I got another one! Look to post #62 for the start of the latest one.
So I’m on my second Disco and figured I finally would document the ridiculous amount of work and the 180 degree turnaround of my initial thoughts of D2s via my latest one.
Now if you frequent Expedition Portal, you may have come across my silly thread on my irrational desire for one. I had wanted a Disco since grad school, but heard all the ignorant horror stories and had shied away from them because of that. Well, when we left Kalifornistan for UT, I decided having a funreliable toy might be kinda cool. I got the green light from the boss, and off to the races. The story then really started with my first D2: an ‘01 SE7 that I thought was pretty well sorted. Turns out, it was a decent one and I spent a good bit of time learning the platform and seeing what was done wrong and how to do it better the next time.
Last edited by longtallsally; 02-14-2022 at 09:41 AM.
Sadly (but not really, as I think I have a MUCH better one now), I killed this one when I screwed up in not checking the tire pressures for basically that entire year and ended up like this after going around an off ramp and the tire came off the bead.
It was never even an option to contact the insurance company as there would no way I’d get anything for it, so I just had it towed to the house. After a short debate, I decided to go for another one- and now became one of the cool kids as I had a parts truck!
I had flown to CO for the black one, and decided I wanted a Kalifornistan machine this time for obvious reasons. After searching for a couple weeks I found a couple possibles in SoCal and even did a deposit on one and booked the flight. It was WAY worse than described, and when I offered a more appropriate amount, he wouldn’t budge, so it was off to the second one. My buddy that was being Julie Cruise Director took us on to the second one that happened to be at a tiny “buy here pay here” kinda lot (usually a death wish for a machine). Hindsight, I wish I’d taken a pic from the lot as it would have been kinda cool as a memory, but I was focused on the task at hand as the thing needed to make it quite a distance on its own so I didn’t have to inconvenience the boss or get a truck or the like should things go sideways.
I had packed some critical tools, the iCarsoft, the Ultragauge, a sleeping bag, etc, to have a fun fly and drive adventure, so I was all set. I spent about 40 minutes crawling all around and under the machine with gloves and everything before I even started it. The test drive went well with the UG hooked up and temps were great, despite the nectar of Satan (Dexcool) in the engine. The best parts? It had bags (I wanted them), ACE (I’m pretty well known for loving both these systems), heated windshield, Harmon Kardon stereo, and overall was pretty sorted. It didn’t even have surface rust on the frame or any components! And to add the unicorn treatment, ZERO leaks!!!! About the only downside was that the tires were pretty dry rotted and I decided to roll the dice and drive it home on the ones on it (original spare was there too).
It’s a ‘00 SE7 with no SAI, so I was pretty excited.
One the drive home in a spot where I slept for a bit in it (you know, had to do the initial bonding and all...).
And that is really the beginning of the “build” thread (never really understood how just making a little nicer and adding a few bolt ons really constitutes a “build” but whatever).
I make it home with nary an issue and took a few more shots of it. Some more details: 142k on the clock. Never had head gaskets. A few other repairs here and there from some records. It appears it was originally sold in GA and then someone ended up at Vanderbilt’s med school (based on records and the sticker on the bumper). The crazy part is that it was dealer maintained for quite a long time. The little dealer must have spent a couple hundred bucks cleaning it as the thing was pretty spotless. I mean the engine bay alone!
The only appreciable blemish was a pretty healthy ding in the back.
So as I’m starting my list of stuff to fix, within a couple days of getting home, it decides to remind me it’s a Disco.
I’m not deterred and after doing some healthy night time reading to this day do not understand the hate for the bag system. It’s simple, easy to diagnose, and if you look correctly, cheap to fix.
Anyway, the list of stuff I knew needed to be fixed straight away:
- Both sunroofs
- Fan clutch
- Get rid of the Dexcool
- Cruise Control (just fixed it in the black one, so I knew what to do and had the parts)
- Steering box needed adjustment
- Missing bushing for the hood support
- All the running lights front and rear needed replaced
- Clock LCD was wonky
- One side of the HVAC controls lights weren’t working
- Driver, passenger, and tailgate door lock actuators
- A pillar trim
- Windshield cowl
- Cup holders under the HVAC
- Rear center arm rest cup holder
- C pillar trim
- Rear center seat belt retractor seized
Additionally, I had a set of GBR driveshafts from the black one to put in, the stereo, and the better cup holders.
Last edited by longtallsally; 01-12-2019 at 06:38 PM.
I got most all of those parts directly from the black one, so I’m out pennies. I get the vast majority of that stuff sorted as well as some various clips and stuff just to make it all correct in the interior (I’m a nut about that stuff) and am pretty much ready to put it on the road. I decided to see if in fact the tires were wasted from the black one and sure enough after I dug out all the dirt and stuff from the one that took the brunt, I took it to a shop to dismount and remount it. Those tires are still on it. Obviously I keep a nice tire pressure gauge and check the pressure pretty religiously these days...
After the coolant flush I thought it a good idea to keep the ACE and power steering in good shape. Sure enough the power steering had ATF in there and I went ahead and got the correct stuff in it and then bled the ACE system and changed the filter.
At this point it’s ready for DD duties and I was dumbfounded to see it get a legit 17 MPG for a few tanks on my commute! Now I drive like a total grandpa, but still, I thought that was pretty darn good for a machine this old and such.
I get the cool guy cup holders in and the dash is all set for the time being. I also really like the cargo over as I park in an open lot in downtown and it’s a nice thing to keep those peeking inside from wanting to explore my gym bag or the like.
I also got all the running lights swapped out and new LED bulbs in the main beams. I also fixed a wiggly fog light that was just missing one of the mounting screws.
I decided I was pretty hooked and deep into it, so I might as well do it right and splurge for a Nanocom. Very much worth it as it’s helped diagnose and fix a few things as well as set the height of the bags since the lift.
And with that, it’s lift time!
Once I got the shocks out, it was obvious how bad the others were. This is after I got done.
At this point, I’m ready to even take it off road a bit. A quick impromptu run to a trail around the corner from the house. No extended brake or ABS lines and it still flexed this well. As this was my first outing off road with a Disco, I was pretty impressed.
01-12-2019, 04:29 PM
The discovering Discos aren’t junk resto DD buildo threado dealio
