Yep, unless you rig some sort of combination funnel / ramp. I'd cover the project area with a cheap tarp so you don't leave a big trail.

 

I got a very large funnel and coolant still went everywhere. Strange design.

Thanks to you guys here's the progress so far:

 

You'll be done before New Years!

While you are doing this you will encounter things that are not broken but may need cleaning to restore showroom condition. Spary brake cleaner works on lots of things besides brakes. Also, some hoses you move will be brittle, and not seal back up well. Good idea when doing this to replace all the soft vacuum lines, only takes a few feet of tubing from parts store.

That black coolant bottle is also a source of enjoyment, there have been posts about those cracking, might want to look into swaping him out with a newer white bottle from a donor vehicle.

Take lots of pictures.

 

And in the tech sticy for Disco 1, look at "Seafoam induction cleaning " which you can now do most of with a rag, and pollen filter replacement.

 

Is brake cleaner better to use than carb cleaner, or a general degreaser like purple power? Do you mean use a pollen filter as a rag? Is seafoam an even better choice than brake cleaner or does each cleaner work better for a specific job? You're right, I would like to clean all the parts I take off.

 

brake cleaner will spot clean dried on crud and evaporate. Purple power and such is good for grime, where you can let it soak a bit. Would not advise that inside the garage. Seafoam is a product (solvent) that is normally sucked into the engine or introduced through the fuel tank to clean off gunk inside (similar to carb cleaner on the outside. Now that you have it open, carb cleaner will work. Like that big casting you took off that has 4.0 in the top.

The pollen filter is a row of material that goes in that plastic space between the engine and the windshield, it keep leaves and pine straw out of there and your AC interior fan.

 

When I was younger I thought it was hilarious to drive around the neighborhood seafoaming my 86 Cressida

I'm noticing there are different brands of head gasket kits and I'm not sure which one to get. The OE kit costs more but the brands both say "British Pacific". There are other brands too but the differences aren't clear. I wonder if they're made with different materials or coated with Teflon. Are these improved versions of the original HG on there now? I'll call British Pacific unless someone knows that one is definitely better.

Head Gasket Set for Land Rover Discovery 1 V8 - BPWBKT6, BPWBKT7, STC4082 - 1997

 

The British Pacific guy didn't seem to know much about the differences. After some more research it looks like the the Allmakes gaskets are Teflon coated which I understand is good. I'll probably be going with them.

 

Did you hear from Will Tillery yet? You may want to call him.

 

What condition are your radiator and hater hoses in?

There is a short piece of hose from the block to a metal pipe and then from the pipe to the firewall for the heater and a third piece back from the firewall. On mine, that short piece had severely cracked and coolant was oozing thru it and puddling up on top of the water pump. When I had my alternator off, it was evident. With the alternator on, you could barely see that piece of hose. I replaced the heater hoses, deleted the curved piece of pipe and went directly from the block to the firewall. That eliminated the leak.

While you have it drained and apart, you should also look at replacing the heater and radiator hoses, especially if they are the original ones. It could save you a costlier problem later and save you a lot of extra effort.

Keep in mind while you are cleaning various things that you are dealing with the internals of the engine. So you want to avoid anysoap type cleaners that would leave a residue that would not be good for the inside of the engine. Stick with formulations that are intended to be used with internal combustion engines or that will completely evaporate.