I finally got my hands on 4 "6-ton" jack stands and a decent bottle jack so I'm hoping that work can commence on removing the TerraFirma 2" lift kit. Still looking for stock springs to install thereafter for support but for now the rover should be fine perched on the jack stands. Currently I have both front tires and front calipers/pads removed, both prop-shafts and the power steering gearbox - Starting to wonder if that was a mistake! Now the wheel hubs move freely. At the moment the front end is already perched on jack stands, just need to install the bottle jack on top of the front axle. Anyways so what is the first step in removing the front springs shocks and hardware?

Note: Ill add pics of the area on Wednesday to give you all an idea where im at and what im dealing with exactly.

 

Well since removal is the reverse of installation, would it not be the same as the last step you performed for the installation?

I was wondering why you had not been onboard the forum lately.

I may have my old front springs laying around somewhere in my garage, I will have to look and see. If I do, I could trade them to you for some of the goodies that you are removing.

With the front tires off, you may as well plan to leave it on the jack stands, but what are you going to do with the "skeleton" after you strip her?

Are you going to put some kind of wheels and tires back on it?

Sounds like a very interesting experience. What do you plan on doing with the fenders, doors and the main body pieces?

Do you have a spacious garage you are doing this in?

Take some pics of what you do so you can share this ordeal with the rest of the group. I think lots of people will have an interest in what is involved in "deconstructing" a Discovery.

With the price of AL what it is, you will get a better return taking the left over body pieces to a recycler than what the average junk car buyer will want to pay you, even though they will usually drag it away for you, they usually try to lowball you.

Good Luck with it.

 

I do miss being on here Been hanging around the classifieds section posting several parts threads etc. https://landroverforums.com/forum/pr...ntinued-42506/

"Deconstructing" the Disco has been a very educational process for me indeed. Many frustrating moments along the way to haha. Still trying to prep the engine and transmission for removal sometime in the next month or so. At the moment the Disco sits on a friends property where I slowly work it when I get a day off (Wednesdays and Thursdays only) so time is very tight at the moment. I do not have a garage but once I get my new rover I plan on renting a storage and putting the engine, trans, transfer case and any other parts in there into I sell them. Who knows, one day I might be able to rebuild the engine and sell it for a profit! Im currently working on the lift and the differential shifter assembly. Got most of the bolts out but still cant figure out how to detach the arm from the transmission. As for the lit kit, it came with my disco so i really dont know exactly how to install/remove one. But im sure i will figure it out with alittle help from our community But yes once i get the lift off id like to use old springs to keep the rover supported (assuming ill still need to access the underbody for more parts in the near future) plus i plan on removing those axles to. But until then i need her raised secure. Been thinking more about the aluminum panels like you said and I may end up just doing that. Gotta find the appropriate place to sell them (who exactly buys aluminum??). Due to time and money, im going to use the profits i get from parting out this disco to buy a $1000 range rover or disco, use it until tax time then combine my tax return, with my saving to buy a legit Disco 2. Have afew im looking into.

1988 Range Rover

1989 Range Rover County Automatic

1993 RRC for sale in CT - Land Rover Forums : Land Rover and Range Rover Forum

1997 Land Rover Discovery

2000 Landrover Discovery II *** I really want this one!!! hopefully its still available for tax time!

 

Not being familar with your area of the country, it is impossible for me to tell you who you could sell it to. But I will relate some info on scrapping that I have done lately here in the metro Pittsburgh PA area. Since Pittsburgh is the original home of both US Steel and various other metals mills and related processors, there is an abundance of scrap yards in every area of the county and surrounding country side as well.

I no longer work and am forced to get by on Social Security Disability and a small pension from Boeing Aerospace based on my past employment with McDonnel Douglas which was acquored by Boeing. It is less than 1/3 of what I was making when working professionally, so I had to get creative on making extra money to maintain my Discovery.

Copper currently is over 3 dollars a pound. Aluminum is also pretty high currently. Stainless steel brings a good price as well. Bulk steel is not very high, but if I am headed to the scrapyard, I take whatever I can get into the Discovery. I removed the middle seats, with those out, there is approxomately 6 feet of space from the front seats to the rear door. I separate the various metals, since each has a separate price. And depending on what I have determines how I load the truck. Weight is no problem for the Disco, mine has OME heavy duty springs on the rear.

I have made 5 or 6 trips to a place called North Side Metals. They are a small family run scrap yard that has been in business for over 60 years. Funny thing is they are only a few blocks away from the new stadiums (Pittsburgh Steelers Heinz Field, Pirates PNC Park) and the brand new downtown Casino. I wait until the morning traffic rush clears, take the back streets from my house, thru the "Strip District" of old Pittsburgh Produce warehouses that sit on the banks of the Allegheny River, cross over the Roberto Clemente Bridge, drive past PNC Park to the scrap yard. They give you the fair market price based on the material weight with no hassle.

You back your vehicle up thru their gate, park on a truck scale, they weigh the loaded truck. You drive out the gate, enter the next gate to the steel area, unload the truck with the bulk steel and other low grade material, drive back onto the scale, they weigh your truck again and write down the unloaded weight and you get paid on the difference in weight between loaded and unloaded. Aluminum, stripped copper, unstripped copper, stainless, or other exotics are presented and those are weighed on other smaller scales, the guy figures your total amount and gives you cash. No hassles, no taxes. They take literally any scrap metals. Mixed or unclean stuff is a lower rate.

I used my background in electrical/electronics and other manufacturing and some basic tools (vice, hacksaw, hammers, screwdrivers, wire cutters) to "Deconstruct" whatever I find and mine the raw materials to maximize my profits. I consider it to be modern day mining. And I don't even have to go underground.

I cleaned out our double garages, took them dead lawn mowers, bicyles, a bown engine block, old brake rotors, old exhaust pipes, mufflers, stove I picked up by an apartment dumpster, a couple of old steel file cabints that were rusted and the drawers did not work well. A bucket of old bolts, lug nuts, old rusty wrenches, a sledge hammer with a broken hammer. All kinds of junk. Old lawn furniture. They take it all. Just from cleaning out my garage and the area around it, I got over $300 in two trips.

We had a couple of dead TV's, one a big projection unit that the trash truck refused to even take because it was too large for the trashman to handle by himself. I took my tools (mostly a large FatMax Hammer) and busted up the tv's stripped the copper and aluminum from them putting those in separate cardboard boxes or trash bags. I got over 30 pounds of copper, 15 pounds of aluminum (heat sinks in electronics are usually aluminum), some mixed metals at bulk rate (Lawnmowers with the rubber tires still on them) got another 100 bucks.

The local 7-11 was replacing several display racks for cigarettes. Habib told me to take them, it was only 40 bucks because it was all mixed bulk rate, but free money is money.

I started cruising the local neighborhood on trash day and grabbed several items, you would be surprised what people throw out for the trash truck. I have supplemented my limited income this way. Whatever I pick up, I "Deconstruct" to recover the copper and aluminum. Then the rest is bulk steel rate.

You do what you have to do to survive these days.

 

I hear what your saying Danny I've considered salvaging materials myself, but at the moment I have no vehicle so first priority is getting money and buying another Rover. People will disagree with my choice to by another Rover at the moment under these specific circumstances but thats my choice - besides winter is just around the corner and I dont need another jeep to hold me back! Ive spent alot of time with my Rover, fixing her up, and now deconstructing her so I have most of the ropes down and learned already. I assume that my next Rover experience will be well thought out, prepared and ahead of the game. I have a whole collection of Disco specified tools now so i should be able to handle anything that comes my way with the next Rover.

But now I really need advice on removing that lift kit. Since the front end is already perched on stands ill be starting there - probably with the passenger side.

 

If your parting the truck out i wouldnt mess with puting springs back under it. Just use a 4x4 block of wood cut to length instead unless you have springs to put back in it.

 

My concern is in the event that I need to tow the bulk away on a tow truck... cant imagine any other way they will get the rover on the bed without wheels and springs installed to help roll the rig up onto the bed.

 

Most rollbacks have some large winches (20-30000 lb) it doesnt matter if you have wheels axles or even tires on it theyll pull it on no problem unless they have aluminum beds. Its up to you just trying to save you a few bucks if you dont have any extra springs to put on it.

 

I was going to buy used or trade some of my parts for used springs bit ill take your suggestion and used blocks. Just watched a video Spike sent me and think i can manage removing the lift. Ill Finnish removing the bolts that secure the shock towers, then remove the bolts that secure the lower spring, use the bottle jack to lower the axle then wiggle free each spring. Now Im glad im doing this... because now i know how to INSTALL a lift kit for future sake

 

I checked out the pics you posted for the used Rovers. I would grab one , if not more than 1, of those RR's in a big hurry, especially the one with the low miles and the alreready rebuilt engine. It looks like the best deal.

Any of those early Range Rovers would be an awesome truck, I would rather have them than the DII, much simpler vehicle without the electronics. If you are set on a DII, you should keep your T/C so you would have a Locking Center Diff shifter.