OMG, they keep coming to me: Once you buy whatever you decide to buy, double-check the lower radiator hose. These cause a lot of trouble for D1's. Reason is because they have a joint in the middle ..a hose goes up to the overflow tank. It's a bad design. And a replacement hose is very expensive. People who put off buying a replacement hose ..and their's develops a leak, can overheat and warp the heads or worse. So, if in doubt, change the hose with a new Land Rover (not aftermarket) hose, for engine safety and peace of mind.

I submit that a lot of D1's ended up in the junkyard because of a failed funky hose ...people were too cheap to replace.

 

I've got long legs so that is an issue. Had the same problem with my D2.
Anyway, I bought it. $1000 cash. It runs and drives.
Current Issues:
Power steering leak
One door won't unlock
Passenger seat doesn't move
Driver's door catch is a little broken
Battery is missing a clamp or something to hold it down
Front License plate bracket is broken
Could use some tires

Other than that, it's really clean. It's a 1999 and has 119k on the clock. Paint is pretty good. Swivel joints on the front axle are shiny and have no pitting at all. And I don't think that they leak.
No rust either

I will upload more photos soon

Thank you everyone for the guidance, I am very happy with my purchase. I think it will make a great weekend truck.

 

Looks like a nice rig! How bout some more pics when you get a chance?

All those things you mentioned are pretty simple and some are fairly common (like the power steering leak). The leak is often the return hose to the pump. Tightening the clamp may not do it, but shortening a little might. Sometimes it's the steering box output shaft seal too.

The seat (not going very far back) is an easy fix to get more legroom. It's been awhile, but I believe what guys do is remove the tracks and flip them around ...I believe there is a small modification that's needed, but do a search here, maybe you'll find it.

Enjoy!

 

Spare is plasti-dipped
May remove the dip later

Thanks

Regarding the passenger seat, it actually won't move at all. I have come to terms with the leg room because I will only drive this on weekends anyway. I am not sure what the issue is yet, could be the motor, switches, or maybe just a fuse.

The power steering leak definitely looks like the return hose and one is already on order.

Just some other things about the truck:
New head gaskets
new maf and iacv
new rotors and pads all all around
retrofitted HID headlights (Not sure if I like them)
new water pump and hayden fan clutch
new serpentine belt

Fuel pump is also on order as it was only $40 for the AirTex unit.

A lot of new parts on it. Again, I'm very happy with it. I also think that it drives a little better than my previous D2...

 

Yeah, you did well. Seems awfully rare the previous owner spent that money on it, most drive them into the ground. He must have had Land Rover in his blood too?? I bought mine down in Mountain View and it's also pretty clean, but not as clean or 'straight' as yours.

FWIW, I bought one of those inexpensive rear tire covers from China off Ebay for like $16-$18 or whatever they are ...with the Land Rover logo on it. It was spur of the moment because we were heading on a cross country vacation, my old one was getting ratty. It's held up really really well for about 4 years now, always sitting outside. You might consider some front mud flaps, but was yours ordered w/o them, or is the mounting hardware still under there? They're cheaper if you don't need new hardware. I broke down and ordered new Land Rover mud flaps for mine ...not wanting to bastardize it too much.

What are your plans for this machine? Just weekend trips??

 

looks like I don't have the hardware for front mudflaps. Oh well.

I would like to get a cover for the spare especially because the spare has a lot of tread.

I was originally planning on lifting it, but I like the way it looks at stock height.

Current plan is to fix the issues it currently has, change all the fluids, then put on some new tires. I'm thinking of getting some General Grabber HTS tires because they're pretty inexpensive. Should be good for the light off-roading that I do. Probably were serve as a weekend car and also for some weekend wheeling.

 

Sounds good. There are some great places you can go -- up into the Mtns or down towards Hollister. Have you driven around Hollister and checked out some of the crooked streets and offset porches where they straddle the fault? Some people's porches and steps don't line up with the front doors like they should ...you can see the sidewalks have shifted due to plate movement? It's pretty cool if you have an eye for that kind of stuff. We had some long time locals show us around and did some videoing.

Here are some cheap front mudflaps:
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 1 1994-1999 FRONT MUDFLAP KIT MUD FLAPS PAIR WITH FITTINGS | eBay

And one bracket so you can see what you need if you want to install them. Probably a cheaper source out there, maybe a bone yard to get all flaps and brackets?? I just checked mine, they're bolted to the floorboard with almost exactly 1" gap between the mudflap mount and the 'front' of the metal rocker. I'd consider aftermarket (no mountains molded in) for the fronts cause you can't see the graphic that well anyway like you can on the rear's (unless you're a purist, then go original):
392679 Land Rover Discovery 1 Front Mud Flap Bracket Left Hand Side | eBay

 

Say, can I ask you in a little greater detail your 'feelings' about your previous 04, and general owner experience? What was good and what didn't you care for?

I've actually been thinking about getting an 04 (not selling my D1). I understand the whole motor/headgasket/cracked block/droped liner situation. I have looked at a few with bad or weak motors. I would probably invest ($$$$) in a rebuild with hat-shaped liners, or go with a non-rover engine. BUT ....beyond the engine problems, which are well publicized, what other things bothered you about the 04 that you think might be different with the D1? Maybe I can learn a little from your 04 experience.

I thought Gen 2 Montero's might be a good rig, and test drove a couple. They certainly 'look' cool, but I didn't feel they drove all that great and were noisy inside. They 'felt' cheap like a 1980's thin-tin Japanese import, about the complete opposite of a heavy, solid Disco. So now I'm back to thinking about 04's. I don't plan to mod for any off-road wheeling ...just keep it stock. I've wheeled plenty of fun trails in CO and Moab with my D1 (not the most extreme trails) and it did just fine for what I wanted to do. The best scenery isn't on the extreme trails anyway. Plus I need to get back to the midwest!

Thanks

 

Thanks for those links

Hollister Hills SVRA has been my go-to place for years.

Honestly, I loved my 04. But there were just too many things that would go wrong with it that just forced me to sell it:
-Warping dash
-headliner
-clear coat fade
-rear differential going out
-Tail lights leaking in water
-Sunroof leaks
-9-10mpg
-transfer case leaks
-CDL unlocking issues

None of these seem to be an issue on my D1 (except the gas mileage but who cares). Even the headliner is ok. It might have been replaced in the past but I don't know.

My D2 was dealer maintained for 95K until I bought it. I maintain my vehicles very well, but the rear diff blew. I still don't know why it happened. The fluid was always changed on time and I changed it twice in my 12k miles of ownership. The diff was what really bothered me about that car. But maybe you can get one cheap with a bad block and swap in an older but stronger 4.6 block from a GEMS P38 RR.

Just noticed that the coolant reservoir on my D1 is leaking at the seem a little. Something I need to replace or is this a job for RTV? It's the black one not the clear one BTW (I understand that both types were used in the D1).
Thanks

 

" Just noticed that the coolant reservoir on my D1 is leaking at the seem a little. Something I need to replace or is this a job for RTV? It's the black one not the clear one BTW (I understand that both types were used in the D1).
Thanks "

Replace the coolant res!!!!!! RTV will not work at all.

Use some RTV (like Permatex Black Adhesive RTV) on the cracked window seals. Check the Alpine window seals too. That truck looks way too nice to let any water in.