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2004 D2 New Owner Intro and Build

Old Apr 23, 2022 | 05:37 PM
  #1  
MSGGrunt's Avatar
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From: Athol, Massachusetts
Default 2004 D2 New Owner Intro and Build

Just bought a 2004 D2 with extensive service history, three owners, head gaskets done by the dealership at 57,175 miles under the first owner. All services are documented and timely including oil changes, coolant flushed, brake fluid flush, AC charge, etc. A new Jasper long block was installed by the second owner at 115,492 miles. The vehicle currently has only 136,101 miles, so the motor has just 20,609 miles.

The color is Alveston Red with tan leather. Yes, the headliner needs redoing, so the sunroofs will be attended to as well.
Truck spent its life in New Mexico and Kansas. and will now be heading to Massachusetts.
Hood has typical fading
No 3 Amigos
I already ordered a Lucky8 greaseable front driveshaft.
Will change out the stock thermostat for the Britpart 180 degree one.
Service the differentials and Trans/Trasfer.
Get rid of the ugly grill/brush guard
Polish the headlights.

Being from New England I tend to look far and wide for something without rust. I hope a 2004 final model year with CDL, no 3 amigos, a new engine with only 20,000 miles doesn't bite me in the ***. Regardless, I am now committed.







 
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Old Apr 23, 2022 | 07:59 PM
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Harvlr's Avatar
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Nice looking rig. It won’t bite you, just stay on top of the maintenance and don’t let it overheat.
 
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Old Apr 23, 2022 | 09:44 PM
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acg
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Welcome to the addiction!

I have an Alveston Red myself. Hope the new Disco brings years of enjoyment!
 
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Old Apr 23, 2022 | 10:59 PM
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Ditch the thermostat and go with the inline thermostat. You won’t regret it. Specially if you ordered your oem 180 from lucky 8. Don’t be suprised if it runs in the 200-215 range
 
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Old Apr 24, 2022 | 04:15 AM
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Welcome, nice looking truck. Lot's of good stickies to look at. Do the pcv mod first along with the inline thermostat. You may want to check out these post as well:https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...e-92717/page3/

https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...t-seats-96444/
As far as the rust, I would recommend a liberal coat of Maximo chain wax on everything on the chassis, and then go over that with a liberal coat of fluid film, then with a liberal coat of used engine oil. Do the inside of the frame as well. Every. Single. Summer. I have seen a lot of rusty Discos but never one that is rusty around the engine part of the frame. The oil leaks mean it never rust there, take that lesson and coat everything else in oil except the brake rotors and exhaust pipes. Everything. Liberally wash down the windows frames in the winter. Those rust as well, even on the inside of the doors.

Get an ultragauge pronto. Get religious about checking the coolant level.

They are great vehicles, I have two with over 230k on them.
 
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Old Apr 24, 2022 | 06:06 AM
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Good info Extint. I got an email this morning that the inline thermostat is on its way and I also ordered the ultra gauge. Not that I would say I have a lot of Rover experience, but have owned a P38 and Disco 1 in the past and am all too aware of the head gasket issues. I have learned that their failure isn't so much about a poorly designed head gasket like I thought, but rather allowing the vehicle to overheat that causes the failure.

Rust prevention will be a top priority. The makers of PB Blaster just came out with a lanolin based product similar to fluid film called Surface Shield, but supposedly it lasts a lot longer on the vehicle.







 
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Old Apr 24, 2022 | 04:27 PM
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be sure to grease the Lucky8 shaft before you install it.

a word of caution, i have two of those fail on me. i am running a two inch lift, though. if you are stock it may not be an issue.
 
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Old Apr 24, 2022 | 09:16 PM
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Originally Posted by MSGGrunt

Rust prevention will be a top priority. The makers of PB Blaster just came out with a lanolin based product similar to fluid film called Surface Shield, but supposedly it lasts a lot longer on the vehicle.
Thanks for posting the video, some good info. A couple points to make and some background. I worked in the aerosol industry for about 10 years. He is testing 5 gal buckets of material, not aerosols. Most aerosolized lubricants and coatings are thinned with solvents (similar to paint thinner) and the propellant (typically propane/butane mixture called A45). The solvent makes the product thin enough to spray (or creep as he calls it) and then the solvent flashes off and the lubricant reverts to its natural viscosity or state. A good example of this is motorcycle chain lube. The idea is you want the product to be thin enough to run between the pin and bushing of the chain, but thick enough to stay put once there.

The Maxima chain wax is completely unique in the industry. All other lubricants and coatings including fluid film remain fluid, with some vicsosity after the solvent flashes off. Hence the issue with high pressure water spray resistance. The chain wax dries completely solid. It is a wax with lubricant embedded in it (molybedum disulfide). Drying solid is important for a dirt bike chain because you don't want it to remain tacky because if it does, dirt accumulates and sticks, wearing out the chain. Now for a rust resisting application, it turns out the wax is good because it cannot be washed off, and it forms a barrier to the salt and moisture. So why spray fluid film on top? Turns out that a film of sticky oily dirt is almost a perfect barrier to salt/moisture corrosion. Go look at a rusted out disco frame, almost no corrosion under the PS pump and motor mounts. So fluid film will attract that dirt barrier we need. So why fluid film + used motor oil. The fluid film is pretty thick, and you might not get a complete coating, but the motor oil is thinner, and flows in to any spots you might have missed. Also, those carbon byproducts in the used oil form a good barrier to the salts and water also. So built in dirt. Plus, the used motor oil is free!

Also, side note, chain wax is great on door hinges and door strikers because it will not remain oily and will not attract dirt, thereby not gettting your clothes dirty if you accidentally touch it.
 

Last edited by Extinct; Apr 24, 2022 at 09:18 PM.
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Old Apr 24, 2022 | 09:34 PM
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From: Utah, USA
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Welcome to the part pal! I also have an alveston red disco 2. They are weird and fun. Sounds like you are off to a good start.

 
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Old Apr 24, 2022 | 10:27 PM
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Looks like Alveston is the new black…. My latest is an ‘04 HSE. Sounds like you are on the right path. Get the Rave and get ready as you’ll still have a bazillion fixes to do.

If you wanna get serious about diagnostics and the like, get a Nanocom.

The funniest part about yours is that it is very similar to mine in the interior in how the dash is curled up (I’m still on the hunt for a new one) and your coin and ash trays are buggered like mine (easy and pretty much free fixes I think).



 
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