Hi, I have recently bought my first Land Rover which was a 2003 discovery 2 with around 150k miles. This is my first proper experience with cars and mechanics so I have limited knowledge on how it works. I don’t know how all the intricate parts work and what every part does but I have a vague idea. I’m planning on increasing the overall power and performance of it while also keeping it in a road legal condition. Currently it isn’t on the road as for the mot it will need the rear chassis welding but the rest of the chassis is solid. The main aim for it is to increase power, look good and also be road legal by the end of it. I don’t want to spend thousands on it but this is a longer term project of about a year. But my question is what should I do to upgrade the horsepower on it? Any other help or information with owning a Land Rover for the first time would be much appreciated, Thanks very much.

 

There's a sticky thread at the top of the D2 forum. Read it from start to finish.
As far as power upgrades, there's almost nothing you can do. Again, read this forum thoroughly and you'll see that performance upgrades are often invasive (e.g. replacement camshaft) or somewhat complex (electric fan conversion), and produce relatively minor yields. Your first real objective if you plan on keeping it should be to get it to be a reliable runner.

 

Thank you for the help, I will read that now.

 

since you do not want to spend 'thousands,' you should just get your disco road worthy for now. read about all the little things that will go wrong...like head gaskets, oil pump, etc.....forget about increasing power for now and just enjoy it. Then figure out what and if engine upgrades later.......

since you also posted about turbo upgrade, I am guessing you have the diesel version?? Get on the net and track these guys down in Turkey. They know all about diesel powered discos:

 

Yeah, it's best to indicate what engine you're talking about if you're going to ask questions about it. Since you said 150k miles rather than kilometres, the assumption is going to be that you have a gasoline engine.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, it’s a TD5 diesel. I think the only thing that will be needed for an mot will be the rear chassis fixed because of rust. I’ve checked through what is looked at on an mot and the chassis is the only thing I saw that could be an issue. The rust has gone through the chassis but only on the rear, the rest is perfectly fine. Would a new rear chassis be best?

 

I guess "mot" is some kind of road-worthiness thing?

Google says yes...UK vehicle inspection standard.

 

Rear chassis is a common rust area. You can get quarter chassis pieces but a half chassis is a better option. Quite expensive though, especially if you're talking about not spending thousands.

Hint -- if you're not interested in spending a good amount of money on it, a Land Rover is the wrong vehicle to get.

 

I’m willing to spend money on it but not £10,000 a month sort of thing. Also I’m currently cleaning the wheels and there is this thick black build up on the alloys which I guess is brake dust but it’s about 2mm thick and I can’t seem to get it off at all, can anyone help? Thanks

 

Tbh, if this is your first car, I'd focus on getting it to a reliable baseline and learning how to turn wrenches yourself. Adding power without any basis/knowledge on how to debug or wrench on your car is a surefire way to get yourself in over your head.