I'm considering a LR for a trail rig. I have a late-model heavy-duty full size pickup 4x4 now. It has good ground clearance, power and capacity but it's too long, heavy and has quite a bit of rear overhang that gives me too much anxiety on trails. I will keep it for the highway.

I considered a Jeep or an IH Scout. The Jeep won't hold enough people, gear and my dog. An older Jeep or Scout would inevitably take paint, bodywork, blasting, welding etc. Skill wise, I can do anything from engines, to gearboxes, axles, frame-off's, anything.... but I don't have the shop space for that kind of work at this time (maybe in 5-7 years). I need either a finished project vehicle or something relatively "modern" to start with. I can easily do "bolt-ons" like lockers, rails, bumpers, a snorkel kit, racks, etc.

I thought I'd get a Discovery or II and start with a CDL if it doesn't come with one, and ARB air lockers front and rear. That's sort of my minimum. It won't make it otherwise. However, beyond that I'm sort of clueless about what makes sense on a LR as I've never had anything like it before (had mostly trucks before).

I'm concerned about ground clearance and departure angle but I don't want a huge lift. I don't really want any lift if I can get away with it. I drive a lot of hard rock trails, not too much mud. I hate mud. But I also drive a lot of snow and I love snow (with chains). Maybe I need some skid plates? What size tires should I fit?

What else? What I'm hoping is that people will kind of give me a "wish list" of mods so I have some idea of what I'll be getting into beyond the initial purchase.

 

If you are looking into Discoveries take a look at these links.

First:https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...ry-i-ii-28599/

Second: https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...scovery-21328/

That should help you start choosing. Good luck

 

If you want a serious trail rig then get a Disco 1 in my opinion. First off they are cheaper and have less fancy electronic gizmos to deal with and they all come with CDL. A shorter *** gives you a better departure angle. If you are inclined to swapping in a different engine then it is easier to do so with a disco 1.

 

Jeep GC or Disco all the way. Heck don't throw out the Toyota Land Cruiser also if you can find one cheap.

If you need space, a Lexus LX 450 (or 470 if you want the V8) would be good also. I have had 2 friends buy and mod those. They like em.

Scout IIs are awesome, but I am assuming harder ($) to find in good shape being a late 70's rig.

Jeep and Land Rover both have huge aftermarkets giving you a ton more flexibility/options.

Me personally, I would love to have a Suzuki Samurai for off road/woods only....something to beat the hell out of and leave back there. lol Those little trucks are a BLAST.

 

I think at the end of the day you can pick up a disco 1 for much cheaper than any of the other vehicles mentioned, plus there are many after market products available for the discos.

 

I have a 2001 Disco II with 110,800 miles. Needs head gaskets, great shape otherwise. Wife is pregnant and need to get rid of. No mods, stock. $3,200
Email/PM if interested
Austin,TX

 

Please read my excerpts of your post and think about it as if you were a buyer.

This means $3700 in cash outlay minimum (parts plus machining if all goes well) plus at least 8 hours of labor. At $75 an hour....a reasonable price...this is another $600. So now we're at $4700. The truck might run now if nothing else is wrong. And you can get one that already does for sure at $5k or a bit more.

And enthusiast forum is not the best place to try to offload your problem at a premium price. You need to find someone who doesn't know what these trucks are worth so they think they're getting a good deal.

 

Good work Daryl, maybe i should have tried that first