My plan is repair and modify the truck so that it will be some what trail worthy out in the boonies and still offer a good ride and decent mileage going from one fun place to the next.
While she runs fine right now, i’ve no doubt the ghosts of solihull will rear their ugly heads at soon at the most inopportune time. Anyonme else using their vehicle for true overland travel. If so, I’d love to hear of your experiences as well as trials and tribulatins along the way.

-Eddie

 

I use my white rig (in signature) for overlanding. My girlfriend and I have done several 10 day+ camping trips with the roof top tent that have all gone well without any major problems. The worse problems I have had on the trips have been when the dual battery smart charging thing I bought on Amazon malfunctioned and started decharging the driving battery instead of the auxiliary. I figured that out in our campsite one night. I just disabled it and kept going. Knock-on-wood, that's really the only issue we've had, but I'm big on preparation.

For the most part all I can say is preventative maintenance: If there is a wear item you haven't replaced, I'd just replace it. Before I started overlanding, I replaced every part of the cooling system, with the exception of the fan, all the fluids and filters, radiator. The head gaskets went right after I bought it, so I ended up doing those as well. I also switched to the inline thermostat mod just because I liked the idea of fewer hoses to break and that I can get a new thermostat at any parts store.

I never go faster than 65 mph just because the gas mileage drops substantially with the roof rack and the wind noise is quite loud. I have 265-65-18 BFG AT KO2s and an OME 2" lift, the ride is good on both asphalt and dirt. I keep a spare water pump, rotoflex joint, oil, coolant, hoses, and air filter, and enough sockets and wrenches to fix anything if I need to.

Overall, I think the Disco is the perfect overlanding vehicle. It's comfortable and large enough that you can have everything you need and be relaxed. The 4wd with CDL + traction control is enough to get you through anything you should be attempting on an overland trip. In case something ever did go south, I have my winch and MaxTrax to get me out. With the right preparation, a Disco makes a great trip truck and I'm glad I chose it over the alternatives.

 

The more time that goes on, the more stories I read, and the more things I experience with my disco lead me to the following opinion:

If you want it to be reliable. Dead nuts reliable, the rival of any Toyota or 4.0 jeep. You need an engine overhaul.

Whether it be oil pump, block cracks, cam bearings, rocker shafts, etc. It seems that the 4.0 and 4.6 (definitely more so with the 4.6) have several issues that can and will leave you stranded unless you nip them in the bud.

If I was to do it over. I would buy the cleanest disco I could get that had an engine issue, and slap a Turner or home built replacement in it before it even hit my garage floor.

No matter where I go, no matter how well my disco is running, in the back of my mind I'm constantly worried about an engine issue. And that just shouldn't be the case for a vehicle that you intend to rely on, possibly with your life.

 

We used our '96 for years as our daily driver and for camping trips. We did some light off roading and were never left stranded. Even when I broke the right rear shock. Twice.

I've used the modded '04 for several highway trips. The last one took us through the Smokies and to the beaches of South Carolina. I have had the head gaskets and front cover done on this truck and I know the entire cooling system has been redone also. Preventative maintenance is key with these vehicles. Especially the electrical and sensors like the CKPS.

My plan is to in the next couple of years take a trip to Wyoming and drive the 4x4 roads and fish the streams that criss cross the state. Hoping to do this before I'm 50. I've got ten years but we'll see.

 

You singing my tune!! I already turned 50 and am looking at retirement in the next 6-7 years. There is so much to see out west and I want to experience it in my Land Rover.

 

I would love to do an overlander trip, too, but I feel the same pain. I don't want my motor to go t*ts up!! Its always on my mind!!

 

Even if it's fine, I spend more time watching my gauges than I do enjoying the scenery. Not to mention checking the fluids at every stop and making sure that there's always extra oil and coolant on tap in the likely case of emergency.

Again, in hindsight, I would build a bullet proof 4.6 right off the bat and never think about it again.

 

I've done a couple 4000 plus miles camping trips out west and a lot of shorter trips on thre east coast as well.
I have a 170K miles on my truck and don't worry about it too much.
If it blows up on me I'll rent something to get me home and have it shipped home.
That being said it has never left me stranded.

 

Man, I would go insane if I was worrying about my truck all the time.

Mine is daily driven and being built as an overland vehicle. She hauls trailers regularly from 4,000 up to 7,500 lbs and in the next year I'll easily rack up 20k miles. She's got a fresh oil pump, cam and head gaskets are maybe 15k miles old, but all original bearings. The cam bearings worry me a little sometimes, but at the end of the day it's not a death sentence and if I needed to I can do a dinkle ball hone, new piston rings, and all new bearings for approx $300, so I'm not sweating it too much.

If a lifter starts ticking, oh well. I've got an extra set on the shelf.

If I wipe out a cam lobe, I've still got a stock 4.6 cam I can throw in in a pinch. Stock cams are a dime a dozen.

Hell, even if I slip a liner I'll just pull the valley pan and weld them. No big deal.

Pretty much anything but a crack in the block can be repaired for $600, total. Everything else on the truck is beefy enough to not have to worry about too much as long as you're driving somewhere in the realm of reason-ability.

At the end of the day, I don't worry about the truck too much. Me worrying isn't going to keep it from breaking. I've done everything in my power (in-line mod, electric fan, aftermarket thermometer, added a fuel filter, etc) to keep her from killing herself. No sense watching the gauges all the time. I carry tools and extra oil around and that's about it. Most things that mess up will not leave you stranded save for crank sensor, fuel pump, and driveshaft. One of those can be easily prevented with regular maintenence, one is small enough to keep in the glove box, and one gives warning signs before it totally dies.

The point I'm getting at is Don't worry about your disco too much. Keep her maintained to a tee, carry a few tools, oil, a crank sensor (Like $35 at AutoZone; the Duralast sensor is actually Bosch in a Duralast box), and watch for new leaks. Truck on and don't worry about it too much. Keep a service manual of everything you do for your own reference.

 

Every now and then reliability concerns creep up on me and I go browse Craigslist. For the same price and mileage I can't seem to find a better alternative. Sure it has its risks/concerns, but so would jumping into another high mileage vehicle.

If you compare D2 + rebuilt engine, then yea you might could find something comparable. However at that price point I would probably choose the D2 + engine just based on preference.

I think maintenance is key with the D2s. At this mileage most HGs have been replaced and usually a top end rebuild goes with it. I feel that keeping a close eye on maintenance after that point should really extend the life of the vehicle. I'm at 170k just having done the HGs and front bits and I hope that my Rover can carry me for a while.