The first thread was more about the recovery stage and deciding to do this at all.

Now that I've got the ball rolling, and have been able to spend a few weekends working on the parts car and my car - things are starting to really take shape.

I really hope she stays with me for a while this time, I have a whole new respect for the number of components and systems that embedded into this kind of vehicle - even at ~14 years old it's a humbling experience to get everything back to OE spec, or at least to the best of my abilities.





Big updates;

Driver fender is welded into place and aligns well, still tweaking passenger inner fender (didn't need to be replaced) but it's not lining up with core support as well as the one I took off the parts car - I didn't think it was damaged but it is indeed bent a little now that I've got the pieces coming together.

Brakes are bled (replaced the master cylinder which got bumped by the inner fender's cut-out for the strut JUST RIGHT so as to break the seal and release the pressure/fluid) - brakes are bled however three amigos are still active till I use test-book to bleed abs modulator at friends shop once she's 100% drivable.

Outer fender and hood were masked prepped and painted today! Kinversand is a PITA to paint - besides the paint being $76 (my cost) for a half-pint, it doesn't cover AT ALL so I had to spray red first, then the cheapo color over the red, THEN the high-dollar PPG that matches.

I also bled the power steering system but that was pointless since a) as I cracked the bleeder it EXPLODED fluid in my face and b) there wasn't any air in the lines after replacing the cooler anyways, lock-to-lock is silent and no bubbles in reservoir. I'm glad I replaced this line as my old one was bent but salvageable however VERY rusted, and after hearing about these failing on the forums, I decided to fix the bend/alignment and rust problems all at once.

I had to repair the passenger side front harness as well since I very stupidly cut right through it with the cut-off wheel while hacking off the old core support after the crash. In my defense the harness was buried by bent sheet metal. Matching wires is easy but figuring out how the ~8 black grounds were routed was a pain. I believe I got the right combination (one large gauge into the ground splitter, which feeds most of the plugs - another large gauge goes directly into headlight bulb harness and 3rd large gauge goes back into harness (verified by multimeter as this wire wasn't grounded yet so must have come FROM the ground splitter and not to).

Everything works electrically down there except the stupid transmission temperature sensor. I SWEAR when I drove the thing into the shop a few weeks ago it was NOT on, but I also don't think I bothered to plug it in, but maybe I did? It remains on when plugged in. Honestly I think the wires were damaged at the sensor when I swapped the trans cooler since there's a very sharp bend when they come out of sensor. The light illuminated as soon as I started it so obviously it's not overtemp yet.


Tomorrow I'll bolt down the core (should shift alignment down a bit for welding) and weld it to the two inner fender areas. Hood and fender should be wet sanded, buffed, and installed tomorrow as well.

I'm still trying to find a front bumper cover, fog lights, headlights, turn signals, and grill. Plus the front driveshaft and alternator which were stolen while I was taking the car apart outside a couple months ago.

At this point I think I've convinced myself to do a full facelift and just buy that bumper cover instead since I've gotta paint either one anyways! Plus while the facelift headlights are more expensive, I won't need to buy turn signals which helps a bit. Headlight finishers, grill, and bumper are the same price so I might as well.



Starting point (after tearing away most of the damaged components)


All damaged sheet metal removed and spot-welds taken out for new piece fitment. Mechanically sound minus AC components, aux and clutch fans, new power steering cooler line, and brake components.


Core positioned and inner fender welded. Checking panel alignment.


AC hardlines replaced, power steering cooler lines replaced, all driver-fender-mounted components re-installed, AC condenser / aux fan are in, all radiator mounts and countless rubber/plastic shrouds/deflectors installed, plus misc engine stuff.


Took this back apart after temp fix to actually solder them for permanent install.


Shot the panels today, really pleased with the results considering how difficult the color is to work with.

 

You have come a very long way!

 

"At this point I think I've convinced myself to do a full facelift and just buy that bumper cover instead since I've gotta paint either one anyways! Plus while the facelift headlights are more expensive, I won't need to buy turn signals which helps a bit. Headlight finishers, grill, and bumper are the same price so I might as well."

Or go with an aftermarket bumper like an ARB. Maybe next time you'll have less to repair!

 

EstorilM I'd like to give you a firm hand shake once you get everything back together on this Disco! Never seen someone so motivated so committed to their vehicle like you are. Most would have given up ling ago. You are a true Land Rover enthusiast and you inspire us all in one way or another! Keep up the good work and continue to take lots of pics for us. Hopefully the admin will turn this into a sticky once your finished with the project. Ive seen afew other members on here looking to do the same thing to their trucks and every time I find myself shareing your thread so they can see how it goes!

Cheers

 

lol not true at all, if you look at most of the items I've had to deal with and replace, you'd notice that they are all ABOVE the crash cans and frame rails where the ARB bumper mounts and where forces can actually be dissipated. The DOT-type truck bumper the Disco hit was high enough that the frame/crash cans went under the truck and all the forces went into the sheet metal and radiator/condenser/oil coolers and fender aprons above.

I've thought about doing it, but I'd like to return her to the OE-land rover look. I'm stuck in traffic 99% of the time in the city and don't have much use for it anyways - plus it's $$$$.


Thanks a lot! It was odd in many ways - it's true what they say about not really appreciating something till it's gone, and even in the wake of purchasing the Range Rover Sport about 4 months before this happened, within a month I was left with enough of a gap that I just had to get her back on the road again. The RRS can do everything the Disco does, but in a very different way - I loved jumping in this thing with a care-free attitude knowing what I've already been through with it, and that I already know what it's capable of. I guess for the $$ I have more respect for the Disco - I know it was fairly expensive new, but I got her for a great deal and she's done some amazing stuff so I'd like to keep it around - for a very long time!

Another update from when I left the shop tonight.