Honestly before hearing the Britt talk about his extended 123 inch disco, I never knew you could galvanize old metal say nothing about an entire beat up chassis. Im still considering this route. My workplace in AK offers plenty of workspace outside for projects like this (during the off season) and they have tons of forklifts available and Im certified to use them so I imagine lifting up the body for a swap would be doable. But Ive also been told that between disconnecting the engine/trans and everything else from the chassis and retrofitting to a different chassis would take over 100 hours and quickly turn into $10,000 investment by the time your finished if you need help: JE Robison Service — the blog: Frame Rust in Land Rover Discovery II models - an Achilles' heel?

But one good advantage of a chassis swap if going with a secondhand chassis, I could perhaps more easily install ACE if I found a rolling ACE chassis and that would be half the work I imagine..... but I can live without, just a thought.

 

First off congrats on the AK job! I lived there (Fairbanks) for 3 years and it was wonderful! God willing, I'll retire there, die there, and eventually fertilize some of those ginormous cabbages they grow (bon appetit!). Be sure to change your residency if you can. No state tax and the Permanent Fund Dividend is a pretty sweet annual check!

I have an 04 (60K mi) with some rust on the frame. I banged it with a sledge/scoured it with a wire brush, then coated it with rust convertor/primer (also sprayed inside the frame tubing). Not sure how long this will extend the useful life of the frame but it was 2.5 hrs and $28 in supplies. It sounds like you're past that point in a couple spots. Whether you take the truck to AK or not, I'd patch those then do the treatment I did on the rest (I used corroseal a 2-in-1...others like waxyoil). Whether you take it, store it or sell it, I think this will be time/$ well spent as you won't get much for it with a rusted frame.

Several reasons I wouldn't do any other afore-mentioned procedures. How long do you expect the rig to last? Even with a new galvanized frame and Top hat engine ($11K for a DIY job right there), what about the tranny, x-fer case, electronics, etc??? Just because you replace the engine doesn't mean you'll get 150K trouble-free miles. Replace/repair the small stuff, patch up the big stuff as best you can and when you can't do that anymore without 4-figure investments, part it out! This is my plan, but I'll keep my top hat engine and throw it into a Defender!

If it was my only vehicle, I wouldn't take it to AK. -65F...crazy stuff happens to cars at those temps (shattered break lines and air suspension bladders, frozen radiators, cracked dash, etc), and parts will take a while to reach you. As a back-up, that's another story. A DI might be better...easier to work on, fewer parts to break and less into it if something does.

Best of luck, and you will want wheels there! The Seward hwy is one of the top-10 most scenic hwy's in the world! And you'll need something to haul all that Salmon and Halibut back to your cabin!

 

So glad to see yet another member who has been there and can understand why Im moving up there! Thank you for the useful input here, I really do appreciate, even more so from people with experience in AK.

To answer your question about how long I expect my truck to last: Many many long years. I fully anticipate doing a complete restoration one day on a D2 and I have already anticipated that I will have eventually have to deal with the transmission, t/c and all that other stuff. The frame and the engine are of course the top priority as they are some of the only things that have a tendency to fail prematurely. I dont have nor need SLS either so I would not have to worry about issues associated with it. My dream is to one day take a cross country Trek through Europe with my D2. Weather that be my current truck or a different one I find later down the road. I want all the awesome expedition gear on my truck and I want to know every square inch of my truck. I want the confidence that comes will a well maintained truck. I want to take it anywhere anytime and I want to explore much of the Alaskan coastlines with it. Id love to drive up Mount Marathon in Seward if possible.

If Im not tinkering on a Rover then I would just be tinkering on some other model and make. Im not complaining about the prospect of potential engine problems, just weak frames that corrode because that is a bigger issue to deal with in my opinion. I would like to keep one project and devote to it completely and not ever give up. I see alot of members on here work hard and invest so much in a truck then they sell it and start all over with another project. I dont get that.

 

Well there's passion and there's reality. Sometimes one gets in the way of the other and sometimes it doesn't, but it really should. I could have had an 05 Land Cruiser in flawless condition, 50K mi for $4K less than I've now got into my DII (pure passion). It would have had better resale, been more reliable for the family, better on gas, more powerful, etc. No, I'm not passionate about Land Cruisers, but as a military member (moving every 2-3 yrs...maybe a long way from a Landy Mechanic) and family man, I can't ignore reality.

Your situation is inevitably different than mine so if you have the luxury, go nuts!

On the flip side, this time it was the wife who didn't like the Land Cruiser, so every time the rover gives me grief, she can't complain

 

I just read a thread from a fellow member in the D2 section about doing a cross country trek.... Then a couple other members said they bring their Rovers on trips like that each year. If they can do it with 120k i wonder if my truck could do it with 144k? I would be so worried about some major breakdown leaving me stranded with only a little money in my pocket. But i guess this is an option to consider. I would probably have to just assume best to replace the headgaskets early as a precaution and have the engine diagnosed before i made the trek. What are your thoughts guys? Would be better if some fellow members were interested in joining me with their Rovers! Im gonna call a shop and have to look over my engine. Cant believe im even considering this.

 

I might be more of the Laissez-faire type, but I say overhaul the cooling system and go for it! Half the fun is the adventure. Maybe something does breakdown, you will pull it off and in the process probably meet some great people. I have travelled all over the world with money and without and have had many mishaps, 100% of the time they ended in having a great experience and meeting people and seeing things I would have never done.

You truck seems to be up on maintenance, bring a few tools, first aid kit, backup charger for your cell phone and maybe a CB for the rural areas.

 

Couldn't agree more on your post Abran. Ten years ago this month my wife and I were on one of our many Maritime trips in our 1985 RRC. Two dogs in the back, a tent and provisions, we would go for a month on end with no particular destination in mind. Well, one time we were on the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island when the fuel pump decided it had had enough. A park ranger appeared and took my wife and dogs back to her mother's B&B just outside the park. I fiddled with the truck to no avail. The pump, an original Facet had seen better days after almost 20 years.

I went back to the B&B (it was quite late by this time) only to find that the park ranger, her husband, mother and a number of friends had prepared a special meal for us. It turned into a party and we were up until all hours. It was wonderful. In the morning we were treated to a spectacular view, standing on the bluffs outside our front door, of Ingonish Bay. It was such a great time, in such a great place, that we came back a week later for another stay. That was as Hurricane Charlie made its way up the Atlantic. We sat on the bluff and watched the gulf stream's winds rip the remains of Charlie into shreds. It was unbelievable. We stay in contact with our friends from Ingonish to this day.

More to the point of this thread, my wife and I took several of these expeditions in our 1985 RRC. Each trip we would amass well over 3K miles of driving over a month on everything from highways to rutted paths. Aside from a few minor issues, the fuel pump was the only time I had to leave the truck. The next day a courier brought an inexpensive mechanical fuel pump to the B&B. I went back to the truck, it was fixed within an hour and we were back on the road. So, from experience, I can say these trucks are certainly more than capable of long excursions. However, that doesn't necessarily mean they are the first or best choice when traveling great distances.

 

Like I said before, I am in Alberta and would gladly join you for part or maybe all of this second half of your trip. I'm a HD mechanic and have been working on my LRs for about 4 years now. I have a ton of spare parts, front and rear axles, hubs, alternators, pulleys, belts, thermostat, coils, and much more. Seems like a lot of stuff to take along, but a great piece of mind 250miles from a parts store that won't have what you need anyways. That goes for anyone else wanting to trek to the north, I have a lot of freedom with my job and can usually get away for a week or more at any time spring, summer and fall. We should drive these trucks....right?

 

Depending on where you are located and depending on IF i do decide to make the Trek instead of ship the truck whatever else then I may take you up on your offer. Honestly I would love to meet several forum members on this journey. One person I really want to meet is Spike if he was cool with that. He is one hell of a guy and very very honest. Hes helped me out many times with useful info. If anyone else lives up near the border or far north than let me know and maybe I can make a customized trek route so we can rendezvous.

I am thinking about talking to the guys at Rovers North and Atlantic British to see if they would be willing to sponsor my truck, and considering all the $$$$$ Ive spent between those 2 companies alone in the past couple years I would be disappointed if they said no.

 

If you are going to Alaska, you are driving right past my house, no other sensible way to go when coming from the USA