Here's my 2 cents based on what little I know about you/your truck.
Save your money and wheel your truck as-is. A D2 with locking CDL and working traction control will get you plenty far. If, after wheeling like that for a while, you find yourself unable to go or do the things you want, then you should consider lockers. My guess is that for your intendes use lockers would not be a wise fiscal decision. Invest in a good winch and recovery gear if you haven't already.

 

What FISH said! In my eye's it's W-A-Y more important than lockers.

On the locker note, ARB is the way to roll where I come from, selectable, front or rear as required, if needed.........

That said, if you end up frame deep in a bog, or a snow bank.......the lockers aren't going to help much unless you've got some meat on either end of the axles....which you dismiss, so.....save your money and invest in recovery.

 

I went Ashcroft with my selectable lockers. Deeper engagement depth in the locker and better airline design.

 

Digging through my service/parts records for my truck, I found an invoice from 10/06/2011. Apparently a new set of "IC200 IGN" coils were installed, along with NGK plugs, wires, a new oxygen sensor, cooper sealant and a repair to the intake gasket. Is it really possible that the coils **** the bed just 6 years later? What are other causes for a cylinder 1 misfire? New engine block so I hope that eliminates many possibilities... any thoughts appreciated. Regardless a new coil pack is on the way and I will swap out the old coils this coming weekend and see if fixes the problem. Needless to say Im getting no more 02 sensor codes

To elaborate on the misfire code. It comes and goes. Sometimes the CEL flashes and the truck runs a little bit rough, but after turning off the truck and waiting afew hours the truck runs fine and the CEL is off.

 

Thats a very cheap coil so, yes.

 

 

Nice looking Rover. Personally, I'd be sorting out the root cause of the CEL before considering more expensive modifications, but that's just me... Each to their own!

 

Thanks. Working on it as we speak. As mentioned in previous post I brought the truck to a shop to further diagnose the CEL. They found that a rear 02 sensor was not fully plugged in and engine misfires. So far no more 02 sensor codes so now Im focusing on the misfire. Purchased a new coil pack and will be installing it this weekend along with the first oil change on my new block.

 

Today was a big day. Changed the oil and oil/air filters. Switched over from the Mobile break in oil to Shell Rotella 15W-40. Took apart the intake manifold and replaced both ignition coils. Finished painting the plastic pieces in the engine bay. Re-organized everything in my truck etc. Sadly the truck runs rough, flashing check engine light, P0301: Cylinder 1 misfire and a red catalytic converter. I also discovered a rust hole in the floor board... and a leaking axle shaft seal in the front driver side (front hubs and axle shaft seals are new).

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Sometimes I truly feel like throwing in the towel and giving up - like everyone else does these days. Its easy to give up when your feeling frustrated. Easier still when you have invested so much money and time into a project or person, only to watch in horror as everything falls apart. It is tempting to start looking for a donor rust free D2. But I will NOT give in. I will not give up. I love my truck. She is almost complete. But the frame and this cursed check engine bull**** is testing my resolve.

 

I had a hard time figuring out where all the ignition wires connect once I swapped the coils. The image above was taken before I disconnected the wires from the passenger side ignition coil. That is the order they were fitted by my mechanic. So using that as a starting point I used the above diagram to figure out where the rest of the wires connect. I assumed that the top of the diagram represents the top of the coils that are closest to the hood. I assumed that the right hand coil corresponds to the passenger side coil. I connected the coils as seen in the diagram. I observed that one of the ignition wires has a tear in the rubber grommet. The metal inside partially exposed but does not appear to be damaged. Could this be the culprit for the misfire and red cat? Did I connect the wires incorrectly?

In any case I will double check all the connections tomorrow and inspect the engine harness plugs to ensure they are fully plugged in. Any other thoughts?