The DiscoDavis Sandglow Thread

DiscoDavis

Explorer
Not exactly a build thread. More of a curation piece and various technical notes thread
34848899793_d1de8afcf0_b.jpg

(photo: Brendan Stuart)(June 2017)

Siberia1.jpg

(photo: cameltrophy.org.uk)

The 1990 Camel Trophy was an odd one being one of the first major sporting competitions of that kind to have ever been done inside the Soviet Union, and even included a Soviet team. Known for being the first year they used the Discovery model, and the only year to use the 2 door model, the event was quite the story even before it began. It was the second of only two times that I am aware of the vehicles and materiel were airlifted during the event en-masse. In this case by the Soviet Air Force! The above photo shows the equipment mobilization in eastern Russia (I said before it was an RAF base but I believe this photo is actually on the unloading end). The journey started at an RAF airbase where the Soviets actually landed two Antonov An-124 Ruslan aircraft to transport the Land Rovers into Russia. The way I heard it told, this was one of the first if not THE first instance of a non-diplomatic Soviet Military aircraft on British Soil, and on a NATO base to boot! The 124 remains to this day the worlds largest military transport aircraft. The RAF were quite keen to see even from a few hundred meters what was then a modern mainline Soviet heavy transport aircraft, and it is suspected they had personnel quite close to the aircraft posing as Camel crew while gathering intelligence. I have seen limited photographs of the event due to its more remote nature, and supposedly a lot of material exists but is held privately. An unknown number of Land Rover 110's were dispatched to prescout the route and I do not know if they stayed in place or were shipped back to England prior to the event (though this is likely as other prescouts did so for aborted events, see 1991). Additionally, 1990 was also the only year the event used Land Rover 127's (at that time not a standard 130 vehicle), and they never again repeated this due to serious break over angle issues with the lengthened frames getting caught up. Probably the rarest of all vehicles used in any Camel Trophy, of the five used, I know of only two 127's driving examples still around. The event took place near Lake Baikal in Siberia, and covered over 1,600km by "road" ;). The Dutch team won that year.

Siberia8.jpg

(photo: cameltrophy.org.uk)

Vehicles sent to USSR for Baikal Event (According to Camel Trophy Owners Club)

Team Vehicles:
Land Rover Discovery 200Tdi 3 door (19)

Support Vehicles:
Land Rover 110 (4)
Land Rover 127 (5)

1990-camel-trophy-590x400b.jpg

(photo: roverguide.com)

Siberia6.jpg

(photo: cameltrophy.org.uk)

Siberia2.jpg

(photo: cameltrophy.org.uk)

Siberia13.jpg

(photo: cameltrophy.org.uk)

Siberia7.jpg

(photo: cameltrophy.org.uk)

This is purportedly one of the 1990 event pre scout and event support vehicles. While it is unclear exactly where/when this vehicle was sent as I have never to date seen a photo with plate numbers of all four one tens, this one-ten was indeed produced by LRSV for the Trophy and produced at exactly the time they would have prepared the vehicles for that year. She is the sister car to the 5 one-tens that were sent to the India Prescout also in 1990 for the aborted 1991 Himalaya event. Post CT/LR ownership, like many of the Camels, Land Rover stripped much of the equipment off of the vehicles and sold them separately to Nene (among others) who put them back together, to varying degrees of accuracy (from year to year vehicles had different layouts). The wonderful previous owners took good care of her and mostly restored the equipment missing, with some weird exceptions. The last guy many of you know and he loves her as much as I do, but wanted her to go to a good home.

Better photos to come but see the photo below from the Return to Camel Trophy night held by NCLR and TAD last year in San Francisco... That's her! (on the left, blurry one ;) )

Return-to-Camel-Trophy-007.jpg

(Photo: Chris Collard) (For reference use)

Above is one of the latest photos, but she was in an OK shape when I got her, needed a bit of TLC and corrections. (below)
33164512365_0f51767708_b.jpg


32268193103_d0027bc340_b.jpg


Bear with me as she will be down for a while getting the most necessary items worked on before anything big happens. No, you will not see extensive modification or major diversion from the original factory configuration, but a lot of the upkeep notes and various small restorations as I find detailed photos or references, as of early 2018 I have gotten a lot of help from other Camel contacts out there providing the minute details that otherwise would be impossible to get and ones needed for understanding how everything works. Car doesn't need anything other than a working drivetrain, some lights and the winch. Nobody believes me when they ask who put all that crap on the car and I say "oh Land Rover did it at the factory".

Also as of 2018 the roof still leaks so you know its a Land Rover. :)
 
Last edited:
From that distance it looks beautiful! :D

Dude, seriously you have a Defender now? Is it a 90 or 110? Man, I'm so envious on your garage list........you almost have a full generation gap of owning Landies now! hahaha

Maybe the Disco3 mishap wasn't so bad after all........things are looking promising.
 

A.J.M

Explorer
200tdi is a tractor of an engine, but it's as basic and rugged as they come.
Keep the oil good and it will see miles to make the Millennium Falcon look like a low miler.

What's happened to the LR3? Says landy heaven....
 

DiscoDavis

Explorer
Congrats man. Can't wait to see where this one takes you. Talk about getting bit by the LR bug, haha! Cheers :beer:

Thanks! One day they'll say its bad for you! Like bacon, or too much sun! ;)

Such a tease!

I know I know. Half lazy, half secretive. :) Trying to document this better...

From that distance it looks beautiful! :D

Hey, to be honest she looks totally crappy up close! ;)

Dude, seriously you have a Defender now? Is it a 90 or 110? Man, I'm so envious on your garage list........you almost have a full generation gap of owning Landies now! hahaha

Maybe the Disco3 mishap wasn't so bad after all........things are looking promising.

Yes.... apologies for the radio silence about new projects... well I can say I will forever miss perfect door seals and heated seats. Now it rains inside too!

200tdi is a tractor of an engine, but it's as basic and rugged as they come.
Keep the oil good and it will see miles to make the Millennium Falcon look like a low miler.

What's happened to the LR3? Says landy heaven....

You're right, see the post in the thread I just did. As for the Tdi. Ugh I love it. It's so easy to work on. It drives sooooo good.

x2 pics or didnt happen

No pics sorry... I really wish I got some but it was a crap occasion all round. :(
 

ColoDisco

Explorer
Even a rough old defender is worth having. I would own one except the going rate is still too high for me to stomach.
 

DiscoDavis

Explorer
First work log: fluid changes, misc trim

32222954213_a5f9294771_h.jpg

Likely may go back to the normal rotella conv. 15w-40, but first oil change she gets a treat.

32223148963_59ac3aaa67_h.jpg

Used this filter: Purolator PSL30001 (apparently also works on the 3.9V8?)

33038303685_f21bdee95c_h.jpg

Winch needed to be respooled if I am to trust it at all. Sheepdog helped with this one! Needed a lot of room, way more cable on drum than I thought.

Admittedly the sound of the winch in the rain totally brought me back to watching Newman try and winch his Jurassic park jeep down that rock slope :)

33038309305_83b979e8ca_h.jpg

Better shape

33038315355_6a6bba2fd1_h.jpg

Cubby lid came with the car but detached. Went to the hardware store and found a hinge. Dimensions below

33038319665_713c2cd374_h.jpg


32222971973_c34b4750cd_h.jpg

Two of the original master links that came with the car as well. Why they were painted gold I do not know. Had some leftover yellow paint from the D3 tow points.

32222973743_5d55bc6e94_h.jpg

Did not come out as ochre-y as I wanted, too much banana yellow. Will repaint after the rainy season.

32996743086_805c631891_h.jpg

Original tools! Sadly days later when I had sanded, painted, resealed the shovel, it snapped in half when I tried to 'very gently' dig a drainage trench for the rain on the property... :( It sat out in the elements for a few too many years.

32223364493_41edb43f3c_h.jpg

Pickaxe handle was OK, it lived inside for a while before I got it

32882731452_852868a7ed_h.jpg

Shovel

32223346603_3cbfb83cab_h.jpg

Date, model number? Hmm. P/N comes back for an MOD pioneer pickaxe.

32882735612_bf083a304f_h.jpg

Pick head also painted lightly, one coat only

33038519195_5031f58b1e_h.jpg

Sanded just enough to get the rust off, then lightly coated with rustoleum 2x black. Hafts sanded down and wiped, then dried for a day. Added linseed oil and absorbed for another day. (shovel snapped after this step)
 
Last edited:

DiscoDavis

Explorer
Pedals, HVAC intake etc

Just minor things, for whatever reason (water ingress?), clutch pedal was rusty. PO included replacement rubber pads for all pedals (throttle pedal is plastic though) so did some minor work (yes I need to paint the clutch lever higher up, will get there...

32996751876_57e916bd55_h.jpg


32996760576_195baf7a5a_h.jpg


32996764296_a343bad9cd_h.jpg


32193080244_0c59ad2886_h.jpg


"Good enough"

33038499885_193f27f8d5_h.jpg

Kinda neat the glow plug relay is a Ford part, see also the rusty screws and rough looking HVAC intake cover

32882575622_9f9df9813d_h.jpg

Overdid it with the paint, hope it weathers a bit more with the sun. See also the shovel strap is ziptied because the buckle is broken. The list keeps getting longer!
 

DiscoDavis

Explorer
Not pictured:

>Rear diff checked: fluid excellent, level perfect
>Front diff, quite low, fluid bad and changed to new (Redline shockproof, stolen from Sheepdog!)
>Front breather checked, OK
>Trans checked - it had either 90 weight OR EP90 inside, fluid gold, smelled like gear oil! What?! Drained and refilled with Redline MTL ...
>Transfer case checked, fluid good, level perfect
>Lost front pass rubber axle cap (all caps old, mismatched). "Made" a cap with electrical tape :)
>Rear fogs inop, bulbs ok, switch ok, dash light ok... hmm, no fix yet
>Parking brake dash light inop, no fix yet
>Roll cage bolts through roof behind front row seats, siliconed junction, no leaks
>Drivers door seal needs to be doubled up, leaks at top
>front doors, drivers and pass seals not sealed completely at bulkhead, water dripping into lower dash then footwells. To be siliconed

32912393231_4a9ad2695f_h.jpg

Alu bulkhead that separates crew compartment with cargo area rattles/vibrates like crazy, drilled rivets and reset with rubber shims... still vibrates somewhat.
 
Last edited:

DiscoDavis

Explorer
Air filter, fuel sedimeters etc.

32997214106_b2b1d8c912_h.jpg

Hecka good idea, sharpie date and mileage on air filter, kudos to last guy

32193579164_79a8ba60fb_h.jpg

Pulled both sedimeters off truck, cleaned. Watch out for spilling diesel! Used an oil catch pan. Pictured: one post-clean sedimeter (installed), and one before cleaning (in hand)

32883154762_5ccf177b6d_h.jpg

No. 1 sedimeter

32193580794_b5cde67f90_h.jpg

No. 1 sedimeter (cleaned)

32883156092_6f7e70ef37_h.jpg

Cone thing just pops out

32883156912_294c9f127e_h.jpg


32883157112_9514e5e906_h.jpg

No. 2 sedimeter

Have not changed fuel filter yet, will do
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,539
Messages
2,875,663
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top