A "Toyota Guy" Buys a Classic

A.J.M

Explorer
A Land Rover is never truly dead.

Get it back and fix it. Granted it will take time and effort but it's a rare Classic model and you had plans for it. You'll always wonder what could have been if you dont...
 

Boss Hog

Observer
A Land Rover is never truly dead.

Get it back and fix it. Granted it will take time and effort but it's a rare Classic model and you had plans for it. You'll always wonder what could have been if you dont...
Just talked with the company that is assessing what it will cost to fix the RRC. $6k to repair it. And he wasn't supposed to tell me that. That definitely totals her.

I wonder how much the retain option would be...
 

Boss Hog

Observer
I Drove My Discovery 1 in the Snow

And you know what? It sucked. I've never lost control before in the snow and today I slid into a curb. But to be honest, the culprit was crappy tires. And I didn't have the cdl locked. And it was icy. And the ABS light has been on.

All in all-it didn't do too bad! Am I guilty of brand bias? Can I keep an open mind about a British import? I doubt it will ever replace my love for Land Cruisers, but certainly worth keeping as a sidepiece.

I actually enjoyed driving it. I drove it all over Denver and Aurora today in the snow (cause there's no-way-in-hell I'm driving my '60 on the roads with mag chloride being sprayed on the streets). Strong, torquey power off the line. Even though there was an ABS issue, it stopped ok-probably slightly better than my FJ60. I threw away a bunch of junk in the rear, folded up the seats, and was amazed at the amount of space back there. It would make a good dedicated camping/fishing/wheeling rig. And it's kind of small on the outside. It looks narrow and short. And I mean that in a good, trail-worthy kind of way.

And then I heard the sound. A buzz coming from the drivers fender/dash area. It made the door buzz. You Land Rover experts probably already know what it is, but for the unitiated, I'll spare you the suspense: ABS pump! Son-of-a-*****...the ABS fan was constantly running. A battery drainer for sure. So after disconnecting the ABS pump and ensuring it would still stop (I noticed no difference), I drove it home. What did the guy from Top Gear say? The most unreliable car in the world is the most reliable? Yeah...

I kinda dig it...
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Ray_G

Explorer
Just pull the ABS fuse, everyone else does.

Regarding everything else-keep in mind that platform did the Camel Trophy (well....the diesel did). Toyota? Well, it moves the Taliban ;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Boss Hog

Observer
Just pull the ABS fuse, everyone else does.

Regarding everything else-keep in mind that platform did the Camel Trophy (well....the diesel did). Toyota? Well, it moves the Taliban ;) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DAMN! Well when you put it like that...

That ABS light bugs the hell out of me. As does the SRS light that's on. I fix stuff when it breaks. Pulling the ABS fuse doesn't FIX the problem.Yesterday I parked it, turned it off, & heard a “buzzing” sound. The ABS pump fan wouldn't stop. So I unplugged that, but it's one more rabbit hole. Then, I ask myself would I feel the same if it wasa Toyota? Would I just be frustrated & complain about Japanese engineering & electronics? Being honest, probably not...

The 4.6l swap makes all the difference for me. If it had a 3.9l, I probably wouldn't be digging it as much. Now I'm fantasizing about NATO steel wheels & tall-n-skinny tires & Safety Devices roof racks...

I guess I should give the Brits a chance.
 

DiscoDavis

Explorer
DAMN! Well when you put it like that...

That ABS light bugs the hell out of me. As does the SRS light that’s on. I fix stuff when it breaks. Pulling the ABS fuse doesn’t FIX the problem.Yesterday I parked it, turned it off, & heard a “buzzing” sound. The ABS pump fan wouldn’t stop. So I unplugged that, but it’s one more rabbit hole. Then, I ask myself would I feel the same if it wasa Toyota? Would I just be frustrated & complain about Japanese engineering & electronics? Being honest, probably not...

The 4.6l swap makes all the difference for me. If it had a 3.9l, I probably wouldn’t be digging it as much. Now I’m fantasizing about NATO steel wheels & tall-n-skinny tires & Safety Devices roof racks...

I guess I should give the Brits a chance.

You might need to pull the main fuse, the one that actually powers the pump, not just the little one. If memory serves its one of the 5 or so in the small engine bay box pass side.

Spot on with the nato pizza cutters, they're fantastic. Got a project to show along those lines shortly...
 

Boss Hog

Observer
So I went to the shop to get my roof racks, seat covers, jumper cables, etc out of Pippa. Sad sight. BUT: I’m swapping over the wheels & tires from her to the Discovery (265/70r16 BFG A/Ts). I said goodbye, took a couple of photos for comparison, and drove away...
 

hks3sgte

César Gómez
I daily drove an FJ60 for about 5 years. They're beautiful and full of character. Top speed was probably 55-60 in 4th gear. Getting the thing to pass smog was an expensive headache each time.
 

Boss Hog

Observer
I daily drive my FJ55 for two years and oddly, it would cruise down the highway at 70mph and pass emissions with flying colors. Fastest I've been in the FJ60 has been almost 60mph. I'll test emissions this week.

The Discovery 1 with the 4.6l, on the other hand, sounds like a Chevy small block and goes much faster.
 
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Boss Hog

Observer
Wifey

So I'm sitting at home yesterday nursing what appears to be more and more some sort of hernia. Wife took the cattle-dog/JRT mix and Chihuahua to the dog park to let them run. She drove the Discovery (which was parked around the corner). About two hours later, I hear a loud grumble coming from the headers of some monster truck outside my door. I go to the door (feebly) and it's my wife, with a huge "Look at me!" grin on her face, with this Discovery rumbling and grumbling, sounding like a small block Chevy.

Against my best efforts, she's head over heels with this rig. I mean, I LIKE it, but I'm always open to offers. She, however, is not. She's started thumbing through Alloy & Grit and googling "bad *** Discovery". She's now aware of the Rebelle Rally and learned we can watch offroading on YouTube on the smart tv. I haven't turned her on to Atlantic British, Lucky 8, or Expedition Portal for heaven's sake. But it's coming...

I can't finance my own Land CRUISER obsession with her new-found love for all things from Solihull. Selfish, but true.

So my question to the peanut gallery is this: aside from base lining and fixing the things that HAVE to be fixed (ABS pump, horn, driver seat repaired), what are some of the more common modifications of these Discovery 1s? I've tried to impart my philosophy of "less is more" and "keep it simple" to her, but I'm going to have to throw her a bone or three to stave off questions about the Toyota packages coming to the front door. Focus is on reliability, usability, and comfort while staying well-under GVWR. Kevin (the Chihuahua) only weighs 5lbs or so, so that helps.

Here's what I'm thinking:
-Has a strong 4.6L, LT230 tc, and a smooth-shifting tranny between. Baseline, do all the coolant lines...anything else?
-Tires are coming from my soon to be departed RRC (BFG A/T LT 265/70R16) replacing the worn BFG A/T LT 235/85r16s.
-I WAS looking at a SD rack for sale locally, but have decided on a platform as she's likely to use it for photography. I'm thinking aluminum. Primary use is as a platform for photography and to look cool. Seriously...Recommendations?
-I don't THINK she's going to wheel it, but she's pretty adventurous and likes the idea of getting to way-out places for camping and photography. More overlanding/forest service roads, less Moab. I'd like to stay with the stock rear bumper and get a spare fuel can/step system that mounts on the spare tire. But the stock front bumper looks a little flimsy. Recommendations?
-And she definitely wants a 2' lift. I'm familiar with OME through Toyota applications-is there a better LR option?
-Wash, wax, and interior detail (HER job). I've already de-stickered the glass of mid-2000s tribal themes, but I'm curious about those big Land Rover stickers on the rear fenders: did it come from the dealer like that? I've seen them (online) on other rigs...

I think I liked it better when she was nagging me for a convertible...
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