Newbie Intro

[onewhippedpuppy]

Hello all, after weeks spent lurking I'm actually posting something. I'm the proud new owner of a 1997 Discovery I LSE with 105k in very solid condition. Runs and drives great with newer Bilsteins, 245/75/16 MTRs, recent total cooling system overhaul, and a lot of other preventative maintenance done. ABS is currently inop (doesn't really bother me), cruise is inop (#1 priority to fix), and there's a few other oddball issues that I'll need to sort.

I'm the former owner of an FJ80 Land Cruiser but have always been a sucker for the Disco, when this one popped up for sale locally last week I couldn't resist. Let's face it, reliable cars are boring. That's why I normally have some sort of European sports car in the garage as well. I'm a hardcore DIY guy, having a car to tinker on helps keep me out of the bars. The new Disco will serve as a part-time daily driver as well as a family fishing/camping/adventure rig. After I finish a good maintenance baseline I plan to install a mild lift, some sort of winch mount or winch bumper, and drive the hell out of it. I'd also like to enjoy some moderate off-roading, probably in Colorado since I live in a state devoid of any real topography.

Frankly I've had this thing for a week and driven it every day, I've already bonded with it in a way that I never did with the Land Cruiser. I think I'm hooked......

 

[Rovertrader]

Welcome to the Rover crack pipe as they say- nice find for sure. Even has the D-II cupholders and the best alloys!! I would encourage you to enjoy as it sits for a while- especially if you plan on doing limited wheeling. They are amazing trucks, extremely capable, and very comfortable stock. The further you push the envelope one way the further it gets from the other, so reap the benefits of it's engineering, and decent fuel economy- which will taper quickly with lift, tires, rack, skids, etc all to drive around KS as a DD. Ask me how I know
Welcome aboard, and get to exploring!!

 

[achampagne]

Welcome, I might be parting out my 96 D1 that has a bunch of bolt on goodies you might be interested in, I'll PM you if your interested.

 

[AxeAngel]

Clean, very clean. Definitely came from a rover enthusiast - d2 cupholders.

-Sam

 

[dcwhybrew]

That is a very nice truck. My first of 7 Rovers was a 96 Disco. The car seat base in the back seat reminds me of mine when we had our daughter. We had many great trips in the Disco when she was a baby. Yours is very clean, looks good. Congrats. Just start putting some money away for repairs! And, for crying out loud, stay on top of the maintenance. Put quality fluids in (and change the oil often). They may be expensive up front, but they'll save you money in the long run. LOL

 

[LR Max]

Quick thing I'd like to pass onto you from previous experience.

Your lug nuts are missing their covers. If you use your lug wrench/27mm socket, you'll notice A LOT of slop and can actually round off the lug nut (from experience, this is NOT FUN).

Either procure a 26mm socket (it'll fit! that is what I did!) or new lug nuts. I know its a dumb little nit-picky thing but having a flat on the outskirts of BFE and not being able to change your tire envokes negative emotions.

Also don't hit anything with that brush bar. It'll bend back into the bodywork and make a dent. Once again, this comes from experience.

Otherwise, it looks like a very nice truck. Good to see a D1 still in good condition!

 

[onewhippedpuppy]

Welcome, I might be parting out my 96 D1 that has a bunch of bolt on goodies you might be interested in, I'll PM you if your interested.

Absolutely, I'm trying to keep it affordable so I'm looking for used parts. Please let me know what you have.

Welcome to the Rover crack pipe as they say- nice find for sure. Even has the D-II cupholders and the best alloys!! I would encourage you to enjoy as it sits for a while- especially if you plan on doing limited wheeling. They are amazing trucks, extremely capable, and very comfortable stock. The further you push the envelope one way the further it gets from the other, so reap the benefits of it's engineering, and decent fuel economy- which will taper quickly with lift, tires, rack, skids, etc all to drive around KS as a DD. Ask me how I know
Welcome aboard, and get to exploring!!

I absolutely agree. I've been pondering the value of a lift based on how I will realistically use it, if I do anything it will be a mild 2" that will hopefully work with my relatively new Bilsteins. I would like some sort of winch up front, I'm looking at the DAP winch tray as a possibility so I don't add a huge amount of weight to the nose. Beyond that I may add a little more lighting, the wheels will be getting painted or powdercoated black, and that may be about it.

Most of my money will be spent on a good solid baseline, in the last year the truck has had the CVs, spark plug wires, spark plugs, air filter, thermostat, front wheel bearings, water pump, radiator, all fluids, coolant tank, temp sensor, fan clutch, and serpentine belt replaced. Right now my to-do list includes the transmission filter, fuel filter, all vacuum lines (visibly rotted and probably the issue with my cruise control), all coolant hoses, rebuild the stubborn CDL linkage, and whatever else I come up with. I'm a bit of a preventative maintenance nut, and I want this truck to be able to take me anywhere.

 

[onewhippedpuppy]

Quick thing I'd like to pass onto you from previous experience.

Your lug nuts are missing their covers. If you use your lug wrench/27mm socket, you'll notice A LOT of slop and can actually round off the lug nut (from experience, this is NOT FUN).

Either procure a 26mm socket (it'll fit! that is what I did!) or new lug nuts. I know its a dumb little nit-picky thing but having a flat on the outskirts of BFE and not being able to change your tire envokes negative emotions.

Also don't hit anything with that brush bar. It'll bend back into the bodywork and make a dent. Once again, this comes from experience.

Otherwise, it looks like a very nice truck. Good to see a D1 still in good condition!

Thanks for the insight. The previous owner cut off the lug nut covers because they were getting chewed up and making the socket fit difficult. I'll make sure I throw a 26 mm in my tool kit so I'm covered.

As for the damage multiplier, I remember the disdain for them from my Land Cruiser days. I definitely wouldn't spend the money to add one, but it does look sorta cool. I'd greatly prefer a good winch bumper, but also hesitate to add that much weight to my front end if I don't really need it.

 

[Rovertrader]

FYI, I would strongly suggest getting a set of alloys from the junkyard to paint/wheel, and save these- pretty sought after, and yours look extremely nice. Okay, I may have a small wheel fetish, only have about 17 sets of Rover wheels- excluding the ones on my trucks...

 

[rover4x4]

One of my favorite DI colors, I thought the LSE had RRCish door handles and chrome bumpers.. Loose the four aux lights on the front and anty up for some Hella 4000's. It will take you places the way it is, a stock rover is damn near perfect. At very least service it fully, use green coolant and champion spark plugs, also diff guards are priceless. Welcome to the club.

 

[onewhippedpuppy]

From my research it appears that the 1997 LSE is actually a rare breed, as they officially didn't produce the LSE until 1998. That seems to have led to a bit of a bastard, as I also don't have the body colored mirrors. Of course there's always a chance that someone swapped parts at some point over the last 14 years.

 

[LtFuzz]

Good looking Disco. Looks like you've got a clean one -- those are harder to find. That brushbar is a piece of junk, I'd ditch it.

+1 to what Dale said about those alloys -- they used those on the '97 Camel Trophy in Mongolia.

 

[RangeBrover]

Congrats on the buy, I'm new here myself and just picked up an 08 Range Rover HSE last month. I guess once you get bit by the bug you're hooked for life.

 

[dcarr1971]

Welcome! Nice looking D1!

...also diff guards are priceless...

x2 on this...I wouldn't suggest going off road before adding at least a front diff guard.

On my first trip with our local Rover group one of my friends did this to his D1: