What to look for ,,when buying
- Thread starter LUISJG
- Start date
stevenmd
Expedition Leader
Luis - first tell me what your project entails. Modifying a rover is different in some ways than modifying, say a Land Cruiser or a j**p. Some people think they can slap 33's on a rover and be OK - you would need to upgrade to HD axles.
By knowing what you want to do, I can offer better advice - a disco compared to a rangie, 3.9 to a 4.0 to a 4.6 engine, for a few examples.
Thanks.:friday:
By knowing what you want to do, I can offer better advice - a disco compared to a rangie, 3.9 to a 4.0 to a 4.6 engine, for a few examples.
Thanks.:friday:
well actualy the modification will be to the body ,,as far as tires we want to stick with 31 x 10.5 .
the fabrication mods will be somewht like this.
the roof of the cargo space will be brought down arround 10 inches,
to acomodate a more flush mounting of a roof tent when closed.
the cargo windows and possible rear door windows will be removed,
if the case ,the rear passenger doors will be welded then the windows removed, ,nos the area thats occupied with the reap passenger windows
and cargo space windows, will have sheet metal work done creating
a space for some gerry cans on one side and the other side will have high lift etc etc.
this will be something like a compartment that goes towards the inside making th gerry cans mount flush to the side of the vehicle.
hard to explain,, here is a scetch.
my question on what to look for is refering mechanicly .
the fabrication mods will be somewht like this.
the roof of the cargo space will be brought down arround 10 inches,
to acomodate a more flush mounting of a roof tent when closed.
the cargo windows and possible rear door windows will be removed,
if the case ,the rear passenger doors will be welded then the windows removed, ,nos the area thats occupied with the reap passenger windows
and cargo space windows, will have sheet metal work done creating
a space for some gerry cans on one side and the other side will have high lift etc etc.
this will be something like a compartment that goes towards the inside making th gerry cans mount flush to the side of the vehicle.
hard to explain,, here is a scetch.
my question on what to look for is refering mechanicly .
Last edited:
stevenmd
Expedition Leader
Luis - the number one thing to look for is not mileage but the previous owner's records of maintenance. Rovers can last forever if they have been maintained regularly. It is important that the engine has NEVER overheated. The aluminum block doesn't take heat well and the insert sleeves will drop.
How much do you want to spend and where are you located? I have a 1996 DI that I will be selling shortly but I live in California.
The 3.9 (94 - 95) engine has some bolt on headers that work great. The 4.0 (96 - 99) engine needs a few mods to make headers fit.
The tranny fluid should have been changed regularly. If not, leave it alone and put in some LUCAS refresher tranny fluid. If it has not been changed regularly, it will fall apart inside with new oil - weird, I know.
Look at replacing the rototampon (rotoflex) right away with an after market drive shaft or a good local guy can fab one up for you.
I think if you had more specific questions, I might be able to give you better answers.
Also, why cut the roof when a rangie already has a flat roof? Just wondering.
How much do you want to spend and where are you located? I have a 1996 DI that I will be selling shortly but I live in California.
The 3.9 (94 - 95) engine has some bolt on headers that work great. The 4.0 (96 - 99) engine needs a few mods to make headers fit.
The tranny fluid should have been changed regularly. If not, leave it alone and put in some LUCAS refresher tranny fluid. If it has not been changed regularly, it will fall apart inside with new oil - weird, I know.
Look at replacing the rototampon (rotoflex) right away with an after market drive shaft or a good local guy can fab one up for you.
I think if you had more specific questions, I might be able to give you better answers.
Also, why cut the roof when a rangie already has a flat roof? Just wondering.
Thanks for the info, you know how some vehicles always have some
very define problems as you mention and just wanted to know about them.
my firend and i made a drawing wich looked preety cool, and also looked alot better with the recesed space for the roof tent and gaining clearence overhead, as the vehicle will be intended for long haul expeditions we were trying to make it as efiecient as possible for cargo carrying and less wind drag on the roof, rear seats wil be disarde aswell,,sorry about my english,,its not to good and sometimes tend to invent words.
we found 2 vehicles that can be done this way,,the disco and the cherokee
2 door, so far we have seen discos arround here any were from 3 k to 6k in very good condition ranging from 97-1999,
thanks again
very define problems as you mention and just wanted to know about them.
my firend and i made a drawing wich looked preety cool, and also looked alot better with the recesed space for the roof tent and gaining clearence overhead, as the vehicle will be intended for long haul expeditions we were trying to make it as efiecient as possible for cargo carrying and less wind drag on the roof, rear seats wil be disarde aswell,,sorry about my english,,its not to good and sometimes tend to invent words.
we found 2 vehicles that can be done this way,,the disco and the cherokee
2 door, so far we have seen discos arround here any were from 3 k to 6k in very good condition ranging from 97-1999,
thanks again
nvprospector
Adventurer
Avoid the Cherokee if you are going to be doing this type of mod. It is a unibody design and that makes the frame a weak design when taken off road. When you flex a Cherokee, you are hard pressed to close any doors unless you move to flatter ground.
As for the disco, like stevenmd stated, more detail would be nice and is much needed. You can do much with a disco, but to help with what needs to be done we have to know what type of driving and terrain you will be traversing.
Even modification to the body needs careful planning. I know many disco owners who have chopped their bodies and have done good jobs at it, but many more have failed. It takes a lot of work to rerun all of the wires that are run under the headliner and the wiring is the only the tip of the ice berg.
To run a 31 X 10.5 on a DI requires lift. With the lift, you need to remove the rubber donut in the rear and install a real drive shaft for starters. How much wheel travel do you want, again we need details.
I will stop there; I could go on for years explaining every possible configuration. MORE INFORMATION IS NEEDED. Just saying you are going to chop a body and add 31” tires is not enough to help.
As for the disco, like stevenmd stated, more detail would be nice and is much needed. You can do much with a disco, but to help with what needs to be done we have to know what type of driving and terrain you will be traversing.
Even modification to the body needs careful planning. I know many disco owners who have chopped their bodies and have done good jobs at it, but many more have failed. It takes a lot of work to rerun all of the wires that are run under the headliner and the wiring is the only the tip of the ice berg.
To run a 31 X 10.5 on a DI requires lift. With the lift, you need to remove the rubber donut in the rear and install a real drive shaft for starters. How much wheel travel do you want, again we need details.
I will stop there; I could go on for years explaining every possible configuration. MORE INFORMATION IS NEEDED. Just saying you are going to chop a body and add 31” tires is not enough to help.
nvprospector
Adventurer
By the way stevenmd I located a nice 300tdi that I will be placing in my DII. I will be posting the build on this site.
stevenmd
Expedition Leader
That is sweet! I am jealous... well, sort of... I am about to purchase a '62 RHD 2a with a diesel engine!nvprospector said:
Btw... are you on www.lrrforums.com at all? You should check it out. Alot of NorCal and NV guys on there. Plus we just started the NCLR and have some NV members.
nvprospector
Adventurer
Stevenmd, I am a member of that forum I don't post though.
Good find on the 2a. If you found one in good running shape, then I am jealous. I got one 4 years ago and love it to death. It took me a year to get it back into running condition though and I am still cleaing it up.
Will say this, the one weak point of them is the passenger side floor pan. For some reason, the passenger side rusts more than the driver. Well, I guess in England it would be the driver side. I had a local machine shop press me an aluminum floor pan and kick panel for both the driver and passenger sides of the rig.
Good find on the 2a. If you found one in good running shape, then I am jealous. I got one 4 years ago and love it to death. It took me a year to get it back into running condition though and I am still cleaing it up.
Will say this, the one weak point of them is the passenger side floor pan. For some reason, the passenger side rusts more than the driver. Well, I guess in England it would be the driver side. I had a local machine shop press me an aluminum floor pan and kick panel for both the driver and passenger sides of the rig.
nvprospector
Adventurer
stevenmd said:
I will see what I can do. I am getting ready for a 20 day prospecting/mining expedition into Lander, Eurka, Pershing and Northern Nye counties in northern Nevada starting the second week of May. Will have to see if the wife will let me do another.
thanks for the replies,, the only concern I have with a disco so far is finding parts if it breaks on me in mexico or south from there. I found a real nice green one but I have to go with a white due to the unfriendly green color south of mexico.
also looking into the unlimited jeep "2003 model",
also looking into the unlimited jeep "2003 model",
nvprospector
Adventurer
When you get into Central America you will be amazed how many rovers are down there. Not to mention most of the shops down there can work on these things. That is because the mechanics in a rover are simple. Just remember this; the rover engine is just a 215 Buick from 1962. The 4HP22/24 transmission is also found in BMW, Jag's, Mercedes and yes even late ‘90’s Fords. The transfer case is not chained but geared so that makes them almost bullet proof. The axels in a pinch can run Toyota gearing if need to be, but not for long without modifications to the axels. The u-joints are out of a Volvo 510 and the front drive shaft center ball is from a ’95 to ’01 GMC Jimmy. If you loss a fuel injector, not a problem, ’95 to ’02 350 engine has them also.
The biggest thing you should carry is a fuel pump and common wear parts. All of your o-rings and seals are easily found because it is a Buick motor. If you will be doing a lot of off road, and it is a DII then also carry front CV’s. Always carry a set of axel seals and o-rings.
I have spent a lot of time as far south as Costa Rica looking for minerals, and when I broke down I did not have much problem finding the parts I needed, or a part that would work with the right size hammer
.
The best thing for you if you get a rover is learn how to work on it yourself. You will only need a few tools to carry because there are only a few different sizes of nuts and bolts.
The biggest thing you should carry is a fuel pump and common wear parts. All of your o-rings and seals are easily found because it is a Buick motor. If you will be doing a lot of off road, and it is a DII then also carry front CV’s. Always carry a set of axel seals and o-rings.
I have spent a lot of time as far south as Costa Rica looking for minerals, and when I broke down I did not have much problem finding the parts I needed, or a part that would work with the right size hammer
. The best thing for you if you get a rover is learn how to work on it yourself. You will only need a few tools to carry because there are only a few different sizes of nuts and bolts.