Scott Brady
Founder
As I grow restless with my truck being "finished" and the Trooper holding the record of the longest I have ever owned a vehicle (5 years) and the Jeep going to ebay/autotrader in a few weeks I would like to spend some time reviewing options for a solid replacement, but with good mileage.
It is not because $3.00 a gallon has any real impact on my budget (we drive very few miles per year in our DD, living in a small town), but because I am very interested in the efforts required and results of converting a nice SUV (for storage volume, transporting people and safety) to a fuel efficient solution.
I know there are other vehicles as options, like the 60 TLC, but the LR seems to be the perfect solution for my needs. Compact dimensions, great utility and excellent trail performance with minimal mods. I am also a hopeless Camel Trophy geek, so...
This will be a place holder for some research and feasibility. I know that several companies are bringing in the TDI and I have some good contacts in France too.
My opinion is that I can buy a new car for $40,000 (like the GC CRD) or build my own, with all of the best components for trail and reliability and still get mid to high 20's on MPG.
When in France, I drove a 2-door Discovery I with the little diesel and I loved that truck. We consistently got 28-29 mpg on the roads.
Base vehicle:
1997 Land Rover Discovery with 5-Speed and Cloth interior. Goal would be to find a reasonable mileage vehicle with really straight body and clean interior. Something from CA, AZ, NM would be ideal.
Considering swapping the doors out to manual locks and windows
Rebuild the axles with ARB/Maxi-Drive, new T-case and updated 5-speed
I am not sure on the project timing, as it might even wait until after South America, but I thought it would be a fun exercise regardless.
A little inspiration: :drool:
It is not because $3.00 a gallon has any real impact on my budget (we drive very few miles per year in our DD, living in a small town), but because I am very interested in the efforts required and results of converting a nice SUV (for storage volume, transporting people and safety) to a fuel efficient solution.
I know there are other vehicles as options, like the 60 TLC, but the LR seems to be the perfect solution for my needs. Compact dimensions, great utility and excellent trail performance with minimal mods. I am also a hopeless Camel Trophy geek, so...
This will be a place holder for some research and feasibility. I know that several companies are bringing in the TDI and I have some good contacts in France too.
My opinion is that I can buy a new car for $40,000 (like the GC CRD) or build my own, with all of the best components for trail and reliability and still get mid to high 20's on MPG.
When in France, I drove a 2-door Discovery I with the little diesel and I loved that truck. We consistently got 28-29 mpg on the roads.
Base vehicle:
1997 Land Rover Discovery with 5-Speed and Cloth interior. Goal would be to find a reasonable mileage vehicle with really straight body and clean interior. Something from CA, AZ, NM would be ideal.
Considering swapping the doors out to manual locks and windows
Rebuild the axles with ARB/Maxi-Drive, new T-case and updated 5-speed
I am not sure on the project timing, as it might even wait until after South America, but I thought it would be a fun exercise regardless.
A little inspiration: :drool:
But I guess that is going in the opposite direction from +MPG. Some people claim you need the 1.4:1 if you're going too heavy but I'm putting the 1.2:1 with a ZF and 2.8L, so in a few weeks I can tell you how that goes.
