Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Has anyone had much experience with disco's?

My brother wants to build a comp truck and was considering a cheap '90's sumthin land rover discovery to build it from

what's there off road ability? availability of parts/mods? etc,etc? are they anything like rangies?

GQ Bear wrote:Has anyone had much experience with disco's?

My brother wants to build a comp truck and was considering a cheap '90's sumthin land rover discovery to build it from

what's there off road ability? availability of parts/mods? etc,etc? are they anything like rangies?

A cheap 90's disco will be a series 1 & 2 ... more likely series 1. Well they are and they aren't like rangies. Basically the same platform/running gear but quite a few subtle changes aside from the obvious body ones. There were some different specs (3.5 and 3.9 motors depending on what model year) but they were basically the same in the driveline. Subsequently their off road ability can be made nearly as good as a Rangie even though they don't have the centre load leveller (mostly only purists would count the load leveller as an advantage when offroading .. that is if it is working).

Disco build quality is sometimes dubious although many people have had great service from their Discos .. same for Rangies though .. some great stories of reliability and other shockers ... not sure why that is. Having said that Rangies were never reknowned for their build quality but in rangies it was sort of accepted as a part of their character .... I think everyone expected more from the discos so their build quality issues weren't as well accepted by some owners.

Personally I prefer the Rangies ... but I'm a bit of a dinosaur myself . Reason for my liking Rangies over Discos is that I've had quite a few more rangies than discos firstly, they are cheaper and the other reason like the simpler Rangie design, I prefer Rangie seats, the Rangie has a lower aluminium roof vs Disco steel and higher roof which I reckon makes them steer funny (yep funnier than a Rangie if you can believe that ), I don't like the single piece rear door in the Discos, not a fan of the dashboards either ... don't like the alpine roofs, prefer the clamshell bonnet of the Rangie, and probably many more reasons if I thought about it a bit more.

Having said all that ... if your brother buys a disco .. they can be modified just as simply as a Rangie .. and they are as cheap as chips. Discos or rangies are a great platform to build a great offroader so go for it.

Cheers
Simo

Thanks Simo, i'll let him know what you said

Personally, i'd like to see him jump into a GQ

just won't listen though, he's had a pajero, killed it after only one trip with my GQ and me mate's mav then got an 80s 'cruiser which soon started looking and feeling worse-for-wear after only a couple of trips with same company

Anyway, the disco he's found is a 3.9L petrol, immaculate condition and he can get it for $3000 (that's what the bloke was offered as a trade in)

anyone else got any insight/ideas, THANX

GQ Bear wrote:Thanks Simo, i'll let him know what you said

Personally, i'd like to see him jump into a GQ

just won't listen though, he's had a pajero, killed it after only one trip with my GQ and me mate's mav then got an 80s 'cruiser which soon started looking and feeling worse-for-wear after only a couple of trips with same company

Anyway, the disco he's found is a 3.9L petrol, immaculate condition and he can get it for $3000 (that's what the bloke was offered as a trade in)

anyone else got any insight/ideas, THANX

I love my Rangies but mate, if he has already killed an 80 then he should not buy a disco or rangie. Unless you heavily modify them they won't take a huge beating in stock form .. you can spend some coin and make them very strong but if he drives them like he stole them then he is far better off in a GQ. I've owned over 30 rangies a coupel of discos, half a dozen 80's and about the same amount of GQ's and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. IMHO the GQ's strength is definately in the strength of it's driveline in stock form.

I've built and raced plenty of rangies .... but if you need any further proof, check out the threads in the rover pages .. the standard diffs and axles just aren't up to a beating like the heavier Jap stuff, particularly the Nissan diffs etc. There are plenty of reasons to buy a cheap disco or rangie but if he is looking to thrash it, forget it ... your advice is absolutely sound ... get him to buy a GQ.

Cheers
Simo

tell him to buy the disco!!

for 3g's he can afford to spend some coin on it to improve driveline, wont get a GQ for 3g. maybe tell him to ute the disco, if done well looks awesome and lowers COG. then will have a formidable rig

We had the same dilema, buy a Nissan or Yoya costing 10K or a Disco costing 3K. Did the latter and spent 4K modifying the drive train (Nissan CVs JacMac axles etc) and still had change to fit bigger wheels, springs, shocks, bull bar winch etc. Reckon it would have cost much more for the same outcome for a Yota or Nissan.....and... it is something different!

...and spares are now cheap - have a look on ebay..

Seen as though you're in melbourne it would pay to visit Matt Fenner at ARB southern. He has a disco that he does comps in. i'm sure he'll be happy to help you with some advice.
Cheers.

Go the rangies ! they are so cheap now you can spend the rest on upgrades.

jep and you can get bolt on portal's as well

Also talk to Shane Murray at Wombat Off Road. He's done one up for comps, 7" lft....

personally I think they're a bit too tall and skinny, but each to their own.

at $3000 for an immaculate disco you cant go wrong. You will have all the same issues as a comp rangie. With that purchase price you can afford to buy heavy duty axles, cv's, trailing arms, steering arms and still be in front of a GQ. To comp it you would be well advised to chop the roof as they are a little top heavy and are more likely than a rangie to fall over.

7'' I think I've seen it and is tall....

2' + 2' with guard chop and flares they will fit 35's easily.
3' springs if you want just a bit more clearance.

Great car once you sort out diffs and few other electrical items ect.
Suspension is waaaaay better than a GQ. Better ride, travel and they 'walk' everything instead of 'hopping around'.

$3000 you cant go wrong as said. Probly resell at a proffit if yuo had/wanted to

Go for it.

GQ Bear wrote:Thanks Simo, i'll let him know what you said

Personally, i'd like to see him jump into a GQ

just won't listen though, he's had a pajero, killed it after only one trip with my GQ and me mate's mav then got an 80s 'cruiser which soon started looking and feeling worse-for-wear after only a couple of trips with same company

Anyway, the disco he's found is a 3.9L petrol, immaculate condition and he can get it for $3000 (that's what the bloke was offered as a trade in)

anyone else got any insight/ideas, THANX

Guys (and gals ) .. don't get me wrong, those that know me know I love my Rangies (and to a lesser extent discos) because they are a far superior OFF-ROAD vehicle than a GQ and with some $$ spent can be awesome.

But look at this guys history. He's killed a pajero after 1 trip (okay paj's aren't the strongest but they take a good hiding usually with little or no complaint), then he managed to bugger up an 80 series ... same comment at the Paj above but maybe a bit tougher.

Sure he can spend $$ to upgrade the Rangie/Disco only real weak link .. the diffs, but by the sounds of it he will kill them and the lighter control arms etc anyway. If he purchased a GQ then he is starting from a far stronger driveline platform.

GQ Bear never mentioned a budget limit so after buying and destroying a couple of other 4wd's maybe this guy has the cash to buy a GQ and spend extra $$ on it to make it even better (read tougher) although he will never achieve land rover superior suspension ... I'm assuming by his history of wrecking cars that the way he drives he doesn't care if the wheels are on the ground and articulating .. he just wants to thrash it up the hill flat out.

Anyway, how did he go GQ Bear? What did he buy in the end or hasn't he purchased anything yet?

Simo63 wrote: Anyway, how did he go GQ Bear? What did he buy in the end or hasn't he purchased anything yet?

Not yet, but the moths are stirring

With regards to the previous 4b's; the pajero, well it was farkenrooted! The 80 wasn't dead(i did say he killed it) but was on life support he had to replaced cv, mudflaps and flares hanging off(plastic crap in prone positions), and then cooked once due to mud in radiator and cracked head straight away!

I've given my GQ an absolute floggin' and it just wants more. Cooked. Mate i've cooked the bloomin' thing more times than a meat pie at a shell garage and it hasn't even blown a gasket let alone crack the head.

I'm assuming by his history of wrecking cars that the way he drives he doesn't care if the wheels are on the ground and articulating .. he just wants to thrash it up the hill flat out.

This is not true and not fair(nice air in your avator BTW ) we just give 'em a hard time like what their made for, and we don't believe in taking chicken tracks

GQ Bear wrote:
This is not true and not fair(nice air in your avator BTW ) we just give 'em a hard time like what their made for, and we don't believe in taking chicken tracks

Yeah it is good air .. destroyed the car but who cares it was fun. The point I was clumsily trying to make was that he would be better off with a stronger car because it sounded like he drove them hard.

All good though

Simo.... what about the guy in Lebanon who has a disco comp car ?

What sort of comps does he want to compete in? Over half of the top 10 in the OBC every year seems to be range rovers (same chassis and running gear). This year there are a lot of discos that will be competing, even 2 from the US.

The one thing that he definitely will need to do if he plans to compete is to upgrade the axles.

Keep the feedback coming guys, thanks. Like i said the moths are still only stirring in his wallet. But once he does commit he'll go all out.

As for OBC, love to but not rich. Maybe establish a name in Victorian events, get some sponsorship and then maybe OBC.

That could be a reason your seeing rovers in OBC, their the only one's who can afford to compete. Upto around $10000 for a week when you consider fuel, travel, scrutineering, entry fees, time off work...............and that's not even allowing for vehicle damage.

Mad Cruiser wrote:Simo.... what about the guy in Lebanon who has a disco comp car ?

Yeah he is doing a great job and having built a Rangie Ute myself for comp work I know just how much goes into making one.

I've probably missed the point completely with GQ Bear's mate. I thought he wanted a car to drive hard and generally bash around but it sounds more like he wants one for comp work.

In that case then buy a Rangie/Disco (I prefer Rangies as I have previously said for a couple of reasons) build it up and he will have a fantastically capable car.

Cheers
Simo

Mad Cruiser wrote:Simo.... what about the guy in Lebanon who has a disco comp car ?

DiscoDino on this board and on pirate4x4, send him a PM

Tom

Hate to admit it but i actually looked at a Disco myself for the same thing before i bought the Hilux.

The Rangie would have been MUCH cheaper to build than the Hilux. The Hilux ended up costing $1,000 plus mods done and planned total $18-20k

The Disco $3,500 plus mods planned $14-15k.

In the end both would be the same approximate weight with the Disco getting a ute and roof chop, similar horsepower etc etc. At the time decided on the Hilux, now, thinking i should have built the Disco as there would have been far less work involved.

DISCO UTE DISCO UTE DISCO UTE

MAYBE TOYO CENT'S ETC

disco or rangie if he can pick good lines

GQ if he drives in straight lines for the simple reason of steering arms and everything being alot stronger from factory.

I'm 3/4 of the way thru a rangie ute buildup for the simple reason of $$$

early RR classic $1500 stock!
ute conversion (steel and engineers) $1000
suspension and body lift $2500
reco auto, transfer and 4.8ltr stroker $2000
maxi's & better ratios $4000
plus tyres, bar, winch, cage, seats etc $4000
(mates rates, 2ndhand/stuff from current truck and doing labour yourself)
entry level comp truck $14k

GQ swb $8000 stock
suspension and body lift $2500
V8/turbo conversion $5000
better ratios and lockers $4000
plus tyres, bar, winch, cage, seats etc $4000
$23,500

(flame suit on )

either way take both cars for a drive, He might find the disco too much like a boat to drive or the patrol too bouncy.

He'll break the disco twice as often as the patrol, the patrol costs twice as much to fix the same thing, something else to think about.
I also find my rangie easier to work on than the patrol for some reason.

Cheers

Simon

I also find my rangie easier to work on than the patrol for some reason

That was a point i meant to mention but forgot. What are they like to fix, we've both got good mechanical knowledge (he's a mechanic by trade-15yrs out of industry but still works on cars).
I find the 'trols are a peessapiss to work on and everything is accessible externally on the engine, radiator 10mins in and out, suspension, hubs and axles, etc,etc.

Another reason he scrapped the yota, internal water pump, 8hrs to remove and refit radiator, etc, etc.

mines an early model rangie ('82) and because we've cleaned up absoluly everything out wiring wise its a hell of alot simplier to work on, its also carby though

a mate has a later model rangie '88 3.5efi and the amount of excessive crap thats in his engine bay is amazing... had to take ½ the intake off the car to get to a heater hose at the back of the block!

simon

The drive line is very accessable and easy to work on/fix. You wont have any problems with access to radiator, water pump, alternator etc, but once you get back into the efi there are hoses and shit everywhere.

TRobbo wrote:The drive line is very accessable and easy to work on/fix. You wont have any problems with access to radiator, water pump, alternator etc, but once you get back into the efi there are hoses and shit everywhere.

Not unlike my TB42e i'd imagine