Ownership Verified: I'll have some off - 1990 Land Rover Discovery Bobtail

Matt2000

An Unfortunate Discovery
DONOR
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Messages
18,135
Location
Four from the top and two from the third row, UK.
Car(s)
'12 MX-5 PRHT, '02 Freelander, '90 Disco 1 Bobtail
Update: This thread was completely lacking any introduction so here we go. Back in early 2017 Keely was properly broken and a familiar truck showed up on eBay, one that had been built a number of years previous by a friend in a local off road club. I had always watched it at events and admired it, hoping one day to turn Keely into something similar. Well, with things the way they were I wasn't going to miss this opportunity and bought it. Meet (stubby) Bob - my scaffolding-clad, 200Tdi Discovery 1.

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Bob was featured in Land Rover Owner magazine when it was owned by its builder, a chap called Pete. Here are the pages from the mag:

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5

They also made a video.


So, the kit it has and the comparison to Keely. Where to start...
  • Bobtail chop - the most obvious thing and the biggest difference from Keely. This massively improves off road performance by removing the overhang. Less to rust too...
  • Roll cage - stops me caving in the corners and obviously protects from rolling. Since the guy was a fabricator I'm inclined to trust it.
  • Rock sliders - Tied in to the roll cage and incorporating strengthening box section in place of the rust-prone sills. I always wanted these on Keely but the bolt on versions tend to find weak points...
  • Big tyres - Much larger than mine (not sure of the exact size) and with a much more aggressive pattern. They're worn but no more than you would expect and far from causing me any issues with road legality.
  • Electric rear locker - Arguably stronger than the air locker I have in Keely and gives me better access should it need maintenance.
  • Front limited slip - Don't have one, makes it go even better. No intention of replacing with a manual locker yet.
  • Front winch - I don't have any winches on Keely, this one is a Warn 8274 that has been upgraded with a more powerful motor and has thick synthetic rope. This would be expensive all on its own.
  • Rear winch - 2 is better than one, this is the kind of winch I would've bought for Keely. Currently needs a bit of attention. Both winches have wireless remotes.
  • CB radio - OK so I have one but this is very neatly mounted and has a speaker.
  • Hi-lift jack - I don't have one, useful extra.
  • Waffle boards - fibreglass equivalents of sand ladders. I don't have any of these either so another bonus.
  • Front spot lights - Yet another option I didn't have, not critical but they are already fitted and neatly wired in.
  • Rear work light - as above.
  • Snorkel - have one, this is basically the same but easier to ensure it's sealed.
  • 40 litre fuel tank - not as big but big enough and not vulnerable to damage. There is a shut-off tap for safety and it stops anyone driving off with it.
  • Twin battery system - Haven't looked in to this fully but the winches run off a separate battery and unlike the single one in Keely they both work. One is brand new! Nice big isolation switches for the winch power under the bonnet.
  • Under-bonnet LED strips - A bit of a gimmick and as they're mostly dead I can't see how good they can be but handy and cheap to replace.
  • Flashing amber recovery LEDs - this was used in a 4x4 response group for a number of years. Not a whole lot of use to me but flashing lights is flashing lights...
  • Boost gauge - always wanted one.
It also came with a big stack of spare parts, some being quite expensive such as winch motor. The engine has had a new starter motor, alternator and appears to have a new vacuum pump. There's very little that doesn't work but quite a few things need attention, here's my current job list:
  • Wheel bearing to be replaced.
  • Steering damper bracket is broken, replacement should be easy to source.
  • Rear door lock not working right but is fine for now(parts from Keely).
  • Both front door locks sticking (parts from Keely).
  • Drivers window sticks (parts from Keely).
  • Rear wiper broken off (guess what - parts from Keely).
  • Find out what is going on with rear winch (wiring issue).
  • Either get more locking wheel nuts or get rid - nice to have but they throw the wheel balance off.
  • Some security bolts for stuff.
Anyway that's far too much waffle - pictures!

Interior

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"A slick dash"

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Closer look at the switches

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Rear differential lock switch. The push button is a 30 amp switch, never seen these strange things before but they work. They're made in Germany and I think they have an internal fuse but I haven't found out how to get to it yet...

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Relays

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Some fuses

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Fuel gauge (seriously, it's a sight tube!)

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Proof pic

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Height comparison with Bugsy...

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I intend to have a lot of fun with this thing. :D
 
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This is now the derpiest vehicle on the forums. Well bought :lol:
 
Was there not some other way to measure the fuel level?
 
I expect to see it at Ringmeet. I'll pay for the lap. Shotgun.

If you pay for the transporter too then I might think about it, there's no way I'm driving this thing any further than the coast. :p

Was there not some other way to measure the fuel level?

He could've fitted a sender but this was a simple solution that can't really go wrong or give an inaccurate reading. I'll probably replace the pipe at some point with a new, clear piece. Currently have no real world idea of how far it goes on a tank.

Edit: Oh and it turns out those switches are thermal circuit breakers. They'll automatically trip if the circuit draws too much current.
 
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You are crazy. Approved!
 
So is this ja Sport Utility Vehicle or what? :lol:

Amazing car, I hope to see it some day!
 
You're mad, but in the best possible way.
 
Awesome. Sam and I would love to come and join you on one of your off-roading weekends - hopefully we can fix something up for later this year.
 
You seem to have lost the back of your Disco, mate.

/me waits for the negrep
 
So is this ja Sport Utility Vehicle or what? :lol:

Amazing car, I hope to see it some day!

I'd like to think SUV stands for Seriously Unstoppable Vehicle. :D

Awesome. Sam and I would love to come and join you on one of your off-roading weekends - hopefully we can fix something up for later this year.

That would be great, I've scared all my local non-LR friends already so I need new victims. :D

I hope you don't think I ignored your advice in the eBay thread, it just makes more sense than pouring cash into a bottomless pit. :)

You seem to have lost the back of your Disco, mate.

/me waits for the negrep

Parts falling off is a common problem anyway, how can I negrep? :p
 
Wow, what a cool toy. And it has a goddamn exoskeleton!
 
Keeping everything together and preventing bodywork from falling off? :p
 
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