Landy Disco Series 2?

[Shabs]

Hi Guys,

I am thinking of getting back into 4wd'ing following a series of sports cars. My primary requirement is the ability to fit baby seats in the back and, as it will be my daily driver, it needs to remain road friendly. My wife will also have to drive it occasionally, so it needs to less aggricultural than my old FJ40 was!

I also intend to do a lot of 4wd parks and green lanes, so I will be modifying and here starts my questions:

1) Is a disco 2 a good base for a road friendly daily driver that can also be regularly used to green lane / 4wd park?

2) My ideal spec would be something like 33 mud terains, front and rear diff-locks (ARB probably), winch bar + winch up front and bar at the rear, Rancho 9000 in cab adjustable shocks, most suitable long travel suspension. Are their any landy specialists in Surrey / around woking that I can chat to about ideal set-up? I would like to minimise lifting it to avoid impact side roll-over angle (yes, I rolled my last one) and various other things to discuss

3) Are their better options as a base car - given I need rear seats that I can put a child seat into, what else could potentially fit the bill (Jeep Wrangler LWB, Defender 110, RRC, etc?)

4) Any good dedicated UK 4wd forums that I can use as research for common problems with the old Landy's?

Thanks for the help

Marty

[anonymous-user]

Disco 2 is now just about old enough to be trouble.
And just about new enough to be costly.
Avoid.

[Shabs]

Ok, scary but good point, so that means I am either looking at a disco 1, RRC or maybe Defender 110. Is it possible to fit a child seat to a 90?

[anonymous-user]

Maybe try a TD5 90 with retro-fit Exmoor Trim forward facing rear seats, or a late one where rear facing seats were standard anyway?
Although a TD5 Defender has the same engine and ECU as a D2, the overall vehicle is still a tad simpler, ie no lecky windows, no air suspension, no central locking etc. etc.

[bakerstreet]

The TD5 engine is regarded as one of the best and worst Landy engines.

Plenty of scope for tuning (TD5 Alive and Twsited Performace) and very smooth and economical. However, they are know to have a fair few electrical gremlins. I think the D2 also lost the centre dif lock at some point in its model life.

Air bag suspension is also know to have the same faults as the ones on the P38. Airbags leak, sag and split. The compressor can also go phut too. Air suspension not much use for twoing too. You can get spring converter/assist kits.

Have a look at landyzone.co.uk Lots of good info on there.

D2 Discos do rust but they are nowhere near as bad as series 1 discos. Chassis and body is miles better.

Also 33in tyres on a daily driver is a bit extreme. I had 31 Mud Terrains on my old Pajero and it was pretty scary going round a roundabout in the wet.

[300bhp/ton]

Crossflow Kid said:

Disco 2 is now just about old enough to be trouble.
And just about new enough to be costly.
Avoid.

I think that covers most cars though. Anything can break, more so if used heavily off road and modded.

Not sure it's really all that relevant though, although OP hasn't indicated what sort of budget they are looking at.

Edited by 300bhp/ton on Wednesday 4th January 15:35

[300bhp/ton]

Shabs said:

Hi Guys,

I am thinking of getting back into 4wd'ing following a series of sports cars. My primary requirement is the ability to fit baby seats in the back and, as it will be my daily driver, it needs to remain road friendly. My wife will also have to drive it occasionally, so it needs to less aggricultural than my old FJ40 was!

I also intend to do a lot of 4wd parks and green lanes, so I will be modifying and here starts my questions:

1) Is a disco 2 a good base for a road friendly daily driver that can also be regularly used to green lane / 4wd park?

In short - YES! But it's not the only candidate.

Shabs said:

2) My ideal spec would be something like 33 mud terains, front and rear diff-locks (ARB probably), winch bar + winch up front and bar at the rear, Rancho 9000 in cab adjustable shocks, most suitable long travel suspension. Are their any landy specialists in Surrey / around woking that I can chat to about ideal set-up? I would like to minimise lifting it to avoid impact side roll-over angle (yes, I rolled my last one) and various other things to discuss

That sounds pricey. Do you have a budget in mind?

You can run 33's on a Disco, but you are starting to push the axles to their limit (well, beyond it really), especially with lockers.

Most D2's have TCS, while for rock crawling this isn't as affective, for most UK off roading the TCS will offer up similar performance and ability to axle lockers. So will you be doing anything extreme enough to warrant lockers?

There are loads and loads of options on what is capable with a D2, but even a stock one on suitable tyres is quite affective. Be prepared to hack the arches up if you want 33's and no lift though.

Shabs said:

3) Are their better options as a base car - given I need rear seats that I can put a child seat into, what else could potentially fit the bill (Jeep Wrangler LWB, Defender 110, RRC, etc?)

Better is always going to be subjective. If you budget runs to it, then the current JK Wrangler is a superior platform to start building from. The LWB 5 door Unlimited version offers up huge practicality too along with modern capabilities.

Another nice thing with the JK Wrangler is the fun aspect, removable roof, doors and fold down windscreen. Any kid is just going to love going in it, and wheeling/off roading open topped is something else entirely.


Defenders are always a good bet, but remember you'll buy more Disco for your money. And underneath the body work a Disco is pretty similar to a Defender and they have pretty similar abilities. The only advantage a Defender has is it's size, it's narrower and in 90 form shorter with less overhangs. A Disco is arguably superior to a 110 though.


Sticking with the Landy's. D3's are down in price now. Hugely capable with the Terrain Response, although rather bulky. Not such a good platform for extreme mods, but lifting them is simple and then all you need is better tyres, although not 33's.


Heading back in the Jeep direction. Cherokee's and Grand Cherokee's are highly capable. In stock trim they maybe don't have the same ground clearance as a Disco, but add a suspension kit and they can easily match or better any Landy. Huge, huge aftermarket too. Lacking in good diesel engines though, so you have to ask yourself if mpg is an issue or not.

Last up and on a more frugal side how about a Suzuki Jimny? Tiny, but still 4 seats and a boot. But highly capable off road. Good on fuel, cheap tax and easy on parts. Certainly worth considering so long as you aren't wanting a monster truck.

Talking monster trucks, check ebay out. From time to time you get things like Ford Bronco's for sale. Most are 5.0 or 5.8 V8's, yet some how faster and better on fuel than a 3.9 V8 Disco/RR.

Shabs said:

4) Any good dedicated UK 4wd forums that I can use as research for common problems with the old Landy's?

Thanks for the help

Marty

Depends what you are wanting to ask really. LR4x4.com is good, but heavily off road biased and more Defender fanatic.



In regards to a D2, well the biggest thing is they have more electronics than past versions. Such as air rear suspension, ACE (active cornering enhancement), TCS and HDC.

That said, if you plan some serious upgrades you'll likely be junking the air suspension and ACE anyhow.


The TCS is worth it's wait in gold compared to non TCS Landy's. The HDC is pretty funky too. Most D2's don't have a centre diff lock though, or rather they have it, but not the linkage to use it. For serious off road use it's worth sorting this out.

Td5 engines are great, although some hate them. Usually for no reason or for some bullst like they have "an ECU!", despite the fact V8's Landy's and even last of the line Tdi's also run ECU's.

Rust is an issue on earlier Disco 1's, I don't know how D2's are fairing, although I've not read much about if anything about and rust, so I'm guessing its less of an issue.


Axles are about as stout as they come from the LR factory, although they are different to earlier models, so carry a premium for upgrades.

[300bhp/ton]

Crossflow Kid said:

Maybe try a TD5 90 with retro-fit Exmoor Trim forward facing rear seats, or a late one where rear facing seats were standard anyway?
Although a TD5 Defender has the same engine and ECU as a D2, the overall vehicle is still a tad simpler, ie no lecky windows, no air suspension, no central locking etc. etc.

You can get central locking and electric windows on a Defender too.

[300bhp/ton]

bakerstreet said:

Also 33in tyres on a daily driver is a bit extreme. I had 31 Mud Terrains on my old Pajero and it was pretty scary going round a roundabout in the wet.

Nonsense!

At the time of writing I've done over 20,000 miles on these 33" tyres. And plenty more to come

[bakerstreet]

300bhp/ton said:

Nonsense!

At the time of writing I've done over 20,000 miles on these 33" tyres. And plenty more to come

That Disco looks good. I think the disco with standard wheels and tyres looks a bit tame. I've just been given my bonus for 2012 and I'm trying to stay away from AutoTrader. I quite fancy a gassed Series 1 V8

[anonymous-user]

300bhp/ton said:

Crossflow Kid said:

Maybe try a TD5 90 with retro-fit Exmoor Trim forward facing rear seats, or a late one where rear facing seats were standard anyway?
Although a TD5 Defender has the same engine and ECU as a D2, the overall vehicle is still a tad simpler, ie no lecky windows, no air suspension, no central locking etc. etc.

You can get central locking and electric windows on a Defender too.

Yes, but one without won't be seen as broken, will it?

[Shabs]

Hi 300bhp/ton,

Super informative post, thank you for taking the time to post it. To answer some of yor questions and raise a few more:

1) My budget is say £15K, so not really enough for a JK, but more than enough for a D2, RRC, XJ SWB plus mods. Ideally I would be spending £5K on car and £10K on mods
2) My last 4wd was an FJ40 with 35's and lockers. I think 35's are probably a bit much for road driving but 33's are probably perfect
3) I am happy to chop as much metal as is required to minimise lift, I probably wouldn't go over 2" if I can help it. In my experience more lift = all bad everywhere wrt drive train and longevity as well as driveability
4) My plan would be to junk the air suspension and convert to springs
5) I will only be doing green lanes around surrey and maybe wales and occasional 4wd parks. I have never been in the UK and would love to go pax with somebody, but I know that in AUS mud and ruts = must have lockers

Some questions:

1) Based on my intended use, are lockers necessary over the standard electronic wizardry in the D2?
2) What options are available to strengthen the axles?
3) Is it possible to reconnect the centre dif lock?
4) Any good websites / vendors that I should take a look at to get an idea of parts?
5) Any good specialists that I can chat to?

I love the look of your disco, do you mind posting up the specs and model etc?

Thanks,

Marty

[300bhp/ton]

Hi Marty. I'll sort out some links for you and lost them up in a bit.

[Shabs]

thanks mate, very much appreciated

[shirt]

apologies for the intrusion to your thread shabs, but i was just about to ask about the disco 2 and it makes it easier to ask here.

as per my p38 thread, i need a tow car that i can use for desert camping and wadi runs. i saw this d2 today which was remarkably clean for the money and had an armful of specialist history [previous owner being a manager of said specialist].

http://dubai.dubizzle.com/classified/autos4x4s/lan...

i am thinking of making an offer, but wanted to know what the main weakpoints are and things to check prior to buying.

this car has just had the active cornering serviced [i did love the wafty ride compared to the cherokee i drove yesterday], but did all d2's have air suspension? if it goes pop, how much is it to convert to springs?

i took a friend who had plenty of discos/defenders before who's also a very experienced mechanic, and he was impressed with the condition. he did say though that if i want to go in the desert i'd need to lift it and fit bigger tyres. what are the options on 18" wheels, and what issues am i getting into by lifting? wouldn't want anything too extreme as i'd also be ditching the sidesteps and desert driving is nowhere near as hard on things as pay & play.

all pointers welcome. if it serves to have this as a seperate thread then can a mod kindly arrange? [sorry again shabs].

PS - 300bhp, i am veering away from jeep purely because the disco was whisper quiet and rode about a million times better than the cherokee.

[jesta1865]

Crossflow Kid said:

300bhp/ton said:

Crossflow Kid said:

Maybe try a TD5 90 with retro-fit Exmoor Trim forward facing rear seats, or a late one where rear facing seats were standard anyway?
Although a TD5 Defender has the same engine and ECU as a D2, the overall vehicle is still a tad simpler, ie no lecky windows, no air suspension, no central locking etc. etc.

You can get central locking and electric windows on a Defender too.

Yes, but one without won't be seen as broken, will it?

they don't all break at the drop of a hat you know, and other makers cars give up the ghost as well.

with the sort of money the guy is talking about i would suggest a defender is a better option.

[anonymous-user]

jesta1865 said:

Crossflow Kid said:

300bhp/ton said:

Crossflow Kid said:

Maybe try a TD5 90 with retro-fit Exmoor Trim forward facing rear seats, or a late one where rear facing seats were standard anyway?
Although a TD5 Defender has the same engine and ECU as a D2, the overall vehicle is still a tad simpler, ie no lecky windows, no air suspension, no central locking etc. etc.

You can get central locking and electric windows on a Defender too.

Yes, but one without won't be seen as broken, will it?

they don't all break at the drop of a hat you know, and other makers cars give up the ghost as well.

with the sort of money the guy is talking about i would suggest a defender is a better option.

I know they don't all break and I know any car can fail. My point is/was that £ for £ a Defender is that much more maintainable as it's generally simpler in terms of assembly, and a bit cheaper as there are less electronics. Sure there's commonality of parts, but even gaining access under a Disco can be a challenge (yes 300bhp, I do know they can be raised) compared to just lying down under a stock Defender.
I've just changed the indicator stalk on my Defender, and that involved the sum total of four bolts, two screws and a clampy thing. Just can't see it being the same on a Disco where, for comparison, it meant dismantling most of the dash just to change the bulbs in the heater controls.

[300bhp/ton]

Shabs said:

Hi 300bhp/ton,

Super informative post, thank you for taking the time to post it. To answer some of yor questions and raise a few more:

1) My budget is say £15K, so not really enough for a JK, but more than enough for a D2, RRC, XJ SWB plus mods. Ideally I would be spending £5K on car and £10K on mods

Just so you know. You can get a JK Wrangler for about £11-12k http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

In stock trim they have Dana 44 axles, so strong enough for some serious tyres. They are also a highly capable vehicle in stock trim.

Something like this lift kit: http://www.roughcountry.com/jeep_jk_3-seriesII.htm...

Would allow 35" tyres and still leave you money left over for tyres and a few other mods.

Lockers are easily available and you really wouldn't need to do any other upgrades unless you really wanted too (such as winch, bumpers and the like).

All JK's have TCS, which having driven one off road I found to be very capable. Easily out performed my modded 200Tdi Disco.

I think for £15k you could buy and mod one of these if you wanted too, and as a total cost, I'm not sure you could truly better it.

On a similar note, D3's can be had for £10-12k too, you won't get 35's or even 33's under it. But highly capable machines and can look pretty badass when modded.

Shabs said:

2) My last 4wd was an FJ40 with 35's and lockers. I think 35's are probably a bit much for road driving but 33's are probably perfect

Sounds fad, would love to see some pics of it.

Shabs said:

3) I am happy to chop as much metal as is required to minimise lift, I probably wouldn't go over 2" if I can help it. In my experience more lift = all bad everywhere wrt drive train and longevity as well as driveability
4) My plan would be to junk the air suspension and convert to springs
5) I will only be doing green lanes around surrey and maybe wales and occasional 4wd parks. I have never been in the UK and would love to go pax with somebody, but I know that in AUS mud and ruts = must have lockers

Lockers are great I agree. Although I don't run them myself, but that's due to the competitions I enter don't allow them.

But the modern TCS based systems are very good. What they do is detect a spinning wheel and use the ABS to apply load to it, due to how an open diff works, this means an increase in power is sent to the other wheel on the same axle (as power is a representation of torque under load). This forces the stationary wheel to rotate, so gives you traction just as a locker does.

The only down sides are, you have to get a wheel spinning before it kicks in, but in reality it's pretty instant. You also have to then stay on the power a little bit to keep the system working.

An advantage over a locker is, it makes wheels with the most traction drive the vehicle, so far more precise, whereas a locker is more of a blunderbuss and just makes all the wheels spin. On slippery mud, the TCS system is likely to produce a more stable vehicle with less crabbing.

That said, there is no reason why you can't use both lockers and TCS in harmony, and many such systems do.

Shabs said:

Some questions:

1) Based on my intended use, are lockers necessary over the standard electronic wizardry in the D2?

I think the best thing would be to try it and see first. If you don't feel as though you need them, save the money. But they can always be fitted if you wanted.

Personally I'd say it will come down to your driving style, the rest of the vehicle setup and the terrain though.

Lockers can be a good self recovery tool though, although if you get stuck using them, you'll probably be really stuck!

Shabs said:

2) What options are available to strengthen the axles?

Quite a few options. Best bet is to check out:

http://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/
http://www.kamdiffs.com/

Then sit down when you see the prices!!!

If you have the money, then upgrade straight off, else stick with the stock stuff and replace it if/when it breaks.

Landy axles get a bad rap sometimes, and often deserved. But in truth if you drive in a considerate fashion, then you might not have any issues at all. That said, I've personally done a front diff in and I've seen a number of other Land diffs bust while trialling and even when running tiny 7.50 tyres.

Shabs said:

3) Is it possible to reconnect the centre dif lock?

Short answer yes.

Long answer, some years are easier than others. Afraid I forget which years specifically, but some all you need is the lever and linkage, which many places sell as a kit. However I think there are a couple of model years where the transfer case didn't have the provision for the linkage or something like that. So I'd highly advise researching this. But ultimately it is solvable, even if it means a replacement transfer box is needed (quite a simple thing to do and not overly costly either).

But it is worth doing it. Td5 Defender's have the centre diff, but I think LR assumed the Disco wouldn't see as much off road use, so just let the TCS do it's thing. The TCS is good, but a locking centre diff just makes it so much more efficient and easier going.

Shabs said:

4) Any good websites / vendors that I should take a look at to get an idea of parts?
[5) Any good specialists that I can chat to?

First off I'd say go and buy a couple of LR Mags (LR Monthly, LR Wolrd, etc.) All the major parts people will have ads in their. Total Off Road magazine is a tad more extreme and caters for others besides Land Rover's, but well worth a flick through too.

In terms of websites. Well while there are plenty of off roaders here in the UK, we tend to be a little more tame than the US guys.

Some UK forums:

http://forums.lr4x4.com/ - Lot of these guys are into Challenge Events and the like. Some pretty extreme stuff on their. But a lot of good knowledge. More Defender's than anything else, but still worth a look

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/ - a lot of jokers on this forum and less extreme than LR4x4, but a broad church and some good general info on maintenance and daily running.

http://www.difflock.com/ - Not been on here, but seems popular.


http://www.landroversonly.com/forums/ - think this might be an Australian forum, or at least a lot of guys from there on there. Good info, although I've not been on there in years.


For a wider perspective and some more extreme stuff have a look:

http://www.discoweb.org/ - US based forum, but dedicated to the Disco. So has a lot of very good info, if you can look past the American childish behaviour in the forums.


http://pirate4x4.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=b199... - Another US one, although quite an international community. The guys on Pirate are truly nuts though, so totally amazing machines. If you want to scare yourself stless take a browse in the Jeep section some truly insane rigs...


If the Jeeps still picker your interest:

http://www.birtydastards.com/frm/index.php?action=... - A good UK based Jeep forum
http://www.jeepclub.co.uk/ - self explanatory
http://www.jeepforum.com/ - US based, but an insane amount of info. Very good forum.


Venders - well there are loads and loads to chose from. Personally I like these as good starting places:

http://www.llama4x4.co.uk/ - David is a great guy, better to phone him up as he does loads more stuff than is on his website. Most of it from the US, but all high quality stuff.

http://www.x-eng.co.uk/ - Simon is a genius of an engineer. Some very original ideas and clever designs.

http://www.cheviot4x4.com/shop/ - I like their stuff, all developed through using and innovating their own ideas in competition.

http://www.devon4x4.com/ - often pricey, but well known. Some good stuff and always worth a look.


For more general parts (although they sometimes sell some interesting stuff too):

www.famousfour.co.uk/
www.mm-4x4.com/
www.paddockspares.com/
www.johncraddockltd.co.uk/




In terms of buying a Disco2, buy on condition rather than on anything else. While it's true you can fix almost any part of a Landy, you might as well make it easier for yourself.

You main choice is diesel or petrol.

I personally like the Td5 motor, it's very tunable and was in production longer than the Tdi's. Some hate the ECU, but in reality they are usually living in the dark ages or just fooling themselves.


Early ones had some issues with oil leakage along the wires to things like the ECU, although I think that was solved. Poor maintained ones can suffer internal damage and poor running, a replacement engine is really the only answer.

On the whole though the Td5 is fairly stout. But the stock map on them is poor, a remap will make it run a whole heap better and is going to be needed with bigger tyres.

For remaps check out:

www.allisport.com/
www.jeremyjfearn.co.uk/

Most TD5's are manual, although auto's have become more popular.

Both boxes are pretty good, although the R380 5 speed manual can be broken with enough abuse and power upgrades.

It might be worth considering a V8 if you aren't doing huge mileage, or look at an LPG conversion. You'll buy more V8 Disco for your money as a rule, and they were normally higher specced.

The V8 is the old school 1950/60's Buick small block still. Not hugely powerful, but affective enough. They can suffer cracked liners and HG issues in these later examples though. And LPG can make them run hot if they aren't up to par.

Make sure everything electrical works.

And make sure it goes into low range ok, some people never use it.

Check for clonks too. Landy's tend to eat through bushes and the like. All can be replaced with moderate ease though.

Props can cause a vibration and have been known to cause issues. If you are lifting and going for flexy suspension you'll likely need some custom wide angle yoke propshafts though.

Suspension. The front is simple enough. The rear on some low spec models is standard coils (I think). But many/most have air suspension. You can buy conversion kits to swap it out to coils though, and they are cheap enough, especially if you buy them without the road springs they normally sell with them.

ACE - is quite a trick active anti roll bar setup and works well on the road keeping the vehicle level. For extreme off road use though you might want to junk it, although I'm not sure how adaptable it is. Might be worth checking on Discoweb or something and see what they do.

If it's failed it can be pricey to overhaul though.

The air suspension itself is quite simple, but confuses most garages. If you are removing it, then don't worry, infact it might be worth find one for sale with failed rear suspension, would be a great haggling point.

Check for rust, it's far less of an issue than with previous models. But a small hammer and/or screw driver and a magnet is sensible when inspecting a vehicle. Crawl right under and check all the chassis, especially near the body mounts, rear cross member and underfloor struts at the back.

Body wide, check in the arches, sills and places like the battery tray. Much of the body is aluminium (Birmabright), but there's plenty of steel parts too.

Check for any warning lights too, sadly you'll likely not be able to test the TCS and HDC, but hopefully they should be fine.

Shabs said:

I love the look of your disco, do you mind posting up the specs and model etc?

Thanks,

Marty

Thanks.

It's nothing special really and looks far more extreme than it actually was.

It's a 1991 (H plate) 200Tdi 3 door manual Discovery.

It's actually running stock suspension believe it or not, just with heavily hacked arches. I had to take about 6" or so off the arches in some places to get the tyres to fit.

But this was quite a few years ago now, when doing this was far less common in the UK.

Devon 4x4 supplied me with the wheel arches, although they actually came from a place in Australia. Sadly they where fibreglass as that was all that available then. One did get broken on a tree. These days you can get flexible plastic ones which are much better.

The tyres where also from Devon4x4 and at the time where the biggest they could sell me. The are Simex Jungle Trekker II's in 33.11.50R15 size running on some 15x8 deep dish steel 8 spokes. The tyres measure about 34" tall though against the tape measure.

Other mods included an Allisport intercooler and tuned pump/turbo. I also added a Safari snorkel, a home made exhaust and a custom built tubular bumper to meet ALRC bumper width specifications for the trials events I enter.

Also got a big steering guard on it as I bent a few steering arms trialling.

It actually went well and felt like a dirty great Tonka toy to drive. And was more than fine for the ETV competitions I enter and general off roading about the lanes and on my Uncles farm.

I did buy some new suspension and was planning on lockers and the like, but had a change of plan.

The Disco still exists in parts, but it's donated a few bits to my 1978 Series III 88" pick up that I'm rebuilding. This is a more focused and purpose built machine for trials events, but will be less road friendly and only 2 seats.




A bit of pic whoring...
















While I'm rebuilding my S3 Landy I bought this... quite different to the Disco, yet quite similar. Mild 2" lift and 31's, but does what I want. A lot faster than the Disco, but way worse on fuel. Feels a lot smaller off road though and less Tonka toy like on it.

Edited by 300bhp/ton on Thursday 5th January 11:08

[R12HCO]

Dont get suckerd into massive tyres. Yes they look brilliant but function wise they arent all that. They slow the car down a considerable amount and once up to 65 its like hitting a brick wall (in a disco/defender that is). I would go for a taller tyre to raise the diff (if we are talking land rover) but not really wide.

300/bhp - Do you wheels catch alot on pay and play sites (on the body) ?

[jesta1865]

Crossflow Kid said:

I know they don't all break and I know any car can fail. My point is/was that £ for £ a Defender is that much more maintainable as it's generally simpler in terms of assembly, and a bit cheaper as there are less electronics. Sure there's commonality of parts, but even gaining access under a Disco can be a challenge (yes 300bhp, I do know they can be raised) compared to just lying down under a stock Defender.
I've just changed the indicator stalk on my Defender, and that involved the sum total of four bolts, two screws and a clampy thing. Just can't see it being the same on a Disco where, for comparison, it meant dismantling most of the dash just to change the bulbs in the heater controls.

yep would go with that, however i happily lay under my discovery to peer at bits to do, then chicken out in case i mess it up.

admittedly i have a d1 but the last time i had to change an indicator stalk on my 1st one (conran interior) it was 3 screws

the new one d1 300tdi seems to just clip together, did the dash change that much in the d2?