Best4x4's 1997 Land Rover Discovery (XD) Trip & Build

Best4x4 · 1997 Land Rover Discovery (XD)

97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build:

Read the full write-up at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

A 1997 Land Rover Discovery driven home across the US, then built for expedition camping

Best4x4 flew to Oregon to buy a 1997 Discovery (XD) known online as PDXDisco and drove it roughly 2,000 miles back to Texas with a friend, fixing a failed driveshaft and other issues along the way. Once home, the owner worked through accident-damage findings, suspension and cooling repairs, and converted the truck into an overlanding rig with a rooftop tent, awning, and auxiliary lighting.

Specs

As stated in the original write-up.

Engine: V8, had head gaskets, main and rod bearings, water pump replaced
Thermostat: Edelbrock 180F High Performance thermostat
Radiator: Nissens replacement radiator
Suspension: 3 inch lift using D2 SE7 rear springs on front, 1 inch aluminum spacers, Bilstein shocks with lowering front and rear shock mounts
Front and rear axle arms: Full set of Radius & Trailing Arms with Superpro bushings from Adrenalin4x4
Brakes: TerraFirma Ceramic brake pads on all four corners
Wheels: Black sawtooth rims
Roof tent: OVS Mamba rooftop tent
Lighting: 42 inch LED light bar and KC LED 6.5 aux lights

Parts used

Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.

Engine 2

IAC motor
Replaced after original was found bent from an over-tightened O-ring
Head gaskets, rod and main bearings
Replaced during an engine teardown ahead of an event
In the shops
Rod Bearing Set ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $185.00 USD
Rod Bearing Set .030 ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $126.25 USD
Rod Bearing Set, .040" ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $126.25 USD

Fuel & Ignition 2

Replacement fuel pump
Installed to fix hard starting, revealed previous owner had fitted a Corvette pump
Fuel pressure regulator
Replaced to fix loss of fuel rail pressure
In the shops
Fuel Pressure Regulator ↗Racetorations· £55.00 GBP

Cooling 3

FlowKooler water pump
Fitted during head gasket job
Nissens radiator
Replaced original radiator which was heavily clogged with debris
In the shops
Radiator, Nissens ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £237.76 GBP
Radiator, Nissens ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £138.76 GBP
Nissen Radiator 3.0L ↗Land Rover Parts, Spares & Accessories· £166.80 GBP
Edelbrock 180F thermostat
Fitted along with the new radiator to improve cooling
In the shops
Thermostat 180F ↗Belcher's American Auto Parts (UK)· $21.00 USD
Thermostat & Gasket 180F 33631 ↗Belcher's American Auto Parts (UK)· $11.00 USD
Thermostat 82°C - MGC Standard (180F) ↗MGOC Spares· £7.50

Gearbox & Drivetrain 2

Front propshaft
Replaced before the drive home after the original failed
Transmission cooler line
Replaced a line that had a trail repair causing stress on a rubber section
In the shops
Nissens ZF 8HP70 Transmission Oil Cooler ↗Land Rover Parts, Spares & Accessories· £112.99 GBP

Suspension & Steering 5

D2 SE7 rear coil springs
Fitted to the front axle to correct front sag
In the shops
Rear Coil Spring Pair, Lowered 1" (Terrafirma) ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $165.00 USD
Rear Coil Spring Pair, Light Load Plus 2" (Terrafirma) ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $206.00 USD
Spring Washer, Single Coil 5/16 ↗Racetorations· £0.15 GBP
1 inch aluminum lift spacers
Added to raise ride height to a 3 inch lift
Stubby front shock towers
Installed to keep using the Bilstein shocks at the new ride height
In the shops
Shock Tower Brace ↗Moss Miata· $189.85 USD
Shock Tower Brace ↗Moss Miata· $346.99 USD
Rear Shock Tower Brace ↗Moss Miata· $167.75 USD
Rear lowering shock mounts
Fitted so OEM-length shocks worked with the 3 inch lift
In the shops
Terrafirma Long Travel Rear Top Shock Absorber Mounts ↗Land Rover Parts, Spares & Accessories· £71.52 GBP
Radius & Trailing Arms with Superpro bushings
Full set from Adrenalin4x4 installed on the axle
In the shops
Radius Arm Bushing Set (SuperPro) ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $160.25 USD
Radius Arm Bushing Set (Spitfire, Superpro) ↗bpnorthwest.com· $90.92 USD
Trailing Arm Bushing Set, Poly (TR4A to TR6, SuperPro) ↗bpnorthwest.com· $92.63 USD

Brakes 1

TerraFirma Ceramic brake pads
Fitted to all four corners during a brake job
In the shops
Brake Pad Set Front Premium Ceramic (Terrafirma) ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $33.75 USD
Brake Pad Set, Front (Terrafirma Premium Ceramic) ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $48.50 USD
Ceramic Brake Pads ↗bpnorthwest.com· $31.68 USD

Wheels & Tyres 1

Black sawtooth wheels
Installed after being in storage for a while
In the shops
16in Sawtooth Alloy Wheel - Gloss Black ↗LRDirect· £339.19 GBP
16in Sawtooth Alloy Wheel - Gloss Black ↗LRDirect· £339.19 GBP

Body & Trim 3

D2 99-02 headlights
Installed on the Discovery
Front Runner roof rack
Replaced the Safety Devices rack to carry a rooftop tent and awning
In the shops
Roof Rack Ladder ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $117.50 USD
HD rear tire carrier
Obtained to carry up to a 35 inch tire while raising it for ground clearance

Interior 1

Diamond plate rear panel
Fitted in place of the OEM subwoofer panel for a cleaner look
In the shops
Red Diamond Stitch Door Panels ↗Moss Miata· $242.00 USD

Electrical 4

Brake light switch
Replaced after it failed completely
Window motor and regulator pigtail
Sourced from a D2 parts truck to fix a missing window motor
In the shops
Window Regulator Pair (Spitfire MK4/1500) ↗TRGB· £195.00 GBP
Window Glass to Regulator Frame Rubber Seal ↗bpnorthwest.com· $7.52 USD
Window Regulator, Right Hand Side (TR250/TR6) ↗bpnorthwest.com· $55.29 USD
Window ECU
Swapped in a spare after finding a bad solder joint on the original
42 inch LED light bar
Mounted under the front of the roof rack and wired up
In the shops
Terrafirma 20" LED Light Bar ↗Land Rover Parts, Spares & Accessories· £225.28 GBP

Other 4

iKamper 3.0 rooftop tent
Installed then later removed as too much for the owner's needs
270 degree awning
Mounted on the new roof rack
In the shops
270 Degree Terradactyl Awning (2.5m) ↗Paddock Spares· £515.71 GBP
270 Degree 2/5 Terradactyl Awning - 2.0m ↗Paddock Spares· £568.38 GBP
270 Degree Terradactyl Awning Side Room (2.5m) ↗Paddock Spares· £311.26 GBP
OVS Mamba rooftop tent
Replaced the iKamper tent as better suited to the owner's needs
Golden Rovers aluminum skateboard, dash mount and rear cargo rack
Added for storage and mounting electronics in the cargo area
In the shops
Steering Rack Mount Kit, Aluminum ↗Good Parts· $59.00 USD

Photos

29 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build:. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.

Best4x4 · Sep 23, 2023 | 02:05 PM 10this post at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

Best4x4 · Nov 25, 2023 | 01:11 PM 3this post at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

Best4x4 · Mar 16, 2024 | 11:53 AM 4this post at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

Best4x4 · Mar 24, 2024 | 09:13 PM 1this post at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

Best4x4 · Mar 31, 2024 | 09:18 PM 5this post at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

Best4x4 · Apr 23, 2024 | 09:32 AM 1this post at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

Best4x4 · May 26, 2024 | 11:51 AM 1this post at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

Best4x4 · Jun 23, 2024 | 09:34 PM 1this post at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

Best4x4 · Jul 13, 2024 | 12:39 PM 1this post at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

Best4x4 · Mar 20, 2025 | 11:03 PM 2this post at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

How it was done

Buying it and driving it home

Best4x4 bought the Discovery, known online as PDXDisco, near Portland and flew up with a friend to drive it back to Texas rather than ship it. Before leaving they replaced a failing front driveshaft and fixed a brake switch, then covered about 2,000 miles over roughly 41 hours, dealing with a crushed swaybar mount, dim lights, a stowaway mouse, and a heater core leak bypassed on the road.

Discovering the truck's history

Once home, inspection revealed the frame had been straightened and plated from an old severe front impact, with the right front radius arm mount never fully corrected. A later owner had also hit a deer and had an off-road accident, explaining a mismatched black hood and fender, which the owner chose to leave as character rather than repaint immediately.

Mechanical and electrical fixes

Work included a new fuel pump and pressure regulator, a replacement IAC motor, repaired window regulator and ECU, rewired auxiliary lighting, new D2 headlights, and a full head gasket and bearing job before an event called SCARR. The leaking original radiator was later replaced due to overheating in summer.

Building it for expedition use

The owner moved away from the original off-road-only XD look, fitting a Front Runner rack, an iKamper rooftop tent later swapped for an OVS Mamba, a 270 awning, LED light bar, rear cargo rack, and storage accessories, aiming the truck at camping trips rather than extreme trails.

A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at 97 XD (PDXDisco) Trip & Build: ↗

Worth knowing

An iKamper soft-shell rooftop tent proved too tall and fragile for tight trail trees, prompting a switch to an aluminum shell tent
Loose ARB bumper mounting bolts should be checked and fully torqued after prior fitment
Checking for proper grounding (not relying on starter or ebrake cable grounds) can resolve intermittent no-start issues