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Another few months on and not much progress made. Haven't been able to do much this year as I moved away from where my workshop is, but 2023 is looking better in that regard. I now have the Skoda's engine mated to the original 4 speed gearbox and transfer box. I need to have a couple of parts machined to make the clutch work with this setup but it's mounted on the chassis at least. The cab is really pretty rotten but I'm getting there. Probably halfway to making it solid. I've just moved house over the border into Scotland, so can now work away at the cab at home this winter which should help speed things up. The chassis is now solid and sits on a pair of late series 3 109" Land Rover axles, still on drum brakes and not too wide for what I want. More modern axles might have been nice but I reckon these will be the best all round option. Next year I'll get the body back on the chassis and get it running. I'm keeping the ECU from the Skoda so it will have some sensors but I'll be waterproofing them where I can. It sits pretty high in the chassis anyway so I'm not too worried about drowning it in water.

Was that the day I met you there? My dad was well taken by his wee run in the Samba.

Top purchase! Spotted it on autotrader last night as I was curious how many lpg motors are still about. Impending move means lpg might become feasible again for me.

Amazing! Thanks for the thought. I really must post an update soon, however small it will be. Currently looking for a new workshop where I can work on this, somewhere around Lockerbie/Dumfries.

I'm doing Ross on Wye to Whitehaven with an empty car transporter/flatbed this Saturday afternoon, happy to shift any vehicles or anything that will fit in the back of my Disco

This place sells adaptors to mount both VW and Merc diesels to Volvo gearboxes, I have their VW/M45 kit, it wasn't cheap with the flywheel etc. And the import tax on top but it's easier than making one! I don't expect an Amazon gearbox would handle much winding up of a TDI though! https://smt.nu/mercedes-200250290300-diesel.php

Top welding there! I'm doing similar with the Laplander at the moment so I feel your pain - it's a few years since I've used gasless mind. That chain that's dangling in the last pic, I believe that was for a radiator blind - I was surprised that such a thing would be fitted to a South African market car, but maybe they have cold winters?

Great work! And I'm so glad to see it's being saved piece by piece. I can put you in touch with a Swedish chap who makes adaptor plates - you could mount a VW 4 pot TDI on to an original gearbox via that method. Having said that, an XUD with a matching gearbox might be a cheaper solution.

I briefly owned a Rover 75 with green leather, that was quite something! I wondered if Range Rovers of the same era had the option, as my L322 a few years back was navy blue inside and out. I'd have loved the same in green.

Ah that would have been perfect if I'd seen it a day earlier... Is anyone coming up the M6 who could collect a pair of Disco 2 bumpers from Burntwood near Cannock and get them to Cumbria? Seller says he can do any evening after 7pm or any time this weekend...

One year on and I've made some progress, even though life got in the way a bit! There was quite a lot of rot in the chassis, I realised it would take me ages to sort it myself, so I dropped it to my friendly local welder/fabricator, who replaced fairly large sections of chassis rail, made a new rear crossmember, and also modified a pair of late Series 3 Landy axles to fit my leaf springs, as the Volvo axles are incredibly hard to get parts for, and had the wrong gearing for what I wanted. The reason I wanted some longer gearing was because I had also pickup up this 2003 Octavia TDI donor car, to get its engine. It's an ASV, so a 110bhp with the Bosch pump. I originally wanted the VW 5 pot that Volvo used in the 850/V70, but didn't really want or need the extra bulk of it. The 4 pot should be simpler to setup too. My current plan is to stick with the ECU as a fly by wire throttle would be handy in this, and a manual setup is never quite perfect. Whilst I've been getting the engine ready (flywheel and adaptor plate from Sweden, removing ancillaries that I don't need) I've also been cutting the extensive rot out of the cab. There's a lot! Most of it is now out, so I need to get good at fabricating new footwells etc. before it can go back together with new body mounts. I've also managed to get an original back panel for the cab, from the owner of a pickup in the Netherlands, who was enlarging his cab and making his own new panel, so that's a big help!

I keep seeing a couple of VW T5s around West Cumbria with number plates that make me chuckle. One is F157 KEV, and in a similar manner the other is BJ54 followed by another chap's name - can't remember it now...

Great news! An engine that runs and an overdrive box will have you well on your way to making it a useable classic. The new tyres on it will be because the oooold crossplies on it were so bad that when I delivered it I temporarily swapped a set to get it rolling. One tube had blown and obliterated the sidewall of the tyre. The buyer had a narrow driveway and a Spitfire to get in and out, so it needed to be rolling. I don't think he got much further than fitting the tyres, by the looks of things. Glad you're keeping the patina! I wanted to keep it looking like that, but with a turbo diesel swap. The original colour is a bit brighter, mind. Glad it's back in the fold! I did break an Amazon a couple of years ago and still have a few bits, if you need anything. I can't recall much missing from that one, I did think the bonnet hinges were missing so I threw in a set from my breaker (red ones) and then found the originals - if you're wondering why it has 2 sets.

I'm heading south from Cumbria LA12 to Yeovil in Somerset on the bank holiday weekend, got an empty beavertail trailer behind an empty disco 3. Happy to help shift a car and/or other bits if not too far off a sensible route. @The Moog I could shift those tool chests southwards but not to London!

I love that it has the antimacassars! Can you open the rear door from the driver's seat? Last time I saw it was at Roy's ices in the sunshine. I'm sure you'll have seen Jonny Smith's taxi videos.