How difficult would it be to take two 2006 XJ8's ( same color, features) where one has rear end damage and the other has front damage to build one salvage title vehicle? I have 06 with front end damage and in need of a front clip. Seems it may be cheaper to find an entire vehicle with rear-end damage so that I can get the seat belt pretensioners and driver airbag, in addition to front clip..
I was told the 06 XJ8 has only 4 ( that's 4 ) welds. The rest of course is the bonded method using rivets and all that high tech stuff, but the front fenders should just bolt on with removable fasteners... is that a safe assumption?
Thanks, Bob

 

I would say don't even think about it.

There may be almost no welds, but have you considered how you are going to dismantle the body shell assemblies ? These cars are not assembled with pop-rivets and glue, they are self piercing rivets which need a special riveter, and aerospace glue that is cured in the factory using the heat of the paint curing booth.

For what its worth, UK experience is that damage to body shells beyond a certain point usually is so expensive to repair the car is scrapped and the aluminium is recycled and maybe becomes part of another Jaguar, (or the cans in a 6 pack !)

 

The "clean room" that the collision technician was referring to must be the curing booth that you are talking about. I am also told that Jaguar will not sell necessary parts to just anyone, the buyer must be certified to work on aluminum bodied Jaguars. What a shame it is to scrap this car.
Bob

 

No Dr. Frankenstein, you can't mix bodies and brains.

 

The guy who services my car (ex-dealer mechanic) has just done this very thing. He bought an X350 with front end damage about a year ago then recently tracked down another with rear end damage.

When I spoke to him just before Xmas it was at the body shop being put together. I will probably pop in to see him in the next few days so will see how it is getting on. It isn't something I would be happy owning but it is do-able.

 

You mentioined a "clean room", I had to have a bodywork repair a couple of years ago on mine and in the UK the repair centres have to be approved to do repairs on aluminium cars, they are supposed to have an area where the tools used on steel cars cannot be used on aluminium cars as cross contamination could take place which in turn could cause corosion. I dare say there will be places that will not be approved but will still carry out the work but I was told that they are not supposed to do it.

 

Like anything, it's a matter of degree. Get the best frame measured, the specs are available to body shops....I would venture that if the frame /body is out of alignment anywhere, forget it, if it's just the hung on parts that are damaged, go for it. Remember that this car will likely end up with some sort of salvage title and be a pain in the butt to sell. You will definitely spend more to fix it than you plan to and it will probably not be a great experience. Could be a great father/son project though!

 

I know this is an old post, but I got my 04 xj with significant side damage where I had to splice in an entire right side of the car. Bought it in 05 and it took some significant research sourcing aluminum rivets and an aluminum welder as well as nearly no junkyard parts available. But 5 months of work and research/waiting for damaged xj's to show up and she rode good as new. The car had 900 miles on it and it now has 134,000 still going strong. Saved $35,000. I actually got the entire half of the car for 700 shipped to my shop. It had the airbag assembly and seatbelts which alone were worth many times that. But plan for huge challenges and unexpected pitfalls if your body guy is run-of-the-mill

 

thanks Rude. I needed some inspiration. I too purchased my totaled 06 XJ8 back from the casualty company. I had the airbag module reset and seatbelts are being reconditioned now... have the driver airbag spoofed with 3 OHM resistors just for diagnostic purpose since the car is not being driven yet and waiting for a donor vehicle. I basically need a front clip, and the biggest challenge will be to replace rad support since it is riveted to the fender supports. There should be no welding to do since everything is fastened with either standard fasteners besides the aforementioned rivets.. the damage is isolated to the front cross member and sacrificial frame extensions which are designed collapse and buckle. The xenon headlights ( $900 each) must come from an 06 yet the front clip can be from 04. The car drives perfect and has absolutely no fluid leaks, runs and drives perfectly. I am fashioning a headlight assembly using standard sealed beam headlights ( tacky..I know), but I want to be sure it will pass level 3 inspection at MVD for a restored salvage title. At that point I will proceed with the full restoration assuming I can find an affordable donor clip or vehicle. Where did you find the rivets?
Bob

 

Hey, I was fortunate to have a clean title on mine. With no accident history on carfax, go figure. You will or should do some aluminum welding for reinforcement, because the rivets seemed less robust as the originals which sink into the metal. I sourced some aluminum rivets on Google, and no longer have that information. There are numerous companies that have them for boats, etc. www.Car-part.com will be your best and most trusted friend for those lights and everything else... remember that when the yard sells a part of the vehicle, they are apt to throw in other parts free or low cost to get rid of them... if you can find something nearby within a few hours drive you may be able to score

My goal was not to make money on the car nor sell but to enjoy this thing till the wheels fall off... get the moneys worth and then some.. 7 years now and still running awesome. 200k miles here I come! This is by far the best car I have owned