The XJ project continues apace on my series III. While the car I have is fairly low milage for the breed, there is some rust to deal with on the rear wings.

It's an odd rot out problem. Instead of the arches rotting, the rust seems to have started in the middle (see images). I suspect, based on the symmetry of the rot on either side, that the buckles of a tie down for a tarp was rubbing against them at one time or another in its life.

I'm planning to give a go at shaping some sheet metal myself and welding in the patches, but wondered if anyone had any pointers to where I might find the appropriate body panels or (ideally) might have some scrap from their own efforts that they don't need that I could cabbage onto. This is really not terribly extensive (the left wing, as you face the rear of the car, is the only one that actually gets into the subskin, the right one is just above the wheel arch).

The front windshield, well, that's a different story and for a different time...

 

Not all that odd. I've seen a few Ser IIIs rusted in just the same areas. Some sort of water trap back there behind the panels?

Cheers
DD

 

On one side, I'd be tempted to say that it's where the inner skin mates with the outer -- but on the other, the rot is just in the middle of (from what I can tell) otherwise fine sheet.

 

your best bet for the panel is David at EverydayXJ www.everydayxj.com

 

Shot him an email -- we'll see what he has! Thanks!
It's small enough I probably can rough it in with a hammer/dolly/sweat/blood/tears/foul language/welding, but as a father of 3 I'm constrained to the typical quandary:

1) getting it done quickly so my wife doesn't go crazy
2) having my kids do it

And they're not ready for the MIG yet.

 

I worry that on the other side of that hole, you have a gasoline tank and fuel lines full of explosive vapors and liquid gasoline under pressure;

if you're going to weld there, I would remove the gas tank and seal any gasoline lines before. The Jaguar factory service manual states that anytime the XJ-6's fuel system is going to be opened to atmosphere, the fuel system must be de-pressurized, which hardly anybody does, and then they end up with fuel problems.

 

Yeah, that tanks getting pulled. My father (who is, I suspect, a closet masochist) is insistent that the sheet metal welding can be done with an acetylene torch. Lots of fire, not good around fuel tanks -- and this one is disconnected anyway.