After 40 odd years of building these cars and replacing probably thousands of rusty old tanks, one would expect some company to develop a non corrodible replacement tank. There must be a huge market something like this. After all, it's not as if anyone would ever actually see that it's not stamped metal.

Has anyone ever heard of such a beast?

Ian

 

I haven't heard anything like that but the idea is great.

I remember in the 1960's I had a square tank made of hard fiberglass, and we used to load it with water when we went on extended boat trips to far away islands where we would spend 2 or 3 nights around a campfire.

I don't know if hard fiberglass would withstand gasoline, but maybe carbon fiber would.

A mold would need to be created in two halves to be able to reproduce the hardware inside the tanks, but then how would they be sealed against leaks ?

 

Google reveals a few companies that make poly replacement tanks, mostly for pickups, Jeeps, boats etc, so the technology is out there. Seems like a wonderful option if it was available!

 

let's send them XJ tanks and ask them to reproduce them.

 

The Spectra Premium replacement tanks are galvanized- they don't rust.......

They're a bolt in and at some $375 or so brand new a great deal....

BTW- Jaguar went to galvanized tanks (at least in the XJS) back in 92. We hardly ever hear of any of those getting rusted out

XJSC guy

 

@XJsc-guy Thank you for the reference to Spectra! I'm considering updating my XJC6 to a fuel injection, either aftermarket or S3 engine, or XJR6 swap. Will an S3 tank (which has the fuel return) work in an S2?

 

Re fiberglass fuel tanks.

The wing tip fuel tanks on my Piper Cherokee 235 are fiberglass. That is standard also on Piper Cherokee 6s. and goes back to 1964 so that technology has been around a long time
Twenty years ago, a local fibreglass operation was manufacturing new fuel tanks for early model Toyota Landcruisers where the tank was under the seat.

Probably the biggest block to making fibreglass tanks is having to initially manufacture the moulds. That is the expensive end of the manufacturing process.

 

Twenty or thirty years ago, there was a supplier of aluminium tanks for various old Jaguar models. Of course, when I was in need of a pair, they'd disappeared. In fact, it was impossible to find a series XJ tank made of anything for a while. I seem to recall someone making tanks in stainless probably for XKs and Mk2s.

 

Yes, S3 tanks will work. Note- if you XJ6C is a very early 76 (with external fuel pumps) your original tanks already have a provision for a return line (it's plugged). That's only on the (technically) 1975 models. See the attached pic this is a 75 tank (black) from one of my coupes.... The return port is the most rearward one- plugged in this pic.... Feed line is ahead of it...

 

Thank you. When I was considering buying this old English car, I was concerned about how much of this type of fact finding that I would have to do on my own. But a friend told me that the community is large, helpful, and know where all the unobtanium parts are hidden.
He is right! Thank you all.