new owner of a 84 xj6 od at 160000 runs great.....good part...... all the mass sensor stuff is brand new...bad stuff rust in trunk which I can fix rust under the gas peddle which will not pass inspection......bonnet miss aligned... possible rot on the uniframe in the usual spot........any comments would be gratful thanks photos to come

 

I don't know how different the S3 is to my S2, but the S2's are notorious for rust. And mine is rusted beyond reasonable repair. So I'm going to drive it til it falls apart and swap my 383 stroker into a nice, more fresh/less rusty Jag roller.

Good luck. I'm not a body work kind of guy unfortunately.

 

Good that you can tackle rust repairs on your own. If not, you'd be in for some big expenditures....probably more than you paid for the car.

Ser IIIs are great cars, though. Built like a tank and drive like velvet.

Welcome aboard.

Cheers
DD

 

When I did a lot of body work on an XJ6 in the late 80s/early 90s you could get factory panels, and they fitted beautifully. I don't know what it's like now, but I fitted a new Jaguar boot floor and rear valence, and quarter panels, and repaired the rear wheel arches at the rear face. I quite enjoyed doing this, but for serious welding around this area you should remove fuel tanks and pipes etc

Side sills, ("rocker panels in the USA I think), and the little closing panels at each end I got a shop to do, again with factory panels. You cannot fix the sill totally "as-is" at the B post so must improvise and cut a bit out to allow you to weld to the remnant of the old sill at this point. Reason is there are about 4 layers of steel welded together at the B post. Where the radius arm from the rear suspension subframe bolts on is also a serious rust point.

Front wings are still around, but you'll find the inners will be seriously corroded in some places. There are also some closing panels that rot away. The cross member under the radiator will no doubt be rotted out, so this will need replacing.

The front screen aperture will be rotted out at the two lower corners and screen must come out to make a proper repair. Rear screen aperture may not be so bad but check it.

There is a front valence connecting the wings and I managed to get a new one. These rot out as well

Are you still sure you want to carry on !

As Doug says, once you get to make a good long drive, you'll fall in love. These cars were the last of the Jaguar saloons with a Magic Carpet ride. I had mine 14 years. If only Jaguar had made them better !

 

Talking about rust, so check this link ;-)
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...project-92771/

 

OH my!! you have rust on an old jaguar!

i'd say all things are normal, Leyland produced some of the lowest quality steel in the world!

 

I don't think Leyland produced any steel. Most likely sourced from steel mills somewhere. But, the rust proofing was primitive at best. Just to be fair, a lot of makers had rust proof issues. and those cars that went to places where salt was used to treat snow and ice on the road became swiss cheese quickly. those that went to dry climes did just fine.

My 83 is virtually rust free. Lucky me.

But, my two year od IHC that started life in Colorado was starting a voyage to swiss cheese land. Once here, it stopped oxidizing!! It is said that IHC used rusty steel in making the critters. Rolls of steel destined for the stamping machines were stored unprotected in a yard.

Carl

 

Good info....I do have the Jag Heritage xj6 series III parts and service manual 79-87 on disc which came with the car.I scrolled thru the body section and could not find what might replace the driver side floor.It is rusted under where the gas peddle is connected by that brace and along the middle console somewhat hidden by the console carpet.This is my biggest problem.

 

What years was this shittie steel produced , mine is a 97xj6 , can not find any so far , here in the upstate SC, where it as been for ever after the import ride across the pond. anyway good luck, rust and corrosion is a lot of work and messy ,Satterfield

 

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the steel Jaguar used to make its body panels, it was the body preparation to protect from rust that was seriously flawed. This plus the bodies are made from a host of small panels with lots of joints and rust traps. However this complexity of construction does have its advantages when it comes to repairs and rebuilds 30 years later as the spot welds can be drilled out and new panels let in fairly easily.

Better body prep and paint came in with the Ford mega-spend on production facilities. Tata Motors are now reaping the benefit that Ford first sowed.

 

Well said, Satterfield

 

Leyland specified the type of steel, and as i remember,it was a great new introduction of a hardened and tempered THINNER=LIGHTER steel for body construction, around the 1960s-1980s era.

problem was it also corroded and rusted quicker because of certain elements were removed from the base steels. more profit, less cost.

around the time when ford was considering the buy, much of world governments,like USA, were mandating automobiles should be treated to a type of dipping or electro-coating body shells, so as to reduce rust etc.

if any of the old timers notice,today cars DONT rust like the old ones did, like 1990 onward!

 

has anyone used this ? picked up a brochure and then googled it......seems like an interesting rust inhibititor but it stays wet and keeps rust from continuing...Just wondering.

 

Ahem, "this" being what exactly ? It's no secret there a number of rust-inhibiting fluids around that can be very beneficial. At the moment I have a large can in my garage I used on my MG Midget recently, following a sill repair.

 

it's called fluid film.The brochure states its main ingredient is lanolin wax,claiming it continually seeks out rust.???? Just wonderin...

 

for my XJS 1978, after 1 1/2yrs on rotessorie,and much panel sheet metal replacement(welding etc).

i did my final rust reducing with a product called WAXOIL, it sprays on as an oil and then congiels to a wax like substance, 18yrs still is waxy and can be soft with your finger nail,it seems to wick into any small cracks or joints!

i sprayed all my small hidden compartments with plenty of it and inside doors,nooks and crannys! used a long spray nozzle for hard to get areas. like inside windshield A pillars,or any area that is upward.

2 gallons used, also hot days softens it and it spreads out even more, and never any problems!

 

I just went out and dug out that can ! It's called Dynax X50 and it is brilliant stuff, far easier to apply than Waxoyl and it creeps and creeps. I used it to do some rust proofing on my MG Midget last year, where an owner decades ago had missed with the Waxoyl gun, and also to reproof a sill repair.

Here's some details of the stuff I have: -

Cavity Wax | Order Dynax S50 For High Protection Rust Proofing