I'm on a tiny budget so am I to expect little?

[Cobs]

Seb, I'd endorse the advice about looking for something secondhand if you're on a budget. It might be worth looking at something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Snap-on-m...038093?hash=item56884e924d:g:Ve8AAOSwmtJXXZgG

or cheaper but poss more of a risk:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SNAP-ON-M...507409?hash=item2ef0445bd1:g:t88AAOSwrnNXPhUM

These mig units are no longer produced but have a good reputation and were built by Cebora so you'll also find them listed as a Cebora Pocket Mig 130 or Turbo 130 (the Turbo bit just means it has a cooling fan) as well as Snap-on. SIP 130 machines are also readily available but ( from experience) I'd avoid them - there's plenty of comment on this forum about the smaller SIP machines and you can probably do better for the money. The smaller Clarke welders 135 and 150 are also worth looking out for but ask on this forum for direct experience of these.

As for gas it's worth doing a bit of research looking for BOC Argoshield Light as a basis. Adams gas, amongst others do rent free cylinders and will likely have an agent near you. A cheaper alternative to start with might be to look out for a local pub gas supplier - they sometimes also do welding gas but possibly limited just to plain CO2.

Finally if you have any steel stockists near you it's worth asking if they have any of the edge banding that protects the sides of the steel sheets that get delivered to them. This is often thrown away but is ideal for bodywork repairs and you might get it free if you ask nicely.

Good luck with the Jag project.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Sadly if you start working on that XJS without any real idea of the work involved to get it back on the road, then its very likely to end up on Ebay as unfinished project, and sold for less than you paid. Might be someone on here with XJS experience in your area, but I would have thought you would have more luck finding someone on a Jag specific site, or if the car is drivable getting an MOT carried out, which will give you some idea of whats required.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Thank you Richard!

Right I've spoken to my Dad for a battle plan to get started on the car on Thursday. First of all, I'm going to clean the fuses and fuse box, so as to stop them deteriorating - should be an easy job. Then my friend Richard suggested this:
The ingress of water to the front floorpans is via the seal on the windscreen without exception this is where the moisture gets in as the seal perishes over time - make that a priority job when you get her.

Then I will take off both wings and take them indoors for working on. At this point, how can I tell if the sill has gone or not? (IE: not just the top bit, but if the whole sill section has rotted away?)

From what I can remember XJS outer sills rot, and if the outside has problems then so will the inner parts, and often the joint where floorpan joins the inner.

 

[KemppiFrog]

The area you need to look at very carefully is where the large diameter metalastik bushes at front of rear axle panhard rods (?) bolt onto chassis. QUOTE]

The -?- is right, as it has IRS, they are not Panhard rods ( OK, pedantic.) More like trailing links. Panhard's are the cross links used on live axles to stop transverse movement. My Espace has one.

 

[the snooper]

Sadly if you start working on that XJS without any real idea of the work involved to get it back on the road, then its very likely to end up on Ebay as unfinished project, and sold for less than you paid. Might be someone on here with XJS experience in your area, but I would have thought you would have more luck finding someone on a Jag specific site, or if the car is drivable getting an MOT carried out, which will give you some idea of whats required.

You could say that of any car, I think putting it in for an mot is a total waste of money, he has quite a while before he could drive it so crack on and tackle all obvious faults, a lot of garages that work on cars often say scrap it when it could be saved as they look at it from a commercial point of view, my first car was mk1 capri got it when I was 16, needed welding and quite a bit, I just got stuck in and had it all welded up.and on the road as soon as my provisional came, so it's very do-able

 

[Kent]

Guys I'm feeling kinda anxious about it now - do you believe I am who I say I am or not?

Personally I don't realy care. It's sad when anyone pretends to live a different life, means they ain't realy got one
I have done crazy things all my life doing a jag at 15 is sort of mild by comparison lol

 

[Chris Stevens]

I have repaired a few XJS's, and found them to be very attractive to tinworm, as well as being quite complex to do. From Sebs pics I would guess outer and inner sills, and very likely floor pans are pretty deffo going to need doing, and possibly rear axle radius arm mountings.

To get involved with a project like this blind seems to me a very bad idea, and while its certainly possible to repair most things if you have the tools, equipment, money, and know how, a totally unknown XJS maybe isnt the best place to start?

 

[the snooper]

No never done an XJS but worked on a roller, silver shadow

 

[MattH]

I have repaired a few XJS's, and found them to be very attractive to tinworm, as well as being quite complex to do. From Sebs pics I would guess outer and inner sills, and very likely floor pans are pretty deffo going to need doing, and possibly rear axle radius arm mountings.

To get involved with a project like this blind seems to me a very bad idea, and while its certainly possible to repair most things if you have the tools, equipment, money, and know how, a totally unknown XJS maybe isnt the best place to start?

What's the worst that can happen though? In a couple of years time you get bored and bin off the car. So what, had fun and interest been had along the way?

When I was young my mum's favourite saying was "don't start that because you'll never finish it", I've always felt that it's one of the worst things that can be said to a young person.
I self taught myself IT and have been very successful in my IT career over the last twenty years (almost in year 7 of my own IT company), moving on to a successful CNC manufacturing company built off of my self built CNC machine that was all self taught. If you don't try you will never succeed.

All the best to you Seb, I hope you enjoy the restoration and learn loads along the way. If it doesn't go to plan then just move on to the next thing you will enjoy.

 

[the snooper]

I have repaired a few XJS's, and found them to be very attractive to tinworm, as well as being quite complex to do. From Sebs pics I would guess outer and inner sills, and very likely floor pans are pretty deffo going to need doing, and possibly rear axle radius arm mountings.

To get involved with a project like this blind seems to me a very bad idea, and while its certainly possible to repair most things if you have the tools, equipment, money, and know how, a totally unknown XJS maybe isnt the best place to start?

ive welded some of the early fiat they were complete rot boxes and i was in my early 20s and using an arc welder back then, ive welded many cars some you need to remove parts that can be a little awkward but essentially there is no difference cut out, clean up make new part weld in and move on

 

[Chris Stevens]

No never done an XJS but worked on a roller, silver shadow

Very rotten?

 

[the snooper]

Very rotten?

the part i was doing was yes, ive worked on rottern cars putting full floors and sills in as well as chassis work, maybe you find a lot of rot daunting i dont know, to me its a lump of mild steel, find a good bit and start from there if a panel is available great if not you make it, people have different approaches to things and very few of us on here know how each other works / thinks

 

[Chris Stevens]

What's the worst that can happen though? In a couple of years time you get bored and bin off the car. So what, had fun and interest been had along the way?

When I was young my mum's favourite saying was "don't start that because you'll never finish it", I've always felt that it's one of the worst things that can be said to a young person.
I self taught myself IT and have been very successful in my IT career over the last twenty years (almost in year 7 of my own IT company), moving on to a successful CNC manufacturing company built off of my self built CNC machine that was all self taught. If you don't try you will never succeed.

All the best to you Seb, I hope you enjoy the restoration and learn loads along the way. If it doesn't go to plan then just move on to the next thing you will enjoy.

My point was try and find someone who knows what they are doing to take a look at the car, before getting involved with trying to repair it. OP can certainly get some useful info about welding gear on here, but might be better to ask some specific questions on Jag related forums regarding the actual work?

 

[MattH]

My point was try and find someone who knows what they are doing to take a look at the car, before getting involved with trying to repair it. OP can certainly get some useful info about welding gear on here, but might be better to ask some specific questions on Jag related forums regarding the actual work?

Seems to me that the OP was asking about welding gear on here and has another thread on a car forum about the resto.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Seems to me that the OP was asking about welding gear on here and has another thread on a car forum about the resto.

Seems a shame to put him off, but XJS is a real pig of a car to weld up even for a pro, and I think thats the advice he is likely to get from Jag forum members............

 

[the snooper]

Seems a shame to put him off, but XJS is a real pig of a car to weld up even for a pro, and I think thats the advice he is likely to get from Jag forum members............

in what respect ?

 

[MattH]

Seems a shame to put him off, but XJS is a real pig of a car to weld up even for a pro, and I think thats the advice he is likely to get from Jag forum members............

Some people like to crawl then toddle then walk with a walker, then take their first few uncertain steps then spend the next 3 years getting that down cold. Then maybe 5 years in they'll take a short jog, think "I like this" and then wait until PE class in school to learn how to run. Follow that up with 3 to 5 years of collage and sports university and finally take part in a race.

Others just like to get up, run full pelt and if they fall over they get up and carry on running.

Different stroke for different folks I guess.

 

[WorkshopChris]

but XJS is a real pig of a car to weld up even for a pro

Am i missing something? If it's rusty cut it out fab a repair section weld it in. Doesn't matter unless its very new it will just be mild steel. Modern cars with high strength alloys are a different story. The principals for repair are just the same doesn't matter if it's a mini or fiesta through to a bentley or aston.

 

[jagxjs1992]

Am i missing something? If it's rusty cut it out fab a repair section weld it in. Doesn't matter unless its very new it will just be mild steel. Modern cars with high strength alloys are a different story. The principals for repair are just the same doesn't matter if it's a mini or fiesta through to a bentley or aston.

So are you saying it should be "challenging" but straightforward to do welding on a Jag then? Because that's what I'm deliberately trying to read

 

[roofman]

Theres a chap on here thats doing a very special XJS (race car)..cant remember his name now but he,s local to me as ive bought a big rotary table off him.Ive seen his jag and it was in a very very bad state,no floors,sills ect. A search on here might winkle him out