[xj-s] new to the jaguar forums and new 85 XJS Owner

i just purchased a ‘‘project’’ XJS that I get to push home tomorrow.
upto this point I’ve been pretty much just into porsches, but have
always loved the XJS’s and decided to pick one up. I did have a few
questions that hopefully someone can help me with. Did Jaguar
Galvanyze (sp) there bodies back in 85 and what are the main
failure points on these cars?

Thank you very much

Jeff–
porschegonzo
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In reply to a message from porschegonzo sent Mon 26 May 2008:

Welcome to Jag ownership!

Galvanise? Pause for hysterical laughter.

There have been a few recent threads on the subject of
common issues, try the search function. I posted a list of
things to watch for a week or two ago.

Kirby’s book is a good place to start, available free in PDF
form on this site.–
1990 XJ-S V12 Convertible, Glacier White, 59K miles
Santa Clara, CA, United States
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In reply to a message from porschegonzo sent Mon 26 May 2008:

As an owner of a '85 XJ-S I can assure you the only
‘‘Galvanyze’’ that is present is the resolve to engineer a car
out of rust, oil and ‘‘magic’’ (sometimes called electrics)

Take a pain killer pill, lie down, then think about how much
you like the car, you’ll need the love.–
1985 XJS V12 HE TWR (Black Betty) - www.bryansplace.net
Gold Coast Qld, Australia
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Sorry Jeff,

In word a “no” - jaguar did not galvanize the cars in any way. Owning
an 85 myself i can say from personal experience they weren’t even that
keen on painting the things back then. Rust is the single biggest
killer of these cars - i think I’d be right in saying “by far” - hence
the slightly incredulous responses you’ve received.

The factory did get better at painting them and by now yours will
probably have seen a spray gun at some point since as well.

Don’t worry what they lack in galvanization they make up for with
charm. The electrics in an 85 will probably give you some stick too,
but fear not we’ve all been there at some point and are here in
numbers to help.

When you get there, it has to be said, there is a lot of satisfaction
in knowing you’ve “tamed the beast”. As other have said read the
kirby book ram-jammed full of stuff you really should know. Owning an
85 as you do I’d strongly recommend skipping to the bit about ceased
dizzy caps straight away.

Simon

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