[xk8] Rusty sills & rear quarter

Looks like the rust is setting in on my 98 XK8. Last year I
dis the transmission tunnel while the gearbox was out to
replace it. That was pretty extensive. I also did the osr
quarter above the bumper. There’s a mud trap here and it had
rotted through from inside. I’ve just got around to doing
the nsr quarter and noticed some coming through the
underseal at the back of the sill. Once I’d stripped off the
stonechip it turned out to be fairly extensive along the
outer sill.

The back of the rear cage front mounting point is also shot.

It’s an odd design. After cutting off the outer sill from
the seam under the door back I found a double skin which
seems to extend just from the seam back. As it is
inaccessible to the regular waxoyl injection I’ve been
doing, it has rotted presumably from water draining from the
wheel arch lip.

The inner skin isn’t directly welded to the inner sill or
rear of the sill but to the outer skin so doesn’t seem to
have much structural purpose, especially as it is only from
the middle of the car back.

Is this inner skin just a redundant throwback to the origins
of the floorpan from another car (xjs or lincoln iirc)? Or
does it actually add strength, maybe for the convertible,
which mine isn’t.

I’m making up the panels at the moment but it would be a
hell of a lot easier, and longer lasting, to omit the inner
skin as you can’t paint or rust proof it adequately.

On a separate note maybe Martin Robey or David Manners
should consider looking at manufacturing replacement panels
for these, or is it not going to be a future classic?

Anyone else got any experience of this?

Many thanks
John–
98 XK8 4.0 coupe. 95 X300 4.0 sport. 69 Daimler V8 250
Dewsbury, United Kingdom
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I posted the above 10y ago. The repairs i did have lasted until now but the wheel arch is now shot, both inner and outer. I’ve been able to find replacement wheel arches and a lower rear wing repair section. The biggest headache is making the inner arch section so I can weld it all together without too much distortion. It’s also awkward with not much in the way of reference points left to align the 3 new panels to each other.
Anyone else repaired their rear sills, arches and lower wing?
Cheers
JohnIMG_20200517_165321|689x388

My 2001 seems to be in remarkable shape underneath. My technician pulled the two front splash shields to take out the front struts and remarked at how well my 20-year old car has lasted. 80000 miles on her. My e-types; a different story entirely.

Well, on E types, there was essentially zero internal rustproofing used, plus no galvanized metal involved.

Also, has the XK8 ever been subject to humidity and or road salt?

Dewsbury. Say no more. Basically, in the Pennines and Peak District you have two options:

  1. No salt and you repair bent bodywork after you crash into the dry stone walls.

  2. Winter salt and you repair rotted bodywork after you don’t crash into dry stone walls.

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  1. Don’t drive in icy conditions and don’t crash into walls?

:grimacing:

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Hi there’s a guy on eBay selling repair kits for front and rear sills expensive but good

That’s probably same guy on eBay i got the wheel arch and rear wing lower section from. Yes pretty expensive and still needs bit of fettling but I think those bits were worth getting. The sill is fairly easy to bend up yourself.
Good points about the dry stone walls and ice😁
I moved to Barnsley since as needed more room for my Gaz 66. Snow is no problem for that.

I think the pair of sill ends are £140.00 per pair he does front and rear he only does sill end repair sections no wheel arches or other stuff

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