Just thought i'd share my pain

Just getting the car prepped for me to change the duff transmission. All jacked up and secure with 30" ground clearance




Then made the mistake of removing the bonnet and scuttle cover to find this:




It's certainly a mess! Had a look up behind with the camera and the windshield is attached to nothing but powdered iron oxide.
To make matters worse, the replacement steel panel for my British car isn't available here in Britain I have hopefully however found a supplier stateside, $220 and nearly the same again for shipping, $400 all in. So fingers crossed!

So, the screen has to come out (fortunately it needs replacing anyway), wings off and cut out and stitch in the new panel. Easy eh?

Moral support welcome

 

Wow, that's going to be fun to replace. I wish you the best, not a job for the feint of heart there.

 

Wow! That’s a completely new area of rust I’ve never even thought of. I’ve got the usual rust under the rear window though. It is a 98’ with 260K miles on it so it’s sorta expected for a non garaged car. BTW, I love the jack stands. 😁

 

Godspeed on this intricate mission sir lol.

 

For the sake of the wiper arm nut and 3 screws it might be worth a look if you're into sadomasichism?

It's entirely possible it had a screen replacement many years ago and the paint was damaged by the fitter letting water get in. Didn't want to drive it this year anyway 🙄

 

I replaced that cowl panel 2 years ago and it was fine under there but thanks for the recommendation anyways.

 

That's the most "creative" use of extra wheels that I've ever seen!

 

It's also a lot more secure than lumps of timber and bricks 😂

 

that's really odd it would rust out like that, I would think a windshield replacement was done and when they cut old one out a lot of exposed scratched metal in the process ,steve

 

See post #5

 

After 13 weeks of the guy dicking about, i finally received the replacement scuttle panel from the US (albeit in postage sized bits... ).

Quite a big job, but satisfying, if not hideously expensive... £350 for the panel & shipping, £350 for a replacement windscreen and about £50 for other materials = £750. That's more than i paid for the car!

 

Also did a few other bits and bobs while i was at it...

Gearbox swap including new fluid & filter:




Also repaired the rot in the chassis rail while i had the space free under there, treated any other rust areas and gave it a good shot of Schutz before i put the heat shield back:






Then into the engine bay... I'd already discovered the upper chain tensioners were shot and further inspection found the rest was knackered so a full chain kit, seals, water pump and Alu tower went on:





Rad and condenser next as both were shot (and a new drier not pictured):



Along the way I found both Cats had pin holes in them which when cleaned up turned out to be a lot worse. I'm not prepared to replace both, it's just too much money when they're otherwise fine. The remaining material is too thin to risk welding and although putty would do just fine, there's nothing to hold it in place. So, made up a couple of plates each and once bolted up they seal up nicely. £500 replacement averted!





There's plenty more to go, but i'm taking a breather from the big jobs for a bit and just fiddling with the lighter tasks while I earn more money to pour down the well of insanity


Gratuitous engine ****:

 

Wow, total dedication!
Btw, I'm sure there's £100 cats available on ebay. New ones at that.

 

There is, but they're not type-approved and any MOT tester worth his salt would fail them. Not only that but cheap cats don't tend to work terribly well. They contain way less honeycomb (including the necessary precious metals that make them work) which is why you can buy a brand new one for £100 yet scrap your original Jag one for £65.

The repairs work perfectly nonetheless.

 

Good job! You are braver and more skilled than I am.

 

You deserve the “I love my X308 the most!” award of the year!

 

I think "In too deep to quit" is more accurate

 

A great project. Well done!

 

You sure kept busy on that, looks great and great job

 

Whew, my car is rust free but I did have some trepidation pulling off the cover to check. Cleaned, waxed and treated the rubber. Probably something all of us should do.