Well i started doing the front top mount etc.etc.
And this brought my attention to rust.rust and more rust..

So out with the right side carpet..
Lots to do, so i started with the side wall of the gearbox tunnel..















Well.. cut out rust, clean rust area, use rust converter, spray with weld through primer, make and weld in new 1.2mm galvanised plate..etc etc.

Lots to do under the carpet so this will take some time and at some point i can then do the left side..

 

Well done....

 

+1
I do feel for those who have to deal with this ****. Very disappointing for a ~£50,000 car.

Is this also due to poor/non-existent seam sealing similar to the A-frame mount points?

 

Yes i think so..
I had the rear mounts welding done by local garage about 2 years ago, but will be having a good look when i get to that end of the car..

There is a gap about 4mm between the bit i cut out and the chassis box section at the bottom curve, where the tunnel meets the floor pan.
When i cut out the rusted area i found a small leaf in this 4mm gap,
it looked like it had been there for a long time,
so if a small leaf can get in there what chance have we got to keep water, silt ,road salt etc OUT !!
The seam sealer that i can see, with the carpet out ,has gone in places and is been removed and renewed.

 

Now looking at fixing the rear floor pan rust...



Most is surface rust, but some needs cutting out and replacing.



Also removed the seam sealer along the joint between the floor pan and rear seat,it was cracked in places.
I will put some new sealer when all the welding is done..



Rust converter .

Now to make the new floor patches...



Acid etch primer and then some tiger seam sealer over weld.




Dont have time now,but next week i will make the other patches and trim rust holes/patches and weld them in and cover with more seam sealer and epoxy mastic inside and out. Then on to the other bits hiding under the carpet...

 

Well i got the rear floor patches welded in this weekend..




Also some welding tacks under the car.


The above welding was done blind/eyes shut when striking the arc.. a little hit and miss...
No room to use the helmet under there..


Then sprayed area above and below with isopon zink 182 rust inhibiting primer and applied tiger seam sealer..





As you may see from the above photo, the rear A frame also has rust and will need replacing!!! (later)

Now on to the front seat belt anchor point..


From below...................


And other areas along the floor pan and sill meeting area, similar to the anchor point area, all hiding under the carpet..
THEN i can move on to the front floor pan area

Ho the joys of a 19 year old XKR in the UK ....but definably worth the effort .

 

The seat belt mounting point is now done..

I had to cut part of the seat frame out to get full access to the rust.







Weld in an over lap plate.



Then from under the car weld in a butt plate.


Then refit/weld the seat frame.


And a new anchor bolt/plate.


This bolt/plate will be fixed in place with Tiger seal and not welded.
I will cover area with epoxy mastic first then fit the bolt/plate with the Tiger seal.

In all iv had to weld in six new plates (up to now) to repair the rust hiding under the carpet ..

Lots more still to do.....

 

Now on to the front, floor pan area..



Under the car..


Cut out the floor pan..


From under the car..



The old floor pan..


Now to make a new floor pan, and save £100..




I don't have time now,
but next weekend, I have two small areas to cut out, and weld new patches in along the floor pan and sill meeting area.
Then i can get my new floor pan welded in..

 

Well the two small areas along the floor pan and sill meeting area have reviled a lot more work to do..

Two areas behind the toe board cut out and replaced (not rotted through but thin and pitted)




Jacking point removed after cutting out the sill for access and a large area of inner sill to replace.




Removed more floor pan at the inner sill meeting area.





I now need to cut out the rotted inner sill area and replace with new metal, then re fit new jacking point, then i can weld in the new floor pan and look at replacing the outer sill area iv had to remove for access..

 

Totally jealous over here!!!
Beautiful work and thank you for all the fine photos and,,, for pulling BACK the carpet! Ya gave me a veiw of what I have been,,, sweeping UNDER the carpet. Punz intended.

Making the shaped/contoured plates --- simple as sheet metal, blocks and hammering?

I have some of this to do too,,, but am scared...

 

JayJagJay.
I know what you mean (but am scared...)
Iv known i had this to do for some time and kept putting it off,
I paid a so called jag independent to do some welding repairs, i wont do that again ! all he did was cover the rot with a mix of new metal and fiberglass and covered it with black under seal (looked good but a very poor job)
Iv removed his crap work and cutting out the rot and rebuilding with new protected metal (weld through primer etc)

Yes the shaped/contoured plates can be made with ply wood and some other packing material and using a hammer and a block of wood to shape the metal to the template..

I will add a photo of the template later.

Im not a welder or fabricator and this is a big learning curve for me (first time doing any thing like this) but in my case, iv come to the conclusion if you want it doing do it your self, or you may pay good money for a bodge job..
Good luck with your up and coming work..

 

Thanks, Day!

It's beautiful work. beaUTiful, really...

I have a snap on mig 120 (I think that's the number)... I'm not proud of it but I bought it off the streets of NYC for cheap money, and here it sits... Brought it to a guy and tested it, works a treat. Now what, lol... Me, myself, never laid a bead.

I know EXACTLY what you mean about bringing it to someone. I'm dealing with that now, but in another way. The days of craft and pride and ones work has kinda went the way of the mom and pop shop,,, of all kinds,,, folks who DO what they do. Hard to explain,,, but it's bc very frustrating and leaves ya (the figurative) in a pinch in so many ways.

If it was a hurdle I could get OVER (that fear) there are many things that could and want to do with that Mig! What your doing, and a bit more on my XK8, an old Honda GW racer I'm trying to mod,,, the list goes on. I have some rust in the wheel wells on the flat verticle section behind both uprights of the subframe. Dropping the subframe and getting to the metal behind is a MUST for me and,,, I must. Your images and work gave me confidence, I must say!

When I get to the point where I am going to take a shot at it I will pm you and maybe you'll offer me some encouragement and advice,,, lol... What's the WORST that could happen -- is often how I think about these things to git me to it...

Again, great work! Be well! Talk soon!
Jay 😊

 

My welder is a cheap 130 clarke mig from machine mart,
Seams to do the job ok.. 0.6 wire and co2/argon mix gas and set on the low settings with wire speed at 6...

Snap On is a good make..and should be good for the job.
Iv been watching a lot of youtube welding for some time and that gives me a lot of encouragement/confidence to take this job on.

Iv got some paint bubbles/rust showing, at the rear wheel sill and rear bumper area, and hopefully by the time i get to the areas that can be seen i will have gained the skills to do the job..so for now im happy to be learning on the hidden areas (just need to learn how to paint spray and blend)

As you say what's the worst that can happen..

Some photos of floor pan template ..

 

Well it's slow going..
I've managed to cut out the inner sill rot and prep ready for the new repair panel.
Also made a new inner sill repair panel out of 1.2 galvanized sheet metal, (will have to remove the coating where welds will be)






New inner sill repair panel...




The new panel in place..




A bit more fettling needed before welding but it's getting there (slowly).

 

Amazing work! And courageous...

Any snaps of what the sill looked like before,,,,?

 

From a video posted here they show the entire XK is made out of aluminum, how can that rust ?

 

+1

@XKR-DAY - I applaud what you're achieving here. Great to see all that **** disappearing into the scrap bin and the bodywork coming back to where it should be.
Mechanicals and electronics I'm happy with, but this stuff scares me.


@jbmi - X100 is all steel. X150 (2007 ->) is aluminium shell

 

JayJagJay
Sorry jay i did not take any before photo's, i will try and get some of the left side (same areas) and i know the same if not more rust hiding under the black sealer.

Michaelh
It scares me to..
All what you see been replaced, could of been avoided with good owner care, Wax oil etc,etc,etc every year or so.
My sill had wax oil some time in the past (not by me) and the areas it got to are as good as new, but unfortunately this is not a one time treat and forget so i will be doing the cavity wax every year or so from now on.

Jbmi
Aluminium has its own kind of rust (white rust)
Just look on any Landrover forums.. or at our very expensive door drip seal trim.

The X150 has a lot to look forward to..

 

Had to spend some time on my daily drive car and my work van for there annual M.O.T
All sorted now, so back to working on the XKR.

Inner sill now welded in and the smaller floor pan area also done.
Made a new jacking point out of 4mm galvanised plate with a strengthening strap.
Iv done a bit more shaping to the new floor pan where it meets the inner sill and its a good fit now.

Some photos...







Jacking point...


New floor pan shaped to fit along the inner sill meeting area..




Next job is to weld the new jacking point and floor pan in place...

 

The floor pan and jacking point are now welded in place.
Iv cleaned the areas (old and new) and applied two coats of epoxy mastic 121 straight to the bare metal.





121 epoxy mastic (two coats).




Now on to the outer sill area.
Had to sand blast this area to remove all the surface rust, ready for the 121 epoxy mastic.




Same area but viewed from inside of the sill.


A full view of the area behind the front wheel iv replaced/removed surface rust and treated with epoxy 121.


Next job is to make the replacement sill panels....
Lots of work and time spent on the XKR and i think im only about 20% done !