First, for those on xj40.com who don’t know the car, here is a little bit about it.
I have had my 1992 registered but 1993 model year 3.2 Sovereign a long time and it has a real sentimental value to me because it was once my late father’s company car.
I don’t have many photos of it from way back – I only got a digital camera in 2008. Here it is squeezing down a narrow lane in the South West of the UK in the mid 1990s. It’s a bit narrow!

A more recent picture taken in 2011 a few days after the Black Sheep meet.

The right side photo hints at some of my car’s hidden problems. It took Naki and Anton less than a minute to find them all!

Most of it is in good condition though; the paint which is still attached to metal rather than rust flakes retains its shine and the interior is also very good.




However, all is not well…
Close up of the right hand sill reveals this horror…



The bulkhead on my car is far better than most battery in boot XJ40s, but the top of the scuttle panel has the usual rust on both sides. Seeing under the wings of other XJ40s (and reading Naki’s rust busting threads) made me realise the rust I could see was only a hint of what lies under the wings, unseen. Rust here is the major cause of the wet footwells suffered by many XJ40s.
On the right hand side:



And the left.
Good bulkhead:

But yikes….

Less typical is the rust in the right hand door pillar. It is difficult to photograph but was quite advanced, including a substantial hole! I was worried about this because it could be a symptom of serious problems within the structure.

Though there is no rust visible in the pillar from inside the car.

Next installment soon!
David