xke inspection and rust

The floor carpets should lift out and that ought to allow you to peel the inner sill trim up enough to see the floor to sill seam. If that is OK then apart from internal condensation surface rust, the steelwork is probably good enough to drive on. I would try to lift the battery out or use a torch and mirror to examin the fronts of both sills and back of the lower frames but especially under the battery. If there are no splash shields you can get a good view from underneath.

But yes, you are never going to be able to do a total 100% survey without some dismantling, same as a house or plane or whatever. That's just life. If the owner won't even let you lift the floor carpets and peel back the sill trim very slightly then you'll have to decide your own reaction.

Differently-painted frames are just a sign of a short-cut, and whilst they should raise suspicion of cheapskate work, you might miss a perfectly sound car if you use that as a deal-breaker. One could argue that repainted frames hide more than frames left undone when the exterior gets a repaint. Same with the inside of the bonnet. Same thing with colour as a deal-breaker. Believe me, if you find a solid clean car after a dozen rusted wrecks, you will soon learn to tolerate even your least favourite colour!

You are spending significant money, obviously, but you sound a bit too nervous. Maybe just spend time looking/learning and only really consider buying when you come across a really nice car in budget - they do exist.

I guess what it comes down to how to find a good shop that can do a prepurchase inspection on these cars? I have two areas that I need to find one. Barberton OH which is near Ackron and near Toronto Canada? Has anyone have any dealings with Ken Mason Vintage British Cars in Orangeville Canada? He has a 1967 2+2.

Thanks for all of your comments. How can I best inspect the area under the doors for rust without doing damage to the interior?
I have been looking around and have noticed some with the frame rails painted black as well as under the bonnet. I have been advised to stay away because it could be hiding rust. They should be colored the same as the body color. The color itself does not bother me, I just want to make sure it is solid.
Right now I am looking at a 2+2 in Akron Ohio area that seems to be solid from the pictures he has sent me. Also I am looking at one in Canada at the Headwaters British Car Club. Anyone know of a good inspector in those two areas? I did notice and investigated a 2+2 that just came on the classified but it is yellow (do not like yellow) and is $50,000 which is above what I can spend.
Again thanks for all the help.

The floor carpets should lift out and that ought to allow you to peel the inner sill trim up enough to see the floor to sill seam. If that is OK then apart from internal condensation surface rust, the steelwork is probably good enough to drive on. I would try to lift the battery out or use a torch and mirror to examin the fronts of both sills and back of the lower frames but especially under the battery. If there are no splash shields you can get a good view from underneath.

But yes, you are never going to be able to do a total 100% survey without some dismantling, same as a house or plane or whatever. That's just life. If the owner won't even let you lift the floor carpets and peel back the sill trim very slightly then you'll have to decide your own reaction.

Differently-painted frames are just a sign of a short-cut, and whilst they should raise suspicion of cheapskate work, you might miss a perfectly sound car if you use that as a deal-breaker. One could argue that repainted frames hide more than frames left undone when the exterior gets a repaint. Same with the inside of the bonnet. Same thing with colour as a deal-breaker. Believe me, if you find a solid clean car after a dozen rusted wrecks, you will soon learn to tolerate even your least favourite colour!

You are spending significant money, obviously, but you sound a bit too nervous. Maybe just spend time looking/learning and only really consider buying when you come across a really nice car in budget - they do exist.

Thanks for all of your comments. How can I best inspect the area under the doors for rust without doing damage to the interior?
I have been looking around and have noticed some with the frame rails painted black as well as under the bonnet. I have been advised to stay away because it could be hiding rust. They should be colored the same as the body color. The color itself does not bother me, I just want to make sure it is solid.
Right now I am looking at a 2+2 in Akron Ohio area that seems to be solid from the pictures he has sent me. Also I am looking at one in Canada at the Headwaters British Car Club. Anyone know of a good inspector in those two areas? I did notice and investigated a 2+2 that just came on the classified but it is yellow (do not like yellow) and is $50,000 which is above what I can spend.
Again thanks for all the help.

For structural integrity, the front frame set and the inner sills, right and left, are the two most important areas to examine. Unfortunately they are the most difficult to evaluate. As a result, they are usually ignored during a re-spray or restoration. As Phil mentions, paint covers a lot of evil. If you intend to drive the car and at times drive it hard, I would budget for a new front frame set. As far as the sills are concerned, there is no way to evaluate them short of removing the outer sills. The inner sills undoubtedly have degraded over the past 45 years since the metal surfaces were not treated or even primed when assembled. On my cars, I pay particular attention to this area. With the outer sills removed, the surfaces are cleaned and treated to prevent further corrosion. The sills are then reinforced with a reinforcing member between the sill stiffeners. The plate with 6 smaller holes on the attached image is a typical reinforcing member.

The JCNA Shoppe book QS139759 will almost certainly save you ten or a hundred times its price by making your choice safer and bargaining down any car you do look at.

As for inspection, I would be happy to arrange something for the South East or up to PA/NY/KY/TN maybe, or people here or on www.jag-lovers.com would probably help out for a car local to them and miles from you.

The gross frame problems are easy to spot - kinks, perforation, cracks and rust down by the battery especially. Other than that, if you buy a car and do not renew the rails (which is reasonable) you would not suddenly have the car fall in half like the Keystone Cops. There is a lot of redundancy and a good look around every time you do an oil change, say, will keep you safe and mobile for your 15 years I bet.

Pete

If you find a car that had professional work done, ask who did the work, and call them to get details. If they refuse to tell who did the work, walk away. There are a lot of evils that can be hidden by today's body fillers and paint. It pays to have a local garage put it on a lift to examine from the bottom up - money well spent. A "cosmetic restoration" can be lipstick on a pig.

Phil.

I bought my 2+2 in boxes and have been working on it for about a year with two years more to go. The car has not run since 1990, but was stored inside. I have found a small amount of rust in the foot wells and just in front of the right rear tire. I would attribute these to wet dirt that had been slung from the tires. The rails (space frames) are solid and show no sign of rust or corrosion. Even light tapping with a 1/2 inch open end wrench over the entire space frame will give you a very good idea if the rail has been compromised by interior rust. The sound should be crisp. Rust areas will not ring and if they thud run away. Mine will be driven hard and loved. It will never be a concours car, but that is not why I wanted it. Buy it ,service it, and drive it like you stole it, and you will be very happy

Mark: A couple of extra words on 2+2's. My car spent most of its years in the MidWest and must have been under some sort of roof. The OTS's leak more and trerefore have more rust and the Coups have a badly thought out door seal system that tends to leak, both of these types have more water problems than the 2+2's. The longer doors not only make it easy to get in, the doors were re engineered with better seals. I can leave my straw hat on in the car due to the extra 2" headroom. Remember that the 2+2 series 1 is the most rare of the type with only 2600 LHD made and when all the OTS and coupe folke get tired of being hot and cramped in the sun or with a twisted spine, if they're over 6', the 2+2 will bring the money they deserve. Damn, but I love my cars.............Don

Mark: As an owner of a 66' 2+2 I'll try to give you my opinion. Two and half years ago I bought a 2+2 from a dealer that had about 23000 original miles on it. The paint was marginal but the interior was very good. She had some dings on both sides and two small spots of rust on the rear of the bonett, floor boards were clear as was the area under the spare tire and door sills and anywhere else. First off I did the brake booster, flush the fuel tank and do a full service. Since then I've upgraded the front brakes, rebuilt all three carbs, put on a better starter, upgraded the cooling system and ingnition system and installed a Retro-Air A/C. Last fall the car got a new paint job, bare metal, in the original Opalessent Maroon and now runs like a bandit and looks like a million bucks. The 2+2 is comfortable and cool in Florida summers and with the extra room in the rear will hold my wife's scooter so we can go to events together. The old girl is trustworthy over any distance and a head turner everywhere. Buy your dream from a well regarded dealer is a good idea and try to buy locally, a small extra in price can save a lot of heartache and unwellcome suprises. The dealer I used has been a supporter of our Brit Car Club for many years and did not hide or misstate anything about the car. In spite of all the hunchback cracks, I love the 2+2 and drive it the way it was meant to be driven, my art is on my walls, but my cars are all driven the way they should be and will be sold to other caretakers at my end. Check with Hays at wirewheel.com he might be able to help you or feel free to contact me at hilstonsmgaol.com cheers Don