Leaper delete mod - you asked for it
#1
Leaper delete mod - you asked for it
So after posting pics with the Mina 2008 grille about half of you said the leaper was too much. I also find it a little girlish and 1970s-ish, I just didn't know what to do short of repainting the hood. The other problem I had was that the new grille had a big black and silver growler badge, so the OE green leaper replacement roundel would have looked bad in my opinion. I spent hours looking at options on ebay - then decided to make my own.
The base is a 2" self-adhesive wheel center cap roundel painted platinum silver and cleared to match the car. I removed the little growler from my old grille and ground off the two positioning pins leaving just the screw peg for secure mounting. Then I flattened it as much as possible. Drilled a 1/4" hole in the roundel and added 3M molding tape to the bottom of the mini growler. Once finished, I mounted everything up on the hood. The mod is still reversible. The result is something closer to body color than the other xmas ornament options. This is another mod that looks better than pics taken at 2am in my garage can do justice:
Edit: Adding daytime pics and from a distance.
I think I'll keep it.
The base is a 2" self-adhesive wheel center cap roundel painted platinum silver and cleared to match the car. I removed the little growler from my old grille and ground off the two positioning pins leaving just the screw peg for secure mounting. Then I flattened it as much as possible. Drilled a 1/4" hole in the roundel and added 3M molding tape to the bottom of the mini growler. Once finished, I mounted everything up on the hood. The mod is still reversible. The result is something closer to body color than the other xmas ornament options. This is another mod that looks better than pics taken at 2am in my garage can do justice:
Edit: Adding daytime pics and from a distance.
I think I'll keep it.
Last edited by exexpat; 11-21-2010 at 07:09 PM.
#6
If I didn't have the fender lights, maybe. I'm good for a while now. Rear park sensor delete may be the only mod left. I may get the clean one and smooth it and paint it.
#8
#9
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Location: Glasgow, Scotland UK
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#10
#12
Thanks. Wouldn't go that far on a sub-$10k car, but I appreciate the compliment and your enthusiasm
#14
I get to see a fair share of BMW and Mercedes modded cars around here and yours definitely stands out. Usually the 10k priced cars are the Japanese ones and yours blows away any Japanese modded one I've seen.
Great job!
#15
I ordered the S-type grill badges like the one you have on your leaper-delete, broke off the tabs, then sanded the back. The badges have an insubstantial curve to them that matched the front quarter-panels 'molded shape' perfectly! It looks as if they belong there. I always admired the diminutive 'Lincoln crosses' on the new MKX and MKS quarter panels & decided it would be a nice subtle upgrade to the x-type. I'll take some detailed pix soon.
I too, assiduously agree that the X-Type is a beautiful vehicle (designed by Ian Callum BTW) with fantastic lines. One of my favorite cars I have owned. I love that one can acquire them so affordably, it allows for plenty of money to upgrade them with! I recently installed a black gloss dash kit that matches the black interior and carbon fiber trim quite well, and am planning on removing all of the door guards on the body so the panels are completely flat. This will likely require filling and repainting much of the Jag....
I too, assiduously agree that the X-Type is a beautiful vehicle (designed by Ian Callum BTW) with fantastic lines. One of my favorite cars I have owned. I love that one can acquire them so affordably, it allows for plenty of money to upgrade them with! I recently installed a black gloss dash kit that matches the black interior and carbon fiber trim quite well, and am planning on removing all of the door guards on the body so the panels are completely flat. This will likely require filling and repainting much of the Jag....
#17
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