So I liked the look of the Mina Galleries “new style” grill on the X-Type so much that I ordered a New Style grill for the XJR too.

It took a 2-3 weeks to get here, and then it sat for 2-3 weeks, but I got around to putting it on the car this weekend. Twice. The X-Type install was unbolt-bolt-all-done in 15 minutes.

The attachment points on the XJR grill are a lot sketchier. Basically you have three fiberglass tongues sticking out – two on the top with bolts drilled through for L-brackets, and one in the middle of the bottom.They’re about an inch wide, and quarter-inch thick, and they aren’t very substantial.

On Friday I washed the car, took the old grill off, and bolted the new one on. Screwing in the bolts at the end of the tongues took a little wiggling, but they did go in. When I closed the hood I noticed that the grill sloped back ever so-slightly maybe 2 or 3 degrees off vertical. Then my heart sank when I noticed what appeared to be a crack in the fiberglass at the bottom right that I hadn’t noticed when I unpacked it. After a bit of cussing, I had to go out and leave it for the day.

The next day I looked at it and thought about what to do – Did I crack it with a clumsy install? Or did it arrive cracked and I just hadn’t noticed since it was on the bottom? Should I glue the crack? Or return it and ask for a new one? And why was it sloping back? But the car is clean, and straight, and I was being careful not the scratch it during the install.

Bringing the top edge out another quarter to half inch would straighten it to vertical, and I knew I could drill a bolt-hole farther out on the tongue. I decided to glue the crack while I was at it. After taking it off the car today, I was relieved to see that it wasn’t a crack after all, it was a dried white thread of adhesive, which came off clean. It was just hard to see that in the crack between the bottom of the grill and the top of the bumper shelf.

The holes Mina put in the tongues were ovoid - to make a crude sliding adjustment allowing some in-out adjustment at the top – but not enough. Off they came, and I drilled another hole a quarter inch farther out on the tongue and sanded it smooth. When it went back in it is standing nicely vertical. Much better now.



Original and newly drilled hole


While it was off I took a side-by-side photo of the backs of the old grill (top) and the new (bottom.)

Old grill and new showing attachment points

The old one is more substantial on the backside. The old one had five attachment points, the new one has only 3. Numbers 4 and 5 on the old ones are plastic tabs that clip into a metal bracket. They’re just not there on the new one. And the plastic and rubber air guides can’t be attached to the new grill either.

Its not that the new one isn’t substantial or sturdy enough – it is – but the original was more substantial and sturdier.

Here it is, finished and purty.











And here’s what became of the old one:




The old ones on the garage wall.

I also got the lower mesh grill, maybe next weekend that will go ontoo.

 

Nicse. I got the lower mesh when I 1st bought my car. (I actually had the grille before I picked the car up)

I got the Mina grille a bit later. I love it. & I REALLY love the looks I get from other JAG owners. When they ask,,,,,,,I just say "it was on the car when I bought it"








I think this is a cool pic...


& just so you know, it doesn't take but maybe 20 mins to put the lower mesh grille on...

 

Very nice makeover.... Very nice.

From the pix the color looks as if it matches perfectly

 

Both of you guys....