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XJ6 S2 Going European Bumper- A New Project..........
****** Disclaimer- this posting is being made purely for the technical interest of XJ6 forum readers and is not a commercial solicitation of any kind******
So as I mentioned in another post, Jaguar Specialties is working on a somewhat unusual project- we’re developing the hardware needed to allow XJ6 Series 2 (and I suppose Series 3 as well) owners to install European style chrome bumpers on their cars. For years this was a very popular upgrade for US model Series 2 models but that required the European style hood hinges as well. For a time, they were available (NOS or even used) from suppliers in Europe but those sources have all dried up- none are left to buy. We still get requests from customers to do this so now seemed like a good time to finally develop the right parts so that the process can continue. We needed a test bed, of course it ended up being a 75 XJ6C, and the work began. Just to clarify, the end result of this project would apply to any US market 74-79 (Series 2) XJ6L XJ6C XJ12L or XJ12C. And concieveably, the hardware could also be used on XJ6 Series 3 cars....
The most important thing to know is that the Euro hood hinges are very very different from the US versions and the pic below shows that (Euro top, US bottom)
. The US unit is designed to mount the bumper shock absorber for crash requirements. The Euro piece has none of that. Also, in the pics below you can see (in side view) the actual hinge section that bolts to the hood on either version. Not only are the hinge bodies completely different, but the actual hinge points are in very different locations. The US version puts the hinge point low and forward while the Euro hinges actually buries the hinge point up high, way inside the chrome bumper (look at the shape of the very front of the Euro hinge- it is actually the profile of the inside of the bumper itself.)
There is no simple way to do this, but the goal of the project is a set of parts that an XJ end user can add, or have a shop add, to their original hinges. The first step was to identify the position of the hinge point and then work backward to mate that point to to very of the hinge bracket and the hood itself. After considering about a half dozen different concepts, one seemed more likely to work than the others. Also of note, the US chrome bumper top is actually the exact some top profile as the Euro bumper, so all work with test fits can happen with that piece rather than risk damaging a nice fresh bumper in the back and forth. Below are some mid-work pics where you can see the new hinge design is completely hidden under the chrome and we are getting proper hood opening and closing (and open latching with the stock prop rod). There is still some work to do but we are off to a good start…..
As most of you probably already know as well, the Euro cars use a very unique lower grill below the bumper, something that is also NLA from anywhere. We’re looking into some type of reproduction unit to get the full effect of the installation.
And lastly there will be a more minor set of hardware as well to mount a Euro bumper on the rear of the car as well
I’ll post further updates as they become available.
Something else which would be useful is a clear photographic (not line drawings) progression of what bumper was on which Jaguar during the '70's 'bumper transition' in North America. I believe this happened right around end of Series 1 XJ and beginning of Series 2. There may have been some short-lived transitional bumpers (truncated Series 1 XJ's with big chromed hoops?) in there somewhere.
So when forum users are reading a helpful step-by-step on how to add Euro-bumpers, they could determine if the instructions they're reading/viewing are for a vehicle who's OEM bumper was exactly as theirs. "Series 1" or 'Series 2" may not be exact enough.
I've attempted to educate myself regarding the above. But there are enough unattributed regional differences, and folks who have already Frankensteined a Series 3 bumper onto their Series 2, that it gets kinda murky.
It may appear I'm full of good idea's for others to work on, but I bet Andrew and crew have already run into some of this on his way to where he is now.
Just a quick note on that. The Series 1 cars (68-73) use completely different bumpers and hinges than any of the Series 2 cars. There was no difference between Series 1 European pieces and the US parts (except for 73 with larger rubber bumper guards in the US). In 74 the bumper heights were all raised along with US requirements for some shock absorbing of the bumper itself. The Euro cars kept a slim chrome bumper (higher than the S1 but a completely different design than S1). All of the 74 and later US cars (and Canadian as well I believe) got the energy absorbing rubber bumpers front and rear. They are heavy and ugly. The point of this project is to make available again the correct style Euro hood hinges (which are also the bumper mounts) so that owners of these 74 and later cars can go with the chrome bumpers.
You can go online and search the models by year to see the different designs. The one pic attached here is a 75 xj6 coupe that was converted from US style to Euro style,. That is the objective
Something else which would be useful is a clear photographic (not line drawings) progression of what bumper was on which Jaguar during the '70's 'bumper transition' in North America. I believe this happened right around end of Series 1 XJ and beginning of Series 2. There may have been some short-lived transitional bumpers (truncated Series 1 XJ's with big chromed hoops?) in there somewhere.
So when forum users are reading a helpful step-by-step on how to add Euro-bumpers, they could determine if the instructions they're reading/viewing are for a vehicle who's OEM bumper was exactly as theirs. "Series 1" or 'Series 2" may not be exact enough.
I've attempted to educate myself regarding the above. But there are enough unattributed regional differences, and folks who have already Frankensteined a Series 3 bumper onto their Series 2, that it gets kinda murky.
It may appear I'm full of good idea's for others to work on, but I bet Andrew and crew have already run into some of this on his way to where he is now.
Sorry, I didn't see this until late yesterday. That project is moving forward- slowly. The rear mounts are done. Still tweaking details of the front hinges/mounts to get it just right. The main problem is so many of these cars are bent in front (including the XJ6C project car here). That makes it a little harder to be sure the parts that work here (on this one) will work properly on yours. Not to worry. Another XJ6C is on the way here to be test fitted as well as an XJ6 S3 next week..... That's a lot of Jag hoods and hinges being shifted around!!!!
I'll be looking for a couple of key customers to try these out in the next 2 or so months. Stay tuned......
Would anyone who has done the conversion, especially more than once, provide some shots of the attach point process ? Sure, those of us who do our own work can each design a fix, but help would save time.
This should be no issue- consult with whoever supplied your mounting parts. They should be able to advise as to how to install it all. There should be nothing to fabricate if you bought all of the right stuff.
Would anyone who has done the conversion, especially more than once, provide some shots of the attach point process ? Sure, those of us who do our own work can each design a fix, but help would save time.
Sorry, I have no idea what you're asking . Maybe someone else will chime in....
If you're trying to get info on how to assemble the bumpers and parts onto the car then your best bet is to get those details from whoever supplied your parts. That's the least they can do for you...
For our customers our bumper mount kit comes with complete, illustrated, instructions for the process, step by step...
Thanks for this info, the South African Series 2's carried being built from bits and pieces from the parts bin, until the early 80's, before we ended up getting fully imported Series 3's.
This all resulted in some very "different" looking Series 2's coming out of our local Blackheath plant. Unfortunately one of the Frankenstein additions was the rubber bumper and side lights. I have been interested in this conversion for ages, but was told that it was just too difficult - it's interesting to see that it's not as complex as I originally thought!
The picture above is the SA version - as you can see...quite a few differences!
Those are all US pieces. Essentially a US spec car with RHD......
[QUOTE=PaulOClassic;2716722]Thanks for this info, the South African Series 2's carried being built from bits and pieces from the parts bin, until the early 80's, before we ended up getting fully imported Series 3's.
This all resulted in some very "different" looking Series 2's coming out of our local Blackheath plant. Unfortunately one of the Frankenstein additions was the rubber bumper and side lights. I have been interested in this conversion for ages, but was told that it was just too difficult - it's interesting to see that it's not as complex as I originally thought!
The picture above is the SA version - as you can see...quite a few differences
10-04-2021, 11:33 PM
XJ6 S2 Going European Bumper- A New Project..........
Andrew
