Well, I figure I would finally post here on the forum and see if anyone has any decent ideas.

I am looking to make my XJ8 Leaper removable. I am quite fond of said Leaper and theft is inevitable no matter what kind of neighborhood/mall we live/go to. So, I have done some serious looking, like I am sure many of you have, and have not found a suitable, cost-effective (Arden) solution.

I know there is one spring idea floating around on this forum, but no pictures are shown. Another idea I have seen is the basic "alarm" setup, but I am concerned about hitting a bump and setting the alarm off at random times. There also seems to be another Slovenian solution too, but I am unsure how well it would hold up over time (drawer "lock" solution).

So, anyone have interesting solutions?

Ideas thus far.....
- Actuator wired to an +12VDC ignition source. Sprung-loop on Leapers base attaches loosely to actuator, when you start car, the actuator pulls down, securely fastening Leaper.

- Neodymium magnets. I can safely machine holes for the magnets to fit inside. The only worry is the adhesive properties of the glue used to secure the magnets (scuff magnets then use JB weld?)


One last note, I would like to be able to remove said Leaper without opening the hood.

Thanks everyone!

 

The older leapers used to be screwed down at the factory and we had to remove the screws before delivery. When springs would break I would put screws back in to save customers the money over a new one if they saved the leaper. Theyre "supposed" to be break away per factory when you hit pedestrians so they dont get impailed by the leaper. This way theyre not seriously hurt
So why not just drill and tap yours and screw down to the base?. I guarantee you theyre not gonna get it off the hood without a sawsall

 

Love the idea Brutal, but I am afraid if some numbnut really wants the Leaper (hood damaged be damned), the numbnut(s) will get it off.

If I can all together remove the temptation, by installing some securing contraption, life will be good.

And an update 'ta boot..... the actuator probably will not work without an economizer. To "hold" the actuator closed requires a constant 3amps which will easily burn the actuator out in a matter of minutes.

So, it looks magnets and JB Weld may be the way. I will likely drill and tap the bottom of the Leaper to install an All-Thread post to help keep the Leaper steady.

More to come

 

I am a bad, bad man. Magnetic Leaper works great. It costed me a weekend afternoon and about $20 work of parts. This will be in multiple paragraphs...... so here goes......

Items you will need.......
- 0.25" and 0.39" neodymium magnet
- Drill Press
- Decent Drill Bit set
- Calipers
- 5/16" Outer Diameter Nylon spacers from hardware store
- 2" 8-32 Phillips head bolt
- Screwdriver
- Drill and tap items for 8-32
- Lock-tight (at least Blue)
- Sandpaper
- Basic, fibrous gasket material
- PC-11 Marine-grade epoxy. The small containers (from hardware store)


First, disassemble your beloved Leaper. This is usually quite simple. The hardest part is removing it from the hood with minimal paint damage. After you removed the Leaper, snip the "Spring Crimp" off and the Leaper should become two pieces, the Leaper and the Base.

My Leaper thankfully had points recessed for what I assume was part of the forging process. The Base has drain(?) holes directly below the Leaper's recessed points. These holes and points are what I concentrated on to drill the magnet holes.

For my Leaper's magnets, I used two 0.39" diameter magnets (1 for each recessed point). For the Base, I used a 0.39" magnet in the front hole and a 0.25" magnet in the back hole because their is an angle to the Base.

Measure the diameter of the magnets (with the calipers) just to make sure their sizes are correct. Now.... drill! Take your time to drill and STEP up the drill bits. Do NOT go nuts and go directly for the 0.40" drill bit and go to town. Start with small bits, take your time and work your way up to the bigger bits.

Drill VERY CAREFULLY into the Leaper. Insert the magnets into the Leaper the measure the depth. We are looking for a flush fit. To remove the magnets from inside the Leaper, just use a piece of steel or another magnet.

With a Dremel, use a cut-off wheel to CAREFULLY remove the eyelet that originally held the steel-braiding for the hood spring. Drill and tap a 8-32 hole EXACTLY in the middle of where the eyelet was. Drill and tap about 3/4".

So now, we have the correctly sized holes drilled and the Leaper has countersunk holes. Scuff those magnet with 350 grit sandpaper or less. We need the scuffing so the adhesive..... adheres.

Get your PC-11 two-part epoxy and mix per instruction. Apply the mixed epoxy to inside the Leaper and Base as well as the sides of the magnets. Carefully insert the magnets into their respectable spots. Have some thin steel or another thin magnet to hold the inserted magnet flush is VERY helpful.

After everything solidifies overnight, cleanup all of your chrome surfaces with rubbing alcohol. Grab the 8-32 bolt, screwdriver, spacers and Lock-tight. I cannot stress the Lock-tight. Hopefully your spacer(s) will work, this is the time the check, recheck and check again to ensure the bolt will hold the spacers securely. Modifications with the Dremel may need to be made to the spacer(s) for correct height. Put Lock-tight on bolt and in tapped hole, put spacer onto bolt and screw bolt into Leaper.

Fit some gasket material to the bottom of the base and trim the material nice and neat (*Note: we MAY need a peice of double-sided tape on the rear of the base to hold the rear down securely). Reassemble the base onto the hood of you Jag........ and you are done!

You may or may not want to paint over the magnets and epoxy. I used a glossy silver and it turned out fine.

Questions, comments, concerns? Just remember to remove your Leaper wherever you go, now you can rest assure he will be safe!

A picture of the Leaper on the Jag should be up tonight.

 

Good job, kudos to you .This is cheaper than Arden's leaper as well

 

Sorry for the wait. Here we go. It is so nice to have the Leaper removable, kind of a piece of mind thing.

Plus, I plan on staining a wood base and I can have the kitty sitting proudly at my work desk.

Cheers!

 

Very nice work! May toss the idea around myself as I'm always worried about where I go and park.

Thanks for the instructions as well!

 

Cool Hack! Although the Actuator idea sent my thoughts directly to Servo/Spring Thinking.