I see both when I check their list - they look nice, but seem a bit pricey - $200 for both and Im not 100% sure I will use the front when I do the P7 conversion.

 

Appears the Rear "R" in Black would be this....And Also included what appears to be the front "R" in Black.

I just masked and painted mine....They look the same. Also Painted the OEM Chrome Leaper Gloss Black.

DC


Rear Black R

Front Black R

My Front "R" painted Polaris White - Growler too Car looks yellow in picture due to lighting and my poor photography skills...But it is White!


Painted OEM Chrome Leaper. Painted OEM Chrome "R". Removed "JAGUAR" and "AWD" Badge

 

I like the IRR leaper. I buffed out the ghost JAGUAR after the picture

 

Nice!
DC

 

Great word usage!

 

i bought an extra front leaper

i already replaced the red front leaper with oe black (as well as wheel caps), but im gonna see how it looks completely painted black

seems weird having rear chrome delete but front leaper + surround still chrome

 

Dom, there is no front "leaper" on the F-Type, I suspect you mean the badge in the middle of the upper part of the grille and that is called a "growler".
Can't have people mixing up their leapers and growlers!

 

lol yep that's the one, growler

quick pshop

 

Dom, the growler comes off easy, it's only held on by some adhesive, just pry it off with a trim removal tool.
Then you can take it apart into three pieces by removing a screw in the back.
Once apart you can then paint the pieces as you like, reassemble and stick it back on again.
One tip - when removing it try to carefully keep all the adhesive on the badge.
I took mine off to paint the eyes and mouth red to match the colour of the part surrounding the "face" (growler).

 

When I first got mine, I decided to "tinker with it as well. I put together this image that shows the process to take apart, that I used to make my first LED eyes version to match my Polaris White F-Type. As OZ suggests, you can wedge a plastic pry tool around the edge of the badge and begin to pull it away. Note there are two guide pins, so if you can do it bi-laterally and evenly, you can avoid snapping them off (though not absolutely necessary). You can also use 3M Moulding Tape after cleaning the back side to re-attach.

Hope this helps.

DC

 

thanks for that

the plan is to keep the ribbed backing matte black and gloss black the chrome sections - will look more oe I think

will post pics once I’ve done it

 

My badges arrived today, will find some time later this week to put them on.

There were many non oem options available on eBay but I went with factory parts for both.

Any install tips? I’m assuming hairdryer+dental floss for removing the old badges, a thorough cleaning to remove wax, and stick the new ones on? The half leaper + Jaguar pack comes with “adhesion promoter”. Is that just some alcohol wipes?

 

Hmm. On further inspection the leaper I received doesn’t have pins on the back... 🤔

 

Argh, the leaper I bought is not OEM, even though the listing claimed it was.

 

I cut all the transfer paper and cardboard out around the letters, not exact, but enough to ensure I was starting at the right spot. I recommend tapping around the old emblem before removal to give you a “field” that you can use to apply the new ones. You want to definitely run tape horizontally and vertically at the edges and I usually add some more detailed pieces to make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be. I used some 1/8” tape around the leader and rounded parts. Same for the “f-type” badge, tape the sides, top and bottom. Again, the more detailed you are with tape, the more reference points you’ll have. Of course you’ll want to clean the old adhesive off, heat gun works to loosen the old badges, and I use a plastic razor blade - I have removed a hundred badges and never used dental floss. I use some adhesive remover for the remaining tape and then clean and dry the area. I also hear the panel a bit and the bottom of the badge to get optimal adhesion. Only takes a few seconds with a heat gun, maybe 25 or so with a hair dryer. Lastly, watch the letters under the leader, they can shift when applying and if they are crooked, it will show. Best of luck.

 

No big deal. Just use some masking tape to mark the angle and end points of the leaper....Does not have to be perfect. Then apply the new one and it will be fine.

Remove as suggested....You can warm it up to make the adhesive more pliable, and you can lift up slowly, or use the floss as you suggested...Just use a sawing motion and pull through. Once badge is off,
you can actually use and old liquid wax so remove residue. Then I would suggest wiping the area with a mix of alcohol and water to remove the wax/oil/etc. Once applied, re-wax the surrounding area where
you may have stripped it with the alcohol.

Anything close to this will work. Don't overthink it, or stress too much!

Good luck,
DC

 

Another trap for young players with a replacement leaper - is it straight or curved and what is it made of?
The OEM leaper is slightly curved to match the curve of the spoiler lid and it is made of fairly soft ABS plastic.
However when I bought a replacement black one a couple of years ago I discovered it was dead flat and made of metal, and no way could I bend it to shape without a strong risk of snapping it in half or at least bending it too far such that any attempt to bend it back again would warp it.
So it is still sitting in my shed and probably will never be used.

 

the one ordered from ebay was original/oem, fortunately. I made sure I was ordering it from a US seller, mainly because I wanted my order right away and I figured it had less chance of being non-oem if it was coming from a china seller.

 

Did it have the prongs on the back of the leaper or not?
Asking just in case I ever want to sell and get back to looking near stock.

 

I think only the chrome ones have the 2 nipples in the back and if I recall correctly the black ones didnt have it but i could be wrong. I do know the ebay seller i bought it from has both and the chromes ones has the prong and both says original oem and the black ones are $30 more.