P 7 Bumper-less Grille Installed
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From: Maryland, USA
+1 I really do prefer the look w/ the bar. When I see an F without, I'm reminded of a large-mouth bass.
However, nice job on the P7 grille install.
However, nice job on the P7 grille install.
Last edited by Foosh; Aug 7, 2016 at 09:33 AM.
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From: Oslo, Norway
+1. I also like the look with the bar best. Maybe I just have gotten used to it and kind of "that's how the F-type is supposed to look"?
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From: Southern Cal
Or, might have been more impactful if the grill surround was a contrasting color/material. Loses something with the entire front end so monotone.
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From: SF Bay Area
I looked for previous post dealing with this but couldn't find it.
I finally got my grille and surround installed. I gave rocspo's directions to the installer which were great and he made some changes.
1 Instead of cutting out old sensor mounts he made new ones. I measured the trapazoid opening and little wings and made a template on an index card which he used to cut grille mounts out of 3mm ABS sheet (found at local plastic supply) and drilled an 18mm hole in center. I would have rather used sensor mount brackets, but since I couldn't find them for that oblong sensor, he glued sensors directly to ABS. (Since then I found a BMW sensor mount that I think would have would have fit).
2 Instead of mounting sensors with connectors pointing inward, he pointed them outward in order to avoid having wiring exposed behind grille. He glued wires from sensors directly around trapezoids so they can not be seen, and they exit to the side of grille.
3 He then mounted wiring harness to run below grille, and then extended sensor wires to go below and around surround. Since sensor wires are not color coded, he colored them with different colored nail polish before he cut them. I thought the sensor wires looked to be about 24 gauge but couldn't find it locally and didn't have time to order it online (a company called NTE has it) so I found a couple old power supplys from a radio and an old router which I think is 24 gauge and he cut it up and spliced them in. They work!
As rocspo did, he removed styrofoam from behind original bumper, painted bumper behind grill and mounts flat black. He didn't glue mounts permanently until he calibrated them after reassembly.
Thanks to unhinged, rocspo, and ryan for all you help.
I have attached pictures which were taken in direct sunlight so the sensors look more noticeable. In regular light they are hardly noticeable.
I finally got my grille and surround installed. I gave rocspo's directions to the installer which were great and he made some changes.
1 Instead of cutting out old sensor mounts he made new ones. I measured the trapazoid opening and little wings and made a template on an index card which he used to cut grille mounts out of 3mm ABS sheet (found at local plastic supply) and drilled an 18mm hole in center. I would have rather used sensor mount brackets, but since I couldn't find them for that oblong sensor, he glued sensors directly to ABS. (Since then I found a BMW sensor mount that I think would have would have fit).
2 Instead of mounting sensors with connectors pointing inward, he pointed them outward in order to avoid having wiring exposed behind grille. He glued wires from sensors directly around trapezoids so they can not be seen, and they exit to the side of grille.
3 He then mounted wiring harness to run below grille, and then extended sensor wires to go below and around surround. Since sensor wires are not color coded, he colored them with different colored nail polish before he cut them. I thought the sensor wires looked to be about 24 gauge but couldn't find it locally and didn't have time to order it online (a company called NTE has it) so I found a couple old power supplys from a radio and an old router which I think is 24 gauge and he cut it up and spliced them in. They work!
As rocspo did, he removed styrofoam from behind original bumper, painted bumper behind grill and mounts flat black. He didn't glue mounts permanently until he calibrated them after reassembly.
Thanks to unhinged, rocspo, and ryan for all you help.
I have attached pictures which were taken in direct sunlight so the sensors look more noticeable. In regular light they are hardly noticeable.
Can you provide a link?
The original posting must not have been his as I don't see it in a search of his postings and I'm at the shop.
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From: Largo, FL
polarisnavyxj
Here it is:
I will do my best to describe the fabrication process, but I did not take any pictures during my installation so you'll just have to visualize it.
Step one: measure where the parking sensors are on the original Grill bar. You will want to mount them in as close to the original positions as possible to avoid calibration issues later.
Step two: find the corresponding positions on the new grill. The vertical positioning is more critical than the horizontal positioning, but neither have to be exact. You will be remounting the sensors in the middle of two of the grill openings, so find the two openings that most closely replicate the original positions. I marked them by surrounding them with blue painters tape. It's easy to get confused later on if you don't mark them.
Step three: fashion plastic templates that perfectly fit those two grill openings in the new grill. I designed mine so that they fit tight in the grill while being recessed in about 1/2 inch from the front edge of the grill. This makes them less noticeable.
Step four: drill holes in the centers of these finished templates. Make the holes the same diameter as the parking sensors. These templates will not be used on the actual installation. They will just be used to make copies of them in masking tape.
Step five: put masking tape over the finished templates and cut them out so that the tape is exactly the same size as the templates, including the holes in the middle.
To avoid unnecessary additional fabrication, you will be using the existing sensor mounts from the plastic bar on the new installation.
Step six: once you have removed the existing grill and grill bar, place the templates you made out of masking tape on the old grill bar, using the holes you made in the tape to align them perfectly with the holes on the grill bar for the sensors.
Step seven: using a saw or a Dremel Moto tool or whatever you like, cut out the sensor mounting holes from the black grill bar, using the tape as your guide. When finished, you should end up with two trapezoids with mounting holes in the middle of them that perfectly fit the two grill openings on the new grill.
Step eight: verify that these trapezoids fit the grill openings the way you'd like them to. Make any adjustments now before you reassemble everything.
Step nine: reassemble everything, making sure that the grill sensors are in the correct holes which you marked previously. DO NOT GLUE THEM in place yet!
Step ten: now it's time to align the sensors. Make sure the car is parked on a flat level surface. Find a shoebox or some other box you can use to replicate a curb. When aligning the sensors, it's a lot easier to move the curb than it is to move the car! Start the car and turn on the parking sensors. Unless you've got a really long box, you can only do one sensor at a time. Put the box directly in front of one of the sensors, a few feet in front of the car. Now slowly push the box toward the car until the parking sensor goes off. Use a broom stick or something similar from the front of the box to move the box so that you're sure it's the box that is setting off the sensor and not your leg! Adjust the angle of the sensor in the grill opening until the parking sensor goes off when you'd like it to. Once the sensor is aligned perfectly, glue it in place with clear, two-part five minute epoxy. This won't harm the paint, and is easily cleaned up if you make a little mistake. Recheck with the box to make sure everything is still in the perfect position. The curing time of the epoxy will give you time to make minor adjustments if necessary. Repeat the process for the second sensor.
Step eleven: once the epoxy has fully cured, paint over it with some gloss black paint.
Step twelve: (who knew this would be a 12-step program?). Enjoy your beautiful new grill.
Don't forget that you have to remove the cloth covered piece of Styrofoam behind the black grill bar for the new grill to fit. Also, you might want to paint everything behind the grill flat black so that you can't see it through the grill, especially on lighter colored cars.
This may not be the best way, and it's certainly not the only way, but it's the technique that worked for me.
Here it is:
I will do my best to describe the fabrication process, but I did not take any pictures during my installation so you'll just have to visualize it.
Step one: measure where the parking sensors are on the original Grill bar. You will want to mount them in as close to the original positions as possible to avoid calibration issues later.
Step two: find the corresponding positions on the new grill. The vertical positioning is more critical than the horizontal positioning, but neither have to be exact. You will be remounting the sensors in the middle of two of the grill openings, so find the two openings that most closely replicate the original positions. I marked them by surrounding them with blue painters tape. It's easy to get confused later on if you don't mark them.
Step three: fashion plastic templates that perfectly fit those two grill openings in the new grill. I designed mine so that they fit tight in the grill while being recessed in about 1/2 inch from the front edge of the grill. This makes them less noticeable.
Step four: drill holes in the centers of these finished templates. Make the holes the same diameter as the parking sensors. These templates will not be used on the actual installation. They will just be used to make copies of them in masking tape.
Step five: put masking tape over the finished templates and cut them out so that the tape is exactly the same size as the templates, including the holes in the middle.
To avoid unnecessary additional fabrication, you will be using the existing sensor mounts from the plastic bar on the new installation.
Step six: once you have removed the existing grill and grill bar, place the templates you made out of masking tape on the old grill bar, using the holes you made in the tape to align them perfectly with the holes on the grill bar for the sensors.
Step seven: using a saw or a Dremel Moto tool or whatever you like, cut out the sensor mounting holes from the black grill bar, using the tape as your guide. When finished, you should end up with two trapezoids with mounting holes in the middle of them that perfectly fit the two grill openings on the new grill.
Step eight: verify that these trapezoids fit the grill openings the way you'd like them to. Make any adjustments now before you reassemble everything.
Step nine: reassemble everything, making sure that the grill sensors are in the correct holes which you marked previously. DO NOT GLUE THEM in place yet!
Step ten: now it's time to align the sensors. Make sure the car is parked on a flat level surface. Find a shoebox or some other box you can use to replicate a curb. When aligning the sensors, it's a lot easier to move the curb than it is to move the car! Start the car and turn on the parking sensors. Unless you've got a really long box, you can only do one sensor at a time. Put the box directly in front of one of the sensors, a few feet in front of the car. Now slowly push the box toward the car until the parking sensor goes off. Use a broom stick or something similar from the front of the box to move the box so that you're sure it's the box that is setting off the sensor and not your leg! Adjust the angle of the sensor in the grill opening until the parking sensor goes off when you'd like it to. Once the sensor is aligned perfectly, glue it in place with clear, two-part five minute epoxy. This won't harm the paint, and is easily cleaned up if you make a little mistake. Recheck with the box to make sure everything is still in the perfect position. The curing time of the epoxy will give you time to make minor adjustments if necessary. Repeat the process for the second sensor.
Step eleven: once the epoxy has fully cured, paint over it with some gloss black paint.
Step twelve: (who knew this would be a 12-step program?). Enjoy your beautiful new grill.
Don't forget that you have to remove the cloth covered piece of Styrofoam behind the black grill bar for the new grill to fit. Also, you might want to paint everything behind the grill flat black so that you can't see it through the grill, especially on lighter colored cars.
This may not be the best way, and it's certainly not the only way, but it's the technique that worked for me.
I'm on travel now, but will hook you up when I get back on August 22 if you pm me. Even if you had the part numbers, the dealer won't sell you the parts unless you own a P7.
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 758
Likes: 136
From: Largo, FL
Here are the parking sensor mount brackets I was looking at as they look to be the oblong type. You would have to take your sensor in to a dealer to make sure the sensor fit properly.
VW 3C8-919-494-D
BMW 51117128241
The only one I could find for a Jaguar that wasn't factory mounted with glue was for the XF and possibly it could be modified.
C2Z11529
Google the part numbers to see what they look like.
Last edited by jleuz1; Aug 10, 2016 at 01:58 PM.
Paramount has one of these in the works. Not cheap but they typically do nice work: https://www.paramount-performance.co...r-replica.html
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Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 758
Likes: 136
From: Largo, FL
Paramount has one of these in the works. Not cheap but they typically do nice work: https://www.paramount-performance.co...r-replica.html
Cool. It's about time. It will be interesting to see how they deal with the sensors and the wiring harness. I wonder if you will be able to just buy the surround
and the grille? Keep us advised.
