ive seen several XJS with the rear or front bumpers removed. i think the rear bumper delete looks fantastic, but im on the fence for front bumper delete. if anybody has pictures of bumper delete jags, please share them.

 

Just a thought ... bumpers keep that no cost bump from becoming a $500 collision bill.

 

then why did they stop putting bumpers on cars?

 

They still put bumpers on the cars, they just cover them with a flexible shield to blend in with the body and make it more aerodynamic.
All cars in the U.S. since the 1970's have been required to have manufacturer installed bumpers that can withstand a 5mph impact without damage.

 

The manufacturer pays for material and installation, not collision repair. Their incentive is cheap material, like plastic and foam, that installs fast, keeping their costs down. The customer is on the hook after it drives off the lot.
Then they have to meet several thousand government regulations. Crash test regulations, for example, favor soft parts that deform and dissipate energy. Great for your body, but basically mandates that the car must not survive the collision.
Then there's fuel economy regulations. The lighter the better, so out with large steel bumpers and in with foam filled plastic.
That would be, more or less, why large separate bumpers are disappearing.

 

what derrherr said. you could hardly call a modern plastic front bumper cover a bumper. if you bump it, its gonna cost you.
anywho its mostly the track jags ive seen with the rear bumper removed, but damn do they look good

 

heres a couple of track cars rocking the bumper delete, and they look AWESOME.

Jaguar XJ-S V12 manuál. - YouTube

Jaguar XJS Roll Cage Completion - YouTube

 

You are correct. You can hardly call the bumper cover a bumper because it isn't LOL. It is a cover that covers the bumper, hence the name. The bumper is the structur underneath. No more damage is done, and sometimes less, than when a big chrome/metal bumper was hit years ago. You bump an old metal bumper and it's going to cost you as well.

Not exactly. There are many that do not. The regulations were relaxed in the mid 80's. The second generation Honda CRX (hf) had 2 1/2 mph bumpers. The 2005-2007(?) Lotus Elise had an exemption that allowed much less bumper protection as well.

 

That rear delete would look cool if you could route the exhaust through the two holes fo rthe bumper.

Front....eahhhh.....

 

Let me help you... The front is starting to look disturbingly like a 240Z.

 

like i said, im on the fence. but if i was going to remove the rear, id remove the front too. i like the white jag that had the little plastic molded bumper trim.

 

That's it!

 

 

saved to documents*

 

I love custom cars and have customized several over the years. Back in 1959, my dad and I added fins consisting of two 56 Packard tailight lenses, one upside down and one on top, to the back of a 50 Merc. Dropped it to the ground (kept 2X4s in the trunk to get over speed bumps), shaved all outside handles, installed slanted dual headlights and a 54 Chevy grill. Wild looking thing with three deuces on the old flathead.

Most, if not all of the ones I customized, needed something more than what they originally were, to look better. For example, the 50 Merc looked better with a 54 Chevy grill and extra teeth, an MG can look better with no front bumper and others lend themselves to custom work or removal of factory parts.

In the case of an XJS, the styling is so complete, that it is my opinion (2 cents worth) that absolutely nothing is needed to make it look better. Also, anything that is added or taken away makes the car look worse and not better. There is one exception that I wrestle with in my mind...the TWR and Lister ground effects kits. First off..I don't like wings and I don't usually like bolt on plastic parts. The rocker/lower panels and the air dams sure fit with the lines of an XJS and do add the lower racy/racer flavor to one. If someone gave me a kit....I might install it...less the wing.

 

i think the E-type with a complete trim, chrome, and bumper removal looks amazing.

 

I like what he's done on the front—car owned by Art Dickenson of BC, Canada:



See a youtube vid of this car here:

Video Jag Silver Zoom Long Course Aug 21 010.avi - YouTube

 

I deleted the "battering rams" on mine.

 

Can you tell us how exactly you did that?
Are these just the top covers, or there is some slim bumper frame under you fabricated?
BTW, it looks lovely!
Are these '97 XK8 rims?

 

I wish I had taken some pictures, but once you examine how the blades are fastened to the car, you'll see how it works. This was fairly simple, but does require welding.

The chrome blades on the pre-facelift HE are separate from the actual bumper. If you take two sets of blades and lay them on top of each other, you see how they can be mated to form a single slim bumper. To do this mod, you'll need an extra set of blades from another car. Beware that there seem to be some minor manufacturing differences from early HE to later, so try to get extra blades from a car that's about the same year as yours.

Remove the front and rear blades from the car and disassemble the sides from the centers.

On the rear side blades, the upper set of sides will need to have the rubber overhang mounting studs removed and the mounts trimmed back, leaving the body mounting bracket intact. The rear lower side blades will need everything removed entirely. On the rear upper center blade there are two mounting studs and the sides are bolted from inside the trunk to the upper side blade. ON the rear lower center, remove the stud mounting bracket completely.

On the front side blades, remove the mounting points for the rubber overhangs on one set of blades, but leave the studs that mount the upper blade to the body. You'll end up with a set of lower blades with nothing, and a set of upper blades with studs.

Now, when you lay the upper and lower pieces together you'll see where the front edges of each blade folds back under. Clamp the two pieces together and weld the inside edges of those folds. That will hold them together and will not damage the chrome. If you tweak the blades carefully and clamp well, the seam isn't very apparent.

Once you have the three front and three rear sections welded, you can bolt them together into a complete bumper assembly.

You need to clearance the bottom blades a little to get access to the studs you left on the uppers. On the outer front blades, I used a Dremel to grind away enough to be able to get a socket on the nuts. On the rear center blade I used a hole saw to cut access holes for the two studs. The outer rear blades are bolted on from the inside of the trunk and you don't need to do anything for them.

Clean up your welds, prime and paint the insides, and your assemblies are complete and ready to mount.

On the front, you don't really need to do anything with the old bumper mounting brackets. I covered mine with the foglights. I reused the old turn signals by opening up the valance panel.

On the rear, the shock mounting tubes looked really ugly and there's an odd reinforcement panel fitted over the valance. I used a spot weld cutter to separate the panel and cut the tubes off with a sawzall. I used some of the old sheet metal to weld a patch over the holes where the tubing came out. Grind smooth, a little filler, sand and ready to paint.

It takes a couple of hands to get these installed and it's a snug fit over the fender-to-quarter seam. Use some tape to protect your paint. Once installed on the car you can adjust them and then tighten the mounting nuts on the studs.

These things end up being purely cosmetic. Any little prang will cause damage, so be sure you don't bump anything!