I finally got around to fixing the cracked bumper. The total insurance estimate was $2500. They said the headlight assy cost $1400! I think I can do the complete repair myself for about $750. They already sent me a check minus deductible for $2K. The balance is going into a fund to cover a rate increase which is sure to follow.

The bumper cover is off and at the body shop. They are charging $450 for an epoxy repair, and urethane flex paint and clearcoat. The headlight assy is costing $150 for a new lens from JPLV; and I am repairing the broken mounting tabs myself using epoxy and mesh tape costing about $40.

While the car is up on jackstands waiting for the bodyshop, I decided to swap the OEM pads for some Akibonos; and coat the calipers with a G2 two part catalytic silver coating. I did the rotor hats as well. Here are some pics.

 

Thanks for the pics. Some time down the road I have to remove my front cover for a repaint due to stone chips and a couple very minor cracks. I too was quoted $450 if I delivered the cover and picked it up. I've very interested in what all you went through to get it off.

 

Removal is easy. Get up on stands, pull the front wheels. Remove the black urethane splashshield and the wheelwell liners. Then disconnect the headlight wires, fog lights and side marker light connectors. There are the five (5) bolts, and three (3) push pins visible along the radiator brace at the front edge of the hood. Finally there are three (3) more bolts on each side, securing the cover to the fender flange. The bumper cover itself simply slides forward. Once the car is up and the front wheels pulled; I think you could do it in way less than 30 minutes.

 

at this point you might consider removing the bumperettes as well. I removed them on my car and I also removed the horizontal chrome bar. Then I modified the bumper dampers and pushed the bumper back about 2" which allowed me install a grid deep in the opening. I also installed a aluminum strip under the lower part of the plastic cover which helped it to maintain the form. Without it it was all wavy and not straight at all. Make sure you disconnect the battery when you remove the crash sensor. Of course all of this affects the front crash protection a bit but for me the look was worth it.

It gave the car that nice x-type look without all the junk in the shark's mouth.

 

When I first purchased the car, I was going swap out the chrome bar for a mesh type grill. After a while, however, I began to actually prefer the "buck tooth" look.

In terms of customizing, I requested the body shop fill in the mounting holes for the round growler emblem on the facia. We'll see how it looks when installed on Monday or Tuesday.

 

I did that too. Got rid of the front emblem. Looked nice! I also removed the rear jaguar lettering which caused a lot of people to wonder what brand my car was.

 

The headlight mounting tabs were repaired using a two-part epoxy resin from SEM.

The first step was to rough up the smooth plastic surface. This is a very important step. The epoxy will not bond to a smooth surface. Then the broken sections and tabs were held in place by tack welding them with a soldering gun. This process is just like a tack weld on metal, but melting the plastic instead.

Self adhesive plastic mesh tape was used to provide additional strength to the bond. Using the mesh in this manner is similar to using rebar to strengthen poured concrete. Finally the epoxy was spread thinly over the area. It needs to be forced through the mesh, and onto the roughened surface.

The result does not look pretty but it creates a very strong bond. The epoxy is sandable, and paintable, if a more attractive appearance was required.

A new lens half was purchased for $150; however, it would have cost over $600 for a new OEM headlight assy, and $350-$450 for a good used one. Considering the costs involved, I am very happy with the results.

The new headlight was so nice and shiny, there was a noticeable difference compared to the old one. Consequently I forced myself to pull the old one aout in order to clean the inside of the glass and reflector surfaces. They now look more compatible; however, if you do this, use extreme caution. The silver reflective coatings on inner lens are very delicate and are easily scratched.

 

Gordo you are the man!

 

Gordo
I just went through removing every thing for a repaint. The car had road rash and a nick or scratch on almost every body panel except the doors. It took approx 6 hours to completely remove bumpers, lights, all trim. The JTIS was invaluable when it came to taking it apart. Have fun assembling it.
Doug

 

nice pics, thanks