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Installing Advice for Aston Martin DB7 Bumper on Jaguar XK8?
Please can anyone advise me how hard it will be to make the below (2nd pic below) Aston Martin DB7 front bumper fit onto my Jaguar XK8? The Aston Martin DB7 & Jaguar XK8/XKR share the same body except for the front & back bumper and the special side scoop addition on the Aston (yes, I have plans to attach fake Aston Martin side scoops later).
I'm aware that I will have to do serious fabrication work to make it fit but maybe someone with bodywork experience can tell us more insight?
Of course if I had an extra $6,900 (who sells this kit for less?) laying around, I'd go all the way & buy the Ash-Mart kit to turn this into a Vanquish: https://www.kitcars.com/classifieds/addetails.asp?classified_id=20292
For reference, the 1st pic below is the Jaguar XK8 bumper while the 2nd pic is the DB7 bumper so you can compare the shape. They are not a perfect match in shape.
My motivation for this change is that I'm showing my car at the upcoming Jaguar Club of Southern New England June 25 @ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm in Middleton, CT. I've already swapped the engine for the 350 LS Chevy engine, cut a hole in my hood to add a custom air intake with functional scoop, swapped in aftermarket seats, and added Camaro rims, so why not go all the way for these judges and add the Aston Martin front bumper?
Last edited by ScoopXK8; Apr 23, 2023 at 09:36 AM.
An interesting problem that most Jag enthusiasts will want to talk you out of doing!
The actual securing of the DB7 Bumper will require fabrication of bespoke Brackets - but it sounds like this sort of thing is not a problem for you!
The bigger problem is going to be all the size and profile differences. The DB7 bumper has a lower seem line where it connects to the wing. So, when you first offer it up to your XK8, there will be a big gap to fill (see between the red and green dotted lines).
There is also the XK8 Bonnet/Hood and Headlight profiles which transition into the XK8 Bumper - totally different on the DB7....
In fact, the easiest way to do what you describe, is to cut out the iconic DB7 Grill shape surround and 'super impose it' onto the XK8 surround. That way, you solve the interfaces with the remaining XK8 Headlights, Hood and Wings and also negate the need for new brackets.
An interesting problem that most Jag enthusiasts will want to talk you out of doing!
The actual securing of the DB7 Bumper will require fabrication of bespoke Brackets - but it sounds like this sort of thing is not a problem for you!
The bigger problem is going to be all the size and profile differences. The DB7 bumper has a lower seem line where it connects to the wing. So, when you first offer it up to your XK8, there will be a big gap to fill (see between the red and green dotted lines).
There is also the XK8 Bonnet/Hood and Headlight profiles which transition into the XK8 Bumper - totally different on the DB7....
In fact, the easiest way to do what you describe, is to cut out the iconic DB7 Grill shape surround and 'super impose it' onto the XK8 surround. That way, you solve the interfaces with the remaining XK8 Headlights, Hood and Wings and also negate the need for new brackets.
That's a good idea & i appreciate your reply 👍
Anyone know of an existing DB7 aftermarket kit for the XK8/XKR? Or a Vanquish aftermarket kit cheaper than the $6,900 Ash-Mart one?
Here's a video of the Ash-Mart Vanquish aftermarket kit: https://youtu.be/82DETM3lJPw
Last edited by ScoopXK8; Apr 23, 2023 at 03:32 PM.
Definitely keep us updated with plenty of photos and part numbers. I've considered doing something similar, but a lot less involved (badges, tail lights, grafting a DB7 bumper onto the xk8)... just enough to make people wonder.
Mr. Feathers thought of this idea long before me so quoting him. Did you or anyone else ever attempt your idea of adding the DB7 bumper to your XK8/XKR?
The DB7 shares nothing with the XK8/XKR?
You're simply wrong. There are umpteen articles about how, when Ford owned both Aston Martin & Jaguar, the new XJS influenced body style designed by Tom Walkinshaw first became the DB7 and following its success, was reskinined to become the Jaguar XK8/XKR. This passage from one of the many articles
"So that’s how a Jaguar became an Aston Martin DB7. But how did it become a Jaguar again? Simply because the DB7 persuaded Jaguar that there was indeed life left in the XJS platform after all, so it did its own comprehensive re-skin and called the result the XK8. It stayed in production until 2006, extending the life of the XJS platform to over 30 years."
The DB7 and XK8 floor pan (footwell and tunnel) which extends from the Door hinges back to the lower rear seats both came from the same press tool.
The DB7 and XK8 rear suspension share some common parts (Bearing Carriers, Bearings, Half shafts) but the DB7 wishbones are e-type !
None of this, though, will help swap their bumpers !!
The DB7 and XK8 floor pan (footwell and tunnel) which extends from the Door hinges back to the lower rear seats both came from the same press tool.
The DB7 and XK8 rear suspension share some common parts (Bearing Carriers, Bearings, Half shafts) but the DB7 wishbones are e-type !
None of this, though, will help swap their bumpers !!
Thank you. You're the first one to understand that having the same size frame means their lengths match, the door length matches, they can take the same rims because their wheel wells match. It's huge that the DB7 & XK8 started out as the same car before being reskinned.
I'm old enough to have lived through the day that we had to extend the Fiero frames to add our Ferrari kits. Huge pain in the tush & sometimes resulted in a less safe structure during impact.
Some commentors think I'm referring to them having the same engine (they don't) when they didn't read my original thread stating I swapped in a Chevy LS. Having the same engine as a DB7 is clearly not on my important list.
Last edited by ScoopXK8; Apr 24, 2023 at 07:33 AM.
Installing Advice for Aston Martin DB7 Bumper on Jaguar XK8?
