79 replies to this topic

[olds_kool_lews]

Im planning on converting a vvc'd rover metro to look like a mk1 metro, should upset/surprise a few people!

[Chance]

Are they all basically the same skin underneath all the New panels?

Any major changes lurking under there?

Probably more upset haa love it

[cradley-heathen]

nice purchase mate, glad you didnt get that mk1 now i bet!

 

if you want to individualise it or lower it i can give you a hand, i have got a hydro pump and you have seen how low mine is, i cant remember if you have been it though?

 

anyway give me a buzz if you need a hand, i have worked on almost as many k series metros as i have minis!

[Chance]

Yeah I went to look and it was far crustier than I'd imagined

I thought I'd dabble in modernish metro ownership instead

Nah I haven't been in yours


When I start thinking about the mechanicals I'll probably get in touch with you...all New to me so your knowledge would help a lot lol, Thanks

Lowering and individualising sounds like the thing to do from browsing the interweb

[cradley-heathen]

i spent ages fiddling with mine (and the suspension! aha!) but from experience its probably not even as dificult as lowering a mini, it all comes appart allot easier anyway.

 

incidentally, i actually had a 114 gta identical to yours, N101VOM i think it was,

 

as regards your wheels, you can put different sizes on those rims you have now, i put 185 55 13s on mine and it looked much better, didnt drive any better though as they were camacs, but you could pinch 175 50 13s from a mini and fit them im sure, my turbo rims are 5.5x13 and that what i have used, im pretty sure your rims are the 5.5j too.

[Chance]

Haa I think they are great...everyone has took the micky so far because it's not some new crappy corsa or whatever

Yeah they are really skinny tyres!! Makes it look really weedy
Wider tyres definitely needed but the tyres all look like they haven't seen the road much so I might get some use out of them first

I need some new wing mirrors aswell cause the adjuster handles are snapped but all in good time

I want to try and tidy the bodywork first :)

[Mini-Mad-Craig]

If you are tight on money just clean and treat the rust as best you can and then waxoyl it within an inch of its life, its probably the best £5 I spent on my car and is worth doing to stop it getting worse before you have money to fix it properly in the future

 

 

[Chance]

Yeah I might do that, don't fancy changing the whole rear panel, bit daunting for me as bodywork is a new thing.
 

I think I could handle cutting out the rust and welding in new metal and then doing as you have done to save it :)

 

I need a new backbox but I don't now whether to go for standard or something that will give it a nice sound.

 

Whats that one on yours?

 

[Mini-Mad-Craig]

Mines a cherrybomb but I think you'll probably struggle to find one thats made for a Mk3/4 Rover Metro. I think when its back on the road I will be putting an RC40 which will require some relatively simple modification and welding. Other than that a sportex with the cat on sounds nice but is a little to loud for me.

 

With the cherrybomb it idles quietly, not much louder than the standard system (although that did have a couple of holes in!) but generally its nice. Its perfect when you're just driving and then when you put your foot down a bit it makes a bit more noise which I like, nothing raspy and crap sounding though.

 

Edited by Mini-Mad-Craig, 20 July 2013 - 02:25 PM.

[Mini-Mad-Craig]

Ps, I have a brand new standard backbox and a pair of mirrors you can have for postage 

Edited by Mini-Mad-Craig, 20 July 2013 - 02:27 PM.

[Chance]

Well as it stands my backbox is just floating around as its broke where the pipe enters the box

 

My mirror adjusters have been snapped off so that might be a good call

 

How much would postage be though because I know a bloke down the road from me who breaks most rovers so it might be worth you hanging onto them tbf
 

[Mini-Mad-Craig]

If you mean just the black handles inside then I can just chuck those in, or the actual adjuster part and then you can use your normal mirrors since my spares are black. I think it'd probably cost about £20 but I've never couriered an exhaust before.

[olds_kool_lews]

Are they all basically the same skin underneath all the New panels?

Any major changes lurking under there?

Probably more upset haa love it

The bodyshell backwards from the bulkhead is identical, so from the bulkhead backwards its as simple as bolt off/bolt on to retro-fy things, the front end is built differently so some panel mods and welding is required, but will be far easier to retro-fy a later rover 100 to look like a mk1, than to modify a mk1 to fit a vvc in :)

These are my mk1s (blue 1 and beige 1 have gone now though)

[Mini-Mad-Craig]

The wings are the same to, as far as I work out the best way would be to cut the front 5" or so from the front of the wings to allow to correct recess, this is presuming you dont want the same arc hand body line crease line as the Mk1. The rest could quite easily be fitted, the front valence on the earlier cars is obviously welded and meets the wing but again this would be fairly easy with a donor Mk1 panel and some fairly simple fabrication. The bonnet should mount fine with the correct hinges but I'm unsure how the contours and bends differ between the Mk2 and Mk3, I'd presume the slam panel would need modification since the Mk4 bonnet for certain is more curvy, but still follows the lines of the wing.

 

I think fitting a later engine to an earlier car is better, more work and also destroys an A-Series powered classic, but its no different to converting a Mini to non-A-series, if any easier since you have the extra space of a clubman front and then some. To me a Mk3/Mk4 Metro/Rover 100 series is a very different car to the early Metro aside from sharing its shell. Even in an older colour like champagne beige or cinnabar red I just don't think it would look right. The Mk3/Mk4 also have different tailgates and I know these are not interchangeable between the two without a fair amount of modification.

[Mini-Mad-Craig]

Unless it was purely for fun and not intended to be an accurate car.