Project 1994 Rover 414SLi - Fin.

[Honey Badger]

How about a Honda Concerto Grill with a rover badge blutacked on top, I always thought that the Concerto Gill suited the style of the car well.

 

Application of some red paint and a Rover badge and it would look grand.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-Concerto-Front-Grill-Grille-88-94-/151732304417

 

[Tartan58]

Top motah that - seems to be a lot of Rover love* on here just now.

 

I learned to drive in the hatch version of this, same colour as well, (was my mum's and only 4 years old at the time) and it was rather a nice thing to drive. A world away from my instructors Kia Pride (with power nothing).

 

Italian guy who lived round the corner from us and owned the local chippy used to have a lovely Mk1 216 GSI in 2 tone silver with brown leather. I would love one in that spec now.

 

R8s seem to have dissipated off the roads very fast (at least around these parts anyway) hardly ever see any.

[danthecapriman]

Probably the scrappage scheme that killed off most of the survivors. I know what you mean, there used to be loads of these, even the pre facelift ones around here but the last few years I've seen very few. A mates parents had a mint 414, in white. It was immaculately kept and always garaged, very low miles too. They scrappaged that!

 

I was in desperate need of a car some years back now, I narrowed it down to a red H reg Ford Orion 1.4glx or a Rover 214 base spec in that light non metallic blue they did, J reg.

 

I chose the Orion. It was a total fuck up! The Orion was a pile of utter shit!

Should have had the Rover in hindsight. I know for a fact it would have been the better car and lasted a lot longer. And it pains me say that, as a lifelong Ford man. But that Orion was the worst car I've ever had by miles!

[vulgalour]

Made an attempt to carefully take the lacquer peel back on the roof to see if it could be re-lacquered.  It couldn't.  The non-lacquered red was so thin there was nothing to work with and it was too easy to go through to the undercoat so I took that as a sign to buy some gloss black paint.

20150722-01 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

20150722-02 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

20150722-03 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

I really like that.  It needs a couple more coats and a polish to really make the best of it.  Already it looks smarter than what was there.  I'm waiting now on a bit of time and a couple of payments to clear before I go and buy some more bits and pieces to continue the spruce up.

[Ghosty]

Agreed - that looks a lot smarter than expected! There's something oddly American about it, reminds me of the raffle Oldsmobile.

[greengartside]

Love the black roof, goes nicely with the pillars now.

 

Sadly this Phase 1 was at my local scrappers just a few weeks back - now long gone. 100% complete too.

 

[Cavcraft]

Without the wheel trims it looks exactly like the sort of thing last seen being driven round a council estate with two flat tyres and stolen televisions being lobbed out of the n/s/r window, as Pat and Carl were chasing it on Roadwars.

[eddyramrod]

Without the wheel trims it looks exactly like the sort of thing last seen being driven round a council estate with two flat tyres and stolen televisions being lobbed out of the n/s/r window, as Pat and Carl were chasing it on Roadwars.

...In their navy blue Vectra with no hubcaps...

[vulgalour]

Funnily enough, that's about exactly how I drive it too, sans tellies.

[robinmasters]

The 400 is like the secret lovechild of a Honda Prelude and a Montego.

Anywhere else that could be construed as a criticism.

 

There's a lot of Montego in that design, inside and out. Even with the screw holes it looks a lot more like an a actual Rover without the grill.

[KruJoe]

WOT NO floating roof any more?  

 

 

Anyone else thinking...

 

[purplebargeken]

Like!

[Jim Bell]

 

 

 

I can't unsee a ladybird now. Looks canny though. Kind of like the car has a hairdo.

[dollywobbler]

Surely it needs a vinyl roof for maximum giffer points? I never really bonded with my 416, but I think that was because the Honda single cam really isn't the engine to have. I imagine a lightly tweaked K would be hugely entertaining. It's already nicely zingy.

[oldcars]

Looks good, black roof works well with the pillars being black too.

[vulgalour]

Fast Japanese road cars and the restrained styling of the P6 are key inspirations.  Luckily, all the cosmetic bits I want to change need changing on the car and all the bits I'm happy with are in good order.  Nothing needs doing to the interior, it's perfect from the factory.  The engine bay is great too, everything is easy to see and you can even see the road past the engine which is always an appealling thing in a car for me.  I have no desire to modify the engine and will just clean things up under the bonnet.

 

All I have planned are smoked/tinted rear lights to blend that black panel into a uniform band, pre-facelift nose end, finish the black roof and find some nice wheels and/or trims.  The only other modification I'd like to undertake is slightly lower suspension, no more than about 40mm.  It will likely look more Honda than Rover when I'm done but it will also likely look very smart rather than a bit fuddy-duddy.

[320touring]

this thred has much promise!

[KruJoe]

I may have some R8 trims for you, but not the ex-Chompy posh ones. Watch this space.

 

I have a feeling 200 and 400 back lights don't interchange, despite looking identical, so try before you buy.

 

If you're de-face-lifting, don't forget the trim strips under the lights, I'm sure they differ between grille and non-grille. Be aware of the long/short indicator thing too.

My fave look is the 1993 half-facelift; no grille but long indicators, (made for one year only,) and rear lights changed for the later smoked ones.

 

 

 

[Pillock]

There were different under-lamp strips for grille and non-grille. 

My great uncle had a white L plate, but as an elderly gentleman fond of the marque he asked the dealers to fit the grille off the newer cars.

They did it by leaving the trims on but hacksawing them off behind the grille, as the grille doesn't go all the way up to the headlamps so you need the curved bit each side.

[vulgalour]

I'm sure I can make whatever grille I get work.  Apparently, I drive too fast and need to slow down.  This is blatantly untrue, I drive just as fast as I'm permitted to do legally it's just that the car gets to that speed rather rapidly.  It also has a penchant for wheelspinning, this could be down to the tyres.  The jiggliness at the back could be something to do with the Tigar tyre that doesn't match the other tyre which is something like a Trakta or something, CBA to go and look right now.

[twosmoke300]

I must be the only one that likes the later grille I think . certainly better than 4 holes in the bonnet and no badge imo .

[KruJoe]

Yo Vulg!

 

 

You fancy these trims?

 

Also, do you sell cheap prints of your artwork?

I have one in mind, maybe we could come to some arrangement

[vulgalour]

I'd be happy to pay for parts with original artwork.  I'm not set up for prints still, just not the demand for it.  Those trims would be fine for before-cool-wheel use, they're smart enough.  I wasn't sad the posh lattice trims weren't available, they're horrible to clean even though they look smart.

[vulgalour]

Am off to Bratfud on Saturday to collect my new rear bumper and front grille.  I shall go in the Rover.

 

Then Chompy said "I saw a Mitsubishi Charisma today on three spoke alloys that you'd like", and I do.

 

 

Quite a rare set of wheels though, so there's no way I'll get a set, right?  Wrong.  There's a set on eBay at the moment with tyres up in Scotlandshire.  Providing the research that says this particular set is the same pcd, offset and centre bore (unlike just about every other Charisma wheel) is the same as the Rover and I can get the right wheel nuts (because the Rover is still on studs and nuts rather than bolts) I could have resolved my wheel dilemma.  Just not got quite enough pocket money for them right now this minute.

 

 

[Ghosty]

Scotland? FOAD had some of those on a Proton for a bit...

[vulgalour]

I don't think they're ex-FOAD.  They're in a place I can't remember the name of in Aberdeenshire.

 

EDIT: But FOAD would know the specifics I guess, which is probably what you're getting at.

[andy18s]

http://www.alloywheels.com/rover-400-alloy-wheels

 

http://www.alloywheels.com/mitsubishi-carisma-mk1-alloy-wheels

 

An almost identical match according to the above,even the bolts/studs have the same thread and pitch

[Lacquer Peel]

I always thought Carismas used 4x114.3 hubs, according to further research only 1.6 versions used 4x100 hubs. BUYER BEWARE.

 

Are R8, R3 or HH-R wheels that hard to come by? They used some nice designs.

[320touring]

320touring derrivery available!

[vulgalour]

Rover's wheel designs are almost all horrible and those that are nice aren't very me.  I'll get a check on the measurements before handing over any cash on those Mitsi wheels, something else might come along in between times anyway.  I'm not in a huge rush for new wheels, just window shopping.

 

If I go for them I may well make use of 320touring Derrivery Services.