I've been looking at the theory of putting the front end from a 1989 Honda Accord like this:
Onto the front end of my Rover 414, which is this:
I'm aware that the Concerto is the sibling to the 400, not the Accord. However, I suspect that the Accord is similar enough that this could, in theory, be doable. The wing and bonnet profiles look very similar in photographs and the Accord was built at the same time the 400 started production, they have a shared heritage.
Here's an under bonnet shot, Rover first, then two of the Accord.
Since I'm not looking at swapping anything mechanical the difference in suspension and engine orientation is not an issue for me (I've got the K series so my gearbox is on the opposite side to the Honda). Theoretically I need the slam panel/radiator support, headlight units, wings, bonnet and front grille but should get away with using the Rover's standard bumper which I'd quite like to do. The Accord has separate sidelights and indicators but I'm sure you could get around this just by relocating bulbs without too much grief.
What I'm not sure about is the complexity of the job. I've never tried something like this and I'd welcome experience from anyone that has. There is some difficulty obtaining the Accord parts too, they seem to be quite rare in the UK now and importing bits from the US and Australia is likely prohibitively expensive.
The why for this is that I really like the idea of a factory looking modification to the Rover that gives it pop-up headlights to keep people guessing. This is just the theory to explore what can and can't be done and to pick up on other peoples' experience and mistakes so I don't fall into the same traps.
Onto the front end of my Rover 414, which is this:
I'm aware that the Concerto is the sibling to the 400, not the Accord. However, I suspect that the Accord is similar enough that this could, in theory, be doable. The wing and bonnet profiles look very similar in photographs and the Accord was built at the same time the 400 started production, they have a shared heritage.
Here's an under bonnet shot, Rover first, then two of the Accord.
Since I'm not looking at swapping anything mechanical the difference in suspension and engine orientation is not an issue for me (I've got the K series so my gearbox is on the opposite side to the Honda). Theoretically I need the slam panel/radiator support, headlight units, wings, bonnet and front grille but should get away with using the Rover's standard bumper which I'd quite like to do. The Accord has separate sidelights and indicators but I'm sure you could get around this just by relocating bulbs without too much grief.
What I'm not sure about is the complexity of the job. I've never tried something like this and I'd welcome experience from anyone that has. There is some difficulty obtaining the Accord parts too, they seem to be quite rare in the UK now and importing bits from the US and Australia is likely prohibitively expensive.
The why for this is that I really like the idea of a factory looking modification to the Rover that gives it pop-up headlights to keep people guessing. This is just the theory to explore what can and can't be done and to pick up on other peoples' experience and mistakes so I don't fall into the same traps.
