rover metro (vvc) subframe in Austin metro?

[94bruce]

Just looking into future engine conversions for my brothers A-series Austin Metro. I read that 1.8 vvc engines bolt into late rover metro subframes and on rover metro gear boxes.

My question is does a late rover metro/100 subframe bolt into a early Austin Metro???

I would be using the Late metro suspension, hubs, gear box ect but with a vvc engine.

I know that the the hubs and pcd are different, could i convert it to early metro hubs?

Also i know, i will need to cut out my inner arches but the front frame/chassis looks the same.

Any advice would be great
Thanks

[slater]

It will go in, as you say some cutting required. You cant convert hubs as its totally different in the brake department but you may be able to re-drill the hubs. The main problem with the later suspension is that its much wider track so you cant fit wheels with much offset and obviously there will be a miss match unless you it the rover rear too.

[94bruce]

Thanks That's every thing i wanted to know.

Will probably leave the rear sub frame, redrill the hubs and runs some 12" banned steels at the right offset's. My flipped rimmed steels only run 145's going to need more tyre

Also Slater Big fan of both your A-series Metros some nice work gone into them.

[jeffeRS]

If you are going to use the 160 vvc it's best to use a pg1 box as it copes with the power better. That's what I was told when putting a 160 in my previous Gta. Good luck and enjoy the doubled power increase. Fun, fun and more fun.

[hario]

There used to be an engine swap kit type thing to do it, was advertised in Mini Mag, I remember it came with 100mm hub spacers each side to move the rear hubs/bearings out to line up with the front track. And epic arches were needed, read: Miglia arches are needed (y).

[Neil]

There's a lot of info over at metropower forum. If you're interested I have a rover 100 sat here with mgtf rear subframe (springs/shocks) and 1.8 vvc and PG1 box sat in the front. The whole lot could be taken away pretty cheap.

[craig1010cc]

You can indeed redrill the front hubs to 4x4", we did this when we VVC's pickmeups semi space framed mini. If you want to run a PG1 gearbox, you need the gearbox steady (and mount which is part of the MGF subframe) and the driveshafts from a MGF.

I would get a MGTF rear subframe (and then you can lose the hyrdo) and fit the K series metro rack/hubs to it. Only thing is I don't think you can squeeze 12's over metro GTi spec brakes, I think you'd have to go to 13's

Watson engineering do the kits to 'fit' these into a mini so could be of use for info/parts and there was another company (name escapes me though) that did used to use a K series front subframe, with mini hubs (on custom suspension arms and poss drive shafts)