Fitting a MK3 front end to a MK2

[Petrified]

Quite a broad question I know,

but is this a simple job? is it just a case of removing panels and fitting the new ones? also with the front and rear bumpers, can you just fit them to the mk2 without any major hassle. And how about the lights?

I mean, drilling if fine but welding would be a problem.

Cheers,
James.

[GroovyCarrot]

As far as I know, it's just a case of changing the wings and the slam panel.. although I'm sure someone will correct me

[ste mk1lx]

IIRC the wings are a different profile at the door pillar

[Krupa]

Yeah Mk3 wings cut into the a pillar, Mk2 ones don't.

It can be done though! And it can be done the other way, bizarrely, I've seen this done too.

[GroovyCarrot]

Wouldn't the car look really weird with a mk3 front end and a mk2 back end anyway? Could look kinda cool the other way round..

[Gareth_GT_Hatch]

Mark Hunter's got a mk3 rear end on his mk2 "T40" Yeah the A pillars are different as well as the wings so its a mega amount of hassle.

Alex, what car was the mk2 front end on a mk3?

[Krupa]

Very random this, I was walking around Sheffield and spotted it.

It's a white L plate Coupe, late spec rear lights and totally standard bar a complete front-end conversion.

We're talking complete here - wings, slam panel, even the a-pillars modded for the mk2 wings - then a Mk3 front bumper put on.

Seems a bizarre thing to do, I did ponder whether it had been done on the cheap as Mk2 parts would be cheaper than Mk3 at a guess, but it was really well done (bar the slightly bodged front bumper) so can't really be that. The blue go-faster stripe down the bodywork had even been continued onto the new front wings - attention to detail there! It was a seemless conversion, you really couldn't tell that it once had a different front end.

Other than that though it was completely standard, seemed to be based on a Fox, and looked as if it wasn't particularly well looked after. Doesn't really match up with going to all that effort on the front end. Really wierd.

Excuse the quality of the pics.

[Tahrey1043]

how bizarre! yet oddly fetching........

what the hell DID happen to those photos, geez?

[GroovyCarrot]

That's really odd.. seems like a lot of work for an otherwise very average old hatchback...

[Krupa]

what the hell DID happen to those photos, geez?

Nokia 6100 with a Pop-Port camera, pretty low-res but handy to keep in your jacket for rare occasions like this!

It is a strange one isn't it, maybe it's running a stealthy G conversion?

[GroovyCarrot]

I notice it's also got tinted rear lights, they weren't standard on a CL.. My thinking is it's one of the following:
* Project car that only made it half way to completion
* Very convincing street sleeper built by someone who likes to be unique

[Gareth_GT_Hatch]

With it being an L reg the lights might be standard. Ive seen a white CL round my way with them on. Has no other mods to speak of so I can only assume that its factory.

[Krupa]

I thought it was only Fox-based ones which had them as standard?

If it were a street sleeper surely they'd have retained the orange ones anyway?

[Gareth_GT_Hatch]

The one Im talking about was owned by a 20-something girl who used to come into the petrol station where I worked. Car was totally standard to my knowledge, had cl wheel trims and everything. Basically i dont know whos right alex...

[SpikeyG40]

i saw a couple of vids a while back of wot looked like a mk3 polo with a vr6 turbo lump in it! also had golf struts if i remember rightly!

but the main point was that in the video, the car was going up the strip, and wot appeared, mk2 rear lights! so it can be done, but wouldn't be easy!

n e one remember those vids?