Here's my Metro

[Johnny Mullet]

I got this thing for almost nothing because of #1 Cylinder was low on compression. I verified it and figure the car is worth saving. I ordered all the parts for the head including exhaust valves and timing belt and can't wait to tear into this thing................

[94metroxfi]

Very Nice. What is almost nothing? Are you getting your parts from partsdinosaur.com?

[DOCTORBILL]

Take good photos while you work on it - remember that you are "educating"
people who want to do the same thing.

How many miles on it - what year Metro? What did you pay for it?

3 or 4 cylinder - what type of Transmission?

Glad to see another Metro saved from the wrecking yard...!

Each Metro that's junked is one less on this Earth - FOREVER.

DoctorBill

[DangerDude]

Mr. Mullett sir .. you done good! Looks like an easy way to pick up chicks!!!
I too received my Metro for next to nuthin' .. been driving it for two years now .. and lovin' every thrifty, zippy, comfortable mile of it! I applaud your wisdom in in fixing up your Metro .. It will repay you with at least 44 & change Miles per gallon. Ya think gas is gonna go down in price? I topped off my Metro repairs with a MAACO paint job ("survival in traffic Yellow") People pulling out actually hesitate when they see me coming! (and wait for me to pass by) Damn!! Someday I'll get a digital camera and post a pic, but in the meantime you work YOUR magic and (really!) you will drive by gas stations!!!
It is the coolest car ever made!! Enjoy!!!
DangerDude (kinda likes his Metro) 3 cyl. 5 speed, 195,xxx miles (so far)

[DOCTORBILL]

I'm not sure any chick will like a guy in an old Geo Metro....if she does, grab her and marry her!

She is smart!

In any case, by driving that Geo Metro, you will have some money left over for
taking chicks out on dates - instead of raising Exxon's profit level.

Or should I say Canada and Mexico's profit level since they are whom we buy 95% of our crude oil from.

If you have a manual 5 speed, expect more like 48 mpg.

Remember

Miles you drive per year
------------------------------------- x the Price per Gallon = U$S you save per year.
(your Metro's mpg - a gas hog's mpg)

Example: If you drive 30,000 miles per year in a 18 mpg Ford 4x4 and then switch to a 48 mpg
Geo Metro using $3.40/gal gas, when you run those numbers into the above equation, you get

[30,000 / 30] times $3.40 = $3,400 saved ! ---> or 1,000 gallons you didn't need to buy.....

That impresses the Hell out of me!

DoctorBill

[91Caprice9c1]

"You'll never run out of women by chasing money, but you will always run out of money by chasing women." -Paraphrased from the movie I Think I Love My Wife

-MechanicMatt

[Woodie83]

Originally Posted by DOCTORBILL

If you have a manual 5 speed, expect more like 48 mpg.

Not in a 95 or newer Doc. They weigh 200 lbs more and have shorter gearing. The three cylinder works pretty hard to move these bigger cars, Mine gave me 43.

[DOCTORBILL]

I'm not conversant enough, yet, with Metros to tell the year just by the picture.

Mr. Mullet hasn't given us any details yet. I'll be interested in those details.

From what you say, I am sure glad I was lucky enough to get a '93....

With gasoline so high, even 5 mpg better comes out to about $170 less per
year.

What do the 4 cylinder Metro's get per gallon with a manual ?

DoctorBill

[Johnny Mullet]

Specs...............

1998 Chevy Metro
1.0L 3cyl
5spd manual
base model
133,000 miles

I got this thing for like $70.00 (paid the diag bill for him) and there is one concern. The death of these little cars is the unibody rot that happens at the lower control arm connection. Once that rusts and breaks, these cars are considered junk unless you know a master welder and pay some big bucks to find a doner car with no rot or build something.

Mine was in Florida for some time of it's life, but the rot is loooking pretty bad. It actually looks like the one side was welded at one time, but now rotting around that area of the repair. I have access to welding gear at work and some metal, but have not had a chance to get the car on the lift to see what would be involved to rebuild this area.

I am determined to keep the car and fix it anyway. The rest of the car is pretty much rust-free. I just got to figure out a simple brace or replacement (tubular?) pieces somehow. Even if I had to pay someone $500.00 or more to fix it, it would be worth it. My welding is not great, but will try something myself first.

I will take pics of any repairs I do on this car. I already popped all three dents out of the body and it looks pretty perfect on the outside.

I would become a rich man if I could manufacture a sub-frame repair kit that would be a (weld over) repair similar to the rotted strut tower kits available on Dodge Caravan and other makes.

[Woodie83]

Doc: I had two four cylinder new cars that both delivered 40 mpg, two three cylinder new cars that did 43 mpg, and an 89 XFI that got 50 - 52 mpg. That's all manual transmissions with the same guy driving the same city/highway mix.

Johnny M: http://www.turbinetech.ca/produits.p...tree=1&lang=AN

TurbineTech makes a wonderful lower suspension brace in either aluminum or steel that ties things together nicely. It's designed for better handling, but adds a lot of strength to the control arm mounts. If you fix this rot, that would be a nice addition, taking some strain off the repair.

[DOCTORBILL]

Could someone show a photo or three of this lower control arm connection corrosion thing?

I would like to see what folks are talking about so that I can go see if my '93 Metro
suffers the same problem.

I did a Search of the threads, but none of the posts I looked at had any photos concerning this common problem...

If I don't have this problem right now, is there some way to keep it from occurring?

Undercoating, rust preventative paint, etc. ?

Or is it like the old Suburban Wheel Well rustout problem - design flaw.

DoctorBill

[DangerDude]

Gentlemen: On the sub-frame rust-out problem .. I must be lucky because my '99 Metro seems to be rust free so far. What I have done to KEEP it that way is ..
1. Scrubbed, sanded and wire brushed what little spot weld rust spots I found, and painted the bejesus out of the underside of the baby, two/three coats of Rust-O-lium.
2. on the little holes in the sub frames in the engine compartment, I poured thinned paint (funnel & hose) into the interior of those channels and caught the overflow as it drained out up by the bumper brackets and out the rear frame channels behind the front wheels. I'm hoping to coat the insides to prevent/slow down any corrosion from the inside! Will it work? Who can tell at this point? So far so good. Made me feel like I was at least TRYING to protect the structure! Obsessive ..? Darn right!!!!! You GO Mr. Mullett!!!!
If you can engineer a front suspension replacement brace you can save MANY Metros from needless suffering! Please rock-on and keep us posted!! DangerDudE!!

[Johnny Mullet]

After the repairs are made, I am going to drill a hole, screw in a grease zerk and pack the channel full of grease. 10lbs of grease may affect my gas mileage some, but oh well!

This area can be seen under the hood. The driver side is visible from there. Open the hood and look down behind the trans where the lower control arm bolts on the back portion. The curved part of the unibody on both sides are know to simply rust away until it eventually breaks and becomes un-driveable. The death of the Metro essentually.