'99 Chevy Geo Metro

Well, I suppose it's time I offered something back to the forums in the way of a project thread. You guys have been a huge motivation to get my butt in gear and get it back on the road. Hopefully, this will help me continue to develop this car and make it to the Challenge in $2014.

Car is a 1999 Chevy/Geo Metro base with the 3 cylinder and a 5spd. Purchased from a friend for $10. Had a bad transmission. He didn't want to fix it since his wife wouldn't ride in the "death trap" nor let his daughter ride in it.

I put a transmission in it and took it to the $2012 Challenge. I daily drove it until my last day on Active Duty in the Air Force in early 2013. On that fateful day, I drove thru what I THOUGHT was a puddle. It was a bit deeper than I suspected and having replaced the factory air cleaner with a foam, Edelbrock filter, I filled the motor with water in short order and seized it's forward momentum.

Will put more history up, Challenge budget and what we have in it today.

As purchased:

At the Challenge:

Puddle of Death:

Full to the brim:

In reply to VWguyBruce:

Man that thing is clean

Needs more engine. < /evil-grin >

I'll agree that it needs more everything.

It WAS much cleaner in those pics. However, while it was stored at a friends house while we were moving, his son and the neighbor decided to use the Metro as a playground. They were climbing up the back bumper, walking across the roof and sliding down the windshield/hood. Caved in the roof and added several more ripples to the body. Frustrating situation as they didn't tell me until I came to pick it up. What do you do? Not gonna ruin a friendship over a nearly free car. My buddy's wife popped the roof back out but it still needs work. Moving forward.

Today I just want it to stop spewing oil everywhere. Oil pan is fighting me, gonna try to seal it again today. I've replaced every other seal and the PCV so this must be it.

I keep this thing because everything is just so darn cheap. I picked up a Magnaflow stainless, mandrel bent downpipe/cat for $142.99 LOCALLY. I was pretty stoked. I would've spent as much for parts and my labor doing it myself and it FITS.

Used to have an 89 Metro 52 hp 3 cyl with a 75hp nitrous kit. Worked great and sounded like a Quadrajet with a flipped air cleaner lid. Never got less than 37 mpg. I don't know if they are still available, but it had very large anti sway bars front and rear with urethane bushing. I think they were sway a way or addco. Huge improvement in handling and probably the best handling fwd car I've ever driven. With the 0.9 liter motor, a nitrous bottle would last months with intermittent use!

Man that downpipe is awesome! Where did you get it? I wonder if there's anything like that available for my Esteem...

oreillys carries magnaflow, I believe the OE replacement stuff is also available at summit.

I got it at Oreilly's but it was actually cheaper on Amazon with free Prime shipping. It fits pretty well except the O2 bung makes the sensor a little tight. I wish the cat was flat as my Turbine Tech brace doesn't fit under there now even with the lower heat shield removed. I bought the steel to make a replacement so I can recoup the gobs of money the TT brace ate up in my Challenge budget.

Where do you guys get your exhaust bits??? Locally it's impossible to find exhaust flanges. Need this:

To mate this:

To this:

Dude, neat car!

Have you met ZombyWolf? You need to become friends with him. He does this stuff.

VWguyBruce wrote: Where do you guys get your exhaust bits??? Locally it's impossible to find exhaust flanges.

I make them out of scrap plate, using a drill and a hole saw. Mainly because I like to spend $100 of my time making a $20 part I could have bought for $5.

Thanks! I have seen the other Metro/Swift heads around the boards.

I completely understand the Labor vs Purchase argument. I'm well versed in the art of sweat equity. Sometimes I just gotta get 'er done. I think I will hit the scrap pile at the metal supply though. Great idea.

We have a Meineke that keeps a lot of flanges and such on hand and will sell them loose.

I'd buy those bits online, but recently to save money I had a 2-bolt flange like that plasma-cut to save money (shipping & duty costs). I can send you a schematic if you want.

NAPA HAS A LOT OF FLANGES. IF YOU GIVE ME THE DIMENSIONS I CAN GET YOU A PART NUMBER.

sorry, didn't mean to yell. software at work only recognizes caps

It's a 2" ID with the 3 1/2" hole center.

I was just wondering if anyone had a good source they used regularly. Gonna need a T3 flange too at some point. Figured same place would have both.

Found a new shop RIGHT by my house. Import empathizers they were, got a used flange, welded to resonator and mid-pipe flared to match for $20. Can't beat that.

Gameboy, would be happy to have the drawing. Always useful to have resources. Email me thru the site and we can work it out. This certainly won't be my last exhaust.

Finally got the oil pan sealed BONE DRY!

Finished welding the resonator to the mid pipe. Turned out ok. I like welding with gas. I'm going to clamp the muffler on so I can take it off for the Challenge. Sounds good with only the cat and resonator but too loud for a commuter. I must be getting old.

Next up clearing codes. P1410 and P0141. Have new gas cap, new downstream O2 sensor, T pins to measure voltage, and an extra idle control thingy to troubleshoot with. So far the only thing I don't like in Texas, emissions inspections.

So is this still the 3 cylinder motor, you just replaced the flooded one with another one?

Yep, same motor. It was the quickest way to get it back on road. Need to thin the herd and stop spending so much money on gas. So getting the Metro sorted will allow me to finally get our Envoy XL sold.

Old motor will be coming apart for head work then oversized pistons.

Anyone know SnowDoggie out of Dallas? His profile appears defunct.

Spent the day fabbing up a lower cross brace/sub frame dealio today. Many good welds and some crapola but it's built like a brick E36 M3 house. Very satisfying to complete. $170 back in the budget, this cost about $10 in material.

1/8" flat stock 2" wide. 1/2" round stock.

I also made a PDF of the brackets on the photo copier if anyone is interested in making their own. Cut out, trace, cut.

Inspiration.

Good one.

Poopie.

Finished.

Nice work! I bet that really tightens things up! Who makes the one you copied?