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| 1997 Geo Metro LSi, 1.3L, 2dr Hatchback; Complete Restoration with Lots of Photos and Links. Fabricating Fiberglass Parts | |
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| Topic Started: Mar 7 2010, 07:58 PM (7,980 Views) | |
| Bill CNC | Mar 7 2010, 07:58 PM Post #1 |
 
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Hello All, EDIT: Since this thread seems to cover a few subjects, I will from time to time edit this list below with links to different topics in this thread to their page numbers. Interior Restoration (post #5 p.1) Cargo Cover (post #72 p.5) Fiberglass Part Layup (post #194 p.13) ScanGauge2 Installation (post #258 p.18) I started restoring my Restoration about a month ago. I have had the car for 3 years and I commute 200 miles daily and that puts me behind the wheel roughly 4 hours a day ... Agrr Anyhow, ... I bought it with 113,000 on the clock and at 180,000 some serious ticking was developing in traffic (Los Angeles) one day on my way to work. I pulled over and called AAA. So home we went. I pulled the head of and noticed that on cyl. 3 the exhaust valve was burnt and didn't look like it was seating very well. I thought about just having the head rebuilt, but at 180,000 I would be stupid not to, so I pulled the engine for a complete rebuild. Although I did this about 6 months ago, I felt I had better add this in the thread with some pictures. The Machine shop I took it to is a full on racing machine shop that builds nothing but Hi Performance race cars. My brother in law who works for a Ford Dealership for 23 years talked to a buddy of his that works there and talked him into doing the work on my 1.3L engine. When I took it there, they were all laughing and kidding me by looking in the back of my truck looking for the other half of the engine! When I was invited to go back in the shop I saw nothing but Big block fire breathing blown V8's. We were all cracking up because my engine was just about the size of a Keith Black Hemi Head with a valve cover on it!!! The main goal was to get every ounce of power out of every drop of gas. Something they are used to doing, ... but at the other end of the spectrum. They suggested I have everything blueprinted and balanced, ... so I did, every freaking moving part was balanced. When going through the various parts (I completely dismantled the engine myself) they were as I, astonished at how good of shape the engine was. Everything was in great shape except for the 1 exhaust valve (ticking), the crank had a very slight score on the #1 main journal (polished out), and the rings were locked. After 180,000 there was no ring ridge! I was amazed that a Geo Metro engine would have done so well after 180,000 miles. Long story short, ... the engine now rev's a "LOT" quicker. You cannot even feel it is running as their is absolutely no vibration. Anyhow, ... I am now starting the Interior. I bought some head liner material (2 yds.) and put in a new headliner. Now I am painting "ALL" the trim. The seats have new Vinyl inserts. and it will be getting new carpeting. Last but not least, ... exterior paint. Some pictures of the engine rebuild.     
Edited by Bill CNC, Jun 11 2010, 01:39 PM.
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| CityConnection | Mar 7 2010, 08:20 PM Post #2 |
This is you, so you must be online
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I'm sure those guys cleaned out your EGR passage in the head, but you need to go a set farther. Make sure you clean out the EGR passage in the intake manifold as well as the EGR valve itself. That should help keep those exhaust valves from burning again. |
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| Bill CNC | Mar 7 2010, 08:26 PM Post #3 |
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Hi City, Everything was hot tanked and I put a new EGR valve on her. Thanks for your reply. 
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| CityConnection | Mar 7 2010, 08:35 PM Post #4 |
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This is you, so you must be online
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Nice. Enjoy the easy miles ahead!
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| Bill CNC | Mar 7 2010, 08:39 PM Post #5 |
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Now lets get into the present and onto what I am doing now. Cleanup; My bumpers were a bit tortured with scratches, and paint chips throughout the years to the point I didn't want to spend the time to fix them. It would cost more in time and materials doing so, so I went to the junk yard and found a sweet looking rear bumper. $40.00! The only problem is my Geo has the painted upper and lower bumpers and this one is all gray and unpainted. Well I kinda like the look more than the painted bumpers, so I think I will go with the theme and look for a unpainted one for the front. Right now, ... I am painting the entire trim in the inside of the car. I never realized just how much trim and little pieces that are in this little shoe box of a car. I say that because I am 5-9, 235lbs and I fill it up a little to much.  Here are a couple of shots of the before and after of the drivers side door. I gave it a little color that I think looks cool. Let me know what you think. Before  After 
Edited by Bill CNC, Mar 7 2010, 09:26 PM.
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| CityConnection | Mar 7 2010, 08:44 PM Post #6 |
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This is you, so you must be online
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Looks nice, not too overstated. If you had colored the speaker grill it would have looked like you were trying to be a boy racer. This kinda looks stock(ish). Keep up with the pics. |
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| Bill CNC | Mar 7 2010, 08:44 PM Post #7 |
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I'm about half way through the trim and have yet to do the dash, but it is quite easy to do. If anyone wants any info on how to paint the interior on their car using "Sem Color Coat" System, ... just ask, and I will make a step-by-step post on the process that I used. This stuff is awesome. |
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| Bill CNC | Mar 7 2010, 08:51 PM Post #8 |
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The last thing I want is to look like is the car of a racer boy!I think I want to paint the knob to the window crank back to gray and the bezel around the door latch, I'm not to sure I like the black either. The rear panel also has the same paint scheme to match.  
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| Bill CNC | Mar 7 2010, 08:53 PM Post #9 |
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Here is a picture of the headliner before she went back in, ... the picture sucks though.
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| Johnny Mullet | Mar 7 2010, 09:21 PM Post #10 |
"Geo Whisperer"
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Keep it up! Great project! |
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| enginedoctorgeo | Mar 7 2010, 09:30 PM Post #11 |
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Man thats pretty! Looks like a crate engine! Seeing that nice pretty painted door panel got me in the mood to paint my ragged looking job since I got the whole door off yesterday for new hinge pins and bushings and a new junkyard window regulator of which I got to go get tomorrow. |
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| Bad Bent | Mar 7 2010, 10:19 PM Post #12 |
Facetious Educated Donkey
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I like the gray and black contrast.  The black knob to the window crank and the bezel around the door latch have a nice feel and maybe they won't show dirt as much. 
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| Dgeo | Mar 7 2010, 10:22 PM Post #13 |
Advanced Member
  ![]](http://209.85.62.24/static/1/pip_r.png)
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Very nice. I will redo my wifes interior soon. You like the SEM? Do they have a purple color? Where will you be getting the carpet? Edited by Dgeo, Mar 7 2010, 10:25 PM.
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| bogs | Mar 8 2010, 02:00 AM Post #14 |
Duct tape heals all wounds
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I'd say awesome on both sets of pics and definitely adding a tutorial on painting (in general) and the interior in particular would be helpful if your so inclined since lots of these cars suffer from fading. There have been a few posts of others with different stages of complete repaints, a start to finish would be nice to see 
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| Bill CNC | Mar 20 2010, 04:48 PM Post #15 |
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I don't think so, ... they are interior paints to match auto makers colors in the rattle cans, but they do sell it in a formula that can be sprayed with a gun but here in California, ... it's tough to get in that form. If you can get it, you can tweak a red or a blue with tints and get the color(s) you want. The carpet, ... belive it or not, ... I bought a 5'x7' carpet that almost a dead on match in color, texture and rubberized backing from, get this, .... Big Lot's for $15.99! It's not molded, ... but I will fix that myself. 
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