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Happy new owner in FL; intro rant
Topic Started: May 15 2010, 08:17 PM (712 Views)
duffy
New Member
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Hey all. Just got 1997 3dr LSI, automatic. It needs some care, but I've got no problem putting time into it. Got it for FREE from my sister, she's moving to an urban area and no longer needs a car, and I happened to need a second car; so that worked out great. The only maintenance problems I can see are the exhaust (the muffler is officially just for show), rusty calipers, and I hear a funny noise when I accelerate with the wheel to the left. But I'm getting a bumper-to-bumper check from a trustworthy local mechanic next week. As far as aesthetics go.... 3 rust spots, 1 big dent, dashboard cancer, crumby upholstery, and jacked up black trim. I spent all day on the dashboard, almost done. And I plan on getting the maintenance stuff taken care of really soon.

Long term, I want to make it a nice car to drive. As quiet as possible, nice interior, and very reliable. I also plan on painting it (marina blue, with a white roof), and maybe putting on some nicer wheels, still 13", just not the steelies that're on it right now.

Any advice on getting started? What about ways to make it quieter (for the driver)? Thanks all for reading my ramble! Hope to hear from you all soon.
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Johnny Mullet
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Fear the Mullet

Welcome to the forum. Walker makes replacement exhaust parts for this car that makes them quiet again. I bought a cheap name brand exhaust for the wife's Geo and I am not happy with the noise level, so spend the extra for Walker :thumb

May want to look into general maint like tune-up, oil change, rotate, etc. That noise you hear when accelerating on turns is probably a bad CV axle. Look for a torn boot on the axle.
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duffy
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I think you just solved all my problems in two lines of text! Thanks a lot for the exhaust tip. I'd be pretty mad if I bought a new exhaust and it turned out to be loud.
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mcmancuso
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Clicking on turn is probably CV, grinding or whirring on turn(or goes away with turn) is probably wheel bearing. There's a lot of noises that can come from a car, an idea of the noise is a big help in diagnosing what exactly its coming from :)
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Murf 59
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Welcome to our happy little home
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bogs
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Duct tape heals all wounds

Welcome to the site, sounds like a beaut of a car and you sure can't beat that price ! Of course, we all love pictures, to post pictures to this site you would want to start -> here <-, keep in mind there are literally dozens of places that host pics for free, many do not require registration (although if you don't register, I *do* recommend copying the links to a text file :) ) cause we REALLY love pics :popcorn

As for the Exhaust, Jm made a good recommendation, and I would certainly follow it if I were not the cheap and unwilling to spend a dime type redneck that I am. I would add to his recommendation that if you want to get the absolute most quiet out of that system, buy a muffler tip that points to the ground at the back, such as the one you see in this pic Posted Image Not so much the brand name, but the type where it points to the ground instead of straight back. Make sure it extends past the rear bumper, or at least that the tip of it does, It really does make a difference, I think the one I bought cost me a whopping $6.

Other things you can do to reduce interior noise include (depending on how far you REALLY want to quiet this car) adding cork, rubber matting, or sound deaden-er. Price ranges for these things vary, and the amount of noise reduction directly applies to how much is applied. Start with the exhaust first, then see if its tolerable enough to you. Changing out only the parts I mentioned on my exhaust made my car extremely quiet (compared with the 'before' sound levels) and it was cheap.

There are lots of ways to go with 13" wheels, if you want to see some nice packages (not necessarily cheap by any means though) try this link:-> Direct Fit Packages <- Although they start at 14" and 15" rim sizes (called +1 and +2 sizing), they are guaranteed combination to fit your metro. For other rims that fit metros, and possibly even in the 13" category, go to this -> Thread <- as it shows the most common categories of other rim patterns that may fit.
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Bad Bent
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Facetious Educated Donkey

Welcome to the forum, duffy! :coffee

bogs and Johnny Mullet about covered it all, eh. I see 50 sf. of Dynamat sound deadener on eBay for $70, if that's a good deal. :dunno I got some heat/sound foam (winter insulation) and slid it under the carpet, in the doors, behind the panels and it's OK. :whistle
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bogs
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Duct tape heals all wounds

Dynamat is *very* good for sound deadening, however I mentioned the cork because most of the time, you can a.) get it much cheaper and b.) it cuts up very easily and c.) does not need to be of thick dimensions to deaden sound (but of course, it will usually wind up thicker than Dynamat :lol ) and d.) you have some fudge factor when installing it.
Edited by bogs, May 17 2010, 04:09 AM.
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duffy
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When I'm ready for the sound deadening, I'll probably try both a little bit. The cork is probably lighter too, I could see that being advantageous.
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metroschultz
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Please just call me; "Schultz"

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duffy
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So i got it back from a garage I had doing a bumper-to-bumper inspection, and they say I need new brake cyclinders, exhaust (I knew that), and radiator overflow plug. The brake work will run me ~$350 they say. But they're having problems getting the right parts. The exhaust I plan to order and install myself. And does anyone know what I can do about this overflow plug. They said they would have to order it from GM's "vintage" department, costing $30 (robbery!). Any thoughts? Also, I found out the right rear wheel-well was about completely rusted out, so I cut out the rusted part, put some chicken wire there, and am in the process of fiber glass-ing it. This is my first dance with fiberglass, and apparently i'm pretty horrible at it. Good thing no one ever looks there!

Posted Image
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mcmancuso
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brakes are very easy to replace on these, do it yourself, it'll probably cost >$100, ask samp, over in the for sale area, he's got a bunch of these cars for parts and can probably hook you up cheaply.
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Bad Bent
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Facetious Educated Donkey

Looks aren't everything. :)

On eBay I see drilled rotors for $70, regular brake rotors for $25, Calipers total ~$110 So it depends on what is wrong as to how the bill would be $350 or $200 in labor if they are slow ($50/hr).

I knew a fellow who used to cut rust out and pop rivet a sheet of aluminum in place over the hole for body work. Add some sort of putty or RTV for sealant and he was on the road. :)
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