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"new" 1991 Geo Metro 3/5 hatchback; It's got its problems!
Topic Started: Jun 27 2010, 02:36 PM (4,118 Views)
GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

Yesterday I picked up a "new" 1991 Geo Metro hatchback 3/5. A woman on the north end of Columbus had been attempting to sell it for some time, but due to a cracked frame she wasn't getting any bites. Sticking to my rule of "never pay more for a car than the sum of it's parts" I offered her $300 and she accepted.

The horribly bad!
The frame is cracked all right! Probably beyond repair. On the passenger side the subfloor and frame rail broke entirely off and dropped, causing a severe pull. Ironically, she was still driving the car in this condition for awhile, as evidenced by the low tread on the outer half of the passenger side front tire. However, I took a sledgehammer and flattened the floorpan to its original form, plus jacked up that side on the control arm. I was able to "realign it" to it's original form, so now if I choose to weld I have a starting point.

The somewhat bad
There are holes in the floorpans on both sides, however, the driver's side is repairable.

The bad
The stereo was torn out. There is a dent on the front of the hood and front right fender. However, the overall body is in good shape. Except for the aforementioned break in the frame the car looks really nice. The driver's side seat has a rip in it. The exhaust is loud due to a blown muffler, but the exhaust line is intact and solid. The driver's side window is off track (big surprise) and the door handle doesn't work (bigger surprise, huh?).

The good
The interior is in good shape. It just needs a good cleaning. The carpet (which I currently have removed) has no holes and is clean. It had 4 original Geo hubcaps although 2 of them are a little chewed up. It also has 4 original Geo Metro floormats. I've never seen these in any other Geo. I know people out there like to collect these things so they're worth holding onto.

The really good
The engine has 166k on it and runs strong. I believe the head was rebuilt about 20k miles ago but I haven't tested compression yet. Although it doesn't have a stereo the antenna is still there. It also has a popup sunroof (nice touch!) and working A/C (although it needs charged)

So overall I think it's worth more than the $300 I paid for it. Should I part out or rehabilitate? Decisions, decisions!

Pictures of the body from different angles

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The subframe underneath the passenger's side floorpan BEFORE I banged it out.....

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...and AFTER I banged it out to realign everything.

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Has anybody ever taken on a welding project with this type of framerail damage? I'm proficient with the frame stands above the control arms but would need some guidance in this area. I believe overall the car has too much going for it to scrap, but if it comes down to that I gotta do what I gotta do.

Interestingly enough, I'm still working on a 92XFI, same color! I've also thought about switching out alot of things (a twofer-one special).
Edited by GeoStalker, Jun 27 2010, 02:38 PM.
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Coche Blanco
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Do what you can to fix it, if you don't trust it, combine the two.
Edited by Coche Blanco, Jun 27 2010, 08:32 PM.
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metroschultz
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Please just call me; "Schultz"

That's a lot of damage,
even for one of us "Seasoned" (old) guys to attack.
You would want to make a temporary jig out of some sacrificial metal to hold stuff in it's position while you welded the frame structure back together.
We saw your other welding project,
and that came out well.
If you did this one you should look at it as a learning project. If it does not come out as planned, be prepared to send it away. Save all the good parts first!
If you are uncomfortable in any way, then make 1 from 2.
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bogs
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Duct tape heals all wounds

The body on that one looks far better than the body on mine :D sad that the frame is so tortured though. As MS put up there, your going to be looking at a jig to hold that together, possibly some double welding (weld structure inside first, then outside). Make sure to get to non cancer ridden metal, but I'm pretty sure you know that.
___BTW, love the sunroof :thumb
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Car Nut
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That's Scary!!
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

I know I've seen this posted somewhere before, but what is the distance between control arm mount left to control arm mount right? I'm talking about the ones that bolt up into the frame of the car. They have a housing unit with two bolts, and the housing unit (which encases the rubber mount) has a pinhole in the bottom of it. What is it, like 28 inches from center to center??
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Coche Blanco
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http://geometroforum.com/single/?p=161691&t=2136601

27"?
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

Just to let the Forum know, I ordered an underbody brace for the 91 from Jess at Turbine Tech. Installing it should guarantee that I will have the correct distance and position between control arms, and would serve as the "jig" needed to secure everything before I start welding. At least that's my thinking. Anybody have a position on that?
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Coche Blanco
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I told you the measurement...
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

Coche Blanco
Jul 1 2010, 11:34 AM
I told you the measurement...
Got it, thanks.
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Woodie
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My position is that you've made the best choice possible. That brace will put everything into proper alignment in order to do the repair. After repair, it will hold everything in place much better than the original design, and spread out the loads over a wider area.

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snowfish
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Basic GearHead

Yep, after really digging into they little buddies, the brace is a must have IMO. Did you go with the Steel or Aluminum?
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

You know, I'm not sure! I'll have to call Jess at Turbine Tech before he ships. Which do you recommend?
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Coche Blanco
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Aluminum is shinier and lighter.
Steel is steel.

I'd go steel, and get it powdercoated if it doesn't come that way.
Edited by Coche Blanco, Jul 2 2010, 02:35 PM.
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snowfish
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Basic GearHead

I have the Aluminum one. It's like $75 more. Both materials have their merit. I'm pretty sure the steel one is 3x heavier in weight. Possibly stronger, but mine is made of really heavy gauge plate aluminum and big aluminum rods. I'm pretty sure both would bend about equally if struck. But then we would have more to worry about anyway at that point anyway. :smackface

I went with the aluminum due to the lighter weight and corrosion resistance since it's under there taking the brunt of the attack. I think I would recommend Aluminum for the weight savings. The corrosion resistance is a bonus. Both of us will be adding a considerable amount of weight, with our frame repairs, to begin with. :thumb

Nice sun roof, btw! Lucky!
Edited by snowfish, Jul 2 2010, 06:01 PM.
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