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| Purchased 1994 with back hatch area cut off-is this OK or not?; I just bought 2x 1994 models and plan to make one work, possibly both. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 22 2012, 11:38 AM (791 Views) | |
| cwatkin | Jul 22 2012, 11:38 AM Post #1 |
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I just bought 2x 1994 Metros with the 1.0L mated to a 5 speed. Both have problems but could be made into one perfectly working car as they stand now and this is my plan. One car is in pretty good shape overall and has a good transmission and almost new clutch but has a burned valve in the engine. The owner to the one I got it from didn't believe in oil changes and thought it was just a plot to get you to buy more oil. The engine likely went 20-30k without an oil and filter change. They guy simply topped off. The other one is a total beater but has a very solid engine and transmission so my first order is to swap engines and a few other parts to get one good car. It doesn't look like rebuilding the other engine is a big deal and I might do it but want to check on something else first... In all seriousness, the one car is a beater for sure. Someone cut the back of the hatch out and made a hillbilly back window plus it is painted camo all over. Is there a place to post pictures on this forum? Seriously, I need to post pictures just to see if this one is worth making a running vehicle or not. It has rust among other issues and I am worried that the structural rigidity of the unit has been destroyed by the hack job. Basically, they cut the entire hatch area out behind the front seats and made a window out of plywood and plexiglass. The back is now open like a mini pickup truck. If I kept it, I would have to rust proof a lot of the exposed metal. The tires are all worn funny on this car and the front end sounds like it is about to fall out of the thing. Maybe I should take it to an alignment shop to see if the unibody is destroyed or not but I doubt they could tell without front end repairs. Further inspection of the body shows that the majority of the car isn't horribly rusted. EDIT: The FRAME RAIL just below the driver door has rusted through at the bottom and I think the entire car may be sagging there. I mean it is just pure rust and disintigrating. Does this total this car for repair? It looks like the car was parked too close to a fire or was near a house that burned. Any plastic on the driver side is melted. This includes the lights, mirror, etc. You can tell the paint is also damaged underneath the spray can camoflage job all along the driver side. I can get complete front end components for not too much money (between $150-200) and do that work myself. Would it be better to get the parts store brand with a lifetime warranty and pay a little more or not? So, here are my options for the hacked up Metro. No matter what I do, the best parts from both cars are going to go on the good vehicle for the time being. 1. Sell the other car as it stands with no repairs done and the engine with a burnt valve. Odds are I wouldn't get much more than scrap value so this is probably not good. 2. Take off a few key parts like the ECM/ECU and ignition coil and sell the car like that. 3. Completely strip the car of all good parts such as the window glass, engine (for rebuildable core), transmission, seats, etc. and haul the body away for scrap. I know this option wouldn't be popular here but is tempting since they are IDENTICAL cars and I could keep a lot of good spare parts. 4. KEEP the car intact for a while as I decide what to do with it. I could keep the entire thing as a parts car but I know rodents would start to destroy it quickly if it wasn't used often. I have a few places I could stash it out of sight so it wouldn't be an eyesore but worry that nature would take over quickly. OR 5. Fix this and make it a good running car as time permits. I would do this slowly but would try to cover up/treat the bare metal and rust spots to keep that from getting worse. The front-end could be done for around $200. What would engine work cost if I did most of it myself? My decision will be made largely in part if the hack job has rendered the body unsound. I don't know but definitely want to find out before proceeding beyond fixing the other car. Thanks, Conor Edited by cwatkin, Jul 22 2012, 12:42 PM.
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| idmetro | Jul 23 2012, 09:11 AM Post #2 |
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Interesting project you've got there. First you asked about pictures; we'd LOVE to se them! To get pics on the forum you'll need to use a web hosting service like photobucket, here's how to do the rest http://geometroforum.com/topic/629098/1/#new As for what to do with the "modified" Geo, that one is going to be up to you. That said if it were me I'd go for option 5 because I have access to a welder and like to tinker. There are lots of threads on the forum about folks who have tackled some pretty nasty rust repairs. Here's one example: http://geometroforum.com/topic/3709763/1/ I haven't tried it but there are good reports about Eastwoods rust encapsulator products as well. Good Luck and whatever you decide do keep us posted! |
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| cwatkin | Jul 23 2012, 11:57 AM Post #3 |
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Pics of the cars are at http://s1145.photobucket.com/albums/o505/cwatkin/1994%20Geo%20Metro%20Project/ I have a pic of the frame rust on the good car as well as a general overview of the hillbilly beater. I have cleaned it with a high pressure washer and treated that one with rust converter and it will get a lot more treatment by the time I am done. Is the hillbilly beater fixeable for a reasonable price or is it junk? COnor |
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9:24 AM Jul 11