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My new summer...er...SPRING 2016 project; 1990 Geo Metro 3/5 with door "Metro" decals
Topic Started: Feb 18 2016, 12:23 PM (2,909 Views)
GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

After recently having a two-car garage built on the back of my property, my wife expressed her desire to begin parking in it BEFORE the bad winter weather hit. The problem was I had a 93 convertible, 90 hatchback (daily driver), and two 88 Sprints to park somewhere. I made the decision to park the convertible at my dad's house for the winter, then sell my 90 to Johnny Mullet's brother Todd and both Sprints to a local buyer. I ended up buying a 2007 Kia Sportage for a song off Craigslist and didn't think I would purchase any more Geo Metros.

But I keep getting pulled back in!! :lol

For some reason I decided to peruse the local Craigslist ads and found a 90 Geo Metro 3/5 for sale locally (about 40 minutes from my house). The ad had no pictures and a price tag of $600. I contacted the seller and he immediately texted me some pictures, and I was FLOORED!! The car is an identical twin of the 90 I had recently sold to Todd!! Red with Metro decals at the bottom of the door and a body that looked to be in good shape. I told the seller I would try and come out the next day after the roads had cleared from a recent snowstorm.

Yesterday I went to the car while the owner was at work and did a complete overview top and bottom. The body is in good shape with just some faded, tomato soup colored paint and other minor imperfections. The frame horns and rocker panels are SOLID. There is rust at the bottom of each front fender and a pretty good size hole in the driver side floorboard that can be easily repaired. It looks to be riding 12s on the front and 13s on the rear with no hubcaps. The interior is trashed with torn seats, cracked dash, and a nice Winston cigarette smell! :shit But I happen to have a spare dash, so no problem. The shifter assembly is loose as a goose and will need new bearings and the driver side door panel is missing and won't open from the outside. All glass is there and uncracked, as are the turn signal assemblies and various markers.

The owner was complaining that he thought he had the timing belt off a tooth because it needed a strong battery to start up, and when it did start it ran funny, but still ran. He also indicated he was burning (not leaking) oil. My immediate thoughts were burnt valves, low compression, and new rings. A total rebuild will be necessary....no problem. None of these issues is a problem....the important thing is that the frame is solid....everything else can be rebuilt. The car was formerly registered in northern Kentucky, missing the brunt of Ohio's infamous rust belt by a couple hundred miles. :rocker

The condition of the transmission is unknown. I hope Todd still has that spare I gave him, just in case!! :lol

I get three months off work for the summer and was looking for a project. After I pick up the car this Saturday it will just sit in my garage untouched until June 1st, at which time my boys and I will dive in, gut it out, and rebuild the entire thing. They are excited to be working on this project with me (they just turned 12 last weekend).

The best thing?? The seller accepted my offer of $250! :cheers

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Edited by GeoStalker, Mar 10 2016, 11:43 PM.
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idmetro
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:popcorn :popcorn :popcorn Sounds like a great summer project. We'll be watching
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Bannedfonz
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GeoStalker
Feb 18 2016, 12:23 PM
But I keep getting pulled back in!! :lol
Maybe you should change your name if you don't want to get pulled back in... lol

Good find by the way. Sounds like a great project. Looking forward to updates on your project.
Edited by Bannedfonz, Feb 19 2016, 12:37 AM.
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mt999999
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Self-Declared "Genious"

Looks like you got a little bit stuck in the mud there... :lol

Good luck; will surely be watching come summertime. :popcorn Drive it to Geo Palooza!
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Car Nut
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Good deal. You really think we believe it will remain "untouched" until June 1st? Right....... :lol
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

Car Nut
Feb 19 2016, 03:23 PM
Good deal. You really think we believe it will remain "untouched" until June 1st? Right....... :lol
You know me too well! :lol
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

Got the car towed home today....

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Filthy little bugger on the inside! But on the bright side, I found over $8 in change in the ashtray, on the carpet, and under the seats, plus a few nice wrenches and screwdrivers.

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The carpet is filthy, but it has no holes or scuff marks, and should powerwash back to its original glory (or close enough to it).

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After gutting the interior, I discovered the driver side floorboard hole was a bit bigger than I originally thought. There's still enough border to work with, though, when I get around to putting fresh metal in.

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The front seats are trashed and will need replaced.

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A shot from the rear of the car after gutting the interior. Good news....there is zero rust or holes around the rear wheel wells. Everything is nice and clean back there and the trunk area is extremely clean.

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I wiped the car down a bit, and it has the typical tomato soup red faded paint on it. But it cleaned up okay until I can do a full detail.

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The dash is cracked and trashed, but I have a replacement for that. And if I don't replace it, a dash cover will work nicely. I believe all the dash vents are there and not broken off. The driver side door needs a new panel and some clips for the handle to work properly. I need some replacement trim for the top of both doors and also around the rear vented windows.

Something I just realized when I brought it home, but the car has a/c. I doubt it works as it doesn't have a compressor belt on it, but it will be interesting to check that out later.

The previous owner (or even previous to the previous) put a non-Metro radiator in it and hardwired it directly to the fuse box, so the fan runs constantly. That will obviously not do at all. Compression is also 60 across the board, so an entire rebuild will be forthcoming.

I pushed the car into the garage for another day. I don't plan on touching it again until summer.

But we'll see. :lol



Edited by GeoStalker, Feb 21 2016, 08:35 AM.
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nwgeo


Yep, $250 a fair price for the fix up needed. But pretty good deal still. Congrats, especially with being able to have a project with the your boys!! :-)
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geogonfa
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:deal :thumb
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Car Nut
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Nice custom cup holder on the dash. Now you don't have to do the console conversion. :lol
$8.00 in change will buy your first tank of gas, :thumb
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mt999999
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Wow! I applaud your determination with that carpet. I don't like to spend money, but I'd throw that thing on top of a bonfire ASAP, and I would jump in the shower immediately after touching it. And not breathe the air outside for the next several hours. :lol The PO must have been a total careless pig... :shake
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

I had some extra time today and decided to start buffing the car down with some rubbing compound. For a first pass this car is starting to shine again!! The picture may not do it justice, but I'll post some additional ones later.

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Edited by GeoStalker, Aug 23 2016, 10:37 AM.
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mt999999
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GeoStalker
Feb 22 2016, 08:51 PM
I had some extra time today and decided to start buffing the car down with some rubbing compound. For a first pass this car is starting to shine again!! The picture may not do it justice, but I'll post some additional ones later.

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"Posted Image"?

They say a picture paints a thousand words... but you're right, that one sure doesn't do it any justice! It's only painting two words for me.
:lol

Edit: Huh, it's working now... weird! Already looking better. :thumb
Edited by mt999999, Feb 23 2016, 02:38 AM.
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scratchpaddy
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Not so fast

GeoStalker
Feb 22 2016, 08:51 PM
I had some extra time today and decided to start buffing the car down with some rubbing compound. For a first pass this car is starting to shine again!! The picture may not do it justice, but I'll post some additional ones later.

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I think a picture of it in the sun will do it justice! :D Oh wait, I'm sorry... :(

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What happened to the back window? :ermm:
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

scratchpaddy
Feb 23 2016, 09:18 AM
What happened to the back window? :ermm:


I'm stripping down the car entirely. The trim underneath the rear vented windows was cracked and will need replaced. It's actually sunny here today....I'll roll the car outside and get some quick pictures. I didn't buff the entire car down, but I was able to get the hood, roof, and passenger side.
Edited by Metromightymouse, Feb 23 2016, 04:17 PM.
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