Mullet's Metro Project

[Tango Charlie]

I keep forgetting what a nice Metro you have, Johnny. It's so shiny! And red!

[Johnny Mullet]

Thank you Tango Charlie! She is a nice car and I keep it clean. She has some dents, but it's in good overall condition. If the car was beat up like most of the Metros I see, then I would go crazy with the mods.

I am quite happy with the mileage I get from her now anyway.............

[bbjsw10]

I bet that 57mpg sticker really p.o.'s people behind you. They probably pass so they don't have to look at it anymore.

[toyobug]

JohnnyMullet- I just stumbled on your thread. Although I haven't read it entirely, I had to stop and give you kudos. You've done a great job with everything....from the explanations to the pictures. Thanks! Keep the good info coming.

[bbjsw10]

I just realized are those trailer lights? The grommet style basically cut a hole and pop them in? They have those in led as well, but more $. If those are the lights I am thinking of I like that idea: quick and simple. And it looks good BTW.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

I totally scrapped the "internal" block and figured if I was going to block off the gaping frontal holes on this "Schick Quattro" bumper, I am going to do it right.

Schick Quattro. Thanks for the laugh! I didn't know I was driving a Quattro.

I love seeing people abandon the OEM look when it comes to aero mods. After all, we're only conditioned to see excessive, gaping holes in the fronts of our cars as "normal", even when they aren't strictly necessary for most people's driving demands.

The automakers regulary use "consumer acceptance" as a reason for not pursuing more efficient designs/details. But who do they think trains the consumer to develop the view of what's "normal"?

[toyobug]

JohnnyMullet- I think the new bumper mod looks good. can't wait to here the results.

[Will]

Johnny- Heck of a job. It looks really good. Hopefully it works, so I have more reason to make a "guppy mouth" version.

[Johnny Mullet]

Originally Posted by bbjsw10

I just realized are those trailer lights? The grommet style basically cut a hole and pop them in? They have those in led as well, but more $. If those are the lights I am thinking of I like that idea: quick and simple. And it looks good BTW.

Yep! Those are trailer side lamps. These are the "Fog Lamps" I installed behind the grille from page 3 on this thread.............



They look pretty good when mounted flush as they are intended.........



They are available in LED, but I have not priced them yet. I should be able to get them cheap enough since I am in the truck repair business.

[Johnny Mullet]

Currently, Christine is fitted with the stock P155/80R13 tires. The tires have decent tread, but 2 of them are chopped up from being on the front when I had frame/alignment issues. I rebalanced the tires and rotated to the rear, but they are still noisy from the bad wear.

A workmate brought in a set of 4 tires mounted on rims from a Nissan Sentra, but after measuring the bolt pattern, I knew the Nissan aluminum rims would not bolt on, but the tires are like new! He said I can have all 4 tires for $60.00 which is dirt cheap, but he wants the rims. He put 4 new tires on his car and 100 miles later he hit a deer and totaled it. They have been in the barn for about a year, but no signs of dry rot, all inflated, and still have the molding "tits" on them.

These new tires are P175/70R13 and according to the guys at TeamSwift.net, these are better than stock. I know installing these tires may hurt fuel economy, but not by much. By visual comparison, these tires are about the same height, but slightly wider.

At that price, I may have to purchase these tires for the car before the snow flies. I plan on using it in the winter and will only use the 4X4 truck when it is really bad outside.