[Gasoline Fumes]

I think I still have the auto axle from my '94 Metro if you want it for a spare. No charge. I knew they were different lengths than the manual axles, but I never realized the difference was anything significant. And I agree with Christ, just take the damper off.

I think your interior noise is coming from your engine mounts. All that 3-cyl vibration is going right to the body. And probably stressing those welds....

I don't know if the radiator fins will give you an accurate temp reading. An aftermarket gauge with real numbers might be nice to have. Is your heater circuit looped or capped off? I've heard a loop can make the coolant bypass the radiator and cause overheating. This was on a Swift GTi race car, but the cooling system is basically the same.