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I think I've figured out a way (mind you, not <the> way, just <a> way) to make rear suspension and brakes. I think using the front suspension in back (McPhereson strut, rebranded as Chapman strut in the rear) will have the top of the struts considerably higher than desirable for streamlining, and since the hub carriers (aka spindles) are ridiculously simple on a Metro (housing a double row ball bearing with a seal on each side) I think it'll be just as easy to make a rear hub carrier as to modify the Metro part.
I'm thinking a plate with a hole for the axle and a top hat shaped bearing carrier (its ID will be bearing OD, and it'll have a hole in the crown for the wheel end of the axle to poke out through). The "hat" will bolt to the plate with the brim against the plate.
The plates will be joined together by a (bent to go behind the differential bulge in the transaxle) largish diameter (4"?) steel tube welded to the plates. Which leaves the front of the plates unencumbered for caliper mounting, and I suspect if I look around I can find an off-the-shelf rear brake caliper from some other car, that'll fit the Metro rotors.
And now my question: is there a book or a database somewhere (an aftermarket brake parts manufacturer would be most likely) that lists brake rotors by diameter and thickness?
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