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Old 03-17-2008, 01:34 AM   #101 (permalink)
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Metro XFi - '93 Geo Metro XFi Convertible
90 day: 62.17 mpg (US)

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I had one guy tell me I was the stupidest person on the planet for building a metro like that. I should use a real car like a mustang I really fought the temptation to just be a troll in my response to him, but I couldn't resist. I used Red Green as my proof how I was building it was sound. I managed to get the guy so worked up I bet he is still mad at me

I can assure anyone who is watching this build that the car is really strong and will be reinforced where needed but still have a limited crumple zone. A mk2-3 metro is basically a tin can that has no strength and a single person jumping on the door opening could probably bend the car without a lot of effort. I left the factory suspension mounts on because they are 14ga metal and why bother duplicating the part in new metal. It would look nicer but won't actually be any stronger and take a lot more time to build. Plus it would mean I would have to resquare the suspension and that takes a huge amount of time to do. The way I did it the suspension stayed in place as I built the new parts then after the new stuff was holding it in place I could cut the old junk away. There would be no way to get the car done quickly without doing it this way and since my xfi is basically undriveable now I need something done quickly.

I was showing my neighbor how rotten the car was today and I gave the drivers wheel a hard yank showing him how the control arm gives. Now the wheel is actually sitting at about a 10-20 degree angle leaning in. So I figure the car is only going to go 50ft farther before being retired. And I probably will tow it into the garage so I don't damage a cv joint in case that wheel comes off. I guess that also ends my exhaust restrictor experiment without enough data to make a useful conclusion.

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Old 03-17-2008, 10:44 PM   #102 (permalink)
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Metro XFi - '93 Geo Metro XFi Convertible
90 day: 62.17 mpg (US)

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90 day: 55.26 mpg (US)
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The seat is not actually bolted down. It will sit about an inch lower than it is sitting there now. I have to modify the rails so it sits at the stock height. The seatbelt latch mount that is on the seat will also be attached through the floor to the frame. I don't want to weld on it so I will have to make up a bracket and bolt it all together. As a backup I will also run a steel cable from it to the frame. The floor is pretty solid even with it just barely spot welded in place. Once I get some of the trunk area sorted out I will fit and make the seat mounts up. Then I can test the pedal and steering column location and make sure everything is going to work out. If it works then it is time to paint the interior and start assembling the car.

I don't plan on putting the belly pan or frame for it on until the last thing. It would be in the way of everything if I started to frame it up now. It should be easy since it will be totally flat except for the back.

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Old 03-17-2008, 11:06 PM   #103 (permalink)
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pimp mobile - '81 suzuki gs 250 t
90 day: 96.29 mpg (US)

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Dude, it looks solid enough to me Especially considering it used to sag an inch when you opened the doors, LOL (I had a convertable bug like that once)

I hope it comes in lighter. And props for using chunks of the original, a great way to save time and alignment headaches. Anyone who has a problem with it doesn't respect your time and/or budget.
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Old 03-19-2008, 11:52 PM   #104 (permalink)
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Metro XFi - '93 Geo Metro XFi Convertible
90 day: 62.17 mpg (US)

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90 day: 55.26 mpg (US)
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Ok so my painting skills suck




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Old 03-23-2008, 12:04 AM   #105 (permalink)
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Metro XFi - '93 Geo Metro XFi Convertible
90 day: 62.17 mpg (US)

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90 day: 55.26 mpg (US)
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Time for the big commitment



The XFi is now in the process of being tore down. I will unhook all the stuff off the motor tomorrow and maybe drop the engine out of it. Once the engine is set into the new car and the mounts welded in place the big stuff is then done on the car. From there it is a matter of moving everything over and getting it all hooked back up. There are a few minor brackets to weld on the front to get everything mounted solid. For the most part all the major fabrication is done though.

Here is a rough idea of how the floor is going to work with the dash and seats sitting in it.



Other than the gas pedal everything is working out great and will be a matter of just bolting it all together.
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Old 03-23-2008, 10:56 PM   #106 (permalink)
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Metro XFi - '93 Geo Metro XFi Convertible
90 day: 62.17 mpg (US)

DR650SE - '07 Suzuki DR650SE
90 day: 55.26 mpg (US)
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I don't think I will be driving my XFi anymore for a while. Looks like I will be on the bike for the next month or so while the metro is getting built. I guess if I have to I can drive my Camaro to work but it gets really bad mileage and I drive 400 miles a week. Besides the bike is way more fun under 100mph.



The motor was easy to drop out since I have had lots of practice taking metros apart. I just unbolted it and set it on the ground. Then just picked the car up and carried it back behind the motor. Next weekend I will put the motor in the new chassis and weld up the last 2 mounts. Then I will drop the engine back out and get all the brackets and chassis junk made up. After that it is time to put the motor in and actually wire it all up and go for a ride.

I really think it might get done by May. It should be drivable by the first of May but the body prep and detailing out the interior will take some time so hopefully by the end of May it is totally done and ready for the local car show circuit.
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Old 03-29-2008, 12:21 AM   #107 (permalink)
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Metro XFi - '93 Geo Metro XFi Convertible
90 day: 62.17 mpg (US)

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90 day: 55.26 mpg (US)
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Looking more like a car all the time



I will have a majority of the body panels on it this weekend if nothing comes up. I need to test fit the entire car before going any further so I can fix any problems that show up. I won't actually hook anything up or put all the bolts in anything so it should be quick and easy to get assembled in a few hours. From there I can make up the last of the brackets for the bumpers and fenders and I should be pretty well done. Then it is time to strip it down and weld the brackets down good and paint it all. Hopefully next weekend I can have it stripped down and the frame painted and ready to assemble the car. So maybe the end is finally in sight for this project.

Also that one jackstand in the front and 2 on the back bumper are holding the entire car up. I can get in the middle and jump on it and there is absolutely no give to it. It is surprising how strong this thing is compared to the way they are stock. It is just totally stiff with no flex anywhere in the whole thing.
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Old 03-29-2008, 08:41 PM   #108 (permalink)
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Southen West Virginia
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Metro XFi - '93 Geo Metro XFi Convertible
90 day: 62.17 mpg (US)

DR650SE - '07 Suzuki DR650SE
90 day: 55.26 mpg (US)
Thanks: 0
Thanked 37 Times in 26 Posts
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Looks a lot better now

I don't think I will get anymore time to work on it this weekend but next weekend I should have the brackets made up and all the last adjustments done. So I will be ready to start on the final part of actually putting it together soon.
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Old 03-29-2008, 10:26 PM   #109 (permalink)
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Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
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Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

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90 day: 60.16 mpg (US)
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That looks like progress. I keep wondering how much difference there will be in weight...
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Old 03-30-2008, 12:30 AM   #110 (permalink)
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Southen West Virginia
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Metro XFi - '93 Geo Metro XFi Convertible
90 day: 62.17 mpg (US)

DR650SE - '07 Suzuki DR650SE
90 day: 55.26 mpg (US)
Thanks: 0
Thanked 37 Times in 26 Posts
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I have some scales and plan on tracking the weight once I am to the point of assembling the car. Right now it is just a temporary install and nothing is truly bolted down and I am missing a huge amount of stuff so a weight would have no reference to base it on. I plan on once I get this last bit of bracing and stuff done to paint the car and start assembling it one part at a time. I will get a weight of the car as a bare chassis first. I eventually will be able to compare it to the weight of the bare xfi chassis once it is stripped down.

I figure for the final assembly I will post pics of the build as well as a final weight for that day. I really don't think I am going to save a huge amount of weight on this car. I used heavier material than I really needed to and it still is going to have normal car stuff like roll down windows and working doors and junk. All that stuff adds up to weight so if I was to guess I would say 1500lbs total weight complete with all fluids. If I went totally stripped down with lexan bolt in windows and only door skins no frame, skin the trunk and hood and do a massive reduction in stuff that isn't absolutely required I could probably be around 1000lbs I guess.

Plus I am probably going to make the interior nice and as detailed as I can. I won't make it unnecessarily heavy with soundproofing and stuff, but it will have speakers and a pair of small amps hooked to the computer. I figure the interior will be 50lbs when all the extra stuff is added in.

Here is the case I am using for the new carpc 1.2ghz fanless, 1gb ram, 120gb hd, m2-atx power supply, 802.11, bluetooth, and gps. I also got the megatune software for megasquirt to integrate nicely into roadrunner so it will have a nice display.

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