Geo Metro XFI Convertible Project Finished

[Coyote X]

Finally got the car welded up today. It looks the same so I didn't bother with pics.

It is really cold here so not much is getting done this weekend and the garage isn't heated. I can handle working in 35-40 degree temps without any problem but 20 is a bit cold to be playing with metal.

[zjrog]

So what are you doing for floor reinforcement?

[Coyote X]

I will be using 3/4 square tubing across from one side to the other so the floor is flush with the door sill. That will give me at least 4 inches of space below the floor to route the air through. The inner fenders I will probably make out of plastic. The belly pan floor will be made out of coroplast and if I am lucky the entire bottom of the car will be totally flat.

I have a 4x8 sheet of 22ga metal ordered but if it doesn't come in by next weekend I will just go round up a bunch of old washers and dryers and cut the panels off them to use for the floor. It is going to be totally flat so that makes it pretty easy to build. The trunk floor is going to be pretty high though so there won't be much room in the back to haul junk.

[Coyote X]

That rubber type of soundproofing on the firewall really sucks. It took forever to scrape it off. Once it was off I managed to get a bit of the firewall done.

With only one side of the firewall welded to the tube going through it, the firewall is still much stiffer than the car ever was factory. When the whole thing is welded up there will be no give to the car anywhere.



Now you can see where the floor is going to sit and how much of a gap I will have to get air through to the back.

I have one more week of school till spring break. I am hoping to get this thing ready to start transplanting my car over into it over spring break. I am really hoping to get it running on the new chassis within a few weeks of starting to tear down my xfi. I will mainly be riding my DR650 only but I will have my Camaro to drive if I don't want to ride somewhere. I figure between the two of them it will be no big deal to have it down for a few weeks. Plus the weather will be getting better so I will be able to get stuff done much faster and be able to work on it after I get home from work at night and stuff.

[MetroMPG]

I see the approach you decided on for getting in the doors. Looks good.

[Coyote X]

Short day at work today So I finished the firewall on the inside. I still have 2 places left to patch then on the engine side of the firewall I need to grind and smooth all the edges. I will use silicon caulk to seal up the gaps to keep rust away then spray it with a good coat of paint.

The other fun thing I did was try and fit the heater core back on the car and it no longer fits So I guess I can either do away with the heat all together or I can use a smaller heater box. I will cut one of the heater boxes I have up and see what I can figure out. I don't really need vents or floor heat, just defroster only would be fine so I might be able to eliminate a huge amount of mess under the dash. I could then use the side vent openings for 2.5" lcd screens for rear view mirrors.

[SVOboy]

Looking pretty darn sweet so far. Amazing progress man!

[GeoTex]

Bummer about losing the space for the heater. But it sounds like you have a great perspective on personalizing the engineering to fit your needs rather than everyone elses. I'm really interested to see how your 2.5" LCD "rearview mirrors" work out.

I've been thinking about your 4" floor lift design -- what are you going to do about the pedals? If you take the stock pedals and mount them in the stock location, you won't have any room to push them 'cause they'll be on the floor. If you mount them higher, you'll have to wrap them around the steering. If you mount them in the stock location, but cut the arms to better fit the space, you'll lose leverage. Interesting puzzle.

You raised the question "... how high should the car be off the ground with a flat underside?". I was looking at it from the perspective of how would the suspension need to be set up to handle road conditions well -- In the article I read at http://www.whiteline.com.au/articles/RH_SwiftGtia.htm, lthey came up with the best combination of handling and ride quality with progressive springs on the front and linear springs in the rear - with ride height of 320mm (12.6") front and 305mm (12") rear - measured from the center of the wheel to the guard. The author of the article goes on to say "It is possible to lower ... more however, after many tests ... have found that further lowering does not allow sufficient travel for the bumps to be soaked up, causes shock absorber damage and adversely affects the handling."

Part of your answer may hinge on how flat the road is that you're planning to drive on? You might be better off with a little higher ground clearance and some flexable air dam material on the front and sides, then beating up your smooth belly pan on a rough road.

Have you had your weigh in yet, to see how your weight reduction program is going?

You're work is an inspiration. Can't wait to see it on the road. Keep up the good work.

[Coyote X]

I put a small piece of plywood in my metro that was at about the same level as where the floor will be in the new car and the clutch and brake pedal worked out fine. Instead of hitting it with the top of your foot it hits in the middle. The gas pedal hits the floor but it is a pretty easy one to move up a few inches since there is nothing in the way above it. Just cut and weld the mount higher and drill a new hole for the cable. I could just shorten the gas pedal but moving it seems to be just as easy and won't change the travel of it.

My kit car was 2.5 inches off the ground with a flat floor and it almost never dragged on anything around here. I don't think I could get this car that low if I had to, the suspension just doesn't have that much range without changing struts and swapping out stuff. I plan on using my xfi springs that have been cut down so it sits 1/2 inch above the bump stops. That gives me a bit of room to handle minor road imperfections but still gives it the feel like you are riding a very large go kart. It seems a lot more fun riding around like that than being in some boring car that you can't feel the road in. I do have a 97 model metro in my spare parts pile that I might use the springs out of since they are stiffer, then I could trim the bump stops down some and still have a nice firm ride but be able to handle bumps in fast curves without it sliding and acting as crazy.

Then again half the fun of driving this thing is being able to act like a nut sliding around and doing crazy stuff all within the speed limit.

The dollar store only had scales that went to 280lbs so I haven't got a weight yet. I will find some decent scales soon though and find out what it weighs before I start assembling it. I figure it will be under 1500lbs so if I can get 4 scales that go to about 350lbs I should be able to weigh it when complete.

[Chris D.]

Coyote.. what kind of paint are you using on the fresh metal?