How to spend $5k on a $2k econobox = NOT SWIFT (Geo Metro restoration & mods)

[Cobb]

Are you saying you bought the car for 2 grand and spent 5 working on it?

Not bad looking. Looks new. That maybe the first metro to easily fetch 15 grand on ebay.

[StudeChamp]

No, the donor car was $400. I was just being modest about market value vs my investment! Though if I am going to find anyone that values a thorough restoration plus ecomod of a Geo, it will probably be here... I am really shooting for a "better than factory" look, which seems to take as much time, if not more, on a Geo than on, say, a '67 Mustang... But that's what makes the project fun, right?

[Daox]

Beautiful work! I love the kamm back.

[Sven7]

I think that paint is better than the Metros in my '91 Geo sales brochure.

[OG VX]

Man, that is solid work. Love how all of the "little" stuff was taken care of, like painting the bumpers with the appropriate shade of charcoal, rather than stark-black. Trim looks great, paint is beautiful. Lights are properly restored/polished. Mirror delete on RH looks factory. Dude, way to raise the bar!

I also never thought out actually welding in the Kammback. Voids all "gap" issues, for sure! Looks beautiful.

This car is almost TOO nice to be a Geo Also great to see a non-duct taped Eco-modded car. I don't think that being "Eco" means it has to look like you built it in the dark...

Great work. Now, about those progress pics.... :nails biting:

[brucey]

You are on the cutting edge of the future of car modifications/culture.

Factory looking eco-mods is what keeps me coming back here.

Thanks for sharing!

[deejaaa]

very well executed. i need more skills!

[StudeChamp]

We were pretty particular about the detail work. The body paint is 2011 Saab Laser Red, basecoat/clearcoat. (I had intended to use 2000 Mazda Laser Red, which is a metallic, but the paint shop screwed up.) I laid down 2 coats of NuFinish wax and it really shines. And Sven7, I'd like to think that, other than a few minor flaws, it is indeed better than the factory paint :-)

Rear taillights and bumpers are off a Swift GT donor. The LH rear light was cracked, so I had to pay $50 for the piece on eBay, but I like the whole early 90s GT Mustang look to the taillights. Go-fast equipment? Plus, the license plate mounts between the lights rather than on the bumper, which means I got to drop the "GEO"-branded trim piece.

I used rattle cans from OSH for the interior -- color is granite satin, paint/primer combo. Came out just a shade darker than the stock medium gray in the parts car. I've got trim from 3 or 4 different vehicles, and colors included grey/blue (orig. color in the 91), light grey, medium grey, and black (may have been sprayed that color, I don't recall that being stock). Coverage was pretty good after 4 or 5 coats. It does scuff a bit, but being satin is easy to touch up.

Black is the least consistent. The shop sprayed the bumpers and B pillars in satin charcoal -- OG VX, thank you for noticing. I rattle-canned door window trim (which I tracked down only after painting - hard to find in any sort of shape - more on that later) in rustoleum satin black, which is close but just a touch brighter. I may reshoot the trim under the pop-out rear windows in the same rustoleum -- the charcoal which the shop laid down already rubbed off a bit on washing. Door handles are gloss black, as is the LH mirror, but that's how they came when I bought them new on eBay and I chose not to repaint.

I still have to install the lower front lamps, and the front turn signal lamps are showing their age a bit up close, so a clean set is on my pick n pull list.

I'd like to track down a console with cup holders, if any of you have tried fitting something like that before and have advice.

[StudeChamp]

Here are pics of the car when it arrived. Wish I had taken more, because man, it looked trashed and is a great reminder of just how low the bar was when we started! Johnny snagged it at auction for $400.

We also picked up a 5 door donor that wouldn't pass smog -- it's been divided between the 91 NOT SWFT and the Studeo (another build thread I've got on here -- I'll post a link to that one, too). The 5 door did have a (relatively) excellent interior, which went into the NOT SWFT; most of the running gear is in the Studeo. The body, doors, roof, floorpan etc got recycled -- I think we got something like $62 for the metal.

[StudeChamp]

Johnny pulled the antenna and welded the opening shut. Good work -- after paint and body work, you literally cannot tell that that opening was filled.