Love cars, hate foreign oil!
 

Hello,
Beaver here. I just finished school here at Oregon State University, thus the handle. I went back to school after taking 30 years off to raise a family and have a career. Family grew up and moved away (Except for wife, she's still here) and career was in the Northwest timber industry, so it also moved away...
Have always loved cars, since my first car, a 56 Ford Victoria. It was only 12 years old when I bought it (for $75). Have had lots of gas guzzlers, from Corvettes to 3/4 ton 4WD pickups. Presently I have an 84 S10 Blazer 4WD with a 400 hp 350 small block, and a 700R4 trans. Death rocket, incredibly bad gas mileage. I don't use it any more; my son drives it occasionally. Have been downsizing with houses and cars, and recently read an article on hypermilers. Started checking it out and found that the Geo Metro did well on fuel economy. Now I have one, and I'm trying to figure out how to make the most of it. I can see that this forum is going to be a big help on that score. The whole idea is starting to feel like a new hobby; just what I (don't) need! Oh, well...
Cheers,
Beaver


"Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music."
--George Carlin

Welcome to the site! Certainly has been a interesting ownership history for you, :)

What'd you go back to school for?

Yes, I have a big album of pictures of my cars. Each picture has a set of stories stored in my head. (Memory almost full)...

Got Trade reform act retraining money for two years "retraining" when my mill closed down. Used it to get my BS in Political Science, Communication minor. Continued with teaching assistantships and got my masters in public policy. Just defended my thesis November 30th: "Diesel Fuel Emissions and Truck Idling: The Oregon Interstate 5 Idle-Free Corridor Project"
Speaking of Zero miles per gallon!

Thanks for the welcome!

Dartmouth 2010? What's the story behind that?

Beaver

Sounds like an interesting thesis, something Japan certainly has a problem with, :p

Not much story, I'm just a current student, graduating in 3 years or so, :)

Does oregon say OSU or is that just ohio? I get so confused.

OS, OSU, etc.
 

Oregon State University has always been OSU, but just very recently they changed their sports logo and car back window sticker to OS. I see a lot of them upside down SO?

The law of unintended consequences bites again!

But Oregon State did change their sports logo because of the confusion with Ohio State.

Go Beavers!!!

:cool:

Is your 64 VW still running?

Nice intro.

Officially: "Welcome".

Banana Slug
 

Bestmapman,
Yep, the old VW runs pretty well. I drove it to work 3 days a week (39 miles each way, all back roads) all year up until mid-October. It got mid to upper 20's for mileage; usually around 28. It is set up more for performance than mileage, but it still does okay compared to what they really got back in the day.
And thanks all for the warm welcome.
Beaver

My second car was a 64 bug. I loved that car. Should have kept it. Sold it to buy an MGB. Worst car I ever had. The bug was one of the best.

Really on the MGB? My mum is in love with them, :p

MGBs were made out of compressed rust and were wired by the prince of darkness. I had one as my first car and it taught me hard-core auto mechanics. That thing always knew when it was payday: something broke. But I digress... ;)

Welcome to the site Beav.

Thanks all for the welcome. Yep, Lucas is the Prince of Darkness, alright. I had a couple of Triumph TR-6's and an Austin-Healey 3000. All had electrical problems and they were otherwise quirky cars. They were lovable like a rebellious, high-maintenance teenaged child. I loved'em but it was kind of good to see them go "out on their own," too. The Bug has been good to me; like a Timex, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

Do you have any opinions on the triumph gt6 or mg midget or mini cooper? I'm poking around for a project car (would be throwing a modern engine in there).

Thankz

Old Austin of England iron...
 

The GT6 had a small 6 cyl pushrod engine and full independent rear suspension. They handled quite well in their day, but the running gear was fragile in my opinion, especially the rear end. You can read that "expensive to fix." And the front end gave waay too much positive camber in corners causing massive understeer (though that can be fixed...) An engine swap would take care of the expense of maintaining a vintage engine/transmission, but a rear axle swap would be a lot of work.
A MG Midget did not have IRS, so the rear axle swap would be easier, IMO. You could put an entire modern drivetrain in one. Might be a good way to go.
Now, the original Mini with a Metro drivetrain... That seems like it might be lots of fun!

But what I know of any of these Austin / British Leyland cars is that they are maintenance-intensive, and something is always coming loose and needing tightened up. For a tinkerer, that is not a big problem though.

As far as the Lucas electrical system, I think someone with some electrical knowledge could build their own full wiring harness and convert much of the electrical system to something much better and more modern. Their electrical systems were very simple by today's standards.

I think it's a great idea by green standards... Reduce, reuse, recycle and restore!

Beaver

BMC rules!
 

Don't degrade BMC! They built the best tractor engines in the world! LOL! :turtle:
Sorry, sorry excuse for a car! I loved the SU carbs, tho'! Simple, reliable, and MG didn't make 'em!! Baby Webers? -whitevette

Stodgy but lovable British iron...
 

The old BMC engineering had a far-reaching influence. Many years ago I bought an old 1967 Datsun pickup with a 1300 pushrod engine. It so happened that I was, at the time, rebuilding the engine of a friend's MGB. I couldn't help but notice the profound similarities between the MGB engine and the 1300 in my pickup. Through some research I found that blueprints for the Datsun 12- and 1300's was bought from Austin of England, and they had very many features (and parts) in common. Through the years my Datsun pickup ended up with dual SU carbs, then an MGA 1600 single cam engine, then a hopped-up MGB 1800 with dual SU's and a MG 4-speed with Leycock de Normanville electric overdrive. I had to build a new transmission tunnel out of chicken wire and fiberglass in order to fit that trans in there, but it was worth the trouble, since I had more time than sense back then.
So please understand, I love the old British iron, even while recognizing the funny twists and turns in their engineering, and even being acquainted with Lucas, the Prince of Darkness... :-)

TTFN,
Beaver

Welcome to the site. You will find all kinds of info on the Metro here on this board since many members who own them have become fond of the fuel efficiency.

Welcome. Good to have you here. That is a most excellent little car collection you have there. You should join our Metro group...

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