Roof scoop installed

I was able to mount the scoop to the 3 rivets holding each side of the vent with an "L" bracket so if I decide to get a different one there are no extra holes to fill. I couldn't decide between cutting the front the way you see it or doing a sawtooth type edge but in the end simplicity won (though I could still add the saw teeth). This scoop fits fairly close to the vent when open so I'm a little concerned about getting airflow around it and to the backside but I think it will be OK. I'm interested to see if it has the desired effect.


Front 3/4 view with vent open to the rear.


Front view with vent open to the rear.


Side view.


Rear view, you can clearly see the "24" logo from the lawnmower emblem. The gap at the rear is intentional to allow some flow through relief when the vent is closed.


Front view with the vent closed.

Possible roof scoop and mockup

This is a plastic piece that came from a 24 volt lawnmower, but it looks like a scoop to me. I don't know if I'll keep it or just use it until I decide to pony up for the Subaru type roof scoop but it was free and I'll make the mounting brackets use holes I've already made.


Top view after some trimming on the sides and back.


Bottom view.


Roughly where it will go on the car.


From the front, it's a pretty close fit when the vent is open.

Geo Metro line drawing

Roof vent for my Metro

It's summer again and I'm tired of sweating so I'm putting a vent in the roof. I got the idea from member "Badbent" at Geometroforum.com, here's the thread showing his vent with a scoop- . I'm going to try it with out the scoop first, if needed I'll add the scoop later (the scoop pressurizes the vent even when it's opened facing the rear which directs the air down to the drivers feet which might be nice). Here are some pictures of my install, it's not finished yet but I had to get it in so I could drive the car tomorrow.

A back saving cart for sheet goods

When you need to move sheets of plywood, glass table tops or 100+ lb table tops this cart is a real back saver. The cart is 24" by 40" with a 15 degree incline. It cost about $50 and took around 6 hours to make. It's made from scrap 2x4s with harbor freight 5" wheels. It has some 1" dowels with rubber tips to keep stuff on the cart, one on the side ( to keep stuff from sliding off when it's too big to rest on the angled part) and one on each end (for round table tops/ glass).I used it to move about 15 heavy table tops and it worked splendidly. I traded it to the owner of a thrift store for some metal filing cabinets.

Fuel Tank Problems

I replaced the badly rusted fuel tank that was in the Geo with a much less rusty specimen from the salvage yard on 8/11/09. The car started sputtering and pinging more and more lately so I decided to drop the tank again to investigate. Here's what I found, you can expect similar issues if your car has a steel fuel tank and you use gasohol (otherwise known as ethanol "enhanced" gas, E10, E85).

There was rust crud built up about 1/8" deep in the sump.




A white rag that I wiped the bottom of the tank with...




This (and the fuel filter) are the real problem because they make the pump work much harder and starve the engine for fuel. I used compressed air to blow this pre filter clean and re-installed it. I also replaced the fuel filter, relocated it for better serviceability and cut the old filter apart but my camera has died so pics will have to wait.

Fuel Efficiency Tracking Update

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• Lifetime Fuel Economy: 42.6
• 90-day Fuel Economy: 47.07
• 3-tank Fuel Economy: 47.69
• EPA Rating (% over): 33 (42.6364%)
• Total fills: 39
• Average cost per gallon: $2.59
• Average cost per fill: $20.03
• Average cost per mile: $0.06
• Total gallons used: 298.03
• Total miles traveled: 12697.3
• Total cost: $771.9
• Total saved: 86.74 gallons
• Total saved: $224.66
• Average tank distance: 325.57