Update

Wow, it's been a while. The Geo is still my daily driver, had an issue with rust/corrosion in the fuel lines, made them impassable, took a while to figure that one out (thought it was the fuel pump). Ran some steel cable into the lines and cleaned them out good, no issues since then other than a leaky radiator hose. Got an alignment a while back, was hoping it was way off and I'd see improvements in FE, but it wasn't and I didn't. Wheel skirts have been off since the alignment. Driving only 6 miles each way to work was getting me tank averages in the 38 mpg range in winter and low 40s the rest of the year. Now I'm driving 22 miles each way in heavy to medium traffic and averaging low to mid 40s. Probably going to put a Subaru style roof scoop on soon so I can get the air to come into the front of the car better. Slow work takes time...

New tailpipe for the Metro

I was driving through a construction site where they left a rather large step in the pavement from a milling operation and the jolt knocked my tailpipe right off the car. It was only welded on to the thin sheet metal case of the stock (but gutted) muffler and the thin metal just broke around the weld. The original muffler tailpipe extended into the muffler and had several more support points so the end cap of the muffler was not designed for the stress the way I modified it. I found the tailpipe that came off and thought about just re-welding it but since the new hole was larger now and the car seemed to like it (better MPG without it) I decided to use a larger pipe. I found some 2.5" pipe in the scrap pile and this is what it looks like now.


The old pipe that fell off 1-7/8" OD I think it was.


The old pipe slid inside the new pipe.




Watch out ricers!

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.