Considering buying a Geo Tracker (and making the first Tracker XFi)

[jwxr7]

It would be interesting if you tried converting a saturn S series car. They are pretty common and have some plastic panels so some of it won't rust . If you found one with a bad motor or trans it could be cheap, then stick your metro drivetrain in it. They seem fairly aerodynamic and not too heavy. It could be a good mpg set-up .

DOO IT

[MetroMPG]

If FE is your goal, I just don't think you'll be happy with a box.

It'll be the most efficient Suzukibox ever, but will pale against what you've got now.

If it's just a matter of having somewhere to put the XFi drivetrain before you end up Flintstoning the Metro because of rot, I guess it doesn't much matter, but in that case, I'd just get another Metro body.

[skewbe]

A stick shift S-series can beat 50mpg on technique alone, though maybe not the way coyote drives

You definately need something streamlined if you want to keep your speed and mpg up.

[MetroMPG]

Coyote's approach is almost 100% vehicle mods. (Which is why the Suzibox won't work nearly as well. ... keep hittin' that nail, eventually it'll go in....)

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Coyote X

I would be willing to give up a bit of mileage to get a body that does not rust out as fast as a metro and be something I could drive for a few years without having to weld on or fight rust all the time. But as far as I know a metro is pretty bad aerodynamically

Probably not in the price range, but what about an Insight with a blown motor/IMA?

- Aluminum construction won't rust
- can't get any better aerodynamically, out of the box (pun intended)
- you wouldn't be giving up mileage, you'd be gaining, even considering your driving style

[CoyoteX]

I have 3 extra metros sitting around here but all of them have rust problems

I really started thinking of the tracker/samurai mainly because they are common and I had a chance of buying that one really cheap. But now that I would be buying one for normal price then cutting it up that seems kind of pointless. I could buy a metro convertible for the same price and build it instead.

Really though my orig. plan was eventually to build a spitfire xfi and I would probably be better off just welding up the metro as much as needed to keep it together until I get around to building the spitball. I have lots of random metal laying around and a welder. I would have to make something to brace up under the door because it is almost rusted in two and I only have half a floorboard on the drivers side. The drivers door doesn't close well because the sag from the car flexing in the middle The passenger side is a little bit better but it has lots of holes under the door and the seat gets wet from water splashing up through holes when it rains hard.

I have lots of options on what to do really, I guess it is just a matter of picking something and getting to it...

[CoyoteX]

One other thing I thought of as a possibility is to have a chromoly tube chassis built that fits the metro engine/suspension mount points so I could do away with the entire metro unibody. Once I did that I could pretty much hang any body panels on the chassis and make the car look like whatever I could imagine.

Good thing about that idea is I have an extra 91 metro that is complete and could be used to build the chassis while I still drive my xfi, once it is done and has a body fit on it I could move the drivetrain into it over a weekend since it would be a bolt in job.

Bad thing about that idea is I have no idea if it would be legal in any other state except WV. WV is great for doing crazy stuff since they really don't care what you do as long as it fits on the road and has lights they are fine with it. Building the chassis would probably also cost me $2-3k then having to custom make the interior panels. It would take me a year most likely to build something like that.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

You can drop a VW diesel in a Samurai if ya wanna to. Great for offroading since idle fuel consumption for diesels is way less than gassers, but if yer just gonna use it onroad a metro engine in it would be neat. Boattail it if ya could, but it should be able to see great on road mileage compared to stock.