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Classic Cars 1958 Nash Metropolitan
42 messages, Last post on Jan 18, 2009 at 2:39 AM
You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
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Replying to: alltorque (Nov 02, 2007 7:04 am) Yes, criticizing the heart-stopping handling characteristics of a little Met is like pointing to a puppy or a baby and saying "Ewwwwww, how repulsive". It's a no-win situation to suggest to Met lovers that they need TWO St. Christopher medals in those things. However, cuteness is a powerful attraction and I'm just as seduced as anyone else. There is something charming about them. Were I a Jay Leno type with enough money to gleefully throw into a raging furnace, I would love to take a Met and give it the ability to accelerate, stop and steer without ruining its basic puppy-like nature. A puppy with fangs maybe. Given the odd suspension, I'm not sure how one would get the car to handle better. I'd imagine that ultimately one would have to take the body off, and alter the frame so that a more modern suspension could be outfitted, and then hope the body will get back on without hitting something. Probably I would use only the shell of the Met and the interior, and the rest of the car would be something else. Perhaps we could fit it to the frame of a Mazda RX-7...that would give us good handling, a small engine that would fit without chopping, a 5-speed transmission, good performance, etc. Or a Volvo P100 frame and drivetrain might work.
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 02, 2007 7:52 am)
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Replying to: texases (Nov 02, 2007 8:02 am)  I guess we really need a donor car with a real FRAME underneath. Maybe a Fiat 124?
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 02, 2007 8:07 am)
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Replying to: texases (Nov 02, 2007 8:15 am)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 02, 2007 8:23 am)
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Replying to: texases (Nov 02, 2007 8:26 am) 
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 02, 2007 8:26 am)  I just love the way you guys respond. If I'd posted this on some of the UK Forums it would just have attracted abuse - like it's not got 500bhp, a sequential 'box, 20" rims and does 0-60 in 0.03 seconds so isn't a real car. Airheads.
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Replying to: alltorque (Nov 02, 2007 8:40 am) 20 some years ago, I had a '59 Metro convertible, I loved the car, but it spent more time in the shop than it did on the road. After having the engine rebuilt, and doing a lot of brake, transmission and cosmetic work, I sold the car to my dad. He has plans for it, but his other project cars have taken precedence. Along the way, he acquired a '61 hardtop for parts. I may buy the '61 from him, but I can't imagine restoring it to mechanically original condition. As I recall, the suspension was super floaty, the brakes were inadequate for modern driving, and, though my '59 got 40mpg, the acceleration was anemic. So, I'm thinking it needs much more than an engine swap. The M-5 Miata's wheelbase was about 4 inches longer than the Metro. Track was about 10 inches wider at both ends. It had the same general layout (front mount, inline 4, rear mount transmission). I know that this job would exceed my meager talents (I'm good at rebuilding carbs, the odd brake job, and making things shiny) but is it possible that a skillful shop could take all of the Miata mechanicals, suspension and such and graft it on to the Metro's body?  How do I even find out if this is feasible? I've tried Google searches for all sorts of Metro Miata combinations and your post is the only thing I have found. I hope you check in on this forum occasionally, alltorque, because I'd like to pursue this line of thought.
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Replying to: jaxpop (Apr 09, 2008 4:09 pm) I suppose you could leave the Metro frame on there and install some other front suspension, but wow, that's a lot of work to get right. But really with enough time money and talent you can do anything: 
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