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1958 Nash Metropolitan

mymetmymet Member Posts: 4
I read some of the funny (scary) comments about driving them on here so thought I'd ad to the race. I just bought a 1958 in great shape. Unfortunately, I'd never heard one running before. I've read adds that say "purrs like a kitten" etc so expected a nice quiet engine. That thing is LOUD. Of course having had new cars my entire LONG adult life, I figured I didnt know what to expect. It's in perfect shape, all orginial interior white leather looks NEW. I know they love it, but the loud freaked me out. then talk about play in the steering wheel. he said that was normal. So what is "NORMAL?" Am i going to kill my 13 yr old daughter and 4 yr old niece? lol...

I let the they are so cute override my common sense.
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Comments

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yeah they are fairly primitive. The engine is the same as an MGA engine...an old pushrod design that isn't much different from a 1938 car...in fact, isn't different at all from a 1938 car.

    The Metropolitan was always a rather bad-handling, bad braking car, so your feelings of insecurity are well-founded; also no doubt the car needs shocks, and is probably running on old bias ply tires. The suspension design on the car is very strange and was probably an error.

    There are things you can do...such as laying Dyna-mat under the carpets and firewall, adjusting the valves, and perhaps installing a quieter muffler. New shocks and radial tires will help with the handling.

    As for the steering box, unless it has been rebuilt recently it is probably just worn out; after all, this is a nearly 50 year old car and most people pay no attention to the steering box.

    They ARE cute and you'll get lots of attention. But you have to be realistic that this is basically a low-speed city car. If you had dreams of long freeway driving and twisty mountain roads, you're going to have to re-engineer the car to do those things.

    But at least you can get engine parts out of an MGA catalog (it's the 1500 cc engine).

    So quiet 'er down, drive slow and have fun.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    For something like this, wouldn't your friendly neighborhood muffler shop be able to easily fix him up? A generic muffler should take care of things, assuming things aren't broken/rusted, which they could also fix, fairly inexpensively. Great not to have to worry about a cat. converter, etc.
  • mymetmymet Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for that visual Mr. Shiftright :):) I'm visualizing a deathtrap on wheels.

    I know she isn't for long holiday trips. We live in the greater Seattle area with a lot of slow traffic so I should fit in fine!

    I think I found a mechanic who "loves to work on old cars" to come and pay us a visit when she arrives.

    She does have two year old tires, so hey one thing off the list. :)

    Colleen
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Deathtrap is actually a pretty good description of a Metropolitan but now that you know, you can adjust accordingly. Personally I like driving death traps and compensate accordingly. I find them a challenge to a driver's skill and common sense.

    I trust your mechanic understands British engines (basically an Austin unit)? The car itself is not hard to work on. You'll be amazed how some carpeting and underlayment will cut down the noise.

    And by all means pull the wheels and check the brakes on the car.

    These cars can run reliably and safely but just don't fling them into turns at high speed. They are NOT sports cars and shouldn't be driven like one.

    Yes, good suggestion. Have the exhaust system inspected for leaks and rust. A local muffler shop should be able to fit any variety of mufflers or pipes under there--it's a very simple car.

    There are certainly people who know a lot more about the car than I do, and parts are available for restoration. Just "google" away and all sorts of stuff will pop up.

    It's a fun little car and I hope you enjoy it! I wouldn't mind owning one myself.
  • mymetmymet Member Posts: 4
    i got a referral for a shop about 50 miles away so first stop will be there for a complete safety check. My insurance requires it anyway.

    If nothing else, she is saving me money as with the multi-car discount, my rate for both cars is $10 bucks a month less.

    There are many places to get necessary parts, so i think i'll be fine.

    Thanks for the advise.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I dunno if this is true or not, but I've heard that sometimes radial tires can actually screw up an older car. Now on most mid-late 60's cars, it's probably no big deal to switch to a radial, and in many cases will improve performance. But once you go back to the 50's and such, unless you make other mods, I've heard that radial tires can cause all sorts of screwy things with handling, ride, etc. Probably varies from car to car.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yep I think you're right...it varies from car to car. Not to be facetious but it's hard to imagine screwing up the handling on a Met any worse than it is....I suppose if you could find bias-ply tires that didn't have those squishy sidewalls, that might be a good compromise. And some kind of sway bar would be great on a Met---the body roll is considerable. I'd guess even pumping up the tires (slight overinflation) on a Met would improve handling quite a bit.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Yep I think you're right...it varies from car to car. Not to be facetious but it's hard to imagine screwing up the handling on a Met any worse than it is....I suppose if you could find bias-ply tires that didn't have those squishy sidewalls, that might be a good compromise.

    I dunno how true this is, but I heard that back when cars had bias-ply tires, the suspensions were firmer to counteract the softer, squishier tires. When they started using radial tires, which are firmer, the suspensions were actually made "softer". So, back in the early 70's, for instance, when Pontiac was playing up that "RTS tuned" stuff, making it sound all sporty, what they were really doing is just softening them up!

    The only direct comparison I can comment on, personally, was with a 1969 Dart GT. It had bias ply tires when I bought it, but I put on some 205/70/R14 radials. I remember the bias ply tires used to go crazy on highways with truck ruts, or overpasses where you have that metal seam that separates the concrete patches and runs parallel to the direction of the road (not the perpendicular metal seam where the road goes from asphalt to concrete as you get on the overpass). It was also VERY easy to make the sucker squeal in turns, without even trying. The radial tires made a world of difference, making it corner better, truck ruts and such no longer bothered it, and I don't remember any real detriment to ride quality.

    My '67 Catalina most likely had bias ply tires when it was new, but by the time I bought it, it was shod in 215/75/R14 radials. It always had a bad habit of tossing hubcaps, which my mechanic attributed to the car having radial tires on it. It only seems to throw the right front hubcap, though. Until the last time I took it out, it decided to ditch the right rear. I found it after about 5 minutes of searching. Naturally, since I'm allergic to poison ivy, it landed in a nice big patch of it!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The Met's suspension is, as I recall, extremely odd. It's been a while since I've been under one. I should go pick one up by the front end and look :P

    here's a guy who really likes them. Very interesting and complimentary (did I spell that right?) article:

    http://www.allpar.com/cars/adopted/nash-metropolitan.html

    Not sure about living with 0-60 in 30 seconds however! Gee, that makes a Mercedes 300D seem fast at 19 seconds.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Not sure about living with 0-60 in 30 seconds however! Gee, that makes a Mercedes 300D seem fast at 19 seconds

    How would a Metropolitan act at 60 mph? I'm just getting this mental image of a jittery, flighty thing, especially if it encounters truck ruts or cross-winds.

    As for acceleration, it's kinda interesting, but while America is fixated on 0-60 times, I imagine that it's actually pretty rare that I do 0-60 as quickly as 19 seconds! Heck, sometimes, I probably don't even do it in 30! There's just no need to.

    But then, I guess you still have to drive a Metropolitan flat-out to get that 30 second 0-60 time, and that might be a bit more disconcerting than loafing something that can do 0-60 in 10-12 seconds up to 60, because you can always just stomp on it more to get it moving quicker if you really have to.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    "...that might be a bit more disconcerting than..."

    I don't think 0-60 is too relevant for the Met, any more than it would be for a '50s VW, Renault, or Morris Minor. Most of your driving would probably be very local, at speeds not exceeding 55. And for that occasional drive to an out-of-town car show, you could either tow it, or cruise at 60 in the far right lane. But wait a minute, if it's got a 1500 cc MGA motor, shouldn't 0-60 be a little quicker than 30 seconds? I know it's no Viper (Nash Metropolitan, I knew Dodge Viper, and Nash Met, you are no Dodge Viper!), but maybe we're underestimating the Metropolitan's acceleration.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The 1500 motor came later in the series and boosted HP to something like 52 HP. Still not much. Also that 1500 motor has just one dinky Zenith carb, not dual SUs, which are so much better.

    But yeah, the later Met would be "faster" than the earlier ones with the little Austin...is it...A40....engine?
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    But wait a minute, if it's got a 1500 cc MGA motor, shouldn't 0-60 be a little quicker than 30 seconds?

    It might have the same motor, but I wonder if it would have a suckier transmission, or taller gearing, or something else holding it back? My old car book lists that engine as a 73.8 CID (probably around a 1.2-1.3L) from 1954-56, having 42 hp, with an optional 90.9 CID version (1.5L) having 52 hp. From 1959-62 hp was listed at "55/52"...I dunno what the 3 hp discrepancy was. Transmission options, maybe? I know back then, sometimes the automatic had a different hp rating from the manual. But could you even get an automatic in a Metropolitan? I think Nashes used GM 4-speed HydraMatics, and I seriously doubt one of those would fit in a Met! Coming from England though, I imagine a Met would have used some British auto tranny, if one was available.

    My book also says that the 42 hp version struggled to break 70 mph, whereas the 1.5 would hit 80. Didn't the VW Bug top out around 70-75?
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Ah, good catches, Andre and Shifty. As far as I know, and I'm not confident about this, Mets only came with a 3 speed (on the tree) tranny. So, in addition to the carburation/hp disadvantage of the 1500 engine versus the MGA, it also suffered a gearing deficit. Still, I'm thinking that 0-60 in 30 seconds was for the earlier, smaller displacement models, and that the 1500 reached 60 in mid 20s, but I'm basing this on perception rather than hard evidence.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    What that little Met really needs is the MGB engine with 4-speed overdrive and a set of front disc brakes, some Bilstein shocks, heavy duty leaf springs, radial tires, a sway bar, full floor and firewall insulation, performance exhaust, dual master cylinder and electric cooling fan!! Stock looking outside but sweet inside.

    Let's see...that might cost about....oh, never mind.
  • mymetmymet Member Posts: 4
    Yep three on the tree; all of them. I'm good to go there. I learned to drive on a 64 Nova wagon that always got "stuck" when shifting and we'd have to stop and wiggle something to "unstick" it... :)

    I'm still awaiting delivery and am hoping for it to be as mechanically sound as the outside is.

    You guys are scaring me though. :)
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    NAH, we're just jealous!! You report back and tell us where we were right and where we were wrong, okay?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    I saw a Metropolitan at 20th and 140th in Bellevue about 5pm on Saturday. Maybe it was you?
  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    Over here in U.K. we had the Austin Metropolitan which really was a RHD version of the Nash, built in Britain by Austin. These are now pretty much museum pieces, (at least, I haven't seen one on the road for many many years). The picture is of one in a local museum. As it's LHD it may well be the Nash version or possibly an export Austin. Didn't think to see at the time. Colour scheme is factory standard. Other options were Yellow/White and pale Blue-Green/White.">

    <img src[IMG]http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m306/parrotnoid/DSCF2246.jpg[/IMG]
  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    Hopefully, this may lead to a picture.

    http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m306/parrotnoid/DSCF2246.jpg

    This is the Metropolitan referred to in my previous post. Cool, huh ? :shades:
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Very cute...but a bit tarted up don't you think?

    Portholes and wire wheels with racing mirrors and a goddess hood ornament? A bit much!
  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    Nr S, I wouldn't argue with you on that. However, in the 1950's cars were generally Black, Grey or Dark Green or somesuch, so starting with base car in Pink & White it's rather hard to think of any adornments that would "lower the tone" as it were. Never driven one but I imagine it's all a trifle loose and follolopy - pedalo in a gale sort of thing.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well you do have a point that is hard to argue!

    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.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    Just put that body on your new Mini - what a combo!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yeah but then we are swapping cute for cute. :P

    I guess we really need a donor car with a real FRAME underneath. Maybe a Fiat 124?
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    MGB?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Be a shame though to chop up an MGB. Maybe an MG Midget? That's pretty close to the guts of a Met anyway.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    Yep, Midget - remember, Mr. Leno, money's no object...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I know, but we aren't going to get into Celebrity Barbarianism here. We are not chopping up an MGB, and that's that. :mad:
  • alltorquealltorque Member Posts: 535
    Agree with the "not an MGB" comment - that would be a travesty. I had in mind, (that's from about 5 minutes ago), using the running gear etc from an old MX-5, (Miata to you guys). No idea if it's feasible; but money's no object so why not ? There are lots of old Miata's about and no-one would miss just one, surely ? And it would drive from the proper end, (that's proper end for the period). BMW Mini swap would be putting super-cute onto cute. Quite like the Volvo suggestion. Is there the basis for a whole new thread here, I wonder ? Hmmmm. :D

    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.
  • jaxpopjaxpop Member Posts: 2
    Yes! I am considering doing a resto-rod job on a '61 Metro and I was hoping I could find someone who had used a donor Miata. It seems a logical choice in many ways.

    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? :confuse: 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.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You can't graft a unibody onto a frame on body. So the best you could do is put the Metro on another kind of frame that has conventional suspension and some rigidity, and then add the Miata powertrain to that X or Y frame + the Metro body. The Metro suspension is hopeless so you'll never get a sports car out of that, even if you shove a Miata engine and trans into the Metro.

    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:

    image
  • jaxpopjaxpop Member Posts: 2
    I'm pretty sure that both the Metro and the Miata use unibody construction. As I recall, the Metro was one of the first mass produced, unibody cars.

    I'm also quite sure I've seen hot rod Metros at the Good Guys shows that had attached custom tube frames to the underside to stiffen things up enough to handle the extra power. It would be a shame goose it at a green light and twist your little car into a pretzel...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    well then, no way we're gonna build a super metro on another frame then are we?

    It's been a long time since I looked underneath a Metro. I'm surprised it is a unibody.

    Here's an article from Automobile Magazine that has some interesting (and funny) comments:

    Automobile Magazine on the Metro
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    It's been a long time since I looked underneath a Metro. I'm surprised it is a unibody.

    The Metropolitan is actually French in origin, isn't it? The Europeans no doubt went to unitized designs long before "we" did. Although in their defense, Nash went unitized starting in 1949.

    I don't see why it would be so hard to drop a unitized body down on a frame. After all, most unitized cars have a sub-frame up front and a sub-frame in the back. The only thing keeping them from being body-on-frame is the lack of the center section. And I've seen Chevy II's with subframe connectors and I think they made them for Mustangs as well.

    The biggest problem with the Metro, I imagine, is that it's such a tiny car that it would be hard to find a suitable donor frame. Unless you were really handy with welding, took a frame, and did the appropriate cutting and re-welding to make something that would more or less fit.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Not so easy grasshopper...you'd have to achieve some form of alignment during welding, which means a full body jig.
  • acemechanic1acemechanic1 Member Posts: 1
    I am restoring a 58 metro and ordered a kit for the interior. Does anyone have tips on adapting parts that do not fit exactly? And has anyone else had this problem?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Thats' not right. If the kit doesn't fit, send it back. At worst, some kits require snugging up here and there, but certainly not cutting or re-shaping, etc.
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    What parts?
  • madbrit427madbrit427 Member Posts: 11
    The Metropolitan was designed by Nash and built by Austin in England. Luckily the French had nothing to do with it.......... LOL.

    There have been many modified Mets which have had custom built frames put under them and huge V-8s installed.

    As for a simple power hop-up, I am pirating a motor/trans from a 1965 MGB as it is a simple bolt in into my '59 Met. The rest of the MGB is up for sale if anyone wants it.

    I also have a '61 Met and intend doing something unusual such as installing a front wheel drive combo or electric motor, haven't made up my mind just yet.

    After rebuilding the brakes and overcoming the difficult task of getting all the air out as the bleed nipple is at the bottom of the front cylinders!!!! I find that it stops very well. One just has to remember that one has to actually use pedal pressure as there is no booster on these cars.

    Main problem with using another engine is the steering running across the bottom of the firewall. One of the best things to do is to install a complete front crossmember such as one from Fatman Fabrications, which will give you modern disc brakes, rack & pinion steering and A-arm suspension, all in one package.

    Btw, does anyone happen to have a spare front passenger side engine to cross member steel bracket they don't need? I have mislaid the one for my Met. Thanks.

    Peter.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Your Met will be a mini muscle car when you're finished with it. Stealthy too!

    You're dealing with the need to increase stopping power, but how about the suspension? You might be able to dust off a rice rocket at the stop light, but it would be wise to yield to the fart can in the twisties.
  • bluebunnehbluebunneh Member Posts: 1
    I'm so disappointed after reading this :cry: A few nights ago I spotted an adorable metro drive by and I was completely amazed by it! I couldn't stop thinking about it so I decided to do some research and was really considering buying one.... until I read this post....

    I drive a VW rabbit stick shift currently and I love being able to zip around corners and get up to 80+ on the interstate. I would be fine without taking the metro on the interstate however I have a hard time staying content doing any speed under 45 so reading that this car is slow has really put a damper on things.... not to mention everything said about the brakes and suspension.

    I really want one to drive to and from work ( about 25 miles ) five days a week - is that not possible to do in a Metro? Is there any affordable way to speed it up?
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    Nope, a Metro is not a daily commuter car to zip around in. Could you spend lots of money on everything (suspension, engine, brakes, etc.)? Sure, but then why not just get a good fun car, like a Miata, for half the price?
  • madbrit427madbrit427 Member Posts: 11
    A Met is perfectly usable for a day to day ride to work of 25 miles providing you don't want to sit in the fast lane at 80mph. Remember they are 40 to 50 years old. It should be able to zip along with most rush hour traffic as they are quite able to run at 65+mph. Don't forget these little motors were designed to rev, not like the small American motors of the time which had more torque and were designed to rev lower.
    If you want better freeway speeds then find a diff from a late model Midget or Sprite as they had a 3.9 and some had a 3.7 gear instead of the Met's 4.22 or higher, depending upon the year of the car.
    I ended up not using the MGB unit I mentioned previously. Instead, I installed a 153 ci 4 cylinder Chevy motor (came from a boat - Mercruiser) and married it to a TH 200-4R overdrive trans. The Met now climbs steep hills at over 70mph with ease. Of course it was the easiest way to go from the original 55hp to the Mercruiser' 140hp.
    The next step is to add a Mustang II type front suspension and rack and pinion steering which will also give me front disc brakes too.
    The MGB conversion with the MGB 4 speed along with the 3.9 diff does make a great up grade for a Met and is pretty much a bolt in too when compared to the mods I did to fit the Chevy in there. But that was not too difficult if you can do basic fabrication or have a buddy who can....
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    madbrit, you sound like a true enthusiast, able to get your Metro into tip top shape, make needed modifications, and keep it there. Bluebunneh will have to decide if they have those skills.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    If you want a British car that's pretty cute and much more capable of driving on modern roads, get an MGB. Otherwise, you'll end up having to turn your Met into an MGB or as least a major part of an MGB.

    Mets are great for little back country roads--you know, just like in the English countryside--which is where they belong.

    I think a daily commute is too hard on a Met--they are kinda fragile cars.
  • madbrit427madbrit427 Member Posts: 11
    Thanks. The Met is not my first rodeo as they say. Restored quite a few old cars in my years. Biggest achievement was converting a semi-truck (artic in the UK) into a 34ft motorhome. Even if one does not have the ability to do all the mods to one's vehicles, often friends have skills that one can harness in exchange for labor or even cash...... LOL.

    With the Met, people seem to think that just because it's small that it is fragile. Well I grew up with these old cars and they are pretty robust. We thrashed them all over the country lanes and freeways in the UK. Sure they are older now and deserve more respect, but they will survive modern day driving especially if one does a few upgrades such as the rear end gear change. The one mod that does make things better especially if one lives in hilly terrain, is the 4 speed from an MBG as the original 3 speed has too much seperation when one comes to downshifting for hills. The MGB did come with an overdrive option, but I have heard this Laycock unit is a bit unreliable so be aware of this if one decides to go this route and do some serious research of your own before committing to it.

    Btw, the Met's running gear (lower front suspension, rear axle, etc.) closely resembles the Midget/Sprite but the motor/trans is MGB series. Some of the Midget parts are interchangeable such as the front disc brakes can be adapted fairlly easily. The engine is the same "B" series BMC unit used in many Austin, Morris, MGB, etc cars of that era, even including the 1800cc Marina motors. Automatics were not an option for the Met but apparently the Marina 3 speed auto will fit along with the Datsun B1800 trans. Datsun bought the blu-prints for the "B" series motor and apparently some of the Datsun motor parts are interchangeable but I don't know exactly which ones, do your own research if you need to go that route.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The Met's cooling system, braking, etc just aren't up to American highway speeds or climate. They aren't fragile in the UK but they are here, because the conditions are so much different. It's just hard for Americans to justify buying a nice Met coupe for $10K--$12K and then having to re-invent it. The mods you mention are really good ideas, but they don't come cheap to the average person.

    I guess it really depends on what a person's expectations are with a stock Metropolitan. The person who posted about daily commuting seemed to suggest that he wanted to do this with a stock Met and this seems optimistic without interventions of the type you mentioned.
  • phxmotorphxmotor Member Posts: 9
    Do not get bummed out because of these comments. Considering that half the people here think this car is a body-on-frame (itsa unibody) pretty much shows you the lack of basic information they have about this car.
    Seeing as how over 92,000 came to America and over 85,000 lasted until now or until they were melted down the facts remain clear: ie: since they were marketed to...and driven by... women for the most part, the safety issue is a little moot... As far as being safe these cars are fine. As far as having enuff power... again... these cars are fine. 0 to 60 is actually about 21 or 22 seconds. And the size is downright generous compared to any MG or Triumph. Granted the back seat isnt all that big, but the ample room in the front, and the useable room once the passenger seat is folded down and the rear seat is folded foreward.. hey its plenty big for an average person to lay down and sleep.
    All this talk of this car needing major upgrades is just silly. Leave it stock already! Just make sure the brakes are up to snuff... and be sure to replace the master cylinder at the very 1st sign of failing. A single piston master-cyl isn't the best idea int he world, but as long as the driver is aware of what a failing master-cyl feels like... and has it in her-his head to fix it right away if failure is felt, then this car is just fine.
    Metro's don't need any upgrades, just keep them stock... keep them forever... and keep them fixed using stock parts. I personally will not let my teenage daughter drive mine...mainly for the lack of an airbag... but its not because its inherantly dangerous. Its because I have an "airbag rule" concerning my kids... and a "Metro rule" about letting ANYONE drive it. It's such a pansy unmanly car that it bolsters my manhood by driving it. Yet, as "girly" as it is... once underneath it, or fixng it... one quickly sees that it is anything but a pansy car Its as well built as any American car from the era, and the engine is easilly equal to any American made engine of the era. It's a real car... a car to be proud of. And it's looks are so distinctive... it is bound to be one of the cars that will still be around, in stock form... for another hundred years.
    Leave it stock, have fun with it... and smile already. Smile as if you were at the dealer picking it up for the 1st time. Last point of advice: Learn how to adjust the points, twice a year you will need to do so... ANY and ALL times it feels funny it will almost ALWAYS just be needing to adjust the POINTS... learn this trick and never get "taken" by a shop. ...and... be sure to know how to look for master cyinder failure. They always give a couple weeks warning before complete failure...but... have them fixed the 1st day you feel them start to go. Do these two things: and everything will be fine. Points and brakes... that's all you need to know to keep this car fun to drive... and cheap to keep... for years and years.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It's a nice town car. On highways they'll rev well over 4,000 rpm at 60 mph and this is where the car is likely to not be happy. So if you're planning to use one as a daily driver, it'll be reliable enough, but it's not a freeway car.

    As for the master cylinder, I think an upgrade would be a very good idea.
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