Oh ,I should add ,make the project a hotrod rather then a
restoration,much more leeway and you dont have to sweat the impossible
to find restoration parts.Make it yours ,put the outrageous paint
scheme on it you secretly lust for And if you do your work right it
will be fun and economical ,plus cheâŠ
Got it on jacks yesterday, and crawled around under it and bagged and tagged random stray parts. For sitting for 40 years, it is actually not too bad! Some very minor frame rot just behind the rear wheels, break lines, fuel line, and electrical all seem to work miraculously. Cleaned out a mouse nest from the boot, a dead wasps nest from inside the grill, pulled up some dry rotted floor lining (discovered the floor pans are Swiss cheese, but thatâs kind of a thing with these cars).
I found a freeze plug in the glove box, and discovered that that was something that needed to happen. Had to pound the distributor loose and move it forward to replace a busted freeze plug (and liquid gushed forth, so thatâs a good sign!) with the one from the glovebox.
The starter was in the back seat, but it does move, and so does the engine. At some point, someone removed the original oil canister, so we couldnât get the engine to turn over, and I need a new motor mount. So now, weâre waiting for parts.
Good, thatâs some progress! Plan to replace every rubber part (hose, seals, master and brake cylinder kits) in the brake system, plus all new fluid, of course. Often itâs better and easier just to replace the wheel and master cylinders. If the shoes look worn or fluid contaminated, theyâre replaced, too, as are the drums if they canât be turned within the thickness limits. And also look for any leakage from the rear axle seals.
Depends on where you live. Cars left out through 20 or so New England winters are usually not worth it. Even junk yards have that problem. Probably the reason many have turned to salvage yards where the car gets stripped and the parts are stored inside.
Yeah I remember stopping off to look an an old Studebaker out in western Minnesota just off the Indian Reservation. It looked good at 500 feet but once up close it was a complete mess. I donât know if it was for sale or not or just moved close to the road to be hauled away. Too bad.
Iâm eccentric enough to have always liked Nash Metropolitans. It sounds like you have your work ahead of you on this one.
"break lines, fuel line, and electrical all seem to work miraculously"
I urge you not to assume these are good just because they havenât leaked on the jackstands. These are critical safety systems, and yours are very, very old, with rubbery bits that have been dry for a very long time. You do NOT want to blow a brake line suddenly while coming off a highway exit, or spring a fuel line leak.
This car needs and deserves an in-depth assessment of the condition of its critical systems, not just a cursory look. If it were mine, Iâd look at changing (even updating) the brake system components and fuel system completely.
Properly restored, even resto-rodded, this could be a really cool car. Fixed with band-aids, it could kill you.
Fear not- Iâve got the eagle eye of a 35 yr ASE Certified mechanic (who also happens to be my father and therefor slightly more invested in my continued existence than your average mechanic) looming over my shoulder on this one. Everythingâs going to get a double and triple check, and depending on how I eventually plate and register it, itâll be inspected by the state for safety every year.
Youâre absolutely right that all the rubbery bits are shot- theyâre all on the list.
Cursory look was more of a âshould we just sell it for scrap or is it worthwhile to work onâ assessment. We both think itâs worthwhile, with some love and attention (and money).
Every once in a while I let myself look at www.bringatrailer.com. I probably shouldnât, but I do. So far I have resisted and there are no car projects lurking in my garage. I stick with motorcycles and scooters because I have so little space.
Iâm very happy to hear that. I always thought Mets were cool, but even when new they werenât the safest of cars⊠of course safety wasnât much of a concern to anybody in the '50s.
Keep in touch. Iâm really interested in hearing how youâre making out with this.
I think the Metropolitan is a great project car and you will have a unique ride when you have it restored. The engine, as I remember, is an Austin engine that was used in quite a few British cars, so parts shouldnât be too hard to obtain. It seems to me that the bodies were made in the U.S, then the bodies were shipped to England and the car assembled and then the completed car shipped back to the states. There were two generations of Metropolitans. The first was introduced in 1954 and was the brainstorm of George Mason, who was CEO of Nash. The car was continued through 1960 with the merger of Nash and Hudson to form American Motors. The first generation had a hard top and a convertible, but I donât think there was a convertible offered in the second generation.
