TeamSwift

You'll never guess what I hauled in lol.

I began working on it a few days ago and haven't been here in a few years. I just got the proper papers for it so I'm sharing and gave it a name, "Geosabi".

"Rust" translates to "Sabi" in Japanese on the Google plus the characteristics of Wabi-Sabi will apply to this project hence the name .

I've been away after finding V8s and being like, "where have you been all my life?" but seems I can't get away from these little cars. More will be shared.

you had better hurry up- just after mosquito season, its summer for 2 weeks, then winter hits....

(I grew up north of the 'peg, farming district around tuelon)

good find, bring another one back to life!

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89 1.0 turbo firefly
2"exhaust,no cats/resonator
3 tech 6*gear
3 tech turbo grind cam
3 tech cylinder head/w/port,polish,blend,oversized s/s valves
gti brake swap
89 white gti twincam....need I say more?
92 metro aka ''blue lump of coal''
92 white metro lsi vert
91 blue chevy sprint (gas sipper)

Haha yea, I need this to be a rolling project so that it doesn't go in the garage to die or be sold later come winter..

Here it is:



It looked pretty good but the moss should've been a giveaway:



Could see where the rain has been coming in:



DIY tool to remove those things I don't like:



For bolts with stuff in the way, crack them all loose first before taking them out so if your only 10mm wrench drops into the bumper somewhere, you can still use a less than proper tool to remove them :



Here's how it's looking now:





Thinking about what to do here.. I can't afford to do much than patch it but maybe jam some angle iron I have in, drill holes and spot weld to the rocker for a bit of extra support? I was just going to find an appliance to cut some sheet metal out of (nobody sees the one side of the oven that faces the wall, right?..) to stitch weld in:



Not to be insulting to the car, it's had a lot of previous owners / been sitting, but it's rustier than anticipated and seems to be a vert thing. It's rusting from the top down / inside out. I found out it's been rebuilt on paperwork and in seeing. There's a lot of welding and bodywork plus any panel I've removed is made in Taiwan.

What I'm planning to do with it for now is impermanent. To get it registered first, it has to have no holes. I'm planning to patch, paint, reassemble, upgrade brakes, wheels / tires, replace top, and stick a 3 cyl engine in with plans for moar later. I could see getting a couple years use from it like this and may decide to improve on it. This is so easy to work on that I can have everything apart and back together in little time. I missed these and as an added bonus can stand up while doing interior work

I'm doing a similar rust repair to the driver side rockers on my Turbo Sprint. Strangely, the passenger side floor/rockers were intact due to a massive unfixed oil leak from the previous owner that coated the floor pan from the engine to the rear bumper.

I've never seen a vert like yours rust so severely along the top of the door sill. Usually the lower and inner rockers and the floor pan metal in the drivers foot well rusts first.

I thought about just using hardware grade angle iron, but then I found a place that can cut, and bend the correct gauge sheet metal repair pieces I need to more accurately repair the rusted inner floor pan/sill panel, outer rocker panel, and centre inner rocker reinforcement metal.

There's one of these shops located in your area too. https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/winnipeg/. I used stiff cardboard to make dimensional templates of the pieces I needed cut and bended. They will give you an email quote for the metal, cutting, and bending to your specs.

Thanks, suzukitom.

Bodywork is not my thing and it's hard to find where to start. I appreciate the info here and got to work on Geosabi today.

Just trying to figure things out and cut a cardboard template then a piece of steel from a junked bbq. It fit snugly so I think I should be able to use it and maybe 2 other pieces to patch the hole on this side rocker...

Aamp, that's a good exact outline of he trimmed hole in the rocker . I guess you are planning to use that as a gap filler between 2 pieces of larger steel plates that are welded or bolted together? Otherwise that patch will not have any real strength and will only be a cosmetic repair. Also it is important to examine the extent of rust inside the cavity below the hole. Is the Centre metal rib intact and still connected to the floor pan? Those hidden pieces are important structurally. You might want to look at t3ragtops extensive rust repair details in his build thread in this section. 45000+ reads..

Rust proofing repaired area with rust encapsulator paint *Eastwood or POR 15* is recommended otherwise condensation will rerust that area quickly

Thanks again, suzukitom .

I'll check out that build. I looked inside with a mirror and could see good steel so I bolted a piece of solid flat bar across 2 points. I can weld it to a 3rd structural point. I'm making these patches since it's something I can do for now. I was really not planning for a bodywork project but should've expected as much with a 25 yr. old car. This kind of work makes me really want to quit - I've nearly done so twice but consult someone who's done a great deal of this and they advise me to keep going.

I kind of like how these patches are turning out since I've never done this type of metalwork before. I usually steer clear of anything like this. (the flat bar is not pictured here)

I like the idea to fix it but would have cut farther out on the sill and squared everything up . That way you know that you're getting away from the rust that might be underneath.


Ken.........

^agreed. I think there's rust underneath everything though. It's currently over one-third cut in half by rust holes! I also think I'll be changing the name from Geosabi to Geo-S.O.A.B

Buyer Beware:





I looked in well with a mirror today and could see large chunks of scale in the worst affected area. I also noticed that there was an entire section inside the rocker that was missing on top of the already seen eaten structural material. I knocked it off with my finger, the size of a kitchen knife, and could see there was nothing left in the area of the rocker panel. With my bare hands, I could open much larger areas that appeared ok on the outside and the whole structure bent and tore. This is my biggest loss in all of vehicle ownership. Sadly, it will be scrapped as it needs way too much even on top of the body like tires, suspension, and brake lines to be a safe car, an exhaust, gas tank sitting for 11 years etc, and I've cut up already registered cars I deemed unsafe in similar, if not better condition, but hopefully this may serve as possibly useful to anyone looking to buy one of these. I believe it would be mandatory to see the floors and rockers from above prior to purchase given the age of these vehicles if the owner is willing to co-operate with the removal of some plastic clips.. Check for any softness and any holes as for what you may detect, there may be 10 times worse damage unseen. I looked through another build which detailed replacing the outer rockers. Everything of the inner structure as well as those outer panels are eaten on mine. The water pouring in the doors for years had nowhere to go and just destroyed it. The rock guard / undercoating did an amazing job of hiding this corrosion.

I spent an entire week of holidays working over 8 hours a day on average and spent close to $1500 after purchase and resources. It is however a very (expensive) good learning experience and was fun-ish while it lasted. Thankfully, I sold 2 other projects to support the blow this cost. Please try not to make the same mistake, and thank you for the info here

Oh my gosh... I am sorry to hear... I know you were so exciting to work on it and then got crashed so hard... Lot of money and time into the project are OUCH.

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sorry bout my bad english

That's too bad about this one. Keep looking for a better candidate for your project Geosabi #2, now that you know where to inspect..

It's too bad the aftermarket industry doesn't make or import an authentic replacement body shell or complete floor pan for Suzuki, like you can get for Camaros/Mustangs/57 Chevys.

I think I may just admire these from afar. I emailed on this one but would like it safetied before buying, then would swap my manual trans in. Maybe I'll call them but pretty much can't afford to now anyway..

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/winn ... nFlag=true

I have parts if anyone wants to come visit :

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/winn ... nFlag=true

I am interested in some interior parts if you are willing to quote some prices, I wish I could take the whole thing, verts are near impossible to find in these psrts. Sorry for your loss, I've been tinkering on mine for years. I love it. My husband could care less, that's why I get to do the tinkering.

That's great that you like working on your car @ Greandma D. Let me know which parts and I'll see if I have without cracks in them.

I'd still like this convertible to work somehow. Would be nice if some warehouse racking beams could be welded in or something like that on the cheap.

This is a pic I found that shows the cutaway of the structure. The 2 lines on the right showing the inner plates of steel are gone on mine as well as the rocker on top, side, and bottom. Called the wrecker to haul them but they didn't show up before I changed my mind and I ended up swapping a running engine into it for some reason while I figure things out:

I need the plastic piece that goes behind the seats, that the center front tonneau cover sits on. I don't know what it is called. I also need the drivers side tonneau cover (mine is missing the mounting bracket. I have the hinges)

@Grandma D.. ah, I don't have the tonneau cover on the parts car and I'm going to take another shot at fixing Geosabi now so I don't have a spare. If my repair doesn't work out, I'll let you know if the one becomes available

Ok, thanks. I'm in no hurry.

^ Checked today for the back piece behind the seats and it's cracked

Reorganized some stuff and wired up the engine but have to solder a connector where wires were cut / hiding under tape for the alternator. This engine also lacks egr but I have an unconnected wire connector for it from the old engine. It's not pretty but after a drain and refill of the gas, it should run. The engine will come back out again too as the clutch is done and needs replacement. I wouldn't drive it like this anyway with the body the way it is but am still thinking of how to rebuild it stronger. Got a couple of steel beams only good to support 3400 lbs as the start of a massive work endeavour idea - if anything, the gauge of steel on the beams is good .











Can anyone tell me if a MK1 engine bolts to this trans? I have the engine from the '88 red Sprint I used to own from the same previous owner as this car. It's low k's and has a cam. Might be something to throw the Hyundai Pony carb on and make a sort of oldskool revival of that red car I used to own

Geosabi is not getting much peace in its rest. Welded in some bracing while I work but since the car lives outside, the doors needed to close; and since this a budget project, the steel came from a discarded server rack. Still have to get it running.

Even with the rust issues, those braces probably double the factory torsional strength.

Glad you decided to carry on with the project.. severe rust represents a big decision point for most projects.

Yeah, it didn't go as intended but I think I'll keep it around as a project

I found rust in the frame horn I really don't know what to do with this car or have any reason for it now, I might just have to cut my losses before I create more. Everything's wired back up. I turned it over but no fuel pump. Fuel pump is working when power is directly applied. What to check for this?

Do you hear a click for a few seconds after turning the ignition key to ON (not START position)? The click sound comes from the fuel pump relay near the battery, the click is followed by the fuel pump running for 3 seconds, and another click as the relay disengages. Also check the fuel injection fuse has not blown.

The ECU controls this pre-start function and rarely fails.

Also check wire grounds for loose connectors or rust at the connection point.