Hello, honestly I stumbled across the forum searching for Nash Metropolitans. I grew up around my father constantly working on things. We had all the neighbors turn tables, TVs , VCRs, radios etc. on our kitchen table in various states of dis-repair. Our yard always had the latest car he had acquired (not as a collector but to get running) in pieces for the longest time and then eventually running. He was long on mechanical and electrical inclination and short on focus and follow through. Anyway, along with the Impalas and Cadillacs ('59 with the really cool duel rocket red tail light fins) that graced our lawn over the years, a surprise oddity showed up one day. A yellow and white cartoon car. My dad was an engineer on the Apollo Space program and acquired it during the gas crisis in the 70's and drove it to Cape Canaveral from Orlando and back every day for work. He was always tinkering with it and it perpetually smelled of break fluid because he always had to mess with the master cylinder. It was truly a crap shoot when I would run errands with him in that thing whether or not we would be able to stop. To this day the smell brings me right back to sitting patiently on the torn seat as he tinkered and tweaked this uncomfortably cute little white and yellow cartoon car with the spare tire on the back. I never fully appreciated what he imparted to me as I did not have the bug to work on cars at the time. There was never a shortage of "character building" projects he had started that I had the "opportunity" to finish for him, like closing in the carport, making our L shaped Florida flat roof house into a rectangle and building a conventional construction hip roof using a radial arm saw and my newly acquired trig skills from college because my dad wasn't satisfied with the standard 45 degree pitch so it ended up being 33 1/3 and 66 2/3 degree compound angles. (Which I might add has withstood 25 years of wear and 4 hurricanes). I was forced out of necessity to carry my Chevette Chiltons manual around with me, when I finally got my first car, along with spare timing belts, but hated every minute of replacing the throw out bearing for the clutch, the water pump, the starter etc.. and the hood after it blew off on the highway. (I had an orange Chevette with a powder baby blue hood for quite a while). I always cringed when the first step in the manual was "remove engine". I followed in my dads footsteps and became an electrical engineer, worked for the space program, but vowed never to own a used car again in my life, buying or leasing new cars back to back year after year. Well, I'm going to be 50 this year and my dad has been gone almost 10 years now, and I suddenly have an overwhelming passion growing in me to finish what my father started and restore the cute little yellow and white cartoon car in his honor. I know going off topic is not a welcome activity in this forum but just wanted to share a little background on why I'm now interested in cars and my nash project. This may not be the right forum for me but I do appreciate the opportunity to post this introduction. Looking forward to getting to know the community and learn and share.
I gotta tell you, and I'm not typically a 'welcome to the HAMB' poster, but at least you read the rules, which seems to be uncommon among newcomers, so welcome here. This sounds like a fun project for you, as well as an honorable one. Good luck with it, and don't mind us as we try to convince you to hot-rod it some, after all, this is not a restoration site.
^^^right on, even if it's not your deal there's a lot of knowledge here. It is nice to see someone respect the rules...and metro is on the short list of stuff i haven't drug home that my wife would Ok. Welcome and good luck with your project Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
What a great idea! I'm sure my dad would approve of hot rodding the little cartoon car. Consider it the plan
My cousin built a Metro when we were growing up. It had a Small Block Chevy and was a fun little car. Welcome to the HAMB and if you don't learn something here daily you must not be reading....
I just finished a three year building project on my Nash Metropolitan. Building it with your own hands, using creativity and skill is a man's work. It just happens to be a car people flock around because it is approachable and adorable. EVERY time I have it out, conversations are started. I do not know the plans you have for it, but I would not go stock. No matter what you do to the brakes and running gear it is anemic. I will tell you what I did to get the creative juices flowing. Goal for Year One - get it running cut out all the rust, do the body work and paint. Along the way, we decided we could do better on that side stripe (Swoop), hood hinge (side),dash (wood), paint choices (Cool vanilla over Competition Red), tail lights (dual domes), and headlight eyebrows (Studebaker). Now it looked good. Year Two goals - To do the interior creatively, but keeping the original look. We used houndstooth pattern, black and creme vinyl, and lots of doorpanel board and glue. A fully floored and lined trunk filled with amp and subs, with mid and tweeters up front completed the interior. Now it was rocking! But I was still driving around with a doggey long stroke 46 HP motor, shot suspension and steering, and uncertain brakes. Time for a change. Year Three Goal - Make it run as good as it looks. We took the front and rear frames, wheelwells, and necessary unibodies out of a 1980 Toyota Corolla and welded it into the Metropolitan. Now we have a 1800 cc 3T-C Hemi, with a T-50 5-speed, narrowed 6 1/2" rear end, disc brakes, 5-link rear, Strut front. Put in a couple AutoMeter Old Tyme gauges, and it runs at least as good as it looks, maybe better. Last Sunday was our first long trip to a Hod Rod show, cruise and picnic. The tradition was to smoke the tires leaving on the cruise. I was able now to do that. Check out the video from 15:10 (use 480p) http://youtu.be/W3wNHjML6f0 Car building is an art. Craftsmanship and originality take all forms. I encourage you to be creative to take a fun little car and make it even funner. full three year build at http://metropolitan.freeforums.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=344 Dana From Joplin, MO
One of my old friends got a Metro for his 1st car to drive on the street. He'd started racing 1/4 Midgets when he was 4, so it was not his 1st car... Anyway, the Metro (his was a Hudson) got a small block Chevy, Muncie 4 speed, and a narrowed 57 Olds rear axle, with a tube front axle. Nasty little thing. Related to Metro59's post...In the 1970s, my dad was the Emissions Lab Supervisor for Toyota Motor Company, USA and was Toyota's spokesman to all government agencies on all matters related to emissions. He used to bring home all sorts of cars. In early '73, he brought home a test car to put real road miles on it. It was a prototype 1974 Corolla SR5. It had the 3T-C Hemi engine and a 5-speed. Being a prototype, it was WAY different from what they sold to the public. Late that evening, I needed to go fetch my older brother from college about 15 miles away. So when I started to go out the front door to get my VW, dad tossed me the keys to the Corolla and said "Take this." I was amazed at what a rocket the car was. So after I picked up my brother, we came to a stop light. It was after midnite and we couldn't see another car or any pedestrians in any direction. So when the light turned green, I revved it up and dropped the clutch. It lit the tires and sat still. Revved to near redline and shifted to 2nd. Still didn't move, but the cloud of smoke was growing. Hit 3rd and it started to drift sideways and roll a little. Got to 4th in the middle of the intersection and was getting going. In 5th gear it was hooking up and got haulin' 'A'. So I got out of it and slowed for the next light. Drove it mellow the rest of the way home. I told Dad I had gotten on it hard and lit the tires up. He said "Cool! We wanted to get some flogging in it." Then he told me all about the data recording system built into the car and showed me how it had recorded what I had done. Wasn't at all PO'd. He DID say they were gonna hafta put taller gears in the rear axle and bigger tires on it. Same basic drivetrain in Metro59's Metro. I expect it's a lot milder tune tho...But still hotrodded way beyond the stock Metro.
just went over the photos, love the creativity in the build (including the out of the box 4 cylinder choice).
Speaking of Metros, I'm not sure how rare they were, compared to the regular "Nash" Metropolitans, but but several years ago, I came across a 'Hudson" badged version in a boneyard. Apparently, in the last year or so of Hudson sales, Hudsons were all simply Nashes with Hudson badges and trim applied to them and I guess this "Hudson" badge engineering' also extended to include the Metropolitan line too. I've never seen another "Hudson" Metropolitan, before or since, so I assume they are pretty rare. Does anybody know just how rare..how many were made and what year(s) Hudson badged Metropolitans were offered? Mart3496 ====================
There are good, very thorough timelines on the Metropolitan Owners Club of North America (MOCNA) and Hoosiers web sites. http://www.mocna.us/ http://www.hoosiermets.com/index1.html Basically, the story is Nash came up with the concept, had the Austin plant build it, starting Oct '53. It was first known as NKI Custom, for Nash Kelvinator (yes, the refrigerator) International. It is the rarist badge yet, only 270 cars had it, and only one badge is known to be on a car. The name changed to Metropolitan in Jan 54, and the fender Script made to fit in the same holes, to be changed out in the showrooms and when they came in for service. In May '54 Nash and Hudson merge to become AMC. The Metropolitan was sold in Hudson, Nash, and AMC dealerships, with differences of front grill emblem, horn ring, and Nash or M hubcaps. Hudson badged Mets starting July '54 to Oct. '56 when all cars officially became Metropolitans with no designation of Nash or Hudson. Only the VIN plate on the firewall revealed the parent company, AMC. I added an original Nash script on the rear of mine. To answer your question of the nearly 100,000 Metropolitans sold from '54 to '62, Hudson badged 4,358 in the early years, Nash 15,644, the rest are AMC, but everyone knows them as Nash Metropolitans. By 1957, the only car to carry the name "Nash" was the Ambassador, and the sole car with the "Hudson" name was the Hornet. These names were dropped in 1958. There are minor differences in what is known as Series I, II, III, and IV. Series I, '54, 1200A engine, mechanical clutch, one color, single bar grille, hood scoop Series II from Aug. '55 1200B engine, hydralic clutch, one color. Series III, '56, '57, '58, 1500 engine, two color paint, Z trim, no scoop, checker grille Series IV, '59, '60, '61 vent windows, exterior trunk opening. These were titled by the year they were first registered, so there are overlaps. Most desired is post '59 convertable. Of the Series I, there were only 165 Hudson convertibles, and only 384 hardtops. If it was a Series I Hudson, you may have come across a really rare one. Rust and crappy mechanicals have taken a toll on these quirky little cars. Most of the people under 30 that I meet have never seen one. Those older than 50 say they knew someone that had one when they were little. I saved mine from a certain, undignified, neglected death, and every day it brings a smile on the face to those who see it.
Does anyone know where I can get either a convertible hood or better still a hard top for my Metropolitan.
In England, surprisingly, the parts are more rare than in the USA, even though the car was made there. I did a little searching for you, but did not come up with anything. There are a few European owners on the Metropolitan forum I belong to. Try here in parts wanted. metropolitan.freeforums.org Dana Joplin, MO
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