1946 K1 Metro Restoration Thread

[geoffraynak]

Greetings everyone,

I am psyched to announce that work on my '46 K1 Metro has finally begun. After spending 3+ years on jack stands in my driveway, I finally decided that the time is 'now or never' to get 'er back on the road.

For a bit of history, I found the Metro on my way home from Bend Oregon ... it was parked on the side of the road in a tiny town called Terrabonne. It was the perfect candidate for a traveler/camper/weekender. And after having spent 2.5 months in a tiny Toyota Lite Ace ... the Metro looked like the Taj Mahal.

This particular Metro is a rare beast... It is the first production Metro after WWII, and has a mix of pre- and post-war components. One of the rarest features seems to be the functional 'Metro Magic' credenza-style roll-up door in the back.

To cut to the chase, I've enlisted the hammer/wrenches/brains of Mike Roth and John Donnelly to turn my wandering ideas into something real.

The plan is to buff out the body to the 'primed and ready' stage... then lift the body to have access to the rolling chassis. The new drivetrain will likely be a MB 5-cylinder diesel match up to a hefty rear-end. The details (and the devils) are what this thread is all about ... stay tuned.

To kick off this thread with some good mojo, here is the complete restoration ... of the driver's seat.



to this:



And for a bit of dreaming: Here is the body version:
from this:


to this:



Cheers and look for more soon.

Geoff

[Rob Peterson]

Hey, it's been a while, hasn't it! Good to hear you're still around, and going forward.

BTW - have you seen this MB Diesel to 700R4 adapter kit: http://www.transmissionadapters.com/...s%20diesel.htm

The adapter isn't cheap, but using a readily-available 700R4 might help you avoid the pitfalls of having to maintain the MB transmission or going thru the expense of fabbing a driveshaft to match the funky MB trans output yoke.

[Doc Stewart]

On the other hand, I have run MB Diesels for 25 years with very little transmission problems. Change the fluid at regular intervals. Tighten up the shift by a simple adjustment - described on the diesel Giant website. Drive it. They will go 300,000 miles.

[geoffraynak]

Thanks for the notes, Guys...

Yes ... it has indeed been a while ... and I am psyched to be back.

@Rob: I've seen the adapter plate as well ... the only thing I may have read somewhere (because I couldn't make it up) is that the MB transmission is balanced properly for the 5-cylinder engine ... so that is an advantage of keeping it. I think the plan is to make sure there is a big ol' transmission fluid cooler added on to make sure that the extra ton or so of cargo doesn't heat things up too much.

@Doc: 300,000 is going to be about 15 years ... by then I'll likely be ready for yet another Metro !

Cheers to all.

Geoff

[ss2]

Ok it's time to get this thread rollin.

Getting 9 rigs ready for the Binder Bee has kept me from working on this for longer then I can stand. All my junk is home from the show and most of it is put away. So I now can focus on Geoff's Metro.

I started on the pasanger side step and rocker. Here are pictures of what has been done so far.
A few before shots.




Starting to take the step apart.



Once the rocker was cut off it became very clear that the rust had been "fixed" before.



I also discovered that the bottom part of the door jam is rusted away. It seems like you always find as much hidden as you can see.


Hopefully tomorrow I can start forming and fitting pach panels.

[ollie]

Originally Posted by ss2

Ok it's time to get this thread rollin.



Hopefully tomorrow I can start forming and fitting pach panels.

My 57 is in better shape than that but I have the same rot out at the bottom of the door jams...I'm welding up the hole wheel well side but still looking for a one inch bead roller to form that shape the door slides into. I thought of beating the curve out on some tubing and rolling a smaller bead for the edges, but I just know I'm going to find a sheet metal vendor selling that section pre formed after I've spent hours fabricating it...
Ever seen sectinos like that for sale anywhere?

Separately I sand blasted my diamond plate floors and they are being powder coated. The Horizontal molding that runs under the door was rusted on one side of mine: I put in a steel rod of the correct thickness and molded por 15 putty to match the tapered curve (the other side is good so I copied that).

[NJ Metro Fan]

Hi Geoff,

Good to see your Metro restoration has begun. My KB-3M has been at Classic Custom Trucks for over 1 year now.... don't ask

I bought a K-1 on ebay last year that's currently sitting in the middle of nowhere in WY. I 'm deciding if it's worth retrieving or not. I've just learned it has no wheels, so the 1st job it to get it rolling. Since you have a K-1 can you measure the 5 bolt pattern for me? Here's an illustration on how to do that.:

http://www.stylinconcepts.com/images/boltpattern.html

If you can determine the thread pitch and if one side is counterclockwise that would be useful too. The truck is 40 miles form the nearest service station, so I'd like to get all the info I can so it's only one trip.

Thanks

[geoffraynak]

A quick update here on my end.

@ NJ Metro Fan: I don't currently have easy access to my Metro. It is about 2.5 hours from my house... Maybe Mike can take a quick measurement to get you the BCD.

Also, Mike has been a busy bee lately ...

Here are a few picts of what he's been up to: a bit of love to the step-up ... and a lot, lot, lot of paint removal... (See attachments)


Cheers and thanks for looking!
Geoff

[ss2]

Originally Posted by NJ Metro Fan

Hi Geoff,

Good to see your Metro restoration has begun. My KB-3M has been at Classic Custom Trucks for over 1 year now.... don't ask

I bought a K-1 on ebay last year that's currently sitting in the middle of nowhere in WY. I 'm deciding if it's worth retrieving or not. I've just learned it has no wheels, so the 1st job it to get it rolling. Since you have a K-1 can you measure the 5 bolt pattern for me? Here's an illustration on how to do that.:

http://www.stylinconcepts.com/images/boltpattern.html

If you can determine the thread pitch and if one side is counterclockwise that would be useful too. The truck is 40 miles form the nearest service station, so I'd like to get all the info I can so it's only one trip.

Thanks

5x4 1/2 is the lug pattern.

[slowrider]

can you post a picture of the rear "magic door" guide rails. thanks. its hard to get these details right without seeing it, ya know.