So we're Metropolitan People Now

In reply to wspohn :

My buddy had a  Triumph Mayflower years ago ,  we thought about making a Panel van out of it or a Woody shooting break.......never happened.....

I wasn't kidding about the 3-15 years.

I moved some parts once since getting it to the farm, but that's only because the truck I was storing the parts in sold.

We've had other priorities.

I do think about it often, I've had all kids of harebrained ideas run through my head as I go to sleep at night.

I had made my mind up to stick a 3SGE Beams and 6 speed in it.

Then I decided I'd go with a Ecotec drivetrain from a Solstice/Sky, really like the idea of the LSJ from a SS Cobalt.  LSJ and an AR5 from a Solstice would be fun.

Then I got to thinking about grafting an AWD DSM drivetrain into it, a la Binky style.

Most convoluted to date, is Volvo T5 Whiteblock mounted longitudinally to a BMW Getrag with E46 transfer case, front and rear axles.

I have looked into hopping up the BMC B series too, that's not as appealing.  I know there's aftermarket crossflow heads, but good golly are they pricey.  I've seen one of the Ford 4 cylinder's heads (Ztec maybe? I don't really speak Ford all that well) adapted to a B series, but when you get done, well it looks like a Ford, and you did all that work, why not just swap the whole Ford engine in?

Who knows?  I've got 2x Jeeps, a Volvo 242, and probably a 760 wagon, in queue before the Metro, as we get our place built.

On the subject of other British cars, if anyone finds a decent deal on a Riley 1.5 let me know.  Still kicking myself for talking myself out of buying one a few years ago.

Just my two cents worth...but a small car like that would be quite pleasant and fun with 100-150 HP, so find the lightest 1600 cc engine and trans combo you can. I keep looking at the all aluminum Toyota motor in my wife's Scion xB (108 HP) and wondering how it would do in a car that weighed 2000 lb, or less. Your Metropolitan supposedly weighs about 1800 with an iron block and head. There's a good article in the November issue of Practical Classics magazine where a guy put a Suzuki 1.6 engine and trans in his Morris Minor with an MGB axle to get decent highway cruising.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

I said they were harebrained ideas.

The BEAMS is the most practical of the ideas I've had.  There's a BEAMS swap into a TR-3 video series on Youtube, looks like it'd be a hoot, but I know me, I'd want ITBs, long tubes, tune, etc. etc.

There's a TR-4 with the Ecote LSJ swap on one of the Triumph or British car forums.  LSJ puts the throttle body facing the firewall when turned longitudinally, one of the turbo Ecotecs probably makes more since, I just like the supercharged one better for, reasons.

A N/A I5 Whiteblock with ITBs would be fun, there's off the shelf adapters for a few longitudinal RWD trans options, and I've already got a N/A Whiteblock...