You will need to section the body 20" to get the 113" wheel base down to the 93" wheel base of the Metro. Sectioning was common in the 90s to get the T-bird wheelbase down to 96" as a track car vs the Mustang.

The majority of the wiring harness can be removed. The ECM is pretty much engine only for 1988, especially since it's a 5-speed. No BCM.

Not much required to get 300 HP

 

Well, that outta be a hoot! This may help. '88 Turbo Coupe printout. Column #5. Your ECU should be an LA3.

Here's the printout from a factory Ford Service Manual for the 60 pin connector on a '88 TC 2.3 turbo.

Here's what you're up against. This is engine control wiring only. 2.3T into my '27 Model T roadster. Note the mounting of the ECU.......

300+ hp and car weighs 1500 lbs soaking wet. I call it my 300 hp go-cart!

 

Oh yeah......had a Geo Metro too!

 

I love how easy the car is to work on. But parts for a 91 Convertable are becoming unobtanium. To be fair I beat the snot out of the car and it just asked for more(3rd clutch in 30k) until it finally got parked due to hubs(down for a month then I had to use used parts when I did find them) and then a bad master cylinder which has it sitting currently. To keep the dang near rust free body on the road it needs to go under the knive. The windshield, Japanese VIN, and comfy seats will remain.

 

That will definitely come in handy.

I just found some gold that may help others;
Page 40 shows me right where all the links are (and where to cut to trim unnecessary branches)

https://www.coolcats.net/documents/1988evtm.pdf

I just want to keep the drive train stock hp numbers and just keep this as simple as I can to get the metro moving this year kind of deal. Going from 50hp to 190hp should be enough of a bump without hurting anything and still keep replacement parts crazy cheap. If I feel like I want more power after its moving I have a good platform to build on.

I am going to go over lots of diagrams over the next 2 weeks while waiting on parts to go through to clean out the engine and fuel tank(I imagine they are caked up). Gaskets seals and just some general cleaning should avoid starting the thing with a glob of caked oil blocking the pickup/returns kind of deal. Once it can drive across the yard I will begin tearing down the bodies.

 

Yeah....the EVTM is like a miniature wiring diagram. Very helpful. The 2.3t motors are pretty stout. I've seen many go to 300k. At 150k it's just getting broken in! 2 things to look out for. The heads are prone to cracking in the combustion chambers. A hairline crack, you should be OK. A bigger crack would present a problem. Also, the E6 exhaust manifolds usually crack between cylinders 3 & 4. If cracked, it should be pretty noticeable. Keep us posted on your progress. A build thread would be great!

 

I've had a couple of those metro's and for a cheap ride 54 mpg's and maybe the most comfortable seats I've sat in. To bad my King Ranch isn't as comfy. Wtf. And tough as can be. 300k on the first and almost 400k on the other. I beat the crap out of them and they just kept chugging along. Only knock was in winter those heaters in them couldn't come close to keeping you warm once it got down in the teens or lower. I miss those things. Sounds like a really cool project