The goals of this project are rather modest. I currently drive an 8 valve n/a 900 4-door sedan as my daily driver. For the most part, it serves this purpose quite well and I'd have no complaints. However, I also take long road trips which are much more demanding on the car and this is really where I hope to make for some improvement.

I have a family, which aside from the wife, includes 2 children, so the 4-door is really the most practical of the 900's both day to day and on road trips. As an example, the last road trip I took was over 8000 miles and included countless trips across high altitude passes. Some portions of areas I commonly visit are high altitude without being on a pass (we'll call over 6000 feet to be high altitude for the sake of discussion). The issue is that the n/a 8-valve engine which works just well enough at sea-level (Seattle) is very underpowered when at altitude, particularly when loaded with 500 pounds of luggage (you need a lot of luggage on an 8000 mile road trip with 2 kids ;) ). I can actually notice a considerable lack of power starting at around 3000 feet.

So, all that said my goal is to add just enough umph to the engine to tackle those passes without having to shift below 4th gear and to allow cruising at 70 mph on moderately hilly terrain at moderately high altitude without having to downshift to 4th at all. These aren't really lofty goals so I think they should be doable. The 2 options I could see would be to go with a 16-valve which might add just enough HP over the 8-valve to do the job or to add turbo from an 8-valve donor car to give boost when it's needed. After some thought, the former seemed like the more difficult task than the latter and I believe it wouldn't have as significant an impact as the turbo in the conditions I most need it, higher altitude.

What I've acquired from an 8-valve turbo so far:
1) Turbo
2) Snorkel and plastic intake pipe to turbo
3) Metal intake pipe from turbo
4) Exhaust elbow from turbo
5) Exhaust down tube to catalytic converter
6) APC solenoid valve
7) Turbo instrument cluster
8) Pressure transducer

List of things needed still (probably incomplete ;) ):
1) Exhaust Manifold
2) Catalytic converter and exhaust system to tailpipe (turbo diameter)
3) Oil supply and return lines (may need to be custom, more later)
4) APC controller and knock sensor
5) Turbo distributor (?)
6) ECU (?)
7) Turbo fuel injectors (?)

First thing I did was clean up the used parts that are already in my possession. I then decided it would be a good idea to start test fitting the parts to see how interchangeable the turbo parts are with the non-turbo configured car. I expected that they should just bolt right in and for the most part that is the case.

First, I decided to fit the solenoid valve in place. It fits right into factory holes just to the right side of the coil. Nothing to do but tighten the nuts to put this in and since it doesn't interfere with the car's operation it can be left in place:

I also test fit the intake components to see if there are any clearance issues around the stock distributor and coolant hoses. Again, it ended up that they just bolt right on. There is a small discrepancy at the throttle body where a small metal tie is supposed to bolt on to both the metal intake tube (with "turbo" written on it) and the driver's side front of the throttle body. The metal tie (flexible metal with hole at each end just there to prevent the tube from pulling away from the throttle body) seems to be about 1/4" too short to reach even with the tube touching the throttle body. Easy fix, but I was surprised that it didn't just go together. It's always possible that I'm overlooking something though!

Photos show the turbo snorkel in place of the standard snorkel along with plastic tubing from the snorkel to the turbo location and the metal piping from the turbo location back to the throttle body. The last photo shows that the ends of these pipes are right about where you'd expect them to meet up with the turbo. The cold air duct currently interferes, but will be relocated onto the exhaust downtube as per the standard 8-valve turbo configuration. All in all, it looks good so far:

First thing I did was clean up the used parts that are already in my possession. I then decided it would be a good idea to start test fitting the parts to see how interchangeable the turbo parts are with the non-turbo configured car. I expected that they should just bolt right in and for the most part that is the case.

First, I decided to fit the solenoid valve in place. It fits right into factory holes just to the right side of the coil. Nothing to do but tighten the nuts to put this in and since it doesn't interfere with the car's operation it can be left in place:

If you are going to only run some moderate boost (5-7 psi) I would not even bother with the apc or stock boost gauge. I'd put more effort fitting an intercooler. You will be suprised a little bit of forced induction will give over a N/A. The problem is that you will want more...:nono;

If you are going to only run some moderate boost (5-7 psi) I would not even bother with the apc or stock boost gauge. I'd put more effort fitting an intercooler. You will be suprised a little bit of forced induction will give over a N/A. The problem is that you will want more...:nono;
Yeah, this is more of just a practical application rather than a fun application, so something in the 5-7psi range would probably be fine. It may end up being a bit of a work in progress as well. If I get the base system working at lower psi without the extras, I may then experiment with the APC and ECU systems. It's always good to have more than you need. :D

I was thinking about the intercooler today too and that will be a future addition as well. I think it may be hard to fit one in on the driver's side without changing the fuel distributor, which I believe is considerably different on the 16-valves with intercoolers. At most I'll probably work something similar to the 16-valve system out, where the intake comes from the side and opens up the area behind the headlight for an intercooler. A larger intercooler behind the bumper/grill as I've seen others do would be more trouble than I'd like to keep clean on these road trips. It would be covered in grasshoppers, bees, etc. which is hard enough to clean out of the radiator. Lot's of bugs on my roadtrips.....

I may prefer to get APC running before adding an intercooler, but it will most likely come down to what is available first at the pull-a-part. :cheesy:

We had an LPT model over here (not sure if you did too) that was just a tuned down turbo without APC or IC which was rated at 145hp over the standard 8v which was I think 115hp. Although the LPT was 16v so not sure what the same set up on a 8v would give. Maybe 135-140hp? From the description of your goals, that would be the route I would go. Can't help you with actually doing it though as I never have! I'm sure someone on here has though. Good luck.

Yeah, this is more of just a practical application rather than a fun application, so something in the 5-7psi range would probably be fine. It may end up being a bit of a work in progress as well. If I get the base system working at lower psi without the extras, I may then experiment with the APC and ECU systems. It's always good to have more than you need. :D

I was thinking about the intercooler today too and that will be a future addition as well. I think it may be hard to fit one in on the driver's side without changing the fuel distributor, which I believe is considerably different on the 16-valves with intercoolers. At most I'll probably work something similar to the 16-valve system out, where the intake comes from the side and opens up the area behind the headlight for an intercooler. A larger intercooler behind the bumper/grill as I've seen others do would be more trouble than I'd like to keep clean on these road trips. It would be covered in grasshoppers, bees, etc. which is hard enough to clean out of the radiator. Lot's of bugs on my roadtrips.....

I may prefer to get APC running before adding an intercooler, but it will most likely come down to what is available first at the pull-a-part. :cheesy:
I've installed a OEM 900 I/C on a '78 99 turbo which has the same fuel dist as you car. I did have to relocate a few of the fuel components because the 99 is a bit short in the front end. Another thought is that it would be nice if the turbo was also water cooled since it is a daily driver. That is just a measure that would may make the turbo live longer.
I may have most of the I/C parts you need, and I need to clean my shelves, so it may be a mutual deal. PM if you care to...

Send me a PM I know I have those parts.
Ted

Send me a PM I know I have those parts.
Ted
Thanks! I'll keep it in mind if I can't find something locally (shipping something like an exhaust manifold probably costs more than the manifold itself!). :)

I've installed a OEM 900 I/C on a '78 99 turbo which has the same fuel dist as you car. I did have to relocate a few of the fuel components because the 99 is a bit short in the front end. Another thought is that it would be nice if the turbo was also water cooled since it is a daily driver. That is just a measure that would may make the turbo live longer.
I may have most of the I/C parts you need, and I need to clean my shelves, so it may be a mutual deal. PM if you care to...
I'll PM you later regarding the I/C parts. That would be sweet since they are almost always picked out of the cars before anything else at the junk yard. I seem to always be a day late when looking for anything turbo oriented at the yard.

I'm not too worried about the water cooling. I have a friend that runs a business rebuilding turbos, Arnie at P&E Systems in Ballard. I talked with him about longevity differences and in his opinion it really doesn't make a significant difference if it's watercooled or not. Either way I'll most likely be able to get more miles out of a rebuilt turbo than I can put on the car in the next ten years.

Speaking of which, the turbo I have is serviceable as is, but I'll probably be having it rebuilt sometime soon. When I do I'll see if Arnie will let me document it for this write up. There is a bit of radial play but still enough clearance that it will be safe for long enough to test everything out. I may even pick up a second turbo which I can have rebuilt while I use the one I've got. I have a second non-turbo 8-valve, so it may get the same treatment with a more performance oriented goal set once I've figured the basics out.

On a different topic, I did notice yesterday that there is no place to mount the air cleaner temperature control thermostat in the turbo snorkel (it's currently located in the snorkel on the non-turbo). Where is this located on the turbo models? Would it make sense to just modify the snorkel to take the thermostat by cutting a hole in it just above the air meter?

I picked up a couple of items today which can be crossed off the "needed" list. I found an exhaust manifold (hard to find really since it is an 8-valve, has anyone checked to see if the 16-valve will also work?) and I also found a new air cleaner/air intake system from a newer intercooled turbo. I'll have to figure out a way to fit the AMM/fuel distibutor assembly onto the newer air cleaner "can", for lack of a better word. I may just try and mount the lid from the old air cleaner to the lid of the new air cleaner after removing some of the plastic reinforcement and the plastic tube that the MAF sensor would connect to on the newer models. Some rtv gasketing material might just do the trick for mating the two lids allowing the new air intake location on the fender to happen. Of course, I'll also have to move the fuel filter. Any good suggestions for a new location? Has anyone put one above the EVAP canister?

I'll start working out a hybrid old/new style air cleaner assembly and post photos when its working out. That should allow me to add the stock intercooler at some point. :)

one thing you may need to consider as far as the APC goes..
base boost is 5 psi, the APC can raise that boost to around 10 psi.
now because you have a high compression engine (n/a - 9.5:1, turbo - 7.2-8.5:1) it will knock/detonate at lower boost pressure (due to higher combustion temperatures) compared to a turbo, plus not having an intercooler to lower intake air temperatures will make it even more likely to knock.

the reason i am saying this is that the APC is mostly dependent on engine knock. therfore fitting it to a n/a engine will cause it to have very unstable boost pressure and increase the chances of damaging the engine - it will "surge" whenever you go over base boost.

basically, the APC will try to increase the boost pressure, which will cause the engine to knock, then the APC will drop the boost pressure, then try to raise it again, knock, lower, raise, knock, and so on....

if you only want to run 5-7 psi, then adjust the wastegate rod until you reach your desired boost pressure and do away with the APC, if you still get engine knock, then adjust the timing, add a little more fuel, etc...
you wont get the surging effect or risk damaging the engine, as much..

just my 2 cents...

chris.

I'll be trying the turbo without the APC to begin with, but I thought it would actually make the boost safer for the n/a engine? Sounds as if that may not be so cut and dry. I will most likely have the intercooler which should also help. The fuel distributor/air meter assembly from the older system seems to fit quite well right on top of the plastic air filter cylinder from the newer system that doesn't (originally) use the older fuel distributor. The fuel distributor assembly just needs to have something for the clips of the newer air cleaner canistor to grip onto and then it should work just fine. I'll add photos as soon as I've finished the mod. This will pave the way for the intercooler. :D

I got somewhat sidetracked today with sway bars and newer brakes from a 89 900t at the pull apart, which this sedan sorely needs soon. I've nearly worn the current tires out and need to get all the suspension and brake upgrades done so that the alignment can be reworked before new tires can be purchased. Fortunately I was able to shorten the list of things needed for these tasks today by getting rotors, calipers, and sway bar for the front. I'll also be pulling the whole rear axel assembly off in a couple days including the rear sway bar.

I thought it would actually make the boost safer for the n/a engine?


in my opinion, no.
the fact that the APC will keep increasing boost until it sees knock, then drop boost and so on, (the APC will not reach its set maxumum boost level on a stock N/A engine) it is more likely to kill the engine before it does any good. your best bet is just to set the boost with the wastegate adjustments and make the necessary fuel/ignition adjustments to prevent knock.

also keep in mind that c900's from '88 onwards have the hanbrake on the rear, and the handbrake levers are different.
the front h/brake one pulls the cable toward the rear and the rear h/brake pulls the cable toward the front. you may have to weld a new mount to suit the later handbrake lever.

chris

in my opinion, no.
the fact that the APC will keep increasing boost until it sees knock, then drop boost and so on, (the APC will not reach its set maxumum boost level on a stock N/A engine) it is more likely to kill the engine before it does any good. your best bet is just to set the boost with the wastegate adjustments and make the necessary fuel/ignition adjustments to prevent knock.

also keep in mind that c900's from '88 onwards have the hanbrake on the rear, and the handbrake levers are different.
the front h/brake one pulls the cable toward the rear and the rear h/brake pulls the cable toward the front. you may have to weld a new mount to suit the later handbrake lever.

chris

Interesting take on the turbo. I appreciate the info! :)

I knew about the hand brake difference, but I haven't decided what the best way to deal with it will be. The current vehicles that are in the yard are '89s and I don't know that they have the same type of trim width around the handbrake and shifter (due to the different seat type with the passive restraint) and they might look a little funny if I use them. I may have a plan for using the older hand brake lever to actuate the newer rear park brake though, so I'll post that if it works out.

I got sidetracked by the nice weather this weekend and started swapping out the brake system on the sedan. I figured that I'd start with the rear brakes since that leaves the original front e-brake intact until I have a chance to get to the front this week. I replaced the axle assembly, rotors, brakes calipers, and stabilizers. Pretty much any part from the donor car(s) had better bushings than what I currently had, so if it had bushings, it got replaced. I also swapped out the springs for some from a turbo and will do so in the front as well. Also added was the rear anti-sway bar. Topped it all off with some SPG wheels. I'm quite surprised how good those look on a sedan when normally they are one of my least favorite Saab wheel. I was originally thinking of getting some of the Shelby style Ronals or an equivalent, but I'm kinda liking the SPGs now. The angle from spoke to spoke is nearly identical to the angle of the rear window to trunk and they really pick up the over all style of the sedan much better than I think they do on the convertible or the hatch.

Still to come are the front calipers, rotors, spindles, springs and anti-sway bar. I've prepped them and should get them in by Thursday. I'm curious from others who have made this conversion if the halfshaft from the newer model is needed or do you use the old halfshafts? If using the old halfshaft, does the spline match up in the spindle? Obviously I'll know these things sooner or later, but if someone has the answer it would be great to have a heads up. I've got the newer halfshafts if needed and have already cleaned them up and relubed them.

In case anyone wonders, I just painted the springs and sway bar red for the fun of it. It also helps when I'm talking about the work completed with my 7 year old, who's really interested in cars, so that he can more easily understand what the extent of some of these parts is. By painting the sway bar red, it's easier to see what it attaches to and how extensive the shape of the part is. Plus it looks kinda cool until it gets covered with grim. ;)

http://fc08.deviantart.com/fs50/f/2009/264/c/3/c3b2f0714e97419642c4fdcd06bf19b3.jpg

Fit the turbo gauge into the instrument cluster today. Kept the original speedometer/odometer, tach and clock; just replaced the fuel/temp portion of the cluster. Just for those who may tackle the same issue, there are at least 3 distinctly different clusters in terms of compatibility. I'm sure there may be more, but my advise would be to photograph the back of your cluster before going to the junk yard and bring a copy with you. They are not all plug and play, so it's important to stick within the same approximate year and, more importantly, the same circuit style.

I also added a vacuum connection at the intake manifold to supply a reading to the boost gauge and ran a vacuum line connecting the two. Works great so far, though obviously only reading different levels of vacuum since the turbo is still yet to be installed. Unfortunately, the clock in my cluster stopped working after reinstalling so I'll have to remove it again and replace the clock/tach portion of the cluster as well. I think I could take the dash apart in my sleep now................ ;)

Maybe do a little research, but I recall reading somewhere that the clock issue can sometimes be a connection thing, not the clock itself. You might first try ensuring that the connector is on well and that the black plastic holder that goes around it is also intact (no broken tabs).

Fit the turbo gauge into the instrument cluster today. Kept the original speedometer/odometer, tach and clock; just replaced the fuel/temp portion of the cluster. Just for those who may tackle the same issue, there are at least 3 distinctly different clusters in terms of compatibility. I'm sure there may be more, but my advise would be to photograph the back of your cluster before going to the junk yard and bring a copy with you. They are not all plug and play, so it's important to stick within the same approximate year and, more importantly, the same circuit style.

I also added a vacuum connection at the intake manifold to supply a reading to the boost gauge and ran a vacuum line connecting the two. Works great so far, though obviously only reading different levels of vacuum since the turbo is still yet to be installed. Unfortunately, the clock in my cluster stopped working after reinstalling so I'll have to remove it again and replace the clock/tach portion of the cluster as well. I think I could take the dash apart in my sleep now................ ;)

Fit the turbo gauge into the instrument cluster today. Kept the original speedometer/odometer, tach and clock; just replaced the fuel/temp portion of the cluster. Just for those who may tackle the same issue, there are at least 3 distinctly different clusters in terms of compatibility. I'm sure there may be more, but my advise would be to photograph the back of your cluster before going to the junk yard and bring a copy with you. They are not all plug and play, so it's important to stick within the same approximate year and, more importantly, the same circuit style.

I also added a vacuum connection at the intake manifold to supply a reading to the boost gauge and ran a vacuum line connecting the two. Works great so far, though obviously only reading different levels of vacuum since the turbo is still yet to be installed. Unfortunately, the clock in my cluster stopped working after reinstalling so I'll have to remove it again and replace the clock/tach portion of the cluster as well. I think I could take the dash apart in my sleep now................ ;)

It's not really a "Look" thing it's a "year" thing...I have installed clusters/gauges that look correct and do wacky things with the turnsignal on, etc....83-88 seem to be a compatible year range for most things electrical (ie, sensors, gauges)

I relocated the intake duct from the front of the car (highlighted old location) to the side of the car as per 16 valve turbos. This will make room for an intercooler in the future, but won't really be much of a factor for the more immediate conversion.

As it turns out, the 8valve fuel distributor interferes with the throttle if you try to install the 16valve air cleaner canister. It's just too tall and without making some more involved modifications you can't make it work. What you CAN do is remove all of the air intake/heater hose stuff, loosen the large band clamp that mounts the original 8valve air cleaner canister, rotate it in place until you can mount the side mount intake duct to where the old intake/heater hose was connected and then tighten the band clamp to hold it in place. I will eventually take this canister out and cut a large opening in the bottom to allow more air to enter the filter area. The 8valve canister has a large area under the bottom of the filter that is perfect for this while also providing a false bottom for sealing the bottom of the filter which is raised maybe a couple inches off the bottom.

Not pictured is that I had to duct tape the filter to throttle body snorkel to block off the hole left by the temperature sensor thingy that controls the (now omitted) heater hose switch. I'm suspecting that it may actually have been malfunctioning anyways causing hot air to be entering the engine even when not needed. Once I get the air cleaner to turbo snorkel in, I'll no longer have to duct tape anything since there is no hole provided for this sensor.

I pulled a turbo exhaust header, so now all I need is a long pipe from where the catalytic converter would install on back to the stock muffler from another turbo. I'll be bypassing the catalytic converter until I've decided what exactly I want to do with the exhaust. Is there any good reason with an 8valve turbo to have anything bigger than the stock exhaust? I suspect not, but I'd be interested in some of your thoughts.

The only other thing holding me back is the oil supply. I'm missing the return line and for some reason the supply line does not seem to fit properly as there is some interference just under the thermostat housing. I'm not sure what is different, but it is clearly not going to work as it did on the 8v turbo I pulled the supply line from.

I've been wondering why a person wouldn't just make a separate oil system for the turbo? I'm thinking a 4 quart tank with dipstick, an electric pump and filter would provide more than enough cooling for the turbo bearings and if you added a delay relay for the pump, you could have it automatically continue to lube the turbo for say 30 seconds after the ignition is turned off, much like cooling fan but based solely on the ignition switch rather than the temperature. I'd also figure out a way to provide feedback for the driver when there is a problem with oil pressure, probably just an idiot light with one of the blank spots in the instrument cluster or replacing the "upshift" light with a "turbo oil" light. The oil would likely last a very long time, so changes would be probably about as frequent as those for the tranny (yearly). Any thoughts on that?

Just to give more information about what did/did not have to be done to move the intake from the front to the side on this engine style, there were literally no modifications needed other than rotating the existing air cleaner canister. The fuel filter isn't in the way and the tubing taken from a 16 valve turbo just fit beautifully. The only long term issue is that I'll probably need to remove the intake snorkel to access the oil filter at oil changes, but otherwise it's all good.

I'm off to try and find some flexible hose that would work for the oil supply and return lines.........

Is there any good reason with an 8valve turbo to have anything bigger than the stock exhaust? I suspect not, but I'd be interested in some of your thoughts. Not unless you want to modify the hell out of it.

I've been wondering why a person wouldn't just make a separate oil system for the turbo? <snip> Any thoughts on that?The issue with oil-cooled turbos isn't the cleanliness of the oil; it's the heat to which it's subjected as it goes through the center housing. Specifically, after running the engine and shutting it down, the oil remaining in the housing gets so hot that it cokes, eventually clogging the passages and killing the turbo. According to a graph in a book on turbos, water-cooled turbos simply do not get hot enough to cause coking. You'll notice on visors of c900T's with watercooled turbos that the instructions to idle the engine for a brief cooldown period were removed.

I was recently reading somewhere about modern turbo technology: they're using non-lubricated bearings that support the rotating assembly on air!

I did what you did once...and for the oil feed, I took a stock turbo feed flange, cut off the pipe, drilled and tapped it and the got a section of hydraulic hose made up with pipe thread on each end and took the feed from where the oil pressure switch is, the return was a bit more tricky

I pulled some more misc. parts today including some SPG front springs and some wire harness to add power windows (I had previously pulled all 4 regulators/motors). Also pulled some inner CV cups so that I can finish the brake upgrade and get the new SPG rims on the front end. I've been driving around looking pretty ghetto for a couple weeks with the old rims in front and SPG rims in the rear!

I didn't have a whole lot of time this evening, but since the weather was fantastic I figured I better get something done. I installed the SPG springs and went for a test drive. They didn't lower the front end as much as I had hoped, but did drop it around 1/2 inch or so. The rear still has 1/2 inch or so less clearance between the wheel arch and the top of the tire, so I guess I'll most likely end up raising the rear to match the front. Below is a photo of the difference between stock c900 springs and the SPG springs. You can't really tell from the photo, but the SPG springs are a beefier coil in terms of the wire diameter. I'm still surprised however, that despite the nearly 2 inch difference in uncompressed springs that the ride height is only 1/2 inch different. The SPG springs are a definite improvement in terms of ride though. The brakes seem more effective and there is considerably less body roll. The front doesn't dip nearly as much during braking and doesn't lift as much during acceleration. All in all a much stiffer spring (as you'd probably guess).

I should be picking up the final exhaust parts and oil supply/return parts this week, so hopefully I'll have both the turbo and the brakes wrapped up this week. It will be much easier to do the inner CV cup with the exhaust removed, so I may as well add the turbo at the same time.

I've been having trouble locating an oil return hose for the turbo. I could make a flange, put some high temp/oil resilient hose on and make a plug to go into the engine, but I have never seen the plug/connector that goes into the block and have no idea what it should be. I imagine it's just a cylinder, possibly stepped, with an o-ring, would that be correct? Can someone point me to some specs or show me what the connector looks like? (I'm pretty good with a metal lathe ;) ) Maybe someone has one they don't need and would be willing to sell?

its basically a metal pipe with a couple of bends, a flange for the turbo on one end, and as you said, a step on the other end that an O ring sits infront of, if i can dig one up in my shed ill take a pic for you.

chris

**ALSO**
umm.. a quick glance of that "SPG" spring tells me that its just a standard one with a coil cut off. hopefully i am wrong, for your sake. you might want to check it though. SPG ones are painted green and the diameter of the metal "rod" that the spring is made of is slightly bigger compared to a standard one

**ALSO**
umm.. a quick glance of that "SPG" spring tells me that its just a standard one with a coil cut off. hopefully i am wrong, for your sake. you might want to check it though. SPG ones are painted green and the diameter of the metal "rod" that the spring is made of is slightly bigger compared to a standard one
IIRC all the 900 OEM springs are painted black and marked with splash of paint to distinguish what is what. Green is for stock, silver or gold is for SPG

its basically a metal pipe with a couple of bends, a flange for the turbo on one end, and as you said, a step on the other end that an O ring sits infront of, if i can dig one up in my shed ill take a pic for you.

chris

Sweet! Please do if you have a chance. It would save me a lot of head scratching even just to see a photo of one.


**ALSO**
umm.. a quick glance of that "SPG" spring tells me that its just a standard one with a coil cut off. hopefully i am wrong, for your sake. you might want to check it though. SPG ones are painted green and the diameter of the metal "rod" that the spring is made of is slightly bigger compared to a standard one
The rod is thicker and the top/bottom both have the proper termination (the last bit of coil at top and bottom double up so they sit more level than if they had been cut off). I pulled them out of an SPG myself, unfortunately the rest of the car has been pretty well picked over so there's not much else left at this point. They really ride very stiff and I've been enjoying the change in handling.

I had a good day at the junk yard yesterday! I pulled an air dam from a turbo that gives the sedan a little more aggressive look, a fuel pressure regulator that looks like it just came out of the box for my '89 turbo (probably a last ditch effort to get the car running before junking it), some Bridgstone Potenzas (205/60/r15) with 80% tread, another turbo oil supply line, and the entire APC system.

What is interesting is that the oil supply line from a 16 valve is a much better fit for a N/A 8 valve than the line from an 8 valve is. In fact, the 8 valve oil supply line from an '85 turbo simply doesn't fit at all while the 16 valve oil supply line from an '86 fits perfectly (my sedan is an '86). Maybe the block was slightly changed from '85 to '86? The location of the banjo bolt just seems to be in a different spot.

At this point I have everything I need with the exception of the oil return line and an 8 valve turbo distributor.

IIRC all the 900 OEM springs are painted black and marked with splash of paint to distinguish what is what. Green is for stock, silver or gold is for SPG
Yep, the paint splashes differentiate spring types. Also, there are other colors in addition to green (stock on my US '89T hatchback w/5-sp.) and silver/bronze (for '87+ SPGs and included in the Roadholding Kit in the Accessories Catalog). My '86 900S had red. (The springs still have red, but now they're ALL red and say Eibach on them. :cheesy:)

Some (all??) c900 springs have their part number stamped into them at the top/bottom (IIRC, only the first 6 digits are included, not uncommon). There are different springs for cars with automatic transmissions, too, due to the additional weight. I assume that the rate was the same, but with a taller free height.

The Saab technical info manual (No. 0, not sure if still available) should list all of the springs, their color, and their free heights.

I'm thinking that the 8 valve N/A engine has got to be the lightest of the bunch. The front ride height on my sedan is nearly identical now with the SPG springs to what the ride height of my '89 turbo is with it's standard springs.

I think that a half inch spacer to lift the rear will look pretty good, so I'm going to set about machining some. I'll wait until I've installed the new front brakes though and see where I'm at then. I went to 205/60/r15s from the stock 185s, so there may be a slight closing of the clearance at the front end once they're in. Then I'll reevaluate the ride height and make adjustments before having the front end realigned.

add a little more negative camber on the fronts, it makes a noticeable difference (improvement) with cornering, camber/caster is adjustible by using shims behind the upper control arm mounts.

anyway, pics of that oil line:

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk63/ludichris001/turbo%20oil%20line/15102009215.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk63/ludichris001/turbo%20oil%20line/15102009216.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk63/ludichris001/turbo%20oil%20line/15102009217.jpg


http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk63/ludichris001/turbo%20oil%20line/15102009224.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk63/ludichris001/turbo%20oil%20line/15102009219.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk63/ludichris001/turbo%20oil%20line/15102009221.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk63/ludichris001/turbo%20oil%20line/15102009223.jpg

please excuse the image quality, crappy cameraphone is all i have at the moment..
hope this helps.

chris.

That's a drain for a 16 valve not an 8 valve....the 8 valve drains are WAY different

Thanks for the photos, Chris! That helps a lot!


I made some progress on the rest of the car today. Replaced the front spindles, cv axles, brake calipers and rotors with those from an '89 to match those that I installed in the rear earlier. The springs did have a bronze/gold paint swath kinda haphazardly smeared onto the middle coils, so it would appear that they are in fact SPG springs. I had noticed the bright yellow paint smeared on my old coils, but thought it was some sort of mark applied by a mechanic after the fact. Good to know they are coded to identify them from the factory.

I had read that the cv axels from an '89 would not fit into an '86 inner driver cup, but my experience is now verifiably that they do in fact fit directly. I pulled the old spindle assembly and half shaft out minus the inner driver cup, and replaced them with the spindle and half shaft from an '89. Both vehicles had a 5-speed, not sure it if makes a difference at all though. If anyone is thinking of upgrading their '86 brakes to those of the '89, the whole half shaft/spindle assembly is a direct replacement. What I cannot verify is whether or not the original '86 half shaft would fit the new spindle properly. I did find that the spline at the spindle matches up and would bolt together, but my '86 outer cv joint was visibly different than the '89 that was meant to be mounted to the newer spindle. It may not make any difference either way, but just to be safe I would recommend replacing the half shafts along with the spindles. As an assembly, they are the same length, but mixed together they may or may not be. Again, you do not need to replace the inner driver cup though, so it goes together very easily. Total time to remove the old components and replace with the newer components for both sides was about 4 hours. It would have been even less, but the tie rod end/joint did not have any way to keep it from spinning while you try to tighten it requiring me to track down my Roto-tool and some cutoff wheels to make a slot for a screwdriver at the bottom of each.

I'm already enjoying the "clunk"-free manuvering when pulling in and out of parking spots! The brakes themselve were also pretty much used up and the stopping power of the '89s are definitely better. The new(ish) Bridgestone Potenzas on the SPG rims are also a nice upgrade from the nearly worn out Les Schwab tires on wheels that I don't think actually were meant to fit the Saab (maybe .020 of play around where the spindle should lock it in, causing a little vibration at highway speeds). I also badly needed to replace the driver's outer CV, so it was a timely update on all fronts and driveablility has improved dramatically from today's efforts. :)

Here's an updated photo, also shows the new air dam installed.

http://fc07.deviantart.com/fs50/f/2009/288/9/a/9adc0d67b930523743ab7074873d7c0b.jpg

That's a drain for a 16 valve not an 8 valve....the 8 valve drains are WAY different
'Tis true, but for some reason the 16 valve oil supply line fits, while the 8 valve oil supply line does not. The same may well be true for the oil return. On the 8 valve, it seems to typically be near the front of the engine under the exhaust manifold while the 16 valve is near the back of the engine. As long as the plug is available in the block, I'd prefer to use the 16 valve variety if it can work out as I find the 8 valve to be a PITA to get to with the exhaust in. I'll update soon with what the outlook is on that front.

That is a very nice looking car.


Did you paint the grille black. I ask because 2 of my 9000's have chrome lifting on the grille.
I am not sure if they will look good black.

http://fc07.deviantart.com/fs50/f/2009/288/9/a/9adc0d67b930523743ab7074873d7c0b.jpg

Beautiful car! It was nice meeting you at Scanwest last month. Well done with all the hard work you've put into this car so far.

That is a very nice looking car.


Did you paint the grille black. I ask because 2 of my 9000's have chrome lifting on the grille.
I am not sure if they will look good black.
Thanks!

It's not black, but a deep charcoal with a hint of metallic. I'll probably end up paining the air dam to match later on, but at this point I haven't decided for sure that I like this particular color. I could also end up having a custom color mixed to match the bumper and then respray the grille.

The paint seems to always look pretty good in photos, but in person it's showing it's age with lots of spider-webbing and door dings. Through the winter I'll be pulling and prepping a set of doors, trunk and hood. Then in the spring/early summer the car will get a fresh paint job (in the same "Cherry Red").

Beautiful car! It was nice meeting you at Scanwest last month. Well done with all the hard work you've put into this car so far.
Thanks! It was great to meet you and see your fantastic car in person as well. All the minor things I'm doing to this car make me appreciate even more how much you've done with yours!

Car looks very nice, Mike!

@Rawill -- I've seen a couple flatnose 900s with grilles and headlight surrounds painted flat black. I think they look pretty darn sharp. A friend with a black '90 SPG painted his grille flat black, and that also looks pretty nice IMO. If you paint yours black and don't like it, there are "chrome" spray paints available to re-spray. Not sure how good they look vs. original, though...

gorper, thanks.

My 900s vert has a perfect grille.

It is the 9000 Cd and 9000griffin that have the grilles with dodgy chrome that I have wondered about painting. But I guess that means taking all the chrome off first. A big task I think.

I stopped by Scanwest today and they were kind enough to sell me an oil return line from a 16 valve. As I suspected, there is in fact a knock out plug in back of the engine (toward the grille) at the same location as the 16 valve turbo on the 8 valve N/A for this 1986 model (and probably all 8v from '86 on). Even the guys at Scanwest were somewhat surprised by that (they insisted on looking for themselves even), but that's the way it is. So in review, the oil supply and return lines needed for a 1986 model 8v N/A that you wish to turbo are those from a 16 valve turbo, NOT a 1985 or earlier 8v turbo (If you can find an '86 or later 8 valve turbo, I'd reckon they match the 16 valve lines). Just verify your needs by checking the locations on the block before making any assumptions about compatibility.

Car looks very nice, Mike!

@Rawill -- I've seen a couple flatnose 900s with grilles and headlight surrounds painted flat black. I think they look pretty darn sharp. A friend with a black '90 SPG painted his grille flat black, and that also looks pretty nice IMO. If you paint yours black and don't like it, there are "chrome" spray paints available to re-spray. Not sure how good they look vs. original, though...
Thanks! As cool as the 3 door turbo I had at the Scanwest BBQ is, I really prefer this car to it and once it has at least a bit more umph behind it, I'll probably rarely feel the urge to drive the 3 door anyways. ;)

I'm hoping you can be a sounding board on this, but I was pondering the distributor for this setup and it occured to me that I will not be facing the same timing issues that you did with the 16 valve N/A and EZK timing. As far as I can tell and my experience has shown in tuning the 8 valves, there is absolutely nothing electronic to interfere with the mechanical timing of the engine, so there would be no point in this case to disabling the advance feature of a turbo distributor diaphram. It would seem that I would actually have no advance at all without it.

If this is correct, all I have to do is simply connect the vacuum line to the diaphram and it should make timing adjustment properly in both advancing and retarding, other than the fact that it was optimized for a slightly different cam timing in terms of the scale at which advancing/retarding occurs. I'm thinking I'll set the initial timing to be at spec for an 8 valve turbo of the same year or even a whisker toward the timing of the N/A since I won't be boosting hard and see where I'm at then. Thoughts?

That's a drain for a 16 valve not an 8 valve....the 8 valve drains are WAY different

PRE '84 ones are different, '84 onwards are all the same, 8v or 16v.

In the US we didn't have turbos on 8 Valves after 84....85 on where all 16 valves

In the US we didn't have turbos on 8 Valves after 84....85 on where all 16 valves


my first C900 was an '82 and for some reason it had an '84 engine in it, the bottom end is the same as a 16v. the '82 5 door i currently own has its original engine, which has the screw-in type return line, i might end up putting it in my 900i, as i am having sealing problems with the later, solid pipe. i had to modify it a little cos i have the RB20 turbo in it, the older ones have a flexible pipe as opposed to the later solid pipe.

That I realize...I just sometimes that Saab did things differently outside the states. As for the hard pipe not sealing well, the only issues I have had have been from poorly clocked/machined turbos and more-so warped flanges due to overtightening

i had to extend the pipe about 30mm, because i didnt get it spot on it leaks quite bad, i got annoyed at is so i packed the hell out of it with RTV... still leaking.... grrrrr

According to the Haynes guide, the cam shaft timing of the N/A and the Turbo (with APC) are identical, meaning the cam shafts are identical. Additionally, the specs state that the distributor should be adjusted to the same timing for the Turbo as the N/A (20deg BTDC @ 2000 RPMs with vacuum advance disconnected/plugged). That combination suggests to me that the vacuum/boost advancing/retarding as provided by the stock 8 valve Turbo distributor should match the cam shaft timing in the N/A just as it would in the Turbo. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the 8 valve U.S. Turbo and N/A besides the Turbo specific add-ons is the lower compression pistons on the Turbo. As it currently stands, I'll be setting the timing as per the above specs, leaving the advance/retard as per stock Turbo, and keeping the boost set low to start. I'll probably track down an intercooler soon just to lower the temps entering the engine, hopefully reducing the chances of knocking/detonation, not so much to facilitate an increased boost. Curious if anyone has alternate suggestions regarding timing?

due to the higher compression of your engine it will be more likely to knock under boost. suggest you set the ignition timing a couple of degrees back, if specs say 20, set yours at 17-18.

Yes, I believe the ignition system on your car is basically the same as 16V Turbo: dist., ignition control module, coil, etc.; no EZK-type control. So, yeah, don't defeat the advance.

I think timing will be fine until you run more boost. In fact, w/premium fuel, you could probably advance timing a few degrees to get better off-boost performance. (The ability to run more advance was why it was recommended that I keep my '86's EZK but add a Turbo dist. for retard.) Back it off with more boost, though, or tweak the capsule (simple to do) to give more retard under boost.

Have you tested the vac. capsule to confirm the diaphragm isn't torn?

Do you have an APC installed?

I've never seen a c900 intercooler at the pull-a-part unless the car had been in a front-ender and IC was broken. Dan may have a spare; PM him if interested.

Yes, I believe the ignition system on your car is basically the same as 16V Turbo: dist., ignition control module, coil, etc.; no EZK-type control. So, yeah, don't defeat the advance.

I think timing will be fine until you run more boost. In fact, w/premium fuel, you could probably advance timing a few degrees to get better off-boost performance. (The ability to run more advance was why it was recommended that I keep my '86's EZK but add a Turbo dist. for retard.) Back it off with more boost, though, or tweak the capsule (simple to do) to give more retard under boost.

Have you tested the vac. capsule to confirm the diaphragm isn't torn?

Do you have an APC installed?

I've never seen a c900 intercooler at the pull-a-part unless the car had been in a front-ender and IC was broken. Dan may have a spare; PM him if interested.
I was just looking at the diaphragm last night and discovered that it isn't funtional, whether torn or otherwise, so I guess I have to put that back on the list of needed parts.

I have the APC system ready to install and should have it in this weekend, but I'm still sorting out some of the wiring and trying to figure out how to wire it in to the best use of it's features with some help from a guide at turbobricks.com and a few other locations.

I have never been fortunate enough to find an intercooler intact at the junk yard either. I may have a line on one though, if not I'll get a hold of Dan.

A few things to update:

First, I discovered that the 8 valve N/A distributor CAN BE ADVANCED OR RETARDED. By removing the diaphragm mounting screws and sliding it in the direction necessary to retard the timing, I found that it will move around 3 times further in the direction of retard than it moves in the direction of advance. My theory before checking was that they used the same distributor with different diaphragms and while I can't be 100% sure, the fact that a N/A distributor is capable of such great amounts of retarding would seem to indicate that this may very well be so. What I DO know is that I can almost certainly affix a turbo diaphragm directly to it and expect to get both advancing and retarding. This surely opens up the availability of good replacement distributors for ANY 8 valve turbo as you could simply swap a good diaphragm onto a good 8 valve N/A distributor in the event that your 8 valve turbo distributor fails. I'll do some timing tests once I've acquired a turbo diaphragm and post the results (from previous post, my current turbo diaphragm is toast). As difficult as it is proving to be to find turbo diaphragms, I would recommend that anyone relying on them purchase some backups before they are permanently unavailable.

I was able to pick up a 9000 turbo intercooler so that I can make it a FMIC. I understand that it may not be as easy or ideal as others, but the fact that it is FM should still make it perform better than the stock 900 would (which I don't have anyways). I'm working out how I'll be piping it and should have it figured out soon, provided the weather gets reasonable sometime in the near future!

The person I acquired the IC from also provided me with a spare 9000 front seat (with the motorized controls). I'll be making a 1/4 inch steel mounting adapter for them so that they will bolt on using the original mounting system. Essentially, mount the adapter, then mount the seats. They are a bit wider than the stock, but not in terms of the actualy visual of the seats themselves (in fact they may be a little smaller that way). The additional width is simply a product of the motorized ways and the controls. There is just enough room on the outside to use the controls with the doors closed, though tight. There is also enough room for the center console without modification (the seats will be as close to the center as possible). It appears, however, that I'll have to disassemble the seat back from the seat bottom and reverse the driver/passenger backs. The lumbar support interfers with the seatbelt spool which is mounted about 15 inches off the floor on the 4 door models. This prevents reclining of the seat. Reversing the backs will put the lumbar adjustment into the center of the car and provide just enough clearance for reclining. Unlike 2-door or 3 door models, the 4 door is an excellent candidate for this update due to the lack of need for a flip forward seat to access the rear. I'll be buying another pair (I only got one beater seat for experimenting) from the same guy and they match up with the rear leather seat I currently have very well. This will be the style that is stitched similarly to 900 leather seats.

After pulling the grille and headlight surrounds off yesterday, I've decided that I'll most likely try to put the 9000 intercoooler in upside down, meaning the in/out ports will be at the top instead of the bottom. I'll have to make a custom cross member and the piping will have to run inside of the inner parklights (I'll cut them out from the back and then paint the inside of the lens to hide it), but it looks like it's doable. With the piping on the top, it should simplify and minimize the piping necessary, particularly the piping going to the throttle body. This should also prevent the need to cut into anything from the bottom including the tow hooks. It appears that the height of the IC is just right to fit between what's already there provided that the top crossmember is notched a little just on the outside of the outter mounting holes for the grille. The only interference would seem to be that the upper inside mounting point for both headlights may dissappear and it's difficult to say at this point whether or not I'll be able to restore it on the modified crossmember, which will have an integrated in/out duct about the width of each headlight running through it on each side.

Sadly, this project will not be finished. The car was in an accident the other day and while it survived well enough to drive away, there is enough damage to the unibody that I consider it unsafe if it were to be in another collision. Sadly, it's just more economical to get another entire car that to fix the damage. I'll be stripping it down to the shell, perhaps even retaining some of the unaffected steel. I'm considering rolling it into a new project; a "90" style body. I'm going to look into using the rear steel from this sedan (yes, I know it's slightly different than a 2 door rearend) to build onto a hatch body along with the front end of a 99. Once I've procured everything I need to start on the body, I'll start a new project thread.

I'll also be completely rebuilding and engine and transmission for this upcoming project and have already cleaned up, painted and honed a block. I've also completely disassembled a functioning '93 transmission and will be fitting it into a '89 tranny case so as to retain the drain plug along with all new bearings. The case has also already been cleaned up and only needs a quick sandblasting on the outside of the casting to look just like new. This project will be a ground up build of what I consider my dream Saab.

As to the success of this project as shown in the thread, I would suggest that it is very feasible to turbo an 8 valve n/a.

sorry to hear about that mate. at least you weren't injured though :)

what actually happened? (if you dont mind me asking)

sorry to hear about that mate. at least you weren't injured though :)

what actually happened? (if you dont mind me asking)
Yep, no one injured and it was really not a very serious accident. The car 2 cars in front of me stopped suddenly on the interstate (not sure why, traffic was moving at normal speed, 60mph), which at my following distance would not have been a problem had it not coincided with me shoulder checking to change lanes at the same time only to turn my eyes forward and find the car in front of me stopping. I should clarify that I was intending to change lanes as I needed to move toward an exit lane to get where I was going, not that I was trying to weave through traffic. :) Had it occurred a moment earlier, I would have had plenty of time to come to a complete stop without a problem.

I do have to say that I can see where in this case antilock brakes may well have made all the difference in preventing a collision and I'm giving that some consideration for future upgrades. I figure that stopping about one or two feet sooner would have been enough (one foot too far is a significant impact really) and I'm positive I lost more than that due to locked up brakes. The damage is very minimal in appearance to both my car and the one I hit, but just enough to require replacement of the front passenger fender and possible the driver's as well (hard to tell by just looking at the fender, but the hood seems too far back on both sides by about 1/4 inch just touching the front of the body metal where the wipers protrude from). I didn't even realize I had that much damage until I took a much closer look later, but it is obvious that it is structurally significant.

I had been hit in the front by a truck that hit and ran the SAAB in a parking lot last summer in Camrose, Alberta, so I suspect that there was already a little compromising to the structure before this collision as well. My hood hasn't opened properly since then and now I can't get it open at all.

The car already had some other body issues that I would have been willing to deal with such as a damaged rear wheel arch (not from a collision, so still structural just looked like it rubbed a parking column from the previous owner) and misc. dents and door dings. The added damage at the front just makes it much more appealing to get something without those issues to start over with.

i did the same sort of thing, except the car i hit was parked on the side of the road..
- checked blind spot, look in front.. bang.. it wiped out the LHF of the car but i managed to fix most of it up. the car was eventually wrecked for other structural problems.. like a floor made of rust..

its sad to see another C900 being scrapped, but i am looking forward to seeing your next project when you start it. will you be staying with the 8v or going T16?

Yes, I've now learned that looking in directions other than the one you are traveling in has it's dangers, even when it's necessary to navigate. ;)

I suspect that I'll be able to recycle 90% of the car and can find a home for what I don't use myself. I'll be keeping all the doors,the front grille/headlights/turnsignals (all still in excellent shape), the entire interior, the engine/transmission (both in excellent working order), the entire rear end including lights, the entire brake/suspension system, steering rack, etc. The only thing that will get scrapped will be about 2/3 of the body metal, a bad windshield and scratched rear window. Even my radiator is still intact and the A/C system seems to have held the coolant (it has the newer refridgerant modifications) if that give you some idea how mild the impact was.

As for the engine, I'm building up a 16 valve and will probably use that one. It's out of my '85 3 door and I'll be using that body to build up the "90" style body. I have a friend of a friend who does extensive rebuilds of unibodies and just finished up my friend's '69 Dodge Charger R/T, which was rusted out in many places. He did an amazing job and I hope to get at the very least some input on assembling a unibody properly and safely. I also have a Saab service manual that has some information about where it is acceptable to weld and what the specifications are for various repairs to structural sheet metal, so I plan to put that information to use as well. The specifications are a lot more liberal than I would have guessed, so I've got a lot of options for putting it together I believe. I've welded a lot of 1/16th inch steel tubing before, so I expect that welding sheet metal will be similar. If nothing else, I'll have plenty of scrap car metal to practice on before I scrap it. :D

Back to the engine, as much as I like the 8 valves, I plan to go a bit more modern and use T5, so 16 vavle will make more sense. I did actually consder using t5 with an 8 valve and modifying the intake manifold to use a fuel rail, but I'm just not that sentimental about it. Outside of the '89 turbo I bought for my wife, I've never had anything but 8 valves and I'm always amazed at how much smoother my wife's car runs. I do like the gruntier (if that's a word) feel of the 8 valves though and will probably build something up on a later project.

For now, what I'm thinking is that I'll be using a 2.1L head, intake manifold, and throttle body to work with the T5 (I've collected several of these over the last year). I've got several '85 exhaust cams as well, so I'll put one to use to go with the standard 2.1L intake cam. I've already cleaned up a head and I'm deciding how far I want to go with refurbishing it. I'll stick with the stock exhaust manifold for now. I'll be using the rods from the '85 and installing new bearings and thrust washers (the original bearings are well within tolerances using plastigage, but since I've already got them out....). The rings I have appear and measure out to be very good, so I'm on the fence about replacing them. The engine was at around 100,000 miles, but it was from the original owner and he had maintained the car impeccably with records of oil changes at 3000 like clockwork. The crosshatching was still prominently visible in the cylinders so I've decided just to hone them. I'm omitting the oil cooler, but I'll add a oil temp gauge. The placement of the oil cooler has always been a concern to me and I'd prefer not having one to having the factory cooler. That combined with the improvements to the oil itself since SAAB designed the car lead me to believe I'm better off without the cooler. I'll also be using the older design oil-only Garret turbo as per the '85. That's about as far as I've thought about so far. I'm still working on welding up an engine stand adapter to replicate what I see in my SAAB service manuals. Until then, I've gone as far as I can.

I'm thinking of picking this up later this week. Owner says it overheats, so either a bad waterpump/thermostat or a bad head gasket. Either way, an relatively easy fix. I won't mind an auto for a while as well, I think they're kinda fun to drive with them. Owner says the body is very straight with no rust.

http://bellingham.craigslist.org/cto/1561066932.html

one thing with the oil cooler, it's best if you do have one, especially with a turbo. the one i had n my 900i was too small and causing all sorts of problems, i still suspect that oil temp had something to do with the turbo's i kept frying (3 turbos in 2 days :S)..

and if the engine is apart then you might as well replace the rings just to be on the safe side..

i was once a big fan of the 8v's too.. until i drove a 16v...

looks like you have a bit of work ahead of you, i wish you all the best with the next one :D

After more careful examination and some hard work, I've managed to straighten out most of the damages from the collision. Also, it turns out that the structural portion of the front end is unharmed, only the passenger fender needs any work (which I mostly hammered out already). That said, I'll continue to work on this project and the car lives to see another day!

I found another 4-door with a solid back end that I can use for the "90" project at the self service wrecking yard. The car would get crushed either way, so that will make better use of a car already on it's way out. I also found an '80(?) 99 with a decent front end to use for the project. I'll be more detailed once I start that project, but my preliminary observations are that I'll have to "stretch" the fenders and hood to make it work the way I would like. It will still be about 2-3 inches shorter overall in the front, but not as much shorter as the 99 is, which simply complicates the engine compartment.

Anyways, back to installing the turbo on my 4-door! I'll probably try and finish this up this week. I've got to do some welding on the exhaust and then it will go in. Everything else is ready to go right in. :)

well its good to hear that you're keeping it :D
now as for the fender, when i crashed mine, i replaced it. this takes a bit of work though, i spent 3 days on it, including getting a new fender from the (self serve) wrecker. once you drill all of the spot welds out (which obviously takes the longest) all you have to do is cut the fender off the wheel arch (where the bonnet slide rail is) and undo one or two bolts. its best if you tackle it with a mig welder though.. i used rivets until i could gain access to a mig..

http://fc07.deviantart.com/fs50/f/2009/288/9/a/9adc0d67b930523743ab7074873d7c0b.jpg
I just cant get enough of pre facelift non aero 4d sedans, my fav. c900 style.
Nice project btw:)

Just some photos of the project ongoing. First, pulling some of the damaged metal back into shape. Next, after reassembly/realignment. Finally, with the addition of a convertible spoiler and window louvers.

There's still work to be done to fully repair the passenger fender and I'll eventually replace the structure surrounding the radiator, but for the most part its all good for now. :)

I was intending to finish welding up my exhaust this week and get the turbo installed, but instead found myself distracted by a new purchase. I'll be spending a bit of time on my new (to me) '86T convertible, but will get back to this soon. ;)

Finally, I took the plunge yesterday and today! I've now got a turbo system installed in the sedan. There are a couple glitches to work out and I've also got to finish up the APC system (just to be cautious).

Here's some general pictorial regarding the install:

Removal of the old manifold.
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0446_001.jpg

Pulling the plug for the return line was probably the single most difficult task. It was really in there!
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0449.jpg

The lower middle mounting stud must be longer for the turbo manifold. As you can see, the casting is thicker.
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0452.jpg

Installed turbo manifold, turbo and plumbing.
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0453.jpg

The battery was too low and the body forced it toward the down pipe, making it impossible to fit. I just added some pipe spacers that I welded down to the body and then sprayed everything with undercoating. The batter itself will rest several inches about the sheet metal, so it should last for quite some time.
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0455.jpg
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0456.jpg

The finished (almost) installation.
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0457.jpg

Further work today has ironed out everything but a small exhaust rattle (downtube may be 1/2" too long?). I had some issues with pressurizing the crankcase. This resulted in oil spewing out every possible way including the dipstick tube and heavy oil consumption from leaking past the oil seals in the turbo. After reconfiguring the crankcase ventilation, that has all gone away entirely. Here is a photo illustrating the needed configuration:
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0471.jpg

The photo below is showing the relocation of the crankcase ventilation pipe, which normally goes into the throttle body where the black plug now resides. This MUST be done, or you will get massive pressure in the crankcase, causing oil to leak past the turbo seals and even shoot out of the dipstick tube. I speak from experience, haha!

This relocation provides the necessary outlet for the crankcase to breath without venting to the atmosphere while also preventing the pressurization by it's new location BEFORE the turbo in the intake system. The fitting is a standard Ford style elbow with a 5/8 inch hose nipple at each end. I found this at Napa, though the rubber grommet I used turned out to be a little loose and will be delt with later. For now I used a hose clamp to seal this better, but left it out for clarity on the photo.
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0465.jpg

Other than reattaching my O2 sensor and wiring the APC, this is the completed installation now including intercooler:
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0467.jpg

Today I installed a 16 valve intercooler system to further help prevent knock on the higher compression N/A engine now that the turbo is in. The system installs pretty easily, but there is a difference where the Air Mass Meter would usually reside on the 16 valve. A flexible/bellows style connector found in a Saab 9000 Turbo was the solution. It was a perfect fit around the outside of the snorkel and also perfect on the intake-to-turbo pipe.

The whole 16 valve intercooler system is a very tight fit but it does fit with some coaxing. Various parts of the air cleaner snorkel need to be squished a bit and the intake snorkel, which is normally located where the intercooler sits, must be relocated to the same position as the 16 valve turbo intake snorkel; hanging over the side of the engine bay.
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/N-A_Turbo_Conversion/Photo0463.jpg

Just some photos of the project ongoing. First, pulling some of the damaged metal back into shape. Next, after reassembly/realignment. Finally, with the addition of a convertible spoiler and window louvers.

There's still work to be done to fully repair the passenger fender and I'll eventually replace the structure surrounding the radiator, but for the most part its all good for now. :)
Can you give more details about puling the damaged metal back into shape? I have seen this method several times but never find out how it is done. Basically, you tie the car to something and try to drive in opposite direction, yes? But is it important where to tie (the car) depending on what side is damaged (if right back side is not good, shall I tied it on the same side), how hard to pull etc. I want to try it on the back side of the car.

Can you give more details about puling the damaged metal back into shape? I have seen this method several times but never find out how it is done. Basically, you tie the car to something and try to drive in opposite direction, yes? But is it important where to tie (the car) depending on what side is damaged (if right back side is not good, shall I tied it on the same side), how hard to pull etc. I want to try it on the back side of the car.
I didn't drive the vehicle backwards much. I tried that a bit at first but thought there was a better chance of making it worse than better. Afterwards, I just put it in reverse with the ignition off, pulled the parking brake and then used a ratcheting 2 inch strap to slowly pull it out. In my case, I was just straightening the radiator support/surround which was the only thing really pushed in. I just put the hook of the strap on the top end of the support and that pretty much pulled it out. The support did end up getting damaged from the hook, but since this is more of a daily driver I was shooting for functionally repaired rather than quality repaired. ;)

The strap was basically like those used as hold downs on commercial trucks.

I didn't drive the vehicle backwards much. I tried that a bit at first but thought there was a better chance of making it worse than better.
That crossed my mind too...
Afterwards, I just put it in reverse with the ignition off, pulled the parking brake and then used a ratcheting 2 inch strap to slowly pull it out.
I will try my luck with hydraulic jack supported on the wheel well with some wood pieces added.
In my case, I was just straightening the radiator support/surround which was the only thing really pushed in. I just put the hook of the strap on the top end of the support and that pretty much pulled it out. The support did end up getting damaged from the hook, but since this is more of a daily driver I was shooting for functionally repaired rather than quality repaired.


My car needs some body work which is going to happen this spring hopefully. Need to practice MIG welding, and few weeks ago, for the first time in my life I have seen the welder in person :o
Car is with me for more than two years now and I did not mind that rear wing too much, but now I will give it a try since it have some rust to be removed from all four wheel arches and some extra work. Functional repairs are mine goal too, if it comes out nice even better :)

Thanks for reply

After around 1000 miles now, the turbo installation is working very well. No issues at this point and performance is just about what I had hoped for. With 92 octane fuel, I'm able to consistently boost to 5psi without any knocking at all. There is no sign that the engine is experiencing anything it can't take and oil consumption is not an issue. I'm not leaking or burning anything significant despite the fact that the turbo was well used when I got it.

I can say that any current issues that exist before conversion will likely be amplified by the conversion. It is important that fueling and spark systems be well tuned or stuttering and poor performance will be quite noticeable where they weren't so much before hand. I unknowingly had a bad o2 sensor which produced poor, but livable performance before, but was too much to bear once the turbo was thrown into the mix. Once I got everything tuned up well, everything started operating as it should and the boosting is now quite smooth. There isn't really any issue that I have found with the existing N/A fuel system so long as it is operating correctly. There is more than enough fuel to keep up with the 5 psi boost and the distributor modified with the turbo vacuum advance/retard has been working very well. Hopefully, some of this project will be useful to others in the future!