G's baby... Saabarella

[unkleG'sif]

Right,
i figured i would get in on the Project Forum action myself, altho i dont think my project is as nuts as some, or anywhere near as fast paced in terms of actual progress (partly due to my rubbish salary - charities arent know for their generous remuneration), and partly due to me being a lazy ar$e :roll:

so, work carried out to date include (in no particular order)

new gearbox as previous owner had run it dry :evil:
new engine when i blew a valve (original still sitting on my drive, much to landlords dissaproval ;) )
40mm drop from ebaytastic find - £40 for some (intrax i think) springs
16", exposed lug Super Aero's from the classified here, were originally on a 9000 i think
Redbox APC mod, now upgraded to 900aero mod - one word... "wow"
soon to have Si's Twintercooler mk1 fitted, which i will mate with SaabDaniels apc mod, to eliminate boost taper (currently i get 18, then back to 10 psi)
Knock LED to go in, when ive finally sorted position of boost gauge - at the moment its in th 3gauge panel below the ashtray.... going to swap the radio and panel round, install a oil temp in its place, and maybe have the boost gauge and knock led on the dash top, by the pillar
I have 4 new shocks, and 4 new ball joints waiting to go on.... just waiting for some spare hands to be available to help me out (rather get it done in a weekend, than do it myself and run out of time)
I also have a Carlsson kit (minus front bumper, anyone remember the link for the ebay guys that were doing repo's at £90? had the link but its been deleted by ebay!!) waiting to go on.... I am still torn between doing the kit in coded Scarabe Green, or Aero Grey
will also do the 2.5 or 3" downpipe with slim battery mod one day, as well as a de-cat
she has a few little dents and scrapes, but as she is metalic, small blending resprays are out of the question, so the whole panels would need to be done - one for later me-thinks
Right, well its T minus 60 minutes till MOT time, so im off to double check bulbs etc - wish her luck ;)

G
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/drg23/Saabarella_Side.sized.jpg (http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/drg23/Saabarella_Side?full=1)
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/drg23/3_Saab_G.sized.jpg (http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/drg23/3_Saab_G?full=1)

[unkleG'sif]

$h!tbag, ba$tard MOT'er has jibbed me off... he obviously thinks its far more important to go out on a long lunch than look after his customers who have already made prior bookings with him :evil:

thats totally spoilt my day now
G

[Albert Trout]

Worse things happen at sea mate. Count to 10 and make yourself a nice cuppa.:cheesy:

[unkleG'sif]

Worse things happen at sea mate. Count to 10 and make yourself a nice cuppa.:cheesy:

one step ahead of you there Al... altho for me to not have a brew on the go means im either dead, or run out of milk/teabags/electric to boil kettle etc ;)

[Matthew]

anyone remember the link for the ebay guys that were doing repo's at £90?
Nope, but these guys do polyurethane Airflow kits from the genuine Saab molds:
http://www.rbmperformance.com/accueil/index.php

Also check out Malbrad (01484 544556) who do replicas in fibreglass. £125 IIRC.

[unkleG'sif]

cheers matthew.
i have both of those details cheers.... i think the rbm guys are pretty expensive (and in france, so prob wont be back that way until le mans next year :cool: ), and ive spoken to malbrad, and he does his for £200 (last time I looked anyway).

This guy had the mold, and could knock them out for £90 on demand.... he was doing whales' as well

G

[Matthew]

In poly or fibreglass? £90 is good!

How much were RBM?

[unkleG'sif]

http://www.rbmperformance.com/articles/articles.php?id_article=644


500euro somthing.... not sure what that equates to in real money
the £90 ones were in FG, however my rear one is FG too, so im not really too fussed (i'd rather have a parking shunt in a fibreglass copy, than a genuine GRP one anyway - slightly less guilt, and slightly less gutted if it fell off ;) )

G

[Matthew]

€485 is £325 :o Each :o :o

Then €400 (£268) for the wheel arch extensions :o :o :o

A paltry £918 for the whole kit.

[Albert Trout]

€485 is £325 :o Each :o :o

Then €400 (£268) for the wheel arch extensions :o :o :o

A paltry £918 for the whole kit.

That's bonkers.

Those guys on e-bay appear to have dissappeared G. I take it you're talking about the boy who was selling replica whaletails, and said he did some Carlsson stuff as well? Keep an eye out and I'm sure he'll reappear at some point.

[Si]

G, these guys did the replic stuff, no Saab kits on at the mo but you could try mesaging them through ebay to see if you can get them.


http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Cool-Kitz

Also the guy who does the oil temp sender for the 900 has a couple of bumpers avail, i don't think he's too keen on posting them though due to the size so you'd need to take a trip to somewhere near London, where he is based.

He quoted me £100 for a rear bumper.

[unkleG'sif]

CoolKitz... they're the ones... cheers Si
I had the link in my Watch List on ebay, but it dissapeared :evil:

Like I say, even if he doesnt have an item in, he has the molds to do one from.... he seemed chippa and ammenable on the phone, so im tempted to go with him


Saaabarella failed here MOT btw... 2 tires (which i knew about, and headlights pointing too low :cry: )

G

[Matthew]

My MOT place just adjust the headlamps so they're correct! Lamps out, no problem - whack in a new bulb. Handbrake too weedy? Stamp on the footbrake :lol:

If anything truly was dangerous then they'd fail the car.

My 8v is going in for its MOT on Friday, so I hope they're feeling beneficent :o :cry: <cutesy-voice>Pleeeeeeease don't fail my Saaby, please</cutesy-voice>

:o
:lol:

[unkleG'sif]

..... ooops, i asked the tyre guy for 205 50's, but got 205 55's..... £tenners worth of free rubber ;) :roll:
G

[unkleG'sif]

all passed the MOT now - ended up getting it completely free :cool:
got chatting to Bob the owner of the garage, and mentioned that i advise businesses on environmental stuff, and spent about an hour talking about his waste, and what he needs to do to ensure safe disposal etc....

he said that i culd have the retest £20) free, but i "forgot" to mention that his mate told me to pay for the initial test (£30) when i pay for the restest..... so......

£30 MOT free
£20 retest free
£80 Contisport 2 tires reduced to £35, then to £30

Happy Days! :cool:
Twintercooler, a la Si !!!

[unkleG'sif]

DAMN!

New master cylinder, all back together in the dying light.... and she wont start!
Leaving for christmas tonite, no time to investigate


The worst part is, i'll have to travel the length and breath of the country, IN A FIESTA :o

[unkleG'sif]

update from the workshop threads - not that anyone will really be interested in this, its more for my own log of events than actual progress :roll: ;)

having replaced the master cyl, and not managed to find out why she wouldnt start, and bustin off the 3pin plug on the ditributor, i have finally got her going again with a distributor swap, with a few little fettles to sort out... i need to set the timing properly, and the moment she hestitates a little on boost and mid range revs.... timing gun from ebay needed me thinks

ive decided to SORN her for a month at least, so as to a) save some money by not driving to work, and b) not be bothered if a saturday of work on her doesnt get completed

stuff to do includes:

4 new shocks
Si's Twintercooler Mk2 must go on (this involves the rad tipping exercise, so a good time to get the bumper off, get the wing/bumper peices hanging straight again, and remove the headlight wipers) will also get one of those stainless pipe kits off ebay for the IC install
new front engine mount
poss new inner drivers and or cups
maybe swap windscreen withe the 5dr auto parts car, as mine still has a chip
if i manage it, i also want to track down all the oil leaks and fix them, hopefully not an engine out job
like i say, its not as intersting as most other Project threads, and dont expect anyone to get excited, but if I have written it down, then i am committed, so have more chance to get things done :cool:

Right, i'm off for a brew
G

[unkleG'sif]

not really related too the GreenMachine, but wanted to bask in my own glory.... TJ (http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/member.php?userid=17226)and I (with many lovely brews along the way :cool: ), took the engine out of my blue car in the pouring rain and sleet today


happy days
G

[Si]

Have you thought about mounting the twintercooler upside down and doing the normal FMIC pipework route? I'm contemplating putting an ebay IC on the NG at the moment, it's a very similar route to the normal c900 FMIC plumbing, i could do the same rad tilt, but i don't think i can be bothered!Anyway it would be an easier install, even just for the short term until you do it properly with the radiator tilted.

[unkleG'sif]

it had crossed my mind Si, but that would basically reduce the design of the IC to that of any other FMIC... the benefit of your design is the extra short pipework

G

[unkleG'sif]

Dear Diary :lol:

spent the day scrabling around on the cold driveway, in the fog, putting new ball joints, shock, and lower wishbone on Saabarella (previously stripped the thread on the shock stude on the wishbone, so swapping for spare), only to strip the thread on the new one... SH!T :cry:

now i need another one..... there's a lovely pot of tea for anyone willing to donate their spare lower offside ;)

[unkleG'sif]

update time.......
Saabarella is flying again, with 4 new ball joints, new wishbones, and 4 shocks

need to get a timing gun and set the timing right as i am getting knock all over the place (although Tesco had run out of proper petrol, so may be that :roll: )

inspired now to get things back up and sorted
she's just done a 150 mile blast down the M6 to my nephews haouse in worcester (actualy, jonah is siting on my lap right now, asking lots of questions about Smilie faces and what sarcastic means......:p )

he is also going to help me today, with some rubing down of the beetle, and washing Sabarella - he's very good at wheel cleaning - altho, while showing me what Steven Gerad does when taking a penalty, he fel over and has a graze on his elbow :cry:

right, brew time, lets have a lovely cup of tea
G

[Si]

Dear Diary :lol:


Are you going to change your user name to Gmole?:lol:

You still planning on getting the twintercooler on?

[unkleG'sif]

definately Si - just not got round to it yet

gonna do a bulk order of stainless bends for downpipe (found a good deal on a second hand JT system, so will just add the bends to take DP up to turbo exit) and intercooler pipework

unfortunately, priority at the moment is paying bills and saving for carpet, chrome, paint and interior for the Veedub, which will no doubt run up to about a £Grand :o

G

[IronJoe]

priority at the moment is the Veedub

fixed it for ya ;)

I'm bringing mine out of winter storage for it's continued work-in-progress... what are your plans?

[Tomarse]

I thought that G's VW was a diesel car? or do you have a proper Veedub too?

Campervan crew representing :) (though mine aint a silly little VW :p ;) )

[unkleG'sif]

diesel shmeisel.... :evil: ;)
its a 1961 (thats little window, post oval) 1200 Delux, in Gulf (or Ocean) Blue, and will, when I finally finish it, be a full on Resto Cal (only minus the stupidly powerful engine they all seem to have - big power requires fat rear tires, which just aint me).... veedubs to me are Low 'n' Slow

so far ive done:

new heater chanels
new door post repairs
new left quarter panel (all of it)
new front valence and spare wheel bucket
new right side quarter repair (just lower, not complete)
new rear quarter repairs
new heater chanel end plates
new rear bumper hangers
new rear valence
repairs to windscreen lower corners

doors/ bonnet and engine lid are 100% rot free - as are floorpans :cool:

right now, whole body is etched primed, filler primed, and 99% ready for top coat

now is when it gets expensive.... top coat, chrome, carpet, seat covers, and all thos NOS EMPI bits ain't cheap

no pics at home other than links off my signiature.... this is before i shot blasted the bottom 8 inches
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/My-Little-VW-Project/Bug_b4_Blasting_Rear_13_Aug_05.sized.jpg (http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/My-Little-VW-Project/Bug_b4_Blasting_Rear_13_Aug_05?full=1)

G

[IronJoe]

very nice G... mine's a '72 sedan, not a "collectible" year but it's of great sentimental value. It sat for 10 years til I unearthed it in Dec '05 for a resto-custom... it's going to be a little autocross wonder.

-lowered beam/drop spindles
-staggered porsche alloys (4.5 fronts, 5.5 rears)
-no rear seat
-racing front seats
-roll cage
-no carpet or headliner (rhino-liner)
-weber progressive + stock c900 turbocharger :cool:
-alternator
-shaved (no bumpers, trim, or antenna)
-etc etc etc

Right now it's pretty much ready for paint. Lots of little rust repair has been done. Going with Tornado Red with the Ghostbusters logo on the doors.

/bug

[unkleG'sif]

coz mines a '61, its got king and link pins, not spindles and ball joints, so dropping it the weeds is easier :cool:
i wont bother with a narrowed beam unless i find that i'm wanting it even lower, and the tires are damaging the ORIGINAL wings ive still got for the front :cool:

one day
http://myspace-070.vo.llnwd.net/01512/07/05/1512715070_l.jpg (http://http://www.restowagenuk.com/gallery/albums/international2/DSC06344.jpg)

(but in L390 blue)

G

[ShadowWorks]

You know I called my girl friend/wife a Beetle and she got the hump:roll:

She said I basically called her a fat, short, ugly car:o

I said "NOOOOOO"

Its a true classic with a unique sound, style and lots of character, its the most famous rebuilt car in the world people love them and they look stunning:lol:

Thats was a close call, I almost got my a55 handed to me on a stick:cheesy:

[unkleG'sif]

Campervan crew representing :) (though mine aint a silly little VW :p ;) )

there is nothing silly about our Trix ;)
http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/albums/Trixie/trixie_low.sized.jpeg (http://www.saabphotos.com/gallery/Trixie/trixie_low?full=1)

G

[IronJoe]

Thats was a close call, I almost got my a55 handed to me on a stick:cheesy:


Nice save, sha. You know... the later beetles/super beetles are referred to as "fat chicks" :o :cheesy: :o

[Matthew]

I have to say, I do really like the Camper vans. Are good quality new body panels still available?

Even rotten split-screen Campers go for silly money :o

[unkleG'sif]

I have to say, I do really like the Camper vans. Are good quality new body panels still available?
Even rotten split-screen Campers go for silly money :o

sure are... you can basically buy any panel, for any variant, from any year... all really easily... even orginal NOS parts are available if you know the right people (i picked up an NOS quarter panel for the beetle at a show/swap meet for £70... should have been more like £300 ;) )

the trouble with the Splitty market, is that there are so many sub markets... for example, an unrestored minibus with original fittings and low mileage will often be worth less than an original, unrestored yet non original painted camper... and dont even begin to try and work out where a fully restored yet unwelded, german import Samba (the one with all the extra windows) fits or what they are worth :o ... yet despite this, they are a minibus not a camper, so should be cheaper!

Trix is an original, german imported Westie that was brought over here 7 years ago and had a respray around 10 years ago... but she has all the original fixtures, interior, bed, pop-top and seats... and has never been welded!!! :cool:

G

[unkleG'sif]

i just took delivery of a 2nd hand, but good condition, full JT system from the elbow back... for £100 including postage :cool:

will fit it as is, but will ultimately sort the battery out and weld in a nice, smooth set of bends from the turbo outlet and join to the JT about half way down the DP - will be realdy for Le Mans 07 :p

G

[Matthew]

You'll love the sound of that as you blast along sitting in your new leather seats :p

[unkleG'sif]

im just worried about the damage i will do to the mersey tunnels every morning :roll: :lol:


G

[unkleG'sif]

mini update....

was away with work last week, and i received a fone call from my flat mate asking where my parts car was....? turns out its been nicked off the drive :evil:

it had no engine, no front end, all ball joints etc undone (just wieght of car holding them in... someone will have fun when they try to lift it ;) )

i reckon a scrappy has been round while nobody was in and towed it away.. there are marks on the drive wher the exhaust dragged (complete, fairly new system gone too... and a spare CAT)


the other ball ache is that it still had the speedo with Cruise bits on, and having the cluster start shorting out and smoking on me while I was away, I thought "thats ok, i'll have the cruise one anyway"... gutted ;oops:

anyway.... back to Saabarella.... i still had another spare cluster, so removed the dash, split the clusters so the car still has original speedo and mileage... but i know have a stock APC guage as well as the one i fitted in the radio slot

i now know how to take the dash apart.... :cool:

G

[Matthew]

Any tips for removing and splitting the cluster? This might be a job I do on the white car, in order to get an APC gauge :D

[unkleG'sif]

its quite easy really.....



im not sure if you need to remove the knee panel or not, but mine was out anyway as i was sorting out the radio loom (swapped radio with 3xguage cluster... gauges in the centre console are rubbish, your knee blocks your view :roll: ) ... so had to extend the wiring to get power and speakers to the radio... Note... if you have to do this, you will probably have to channel out a slot in the kick panel, as the loom bends the kick panel and makes the centre console near impossible to refit



anyway, undo the 4 varying length screws in the dash (they are marked 1,2,3,4, with 1 being next to drivers door, 4 is nearest glove box - opposite way round on LHD maybe?)



the dash will now be free, but you must disconnect everything first... buttons are quite easy, they just pop off the connectors from behind (this is were taking out the kick panel is useful)..... there are quite a few things to disconnect electrically, but if you label it all up, its relatively straight forward (mirror controls, headlight switch, headlight level adjuster etc)



if you have the radio out already (or top slot is empty anyway), you can just about see in, to get access behind the heater controls.



the heater rod slides off the knob, there is a large metal clip/ring thing on the vacuum control, this needs undoing and the connecter will come away





I left the rest of the connectors for dash lights and fan control connected, as there was enough spare wire to withdraw the dash, and have it secured to one side



You will see the 4 screws that hold the cluster in place… undo these and the cluster will be free….. now just unclip the connectors on its rear, the speedo cable etc, and it can be removed (it needs a joggle to get it through the dash, but it does fit)





As for swapping the gauges…. There are 8 screws around the outside on the rear… undo these and rev counter and LPT gauge (temp and fuel, but no APC) can be removed, but be careful, as the blue circuit board is clipped to the cluster body….. the speedo will be left on its own once the 2 other gauges are removed….. swap in the speedo with the correct mileage to the new pod that you have also split in the same way, and give it all a good clean



Refitting is a reversal of above, but o found it tricky to get the vents all lined up. Its easier to get the middle ones in first, then the ones by the steering wheel, but others may find it different.



Lining up the heater rod has been covered many times on the past, but it is a little tricky…. There are wires in the way that restrict your view, but feel and touch are sufficient!



I think this is worthy of a sticky in the Workshop!!;)

G

[Matthew]

Great information G :cool: I'll stick this in the FAQ :cool:

[unkleG'sif]

Great information G :cool: I'll stick this in the FAQ :cool:

wahooo... i feel like a member of an exclusive club ;)

G

[unkleG'sif]

mini update


i can recommend to all, that is immensley satisfying, cleaning and poloshing your internal door apertures.... ;)
mine had 14 years of gunk, with perfect, factory paint underneath


also, got to manchester last nite, to find 6 nails in my 6 month old nsr tyre.... as chance would have it, my local budget partworn shop had a matching pair to the michelin pilots on the front, so for the first time EVER, i got 4 tyres the same :cool:

G

[Matthew]

Six tyres :o How'd you manage that?!

Shiney door shuts are great :D You notice them every time you get in and out of the car. Adds to the experience :cool:

[unkleG'sif]

2 new fronts for MOT, 2 rears at end of last summer, now 2 NEW rears... at least they all match now

i think its the 1st time ive ever owned a car with 4 matching tyres

G

[Matthew]

Did I write "tyres"? :roll: I meant to type "Six nails :o How'd you manage that?!".

[unkleG'sif]

Did I write "tyres"? :roll: I meant to type "Six nails :o How'd you manage that?!".


absolutely no idea... could have been there for a while i guess, the heads had almost been worn off some. donth think it was sabotageas they were all in kind of wierd angles.

all my attention has been on the front recently, and the nails were in the rear, besides, they'd be harder to spot in rear tyres

who knows! :roll:

G

[unkleG'sif]

new dash clocks and apc gauge but with original speedo/mileage.....

3xgauge swapped with radio (you can just make out the knock LED, top left of boost gauge)....

new badge in gear knob (numbers rubbed off old one... its actually the badge from old steering wheel).....

new "Turbo" steering wheel centre :cool: ... how feckin cool is that!!!!?


G

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/Gs-little-Saab/Dash_1.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/Gs-little-Saab/Dash_1?full=1)
http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/Gs-little-Saab/Dash_2.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/Gs-little-Saab/Dash_2?full=1)

[philb]

Nice work, where did you get the angled mount for the guages? pfs? And the guages themselves?

[ShadowWorks]

Those gauges look great, I would really like to get mines off the dash.


Dude is that a tape deck?:o

How come all we ever seem to put in the cubby hole is gum, electrical tape, some small screw drivers and some unknown sticky green goo?

[unkleG'sif]

it is a tape deck, but there's a 10 disc changer in the boot.....
gauges came from the parts car (bonus)....

the screws would be from where we take stuff apart and have a few bits left over when we put it all back together.... leccy tape is a general life essential, and gum is coz we generally all smell ;)

G

[philjohnhb]

the screws would be from where we take stuff apart and have a few bits left over when we put it all back together.... leccy tape is a general life essential, and gum is coz we generally all smell ;)

G

Oh so that's where you put the left-over parts - I generally put them in the oil filler, I reckon they'll eventually find their way home.

[unkleG'sif]

I reckon they'll eventually find their way home.


like migrating birds ;)

G

[Tomarse]

I keep all the left over screws in my ash tray along with lots of small change.

I had to raid it for cash the other day after I left my wallet at home and needed to buy some food and from a completely full ash tray I only made around 80p in very manky coppers :(

[unkleG'sif]

the rattles from the loose change would do my head in.... there's enough dodgy noises in the car as it is, making it sound like a charity collection box would send me over the edge :p

G

[unkleG'sif]

i got to work today, only to find that when i switched the radio off, the car was sounding horrific... very much like a tugboat (i know the usually do to a certain extent, but today was even more-so)!

i was late in this morning, thanks to nightmare pi$$head neighbours and having to call the police, so will have a little nose in the carpark at lunch, but it really worries me, and Le Mans is just 4 weeks away :o :cry:

G

[Saab-Daniel]

Hopefully a failing exhaust just?? :(
Otherwise, we need sound-files...
Daniel.

[unkleG'sif]

I hope so dan... i have a full JT system in the basement waiting to go on!!!

G

[Matthew]

Check the bolts that secure the downpipe to the cast turbo elbow.

If the engine sounds even and drives fine, then I expect this is something non-terminal :)

[unkleG'sif]

i just hope that 300 mile round trip on saturday didnt upset anything ;) :p

G

[unkleG'sif]

its ok... crisis averted!


Alternator Belt had delaminated rather badly, and the bits left flying around have quite obviously munched their way thru the vac line to the Fuel Pressure Regulator :o

Cut off belt (hooray for double pulleys) at least it will get me home, and fortunately there was enough slack on the vacuum hose to make a good, fresh end!

rubbish phone pictures ;oops:

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/album80/Image004.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/album80/Image004?full=1)

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/album80/Image003.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/album80/Image003?full=1)
G

[Matthew]

Glad it was nothing serious.

That flaying belt could easily have chewed through the main LH wiring loom :o :o

i just hope that 300 mile round trip on saturday didnt upset anything ;) :p
Hey G, when you're next planning to visit Gloucester, let me know and we could meet up :lol:

[unkleG'sif]

that already happened to the previous owner... one of the clips that help the loom up near the head had broken, and the loom fell onto one of the pulleys

it only chewed through the outer armour sheild, and just ONE of the inner loom wires, so it just avoided shorting out against the head :o
all nicely wrapped back up again now tho, and re-clipped onto the head

i certainly will be in touch when im down your way again.... ;)


G

[Matthew]

Wow... makes me think it's worth fitting sturdier clips than the plastic items! I hadn't considered the risk of the loom falling onto the pulleys.

That section of loom must move quite a bit, as the engine rocks due to Saab turbocharged torque :cool: :cool: :cool:

Rock n roll :D :cool: :cool:

[unkleG'sif]

someone at the previous owners garage must have snipped the clip with some wireclippers, as it was definately cut, not broken.... i wouldnt worry about it TBH ;)


G

[Matthew]

Then I shan't :D

[unkleG'sif]

Update as of 3pm Tuesday 24th July 2007

Gearbox whine has developed rapidly into no gears.....
Gears engage, but when you lift the clutch, it sounds like the proverbial "Bag of Spanners" :o

TheAnorak is giving us a tow home tonight, then I shall get the lump out and switch boxes

I was going to do this anyway, its just brought it forward slightly ;)

G

[unkleG'sif]

taking a break from outside (engine out for gearbox swap) to have a brew and gather my thoughts....

so far i am stuck on:

- gearbox gasket set doesnt come with a engine to g'box gasket, and all the shops nearby only have sheets of gasket paper 30x30mm... i need 25x50mm to make a gasket

- oil pipe to filter housing wont come undone

- clutch fluid line to slave cylinder wont come undone


grrrrr :evil:

G

[sonett1]

I have a paper engine/box gasket if you need one?

[unkleG'sif]

cheers dave, but i found some at Karbar in Garston.... got the rest of a roll off them (about 4ft) for a few quid :cool:

G

[Palmer1980]

If the pipe to the filter housing won't come off, just take the housing itself off. I did that when I pulled my motor, and it went real easy! There is 3 13mm bolts.


When I put it back on, I used anerobic gasket sealer, and it's working great!

[Saab-Daniel]

If the pipe to the filter housing won't come off, just take the housing itself off. I did that when I pulled my motor, and it went real easy! There is 3 13mm bolts.

Agree, that is very easy to pull of...
And the gasket should be pretty easy to find... pfs, for one, should have one...
Daniel.

[unkleG'sif]

its ok fella's.... managed to get some gasket paper (pfs crossed my mind, but the box needs to go back on this weekend, and i'd be waiting a few days for postage), the pipe came off in the end (got a new 16mm spanner)

just the engine mounts left... after this next brew, of course ;)

G

[Tomarse]

You finished it now then? not a bad days work if so ;)

[unkleG'sif]

You finished it now then? not a bad days work if so ;)

nah... to many tea breaks i think ;)

its ready to come out, but it got too dark to see the engine mount bolts
2moro :cool:

G

[unkleG'sif]

another mini-update....

engine back in with the new box, however it is sitting rather skew-whiff. the front mount is located, as is the right under the manifold, however the mount by the master cylinder is not located properly, it looks about an inch too high and slightly forward (again, light stopped play)

what i am thinking is loosely clamping up the front mount the jacking up the rear of the engiine/box and trying to locate it better... does anyone think this would work without putting too much stress on the front mount?... i dont want to have to enlist the help of the muscle that lent a hand last night...good mates and all, but dont want to take the pi$$ ;)

new clutch and slave has been bought for peanuts of ebay.... £90 all in as opposed to around £150 on PFS (sorry site sponsors, budget over loyalty i'm affraid)



one word of advice tho, if ever you have cause to drain your power steering, you are under the car, and it empties onto your head (dont ask!) remember to wash said head properly before your new grirlfriend comes round and starts to want to kiss that said forehead..... :o


G

[Matthew]

The bracket for the front mount isn't really that substantial and I wouldn't advise stressing it too much. How far up do you need to lift the engine?

Great work on the gearbox swap BTW :)

one word of advice tho, if ever you have cause to drain your power steering, you are under the car, and it empties onto your head
That's really grim :o PS fluid seems to get into the skin and stay smelly for ages :lol:

[unkleG'sif]

only an inch or so i think, i'm thinking that the rubber will take much of the rotation and not stress it out too much

G

[unkleG'sif]

some little low-life sh!tbag tried to nick my little girl last night.... they have popped the lock and ruined a perfect door!! :evil:

they didnt even get into the car, just gave up half way through - maybe they realised the fact that she is covered in my greasy handprints means that they would have had a bit of a hard time actually going anywhere


im more than pissed off, not least beacause the security lights outside the house have been out for a week - landlord is like the proverbial "chocolate teapot"..... ie sh!te

G

[VikingSpirit]

Little Chav @rsewipe scum. Joyriders all need to burn in hell. How lacking in braincells must they be though? Your car was up on axle stands!! How did they propose stealing it!? Even if it was fully working the gearbox lock would stop them getting anywhere.

I reckon you should fit Remote central locking and then "shave" the doorlocks G, weld a plate over, fill and paint it so there isn't a lock for the little b*stards to pop. Either that or move out of Toxteth!

Really sorry it had to happen to you, and I hope the big man upstairs sees fit to smite the punk responsible in some fashion, preferably by removing his balls.

[unkleG'sif]

Really sorry it had to happen to you, and I hope the big man upstairs sees fit to smite the punk responsible in some fashion, preferably by removing his balls.

maybe they might just get shot, or beaten to death, instead of innocent little kids or as happened to a friend of a friend a few weeks ago.... clubbed to death at 18 for a sh!tty old mountainbike! :cry:

RIP HARO

G

[nutcase]

Bad luck :( Hope they get caught (wishful thinking I fear though!).

[Bawheid]

Thats a right pain in the a*se.

Dont think i matters where you live anmore in this country, theres a growing lack of respect.

Need to resurect this man

http://eriksaunders.com/uploaded_images/bronson-charles-photo-charles-bronson-6205480-779040.jpg

[RWElphinstone]

Thats a right pain in the a*se.

Dont think i matters where you live anmore in this country, theres a growing lack of respect.

Need to resurect this man

http://eriksaunders.com/uploaded_images/bronson-charles-photo-charles-bronson-6205480-779040.jpg

Not when we still have this guy!

http://mike.files.wordpress.com/2005/12/chuck_norris_1.jpg

Sorry to hear about your door! It could be worse, tho... They could've made off with the whole car.

[Tomarse]

Sorry about the car :(. There must be some dodgy saab fanciers in your area (like the ones who had the remains of the parts car before i got the loom!)

I can offer you an old door to chop up if you want to weld in a new door lock area.

I notice youve posted in the kodak thread - what is up with saabarellas gearbox now? If you need my engine lift now you are welcome to borrow it after next week as I hope i will be done! (waiting till ive done a test drive on my engine and box!)

[unkleG'sif]

cheers tom....
little bast^rds kids this time i reckon, the parts car went via some rogue scrappy i think as it was dragged out of the drive. the exhaust was hanging off at the front, and left a deep gouge in the gravel

cheers for the door offer, its not too bad really.... a new lock a bit of paint will sort it

as for the gearbox, everything is in apart from the new clutch. i just need some time to get it all plugged in properly... will be running at kodak i hope
http://www.getyourpeople.com/archives/Fingers%20Crossed%202.JPG

G

[unkleG'sif]

serious lack of progress on the car over the past few weeks.... the mrs seems to take up all my spare time somehow, and when i do get a few hours free its either dark, belting down, or both :evil:


anyway... spent a few hours fiddling this afternoon, and i am proud to say that on the turn of the key, she breathed into life like an old warrior, wounded after battle but determined to live.... :cool:

still got to fit the clutch, but thats all (and give her a bath)

G

[VikingSpirit]

Nice one G :cool:

*Read this post and get this sentence absolutely free!*

[unkleG'sif]

well its all in (sort of)
new crown bearing, pressure plate, friction plate, release bearing, HP hose and slave cyl all fitted :cool:

got to hook up the hydraulics, replace the rad, and connect the gear linkage.




that should be it (oh, and get 2 front tyres for MOT :cry: )

G

[unkleG'sif]

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_1.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_1?full=1)http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_2.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_2?full=1)

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_3.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_3?full=1)

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_4.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_4?full=1)

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_5.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_5?full=1)

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_6.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/GBox_6?full=1)

[unkleG'sif]

fired her up again last nite, with everything bar some gearbox oil done


she is really tappety for some reason, and there is some streaky mayo in the oil.... im just hoping this from the engine sitting exposed (for some reason the mrs never seems too receptive to my requsts to give me hand putting the bonnet back on :roll: ) for a few weeks

will change the oil again, and see what that does

aside from that, gotta swap the front caliper back over again.... then test drive :o

G

[unkleG'sif]

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/1_G.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/1_G?full=1)

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/2_G.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/2_G?full=1)

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/3_G.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/3_G?full=1)


G

[unkleG'sif]

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/4_G.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/4_G?full=1)

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/5_G.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/5_G?full=1)

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/6_G.sized.jpg (http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/G-and-Steve-do-the-gearbox/6_G?full=1)

edited photos ;)

G

[unkleG'sif]

Saabarella is now 100% rolling!!!!!!!!! :cool:

took her for a spin round Sefton Park..... she's faster than Ruby ;)



G

[VikingSpirit]

Good work G! :cool:

[unkleG'sif]

just been out in her again.... like a kid a christmas, i cant put her down ;)

the box came from a supposed 75k mile, 1 owner, 100% dealer serviced non turbo,... and from the feel of it, i'm happy to accept that......

its totally smooth, the change is slicker than an italian waiter :cool:

G

[THE ANORAK]

Good work that man, now for a spit n polish on Rude-arella!! Dont forget SWMBO loves the lecky seats in Rudy!

[unkleG'sif]

right, now that she is rollin again, and running really sweet, next on the "To Do" list are the following:

1. Fit the JT 3" that is in the basement
2. Work out how to be able to swap downpipe for MOT time (i have a CAT, and want to be able to swap between the JT with a bend rather than the elbow, and the stock downpipe with the elbow)
3. Fit the new rear shocks that are in the basement... front ones went on months ago
4. Fit the Cruise that is in the basement
5. Spray up and fit the Aero panels that are in the basement
6. Spray up and fit the rear Carlsson bumper that is in the .......
7. Spray up and fit the Whale that is in.......
8. Source a front Carlsson bumper, spray up and fit, before it goes into the basement...... :roll:
9. Fix the leak in Si's Twintercooler, and fit back



G

[philjohnhb]

right, now that she is rollin again, and running really sweet, next on the "To Do" list are the following:

1. Fit the JT 3" that is in the basement
2. Work out how to be able to swap downpipe for MOT time (i have a CAT, and want to be able to swap between the JT with a bend rather than the elbow, and the stock downpipe with the elbow)
3. Fit the new rear shocks that are in the basement... front ones went on months ago
4. Fit the Cruise that is in the basement
5. Spray up and fit the Aero panels that are in the basement
6. Spray up and fit the rear Carlsson bumper that is in the .......
7. Spray up and fit the Whale that is in.......
8. Source a front Carlsson bumper, spray up and fit, before it goes into the basement...... :roll:
9. Fix the leak in Si's Twintercooler, and fit back



G

Yeah, but apart from that................................


You'll be too busy drinking tea anyway.

[unkleG'sif]

best post up a quick update of the ol' diary/log/blog/progect thing


Saabarella passed her MOT last week (whilst tring to be simultaniously destroyed by the MOT tester... see The Lounge under MOT Testers :evil: ).... with only 3 "Advisories"....

1,
Sports Suspension fitted (he couldnt track down a "rattle" whe the wheel was off the ramp and was going to fail me, until i pointed out that the springs are shorter and stiffer, so do move when the spring seats are extended :roll: )

2,
Bonnet hinge faulty (not replaced the 2x13mm bolts in the bonnet pivot and was going to fail me until i pointed out that as the bonnet opens "backwards", and that it has pins that locate the rear, its really not going anywhere :roll: )

3,
1 headlight was dimmer than the other and was again going to fail me until I pointed out is was purely down to the fact that i had cleaned one lens, but not the other)


Anyway, ever since the gearbox swap, she has been running like a dream. I have temporarily swapped for the "Red Box" from Rubes, and its definately not boosting as hard or as long, but i dont have any of the boost dissapearing as revs rise like i do with my modded box.... im gonna have to get into Daniels thread and do his mod

I have sourced some very nice clear indicator lenses from our very own Bawheid (cheers fella), so she at last is back to her former glory up front, as per "pre severe whiplash inducing incident at less than 5mph", some 14 months ago..... :evil:

oh yeah, and i have to paint and swap over for my spare door after the little buggers down the road tried to liberate her from me.... i have a new lock cyl, but the aperture is so bent and fooked, that, it now just spins in the door

new door is fine, but has a very large chip, around the size of a 50p, just below the lock cyl


right, i'm off to make a brew.... ;)
G

[philjohnhb]

best post up a quick update of the ol' diary/log/blog/progect thing


Saabarella passed her MOT last week (whilst tring to be simultaniously destroyed by the MOT tester... see The Lounge under MOT Testers :evil: ).... with only 3 "Advisories"....

1,
Sports Suspension fitted (he couldnt track down a "rattle" whe the wheel was off the ramp and was going to fail me, until i pointed out that the springs are shorter and stiffer, so do move when the spring seats are extended :roll: )

2,
Bonnet hinge faulty (not replaced the 2x13mm bolts in the bonnet pivot and was going to fail me until i pointed out that as the bonnet opens "backwards", and that it has pins that locate the rear, its really not going anywhere :roll: )

3,
1 headlight was dimmer than the other and was again going to fail me until I pointed out is was purely down to the fact that i had cleaned one lens, but not the other)


Anyway, ever since the gearbox swap, she has been running like a dream. I have temporarily swapped for the "Red Box" from Rubes, and its definately not boosting as hard or as long, but i dont have any of the boost dissapearing as revs rise like i do with my modded box.... im gonna have to get into Daniels thread and do his mod

I have sourced some very nice clear indicator lenses from our very own Bawheid (cheers fella), so she at last is back to her former glory up front, as per "pre severe whiplash inducing incident at less than 5mph", some 14 months ago..... :evil:

oh yeah, and i have to paint and swap over for my spare door after the little buggers down the road tried to liberate her from me.... i have a new lock cyl, but the aperture is so bent and fooked, that, it now just spins in the door

new door is fine, but has a very large chip, around the size of a 50p, just below the lock cyl


right, i'm off to make a brew.... ;)
G

That tester sounds like a pillock - at least you could be there to 're-brief' him.

[unkleG'sif]

That tester sounds like a pillock - at least you could be there to 're-brief' him.

he nearly dropped it off the ramps twice... once when he crunched into reverse with no clutch and the engine was running, and once when it rolled off the jack and it was up on the ramps at head height :evil:

G

[philjohnhb]

he nearly dropped it off the ramps twice... once when he crunched into reverse with no clutch and the engine was running, and once when it rolled off the jack and it was up on the ramps at head height :evil:

G

guess you'll not be going back there again eh?

[unkleG'sif]

only with a bill for a new gearbox, if this one lunches reverse gear ;)


G

[unkleG'sif]

started experimenting with a mix of E85 and regular unleaded today..... a new Morrisons opened in Speke recently and they sell E85 at 91p per litre

Philb had informed me that he runs around a 16/84% E85/Petrol mix respectively, essentially using the E85 as an octane booster (this works out at a ration of around 20% E85).... however I can confirm that even with 30litres of regular, and 10 litres of E85 (30% obviously), my lucas fuelled c900 runs very happy, and will run even better when i get the timing set properly ;)


basically I am going to experiment with ratios for a while, until i start getting problems, then just whack some more unleaded in to dilute the E85 down again. I will then do the same only with Shell VPower and E85.... Phil tells me that nowhere in Ireland can you get anything better than regualr UL, there is no such thing as VPower, or BP Ulitmate over there..... which sucks :roll:

G

[philb]

What boost are you currently running? If you set the timing to the standard 16 degrees, the apc should allow more boost, but depends on what its set to. Basically it should run at least as well on the E20-E30 mixture as it does on 98 octane. I think you have a knock led, so that will help.

[unkleG'sif]

boost is a bit of an issue at the moment, as its a bit all over the place (want to go back and re-do my apc mods, im sure there is something not "quite" right)... anyway, its around the 18-20psi mark, but not consistent

knock LED does work, but only with the 1 apc box..... the RedBox I have is stock, but has no LED connector



G

[philb]

Hmm, at 18-20 psi the te05 will be chucking out a lot of hot air, I don't know if the e85 will be able to solve that. But maybe you'll be able to run a steady 16-18 psi, with more timing advance for a snappier, more tractable drive.

[unkleG'sif]

im getting terrible knock at the moment.... dont think its anything to do with the E85 im running at 25% at the moment.... but i will fill up with VPower tomoro (payday :cool: ), and reset the timing (maybe i knocked something when the engine came out)

I will run the car over the holidays with the untouched "RedBox" from the Ruby, as i think my fettling may be a little off :roll:

G

[ejenner]

Of course you know E85 leans out the mixture so the more E85 you use the more knock you're likely to get. If you want to use more E85 then you need to increase your fueling to compensate.

[philb]

up to a point, the lucas ecu will trim the fuel map to compensate. For me, no e85 = apc pulling the boost back to 0.7 bar max, knock light going like crazy. 10 litres of e85 = 1 bar max boost, very occasional knock flash - this is with a much more aggressive timing map.

[ejenner]

Generally speaking Phil. But specifically about the Lucas ECU - are you saying even if you managed to edit the map so you could actually put in more fuel the ECU would somehow know how much fuel was flowing and trim it back? Seems a bit unlikely.

[philb]

I'm referring to the lucas with o2 sensor, and presuming the sensor is working. At idle, the ecu looks at the output of the sensor, and adds more fuel until it gets the idle mixture that its happy with. ( probably stoich, lambda 1 ) I'll tell you what that mixture is once I get home and fit my wideband.


Once it has the idle mixture correct, it applies that correction factor to the entire map.
So this doesn't change the relationship between different parts of the map.
Once you haven't gone crazy with the amount of e85, it will be able to get the idle mixture correct by adding 5-10% more fuel, and you won't run out of injector capacity at high boost and rpm. If you add too much ethanol, it will either go outside of the range that it can compensate for ( and supposedly throw a check engine light ), and/or run out of injector capacity, run lean, and this will then light up the knock led.


If you go and modify the chip, I would say that its most likely that you'll modify the high air flow, and WOT parts of the map, and leave the lower ranges untouched. So, its then unlikely that the ecu will know about the richer running, because it only corrects at idle.
The info about the behaviour of the ecu is all there in the lucas manual - behaviour after modification is conjecture on my part, but I think it makes sense. I've been driving my car with this 12% ethanol mixture for over 6 months now, and I have tried switching back to pure petrol a few times just to be sure, every time, the knock led lights up and the boost goes down.

[unkleG'sif]

right, really not sure what the issue/issues are, but this is the story so far

over christmas, and on 3 long motorway drives, i was getting more and more knock at lower boost levels (at one point, i could not boost at all), as well as loosing water (tracked to be the rad top hose.... jubilee clip replaced and its fine). i am also getting funny temp readings. the guage hardly moves, which i put down to the wire to the sender being damaged. it only crept up on the guage when the water was leaking out and the temps increased (routine stops for water en route, prior to the hose repair kept things in check, Thank God.... checked oil and no mayo, but as it never really got too bad, im confident the Head Gasket is ok)


i had it in mind for a while to swap several bits from the car, with known good items from a car that had full service history, just to see what improvements i could get/process of elimination, and considering the temp issues, i decided to do the radiator and thermostat.... while i was at it, i swapped the distrubutor as well, as i was getting a slight weep every few days

i still have to do the rad (rain stopped play yesterday), but having swapped the dizzy and taking it for a drive, i could not get any boost, had horrible whine and whizzing from the turbo, and really hot exhaust gases out of the pipe. after a 2 minute drive around the block, i got home and the engine bay temps were VERY high... while the timing is not set spot on, i will try to set the timing, but i am on my own, so that may be tricky

basically i have no idea whats going on

i will swap the rad today, and possible the exhaust too, as something tells me the high exhasut temps may be the CAT (?)

[ejenner]

if the timing is wrong then there can be excessive heat generated.

[unkleG'sif]

i thought that may be the case, but i made specific care to refit the dizzy in exactly the same spot as the engine it came from... ie, markes on the body of teh dizzy in relation to marks on the engine


i will finish the rad and just hope someone is around when i come to do the timing :roll:

G

[ejenner]

it's the position of the sensor relative to the sensor-disc inside the distribuitor. If it's out by just a millimeter then your timing can go wrong. The other potential issue is that the vac capsule on the distribuitor you're using now is not right for the boost level you're running or is defective and not working properly. Good off and on boost performance depends on that vac capsule working properly. One or other will lose out if there is a problem with the vac capsule.

[unkleG'sif]

....The other potential issue is that the vac capsule on the distribuitor you're using now is not right for the boost level you're running or is defective and not working properly.....

boost is currently stock, and the dizzy now fitted is known to be good, also at stock

G

[ejenner]

for example... I think there are differences between LPT distribuitors and FPT distribuitors. Also, tollerances in the manafacture of the distribuitor could mean one distribuitor body might not line up the same as another distribuitor body relative to the mechanisim inside the distribuitor.

[unkleG'sif]

dizzy on car came from an LPT...... now has one from 185horse FPT......


if only it weren't pi$$ing down, i'd go to the garage and get some antifreeze and start working again :roll:

G

[philb]

I'd say your timing is way off. Beg borrow or steal a timing gun.

[ejenner]

timing does not need to be out by much to stop boost being good and sweet.

[unkleG'sif]

20psi boosting again with no knock on the 900aero specced apc :cool:

i think the dizzy was either goosed, or for some reason as being from an LPT it didnt like running on a FPT.... maybe they are different after all
ah well... happy days

G

[ejenner]

so did you swap back to the slightly leaky one?

[unkleG'sif]

nope... battled the flu :cry: , in the rain :cry: , finished radiator and thermostat, did seat of the pants tuning then went to the sort-of-inlaws for roast, back home for a brew and Mach of the Day... so not all bad ;)


G

[THE ANORAK]

[ then went to the sort-of-inlaws for roast,of the Day... so not all bad ;)


Hey G, wanna tell us some more??? Hows you doing mate !!

[unkleG'sif]

hey steve.....
doing grand aside from a dose of the Man Flu :cry:

hows the T8?

G

[unkleG'sif]

noticed a rather strong fuel smell at the back of the car today, and it spluttered once when coming onto boost (fine after a fraction of a second hesitation).... i think i have a fuel leak but will not be able to confirm it until thais evening..... ANOTHER dark evening spent under the car :roll:

G

[Matthew]

Could it just be the o-ring on the filler cap?

[unkleG'sif]

wont know until i have a look, but after a few local trundles around liverpool (B&Q and Tesco yesterday, commute today and a trip out to a meeting), i've munched through around £30 in VPower, so im fairly sure i've sprung a leak at the back somewhere.... does seem to smell most under the car at the rear, rather than just at the back

i reckon its never had a fuel filter change, so will replace that anyway as a matter of course. have you got a spare filter Matt?.... maybe you could throw it in with that Front Bumper ;) :lol:

G

[unkleG'sif]

fixed. petrol was pi$$ing out the larger of the 2 banjo connectors.
took the filter off Ruby for the time being. naughty i know, but i have a long drive up 'the lakes' this friday, and i just want it done. i will get a new filter at the end of the month (have a shopping list, radiator, matching thermostat and fan switch) fit it to Saabarella and give the newish one back to Rube's

i need a shower now... i'm SWMBO wont appreciate me turning up for dinner, smelling like a Shell forecourt :roll: :lol:

G

[Matthew]

Glad it's sorted.

Real men wear VPower :lol:

have you got a spare filter Matt?.... maybe you could throw it in with that Front Bumper ;) :lol:
Oh, don't you want the rear bumper and arch extensions too? :p

[unkleG'sif]

got a rear one, and sides, and to be completely honest, im not too enamoured with the arches.... regular Aero ones would suit me.... so thats just your front bumper then :cheesy: :p


real men DRINK VPower
G

[Albert Trout]

You haven't lived until you've staggered into the house on a dark November night screaming, "I'm blind, I'm blind!" with VPower in your eyes. I could've sworn I let the pressure out the system.......

[unkleG'sif]

i did let the pressure out the system.... it was the contents of the filter (actually both filters, 1 for each car) that had deposited itself in my face, hair and clothes :roll:


G

[Matthew]

You haven't lived until you've staggered into the house on a dark November night screaming, "I'm blind, I'm blind!" with VPower in your eyes.
I nearly did with brake fluid in my eyes when a clutch slave cylinder burst in my face :evil: Thank God I wear glasses!

[unkleG'sif]

just for $hit$ and giggles, (well, more to try and resolve a slight hestitation/missfire issue when boosting) i took the fuel pressure regulator off Ruby and placed it on Saabarella


Awesome :cool:
MPG seems to be better
Boost seems to be better
No hesitation

Who'd have thunk it, that proper fuel supply would be so important :roll:
It just means that i need a FPR from a full pressure turbo, as mine was from an LPT

G

[Matthew]

The FPRs are the same between Lucas-equipped LPTs and FPTs. Both Lucas 3 bar units. No difference.

Something must have been wrong with the old one.

[unkleG'sif]

lpt one was bosch, ruby had a lucas

when i get home from work i will have a look at the part numbers and their respective figures

either way im not bothered.... she's happy again ....... for now :roll:

G

[Matthew]

That's interesting. I didn't know that any LPTs were fitted with Bosch FPRs. In that case it may be a 2.8bar unit.

Some NA 900s were fitted with 3.0 bar FPRs. That 900 in the scrapyard in Bootle will (should) have a 3.0bar FPR - Mark A's going to grab some bits so maybe he could get the FPR for you too.

[philb]

The lucas is designed to work with a 3 bar - ie when you do the fuel system test in the service manual, you are checking for 3 bar. Matthew, once again you are assuming the previous owners didn't mess with the car!
Most c900's have been messed with.
2.8 bar would explain why the car wasn't running perfectly, and why it wasn't making a great deal of boost.

[unkleG'sif]

its funny how stuff starts clicking into place..... ;)


G

[unkleG'sif]

the saga continues.....


heard a far too familiar whine in 4th yesterday :cry:
not apparent in any other gear, but it just goes to show that by now, even believed to be "good", non reconditioned boxes are getting few and far between - i got less than 6 months out this latest one :o

next stop, save some cash and get back on the case with Sonnett1, to rebuild mine (found some Type 8's to go into it, so not all bad i guess)



anyway... i am fixing the driver window (again) today, with a view to swapping on a straight (but chipped) drivers door, after the little angles of toxteth ripped the barrel from the door, and bent the recessed hole the barrel sits in :evil:
G

[Matthew]

Matthew, once again you are assuming the previous owners didn't mess with the car!

Most c900's have been messed with.
It's all true!

[unkleG'sif]

guess who bagged a set of Type 8 Primaries for a coupla ponies?


:cool: :cool: :cool:

[philb]

Nice - that will make 2nd and 3rd more fun :)
Unfortunately I think 1st will always be a bit short, I'd say type 8's will struggle to hit 35mph. Thinking out loud here, I think theres a bigger problem with trying to make progress from the lights ( apart from trying not to shred the box ). Time to think about the "front engine mount movement limiter mod" - basically when you make a fast start, and try to change to 2nd, it feels very awkward, I think this is because there is so much movement. Hmm

[unkleG'sif]

surely a solid front mount will help this...

G

[VikingSpirit]

guess who bagged a set of Type 8 Primaries for a coupla ponies?


:cool: :cool: :cool:

Type 8s? Sweet, 90mph cruising at 2500rpm! Eco-friendly(-er) :cool:

[unkleG'sif]

exactly Teej.... it'll make the run down to kodak a bit cheaper too (by which time you WILL have a turbo on your car) :cool:
G

[Matthew]

Where'd you bag 'em G? Might have been the set I was after ;)

Type 8s? Sweet, 90mph cruising at 2500rpm! Eco-friendly(-er) :cool:
We wish - 2500RPM will be more like 70MPH. 90MPH would require 36MPH per 1000RPM in 5th gear which is way beyond a 9000 Aero's intergalactic gearing, never mind Type 8s!

it'll make the run down to kodak a bit cheaper
Just remind me which weekends you're not free? ;)

Muhahaha :p

[IronJoe]

guess who bagged a set of Type 8 Primaries for a coupla ponies?


:cool: :cool: :cool:

so Jellus right now! G has a best primaries on the nets!

Anybody wanna send me over a set? :cheesy:

[unkleG'sif]

so Jellus right now! G has a best primaries on the nets!

no joke ;)


Matthew, clear out your PM's mate :roll:
G

[VikingSpirit]

We wish - 2500RPM will be more like 70MPH. 90MPH would require 36MPH per 1000RPM in 5th gear which is way beyond a 9000 Aero's intergalactic gearing, never mind Type 8s!


Well Type 8s are taller than Type 7s yes? And my Type 7s give 70mph at 2500rpm, So I would have thought 8s would give at least 80mph at that speed. Myabe 90 was a bit of an overestimate though!:p

[philjohnhb]

I often wonder what primaries mine has. When I changed from my 88 to my 90 vert that the 90 had something wrong with the speedo, little knowing that Saab had ghanged the final drive many times. The 90 does 70mph at 26 - 2700 rpm and at 3000 rpm is doing circa 83 mph so what do you reckon I have in mine?

[sonett1]

If the type 8's are still with the original gear set with 195-60-15 tyres speeds will be at 1000rpm.......

1st 5.4mph
2nd 9.4mph
3rd 14.9mph
4th 19.6mph
5th 24.7mph

at 6000rpm in 5th you could reach 148 mph.

[Matthew]

So the actual gearing of retrofitted 8s is unpredictable.

That implies that a longer box be had by mixing different gearsets with Type 8s. I remembered this from the archives:
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=42996&postcount=2

24.7MPH per 1000RPM in 5th isn't long geared by today's standards.

[philb]

philjohnhb: Sounds identical to my car, which has type 7's. On my 900 16v with type 8's, 2000rpm in 5th is 58mph

[sonett1]

So the actual gearing of retrofitted 8s is unpredictable.

That implies that a longer box be had by mixing different gearsets with Type 8s. I remembered this from the archives:
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=42996&postcount=2

24.7MPH per 1000RPM in 5th isn't long geared by today's standards.

It would only be unpredictable if you didn't know the gear set within the box, there are four different gear clusters available for 5 speed boxes, up to 1980, 1981-88, 1989-90 and 1991-93.

24.7MPH per 1000RPM in 5th isn't long geared by today's standards, true, but for a classic 99/900 it is.

[Matthew]

I wonder what a GM456 + Type 8 will give in reality - that's a combination many have when they fit 8s to an LPT.

Strange that Saab stuck with the earlier GM456 'boxes instead of the GM556.

[sonett1]

I wonder what a GM456 + Type 8 will give in reality - that's a combination many have when they fit 8s to an LPT.

Strange that Saab stuck with the earlier GM456 'boxes instead of the GM556.

It's easy enough to work out.

GM45 and GM55 boxes were used from 1987 until the end, during every year, it depended on the model/market.

[philb]

The gearbox I mentioned in my 16v is a GM456, with type 8's bolted onto it. It seems to do 28.something miles per 1000 rpm.

[sonett1]

The gearbox I mentioned in my 16v is a GM456, with type 8's bolted onto it. It seems to do 28.something miles per 1000 rpm.

Is that according to the speedo or satnav?

[philb]

Speedo - but the speedo is the more accurate in this context, since the satnav speed is affected by the wheels and tyres. The speedo overreads by about 5%, so the real speed is probably more like 27.5mph per 1000 rpm in 5th.

[Matthew]

You've got that the wrong way around.

Speedo is affected by rolling raduis, sat nav (GPS) isn't.

[philb]

No, I haven't. Leave the actual speed of the car out of this. We are trying to work out gear ratios. The speedo reads the same regardless of rolling radius. Hence speedo vs rpm is a good way of seeing which gear ratios you have. If you mess with the rolling radius, then use a satnav and try and figure out which gear ratios you have, you are not going to win, are you?

[sonett1]

No, I haven't. Leave the actual speed of the car out of this. We are trying to work out gear ratios. The speedo reads the same regardless of rolling radius. Hence speedo vs rpm is a good way of seeing which gear ratios you have. If you mess with the rolling radius, then use a satnav and try and figure out which gear ratios you have, you are not going to win, are you?

Rolling radius does effect the speedo reading, if you fit larger tyres than 'factory spec' your speedo will read lower, fit smaller tyres it will read higher, Think of the tyre as another cog to consider in the equation. All gear ratio calculators need to know the tyre diameter/rolling radius.
Satnav is a very accurate way of knowing your true speed.

[yfs87]

^^True Indeed^^ i am running larger than usual tires on my commuter, and i have to keep that in mind on the motorway. it currently reads about 8% slow. :lol:

[philb]

Rolling radius does effect the speedo reading, if you fit larger tyres than 'factory spec' your speedo will read lower, fit smaller tyres it will read higher, Think of the tyre as another cog to consider in the equation. All gear ratio calculators need to know the tyre diameter/rolling radius.
Satnav is a very accurate way of knowing your true speed.

so you are saying, that if I jack the front of the car off the ground, and drive up to 60mph on the speedo, record rpm, swap primaries, repeat, record rpm, that the rolling radius affects this? You have not taken the time to understand my posts. I don't care about the actual speed of the car, but the ratio between input from engine and output to driveshafts.

[TheRedBaron]

No - when you have bigger tires, 60mph on the speedo is not the same as 60 mph on the speedo with smaller tires, so your experiment wouldn't tell you anything. With bigger tires, all else being the same (say cruising at an actual, not speedo speed of 60 mph), the axle will rotate slower and fewer times in any given amount of time because there is more circumphrence to cover per tire rotation.

If you have say a set of huge tires and tiny tires, with the same gearbox, 5th gear will be longer and have more top speed with the huge tires.

[philb]

I know all this. I was trying to eliminate that variable from the equation. Lets just assume that everyone is using the same wheels and tyres, or better still, we are using a chassis dyno, and trying to figure out what gearsets and primaries to use.

The relationship between the speedometer reading and engine rpm is governed by the gearbox, not the wheels and tyres. Does anyone want to acknowledge this?

[TheRedBaron]

I know all this. I was trying to eliminate that variable from the equation. Lets just assume that everyone is using the same wheels and tyres, or better still, we are using a chassis dyno, and trying to figure out what gearsets and primaries to use.

The relationship between the speedometer reading and engine rpm is governed by the gearbox, not the wheels and tyres. Does anyone want to acknowledge this?OK, I see what you're saying - the speedo reading is more accurate for comparison amongst saabs with different tires.

[IronJoe]

slightly OT... but you can change the primaries with the trans in the car, correct?

[TheRedBaron]

slightly OT... but you can change the primaries with the trans in the car, correct?I remember someone talking about that, you can, I think Jim was saying it's a lot easier if you take out the radiator.

[IronJoe]

but I JUST got my front end back together! :confused:

/threadjack

[TheRedBaron]

I think it was in that failsauce group buy for type 8 primaries, or at least a link to it.

Speaking of which, I think I figured out a way to get that to work.

[unkleG'sif]

oi, IronMan.... ;)
check out the FAQ's.... Ejenner did an awesome write-up (http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84568)!

G

[unkleG'sif]

blimey.... turn your back for 5 minutes and it kicks off in your Project Thread ;)


G

[Matthew]

What's this driveshaft tunnel rust all about then? :o

[unkleG'sif]

drivers side, some under the where the brake line mounts through the inner wing, and a fair bit on the horizontal boxed section/inside surface between the bottom wishbone mounting bolts


passed MOT a few months ago, so not quite sure how it was missed, but if they did see it, i guess their judgement was that it wasnt serious.....

but then they did give me an advisory that the bonnet wasnt mounted securely (never put the hinge blts back in after the engine was out), despite proving to him that it opens forwards and CANNOT open at speed

who knows?... either way its not getting tested there again :nono;

G

[unkleG'sif]

Type 8's getting fitted today ahead of a 600 mile round trip to a wedding in Devon..... :o

should help with the old drinking habit she has ;)

G

[KurBads]

Type 8's getting fitted today ahead of a 600 mile round trip to a wedding in Devon..... :o

should help with the old drinking habit she has ;)

G

gimme your 7`s if you don`t need them ...? :roll:

[unkleG'sif]

you mean 6's.....

she was an Lpt remember, same as yours
anyway, both the recon boxes that i have been through have come from non turbo's, so type 6's there too

G

[KurBads]

you mean 6's.....

she was an Lpt remember, same as yours
anyway, both the recon boxes that i have been through have come from non turbo's, so type 6's there too

G

Thank`s drg23,

I meant 7`s `cos I have 6`s in my already. Didn`t remember which cogs hoy had and thought you`d be changing 7->8 ...

Never mind, hope you`ll enjoy new setup.

[VikingSpirit]

you mean 6's.....
both the recon boxes that i have been through have come from non turbo's, so type 6's there too

G

Depends, the 5 speed 99s and early 900 non-turbos used to have type 7s fitted because they assumed that if you were buying a poverty-spec car you were more interested in economy than acceleration (the days of vacuum driven economy gauges, and a large clock where the rev counter should be!)

I guess they later decided the heavy old 900 in non turbo-form was just too slow with the taller gearing, to an extent they were right, In the 99 I find I get better economy cruising at 80 than I do at 70, cos at 70 the engine starts to labour if the road rises even slighty, at 80 the engine is much more in its power band! :roll:

[unkleG'sif]

:cool: :cool: TYPE 8'S ROCK :cool: :cool:


G

[Matthew]

Give us some road speed vs. engine speed measurements :cheesy:

[unkleG'sif]

Give us some road speed vs. engine speed measurements :cheesy:

Granted



Remeber however, that my speedo will be 10% over (getting more as speed increases), as i am running 16's with 205/50 tyres.

when running my satnav, 33mph reads 30 on the speedo, growing to to 88mph satnav reads 80 on the speedo

G

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/Gs-little-Saab/Type_8_s.jpg

[VikingSpirit]

G, it looks like you have type 7s as your table exactly matches the speed / revs ratio in my car :confused:

Either that or Dave sneaked type 8s into my 'box when he rebuilt it for me!:p

[unkleG'sif]

defo 8's teej

came from a box with GM**8 *** plate, and counted the teeth against the ones from emmetts' thread in the workshop

http://www.red-green.co.uk/web/saabstuff/docs/replace_primaries/replace_primaries_018.jpg

G

[philb]

Hmm, this is a little strange ok, those speeds look very similar to my car, and my car has type 7's.

This is assuming that the speeds in your table are from the speedo.

[unkleG'sif]

like i said above... speedo is off calibration due to fitting 16" rims and 50 profile tyres instead of the 15" and 60 series as stock

primaries are DEFINATELY 8's, as i checked with the owner of the gearbox, and counted the teeth with that in the image above of Emmetts' Type 8s

G

[Matthew]

like i said above... speedo is off calibration due to fitting 16" rims and 50 profile tyres instead of the 15" and 60 series as stock
Changes in the rolling diameter will affect how fast the car actually goes, yes, but I was referring to the indicated speed on the speedo, not the actual speed :)
For a given primary gearing and engine rpm in a particular gear, wheel size does not make a jot of difference to what you see on the speedo.
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=987223&postcount=8

;)

[philb]

Yea I was gonna mention that, but I didn't think anyone on that thread believed what I was saying..
One last go:
The speedo drive is connected to the output of the gearbox. So are the wheels. The speedo drive has no idea what rolling radius the wheel has.

At rpm X with type Y primaries, you will see speed Z on your speedo. You can put 10 inch or 20inch wheels on and it won't make any difference to speed Z

[VikingSpirit]

ok, so maybe the question should be, what is the difference between type 7s and type 8s in terms of final drive ratio? Maybe the difference is so small that the slight inaccuracies in car speedometer and tachometer calibration are enough to make the gearing seem identical?

[Matthew]

Yea I was gonna mention that, but I didn't think anyone on that thread believed what I was saying..
Perversely for what is a simple concept, my mind required a bit of reorganising before it saw the sense ;) You were definitely right.

[unkleG'sif]

quick update.....

blutak (or more accurately whitetac), is awesome

done the bonnet and tailgate so far, and the difference is like nite and day :cool: :cool:

G

[unkleG'sif]

earned a few brownie points with the landlord today, after he saw me stripping down the old (original) engine that blew a valve and has been sitting in the corner of the drive for around 2 years now.... i was going to scrap the block and crank etc, as its literall not moved, or been touched for years, and with it not being on a gearbox, i anticipated the bottom end to be trashed

trouble is, having taken off the manifolds, flywheel, turbo etc, i flipped it on its side, and span it over..... the thing felt like butter :cool:

i took an end cap off to look at the big ends off, and they may as well have been fitted yesterday

sooooo, sorry mr landlord, its getting a paint and a tidy up, and will be going back in the car with the rebuilt gearbox (when i finally get round to doing that too :roll:

G

[unkleG'sif]

this weekend, i har been mostly doing....... the tango ;)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/voices2005/images/jesse_lead_203x152.jpg

nah, not really
i managed to fix the wiring loom to some degree of satisfaction, and swapped over the inlet manifolds for my painted spare. while i was at it, i removed the stupid EGR system as it was always a real pain in the ar$e to put back.

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/Gs-little-Saab/New_Inlet_Manifold.sized.jpg

i'm not sure if it was that, or the inlet manifold itslef, but there was a serious vacuum leak that for 6 months i have been unable to trace.... it would only leak (at least as far as i coud hear) under vacuum and not boost, and while on tickover and not while revving

either way... its all good now, gonna go for a spin up to the shops to test it all out, then give her a bath when we get back

G

[unkleG'sif]

leather... courtosy of Craig over on UKS



cheers mate :cool:

G

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/Gs-little-Saab/DSC00186.sized.jpg

[unkleG'sif]

oil changed and wastegate shortened a little.... just for fun ;)


G

[unkleG'sif]

now has dover grey leather front seats, with the factory horseshoe payyern fitted, courtosy of a 9000 via the brothers neo....

not mint by any means, but i shall give Steve "LeatherMan" Lewis a shout and they will be tip top....... for £40 i am not gonna complain one bit, and they are better than the velour ones that came out, that were worn, tatty, a bit stained and ones **** tended to dissapear into

shocking picture due to fading light
http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/Gs-little-Saab/DSC00193.sized.jpg

[unkleG'sif]

only a small update..... bagged a local ebay bargain (£40... thats £80 for 3), a lovely 9000 drivers seat with motors and memory :cool:

now i have a spare skin, i will probably swap that onto the original 900 seat with the tipper lever, and the passenger skin you see below can go onto the new, electric seat

position 1 is for everyday relaxed driving
position 2 is for rear access
position 3 is for more "spirited" driving



http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/Gs-little-Saab/DSC00223.sized.jpg

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/Gs-little-Saab/DSC00222.sized.jpg

G

[unkleG'sif]

despite having to work on saturday, and therefore missingout on the burgers, i still managed to get 1 of the jobs done that i wanted to do at kodak


my exhaust was blowing slightly and the cat was the original, 15year old original so far from efficient... so i spent sunday under the car fitting the JT that i've had for a year :roll:

OMFG i just LOVE coming out the dock exit of the Birkenhead tunnell, on boost, 2nd gear :cool:

G

[ejenner]

despite having to work on saturday, and therefore missingout on the burgers, i still managed to get 1 of the jobs done that i wanted to do at kodak

I was slightly confused for a moment... you didn't come to Kodak with your teapot... but then I realised what you meant...

[TooMany2cvs]

http://www.saabcentral.com/phpgallery/albums/Gs-little-Saab/DSC00222.sized.jpg

Is that really a Haynes Book of Lies...?

[nutcase]

Well it keeps the mat clean :)

[unkleG'sif]

exactly.....

its been in the car since i got her 3 years ago, and the only time ive used it is to check for fluid volumes and plug gaps :cheesy:

G

[unkleG'sif]

either my maths is whack or im doing something right....

had to drive to salford yesterday for work, was almost empty so filled up with 50odd litres of v power..... drove 90.4miles there and back, then refilled from same pump. had used 11.58litres = 7.8miles per litre = 35mpg :cool:

i would have been late too, were it not for me rigorously testing the new exhaust volume at high rev cruising speed ;)


for some reason i am still getting knock even when using proper fuel. ive still got TheAnorak's timing light, but the valve end of my footpump is knackered and i really dont want to have to buy a new pump just to replace the 1 part (it was my grandads). anyone know where i can get just the valve bit?

G

[Saabstudent]

:roll: 35MPG. No your math is right G.
Over the last 1500 or so miles i have only averaged 26.5 mpg. And i thought that was quite good - it was at least using the car in all situations and not holding back in terms of economy.

My only concern is the possible connection with knock.
Are you sure the car isn't running very lean?

G

[TooMany2cvs]

either my maths is whack or im doing something right....

had to drive to salford yesterday for work, was almost empty so filled up with 50odd litres of v power..... drove 90.4miles there and back, then refilled from same pump. had used 11.58litres = 7.8miles per litre = 35mpg :cool:

I don't think I'd trust a single-fill figure, though. I managed unusually high economy off a recent tank, followed by unusually low from the next one. Averaged out, they were both about right (26mpgish) - the fill between the two had clicked off early...

[philb]

If you keep track of it on every fillup, then you'll work out what it is over time. I've managed 30mpg+ on the past 7 or 8 tanks.

[unkleG'sif]

..... the fill between the two had clicked off early...

used the same pump at the same station, so reasonably confident of the accuracy but i take everyone's point about sustained averages


unfortunately, she dumped a big cloud of blue out the backend on the way home from work tonight :cry:

i will hopefully get to the diy store tomoro and get some SS bolts and nuts, and try to get the spare put on. its the original one for the car, has been off for about 40,000miles and only had 120k on it whe the engines were swapped, so i reckon its got at least 60k over this one, which i reckon is now pushing 200k

any breif ideas of probable time to swap them? i also have to finish moving and decorating this weekend :roll:

G

[philb]

I take it you mean the turbo. You should be able to do it in a couple of hours, depending how much trouble the fasteners give you. Recommend you put the car on stands to make access easier and let you see what you are doing better with the bottom bolts, oil return, etc. Theres no need to drain the oil, the coolant on the other hand will pump out quickly from the return line. You could squeeze the rubber part of the hose ( leading from the bottom rad hose ) but I found that was quite fragile, might be better to just drain the rad, no need to drain the block.
Do NOT pull the oil return tube from the block, just unbolt it from the turbo. If you have time, take off the oil supply line and clean it out.

[unkleG'sif]

yeah sorry, turbo...

ideally i was wanting to swap the original engine and stuff back in at the same time (gbox 3 is now whiney ;oops: ). i have a 2.3 head waiting collection so would have put that on having tried to source a 2.1inlet from svenska or somewhere, built that up with the original engine and gbox 4, and done it all in one, but maybe it'll now have to happen in stages :roll:

G

[Alex]

used the same pump at the same station, so reasonably confident of the accuracy but i take everyone's point about sustained averages


unfortunately, she dumped a big cloud of blue out the backend on the way home from work tonight :cry:

i will hopefully get to the diy store tomoro and get some SS bolts and nuts, and try to get the spare put on. its the original one for the car, has been off for about 40,000miles and only had 120k on it whe the engines were swapped, so i reckon its got at least 60k over this one, which i reckon is now pushing 200k

any breif ideas of probable time to swap them? i also have to finish moving and decorating this weekend :roll:

G

It took me over 5hrs just to get the 4 turbo to manifold bolts off mine, and the turbo was barely 80K miles old. I actually had to dremel the nuts apart as everything was completely seized.

[TooMany2cvs]

It took me over 5hrs just to get the 4 turbo to manifold bolts off mine, and the turbo was barely 80K miles old. I actually had to dremel the nuts apart as everything was completely seized.

Mine all unbolted... The inlet manifold, though, was rock solid and two sheared...

[unkleG'sif]

not so much of an update for everyone else's purposes as i am sure there are much more interesting, technological, high powered and engineered projects on here, but more of an update for my own purposes.....


Saabarella was put into hibernation over the winter, partly coz I was skint, partly because i knew i would be doing megamiles with work, and partly to keep the salt off her.... I had bought a 1996 1.4 Golf from a fella at work who was selling becuase new baby required a 4dr car. Its actually a really good car, only issue is some laquer peeling on the drivers door, and a tatty rear bumper, but as a winter shed, its perfect..... 35+mpg is also helping ;)

anyway, i was bored after a day of working at home today, and as it was a sunny, pleasant eveing i decided to get the old girl out and stretch her legs a bit.... so a put the battery in, fired her up (1st time :cool: ), and off I went....

am now toying with the idea that, as the engine has to come out in spring anyway (new box curtosy of TheAnorak), and that 2.3 head i had lined up has fallen through, I will make an effort to rebuild what is required for the original engine to go back in (bottom end fine, think it was just the headgasket, and for some reason at the time i decided to do the whole lump :roll: ) and have a look at the T5 conversion that Emmett is surging ahead with on his Carly..... in the first instance this will not really be a performance upgrade, as the car will remain stock. I just want to get rid of the stupid, Bronze Age distributor and advance, and get her running spot on. I have considered the MegaSquirt option, but I would prefer to keep it all Saab

should also point out that this work is going to unfortunately involve me selling my half finished 1962 Beetle. Really gutted as not only is it a lovely car and project, but as it is at my brothers house, it means i get to see his kids more often. Sadly tho, I just dont have the time or money for it anymore, and my enthusiasm has dropped off somewhat over the past year :cry:

anyway...... just got back from the Asda with a MASSIVE smile on my face and the soft spot I have for The Old Girl well and truly rekindled... I had forgotten just how much fun the loud pedal is when you have a JT3" system poking out the back..... scared a few locals and upset a Scally or two in the Focus and Corsa brigade

good girl :cool:


G

[ejenner]

I see someone standing at the top of the slippery slope. :lol:

Personally, I've been to the bottom of the pit and now I'm inching my way back out of it. Hopefully, within the next 6 months I'll have something back on the road. With a good basic shell, trionic conversion and reasonable engine, brakes and suspension... I should be in a good place to start with.

[unkleG'sif]

once ive got all the bits together, i will be seeking expert advice on how to climb that slippery slope :cool:

G

[unkleG'sif]

not really an update, rather just a note to say that the old girl is getting a dust off again, having been rested over the winter with only a minor stretch of her legs, "mid winter"


I am off to worcester again this and next weekend to get some work done on the beetle (lowering and rebuilding front suspension, engine rebuild and poss paint up of doors and wings :cool: )..... so took the opportunity while i was a bit flush to splash out on a week of insurance... not too bad, only cost me £40ish


also, have a sweet hot blind-date next week, with a chic who is well into her cars (she's off to bristol tonite to see a mk1 Golf Gti Cab, apparently.... ACE :cool: ), so will be giving Saabarella a bath and polish at the weekend, so as to make a good impression ;)

wish me luck gents
G

[ejenner]

good luck. thought you already had a missus? did that one not work out? :roll:

[THE ANORAK]

It must of been that photo of you and I looking very masculine over that suspended gearbox at your place, she hasnt got us mixed up has she????????????

[nutcase]

not really an update, rather just a note to say that the old girl is getting a dust off again, having been rested over the winter with only a minor stretch of her legs, "mid winter"


I am off to worcester again this and next weekend to get some work done on the beetle (lowering and rebuilding front suspension, engine rebuild and poss paint up of doors and wings :cool: )..... so took the opportunity while i was a bit flush to splash out on a week of insurance... not too bad, only cost me £40ish


also, have a sweet hot blind-date next week, with a chic who is well into her cars (she's off to bristol tonite to see a mk1 Golf Gti Cab, apparently.... ACE :cool: ), so will be giving Saabarella a bath and polish at the weekend, so as to make a good impression ;)

wish me luck gents
G

Good luck :D

Who did you use for insurance? For a week my normal company quotes £90 :(

[ejenner]

Norwich Union do short-term car insurance but despite what they would have you belive with the advert... you ain't gonna be insuring any Caterham 7 - hahahah :lol:

http://www.red-green.co.uk/web/photos/saabpics/not_caterham.jpg

[unkleG'sif]

good luck. thought you already had a missus? did that one not work out? :roll:
lost count.... ;)

It must of been that photo of you and I looking very masculine over that suspended gearbox at your place, she hasnt got us mixed up has she????????????
nah, she prefered it when i had longer hair, and more of it.... so that rules both of us out :lol:


Who did you use for insurance? For a week my normal company quotes £90 :(
cant remember who i used, the certificate i got emailed is on my laptop, and the battery is dead (who forgot their power cable? ;oops: )

Norwich Union do short-term car insurance but despite what they would have you belive with the advert... you ain't gonna be insuring any Caterham 7 - hahahah :lol:


i'd rather be in Saabarella any day... she was faultless all the way down, abolute dream (other than usual bloody whinning in 4th.... and NOW 5TH! :evil:.... steve, will be swapping boxes angain soon mate ;) )

G

[unkleG'sif]

bad day today.... she failed on front lower wishbone mount rot, and both rear inner wheel arches :cry: :cry:

i remember seeing somewhere, someone posted some templates they had drawn up.... if anyone else remembers, i would appreciate a link

G

[VikingSpirit]

Ouch bad luck :cry:. clearly someone got lulled into a false sense of security by the shiny paint and didn't keep up with their waxoyling!:roll:

Chin up though, its not a complicated repair, the main thing is to be brutally honest with yourself and make sure you cut out ALL the rust before you start welding. When your done get some POR-15 slapped on there followed by some waxoyl and it won't happen again, I patched up the 99 this way and thats not showed the slightest sign of rusting again 2 years on. Oh, also do yourself a favour and get a couple of tins of Bilt-hamber Dynax S50 and squirt it in all the box sections, that'll stop it rusting where you can't see.

[TheRedBaron]

bad day today.... she failed on front lower wishbone mount rot, and both rear inner wheel arches :cry: :cry:

i remember seeing somewhere, someone posted some templates they had drawn up.... if anyone else remembers, i would appreciate a link

G
I saw this thread had new posts and was looking forward to seeing some new pictures or something - sorry to hear what has happened.

Maybe this will help? http://www.saablink.net/forum/showthread.php?t=23318 :D

[unkleG'sif]

still reeling from the drive shaft tunnel cancer..... and while i am loving getting 40mpg in the Golf, its not exactly lighting up my biscuits as far as driving and Smiles Per Gallon Goes... so while i am taking a break from the Beetle (long story, but it still progresses), i am going to get this sorted during Aug/Sept


i contacted SkanImports in Germany, and for £50 all in, i have ordered a complete drive tunnel repair section. I could have made my own, true.... but 1, i really couldnt be arsed, 2, having the Mrs living in Mankychester means i have less "G time", and 3, the landlord hates me as it is.... any reduction in angle grinder noises will be a plus :lol:

this is the item.... (http://www.skanimport.de/skanimport/opencms/html/en/saab/classic_parts.html?id=16) was referred to me by someone on UKS i think, but will let you all know how it looks quality wise when it arrives next week
http://www.skanimport.de/skanimport/opencms/media/loader.pdf?type=pic&id=853

G

[ejenner]

Wow, didn't know those were available. I think there would be one or two others who might prefer to buy a repair section rather than making their own.

Are you sure it's the tunnel repair section? Do you know if they come from old Saab stock or are they aftermarket?

[unkleG'sif]

Are you sure it's the tunnel repair section?

For 50 quid I should bloody hope so......


Do you know if they come from old Saab stock or are they aftermarket?

no idea mate... das not spriggen ze deutch

[KurBads]

I think that is a ScanTech made repair panel that is BTW available at www.skandix.de (as also as much as possible other parts for all SAAB older mdel line).

[crwchf01]

I think that is a ScanTech made repair panel that is BTW available at www.skandix.de (http://www.skandix.de) (as also as much as possible other parts for all SAAB older mdel line). Try the US/Canadian website for the English catalogs- www.skandix-us(a?).com. They have a message site on it for asking those questions and for those of us not on the continent, a method of getting the not normally stocked items sent by their bulk shipping to this side of the Atlantic.

[unkleG'sif]

new girlfriend = serious lake of time.... and she's now made me promise to take her away in the saab in 2 weeks before she starts her nwe job!!!

thats 2 WEEKS to sort all welding, set exhaust AGAIN, and get re-MOT'd... and my welder is STILL 2hours drive away :cry:


tick tock... tick tock

G

[ejenner]

Aww, just stop crying and get your finger out... what you doing now? Fiddling on the computer... :lol:

[nutcase]

Be thankful your GF likes it!!!

[ejenner]

I think if they say they like cars 9 times out of 10 they're not really telling the truth. I've had enough girlfriends now to know girls don't really like cars. It's better if they're just honest about that from the beginning... if they make the mistake with me and claim they're interested then they'll have to listen to me going on and on about very particular aspects of the 900's design and maintenance of it for hours... :lol:

[TooMany2cvs]

I think if they say they like cars 9 times out of 10 they're not really telling the truth. I've had enough girlfriends now to know girls don't really like cars.

Some do...

It's better if they're just honest about that from the beginning... if they make the mistake with me and claim they're interested then they'll have to listen to me going on and on about very particular aspects of the 900's design and maintenance of it for hours... :lol:

Umm, Emmett... How do we tell you this gently...?

[ejenner]

I'm sure missus 2cv has a fair amount of waffle to put up with too... :lol:

[ejenner]

...and as for going on about Saab's on here... well, Ade, how do we put this to you gently...

[TooMany2cvs]

I'm sure missus 2cv has a fair amount of waffle to put up with too... :lol:

...and as for going on about Saab's on here... well, Ade, how do we put this to you gently...

Ah, but I get it out the way on here...

(and Ellie actually _does_ like cars...)