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06 to 09 Front End Conversion

29K views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  JZeke 
#1 ·
Hey guys I was just wondering what you all think it would take money wise to do a front end conversion the newest 9-3. I love the look. I also hate the damn e-bumper strips and planned on having these taken off for a more streamlined look. I reckon the headlights are about $650 a piece but no sure of the bumper.

Also would this require a new hood as I know I would need new fenders.
 
#2 ·
I have a '06 Aero SS and a '08 Aero CVT.

Hood on the '08 is a much different design than the '06 and the "look" would not be complete without the new hood. Hood also fits differntly due to the headlight design.

Good luckling finding a totaled from the back '08/'09 and grabbing its hardware.
 
#3 ·
You'd need at a minimum:

1) R and L fender
2) Headlights/foglights
3) Bumper and grille pieces
4) Under bumper air diverter
5) Hood

After that, the mounting equipment- clips, etc.- maqy be different and may require repalcement as well. It'd be a project, and it woudl probably look great when complete, but it would be involved.
 
#4 ·
You'd need at a minimum:

1) R and L fender
2) Headlights/foglights
3) Bumper and grille pieces
4) Under bumper air diverter
5) Hood

After that, the mounting equipment- clips, etc.- maqy be different and may require repalcement as well. It'd be a project, and it woudl probably look great when complete, but it would be involved.

Actually you just need an 08+ bumper and ull be good to go!
Its been done before and there was a thread about it..but way to lazy to look for it right now :cheesy:
But u are right about looking great when tis done. I remember those pics ..it was pretty slick!
 
#9 ·
#16 ·
That bumper is pretty sweet but if you lower your car, its fiberglass, its bound to brake and start chipping apart. Im stuck between buying a used bumper for cheap adn trying to cut it up to almost look like that front bumper from GS or buying the bumper from GS. I would save alot of money making my own but dont have alot of experience with body work so I am not sure yet, I do plan on cutting my grille up and painting the surround to match my car and putting in flat black mesh and either a Aero emblem or Turbo emblem in the corner of it like the BSR emblems are.
 
#18 ·
this has nothing to do with the OP, and I appologize

but along with the comment above-

If the subie legacy can have a hood scoop then why can't our 9-3's? Personally, I'd like it. I think it qould look sportier, give the hood some meat, and look better with the GS bumper.

I'd love to see one on this car.
 
#19 ·
Well really because the scoop on the subaru has an actual purpose, feeding the tmic. You could add one if you really wanted. I think the 9-2x hood is pretty subtle. Maybe a little less scoop would go well on the 9-3.
 
#20 ·
Hood Scoop on a European sport sedan?

Really? The 9³ SS/SC/Vert is a European inspired sport sedan based vehicle. The kind of hood scoop you describe would, in my opinion, look ridiculous. It may look fine on a Subaru, or a Nissan, or even a riced out Honda...but a Saab?

Perhaps a vent that used negative air pressure to evacuate hot air out of the engine compartment- would look okay, provided it was not some ridiculous monstrosity, and it was actually functional (a la M3 hood vents), but in reality, our cars are just not really those kind of "500hp Euro sport coupes" or "200hp fitted with coffee cans for mufflers wanna be ricer drift cars."

To each their own...but I am a grown man with two kids and a beautiful wife, and my Saab is a subtle yet powerful car I drive to work and to the mountains on the weekends- not some teenager frankenstein automobile that requires a bunch of cosmetic add ons to compensate for something that is lacking or that screams hey ladies, look at me, I am a dork. Maybe I am just less inclined to find these kinds of things cool because cool to me is going out the paratroop door at 0200 with no moon in to the pitch black night chasing a combat load of 80 pounds.

That's all my opinion...to each their own, it's your car.
 
#21 ·
Really? The 9³ SS/SC/Vert is a European inspired sport sedan based vehicle. The kind of hood scoop you describe would, in my opinion, look ridiculous. It may look fine on a Subaru, or a Nissan, or even a riced out Honda...but a Saab?

Perhaps a vent that used negative air pressure to evacuate hot air out of the engine compartment- would look okay, provided it was not some ridiculous monstrosity, and it was actually functional (a la M3 hood vents), but in reality, our cars are just not really those kind of "500hp Euro sport coupes" or "200hp fitted with coffee cans for mufflers wanna be ricer drift cars."

To each their own...but I am a grown man with two kids and a beautiful wife, and my Saab is a subtle yet powerful car I drive to work and to the mountains on the weekends- not some teenager frankenstein automobile that requires a bunch of cosmetic add ons to compensate for something that is lacking or that screams hey ladies, look at me, I am a dork. Maybe I am just less inclined to find these kinds of things cool because cool to me is going out the paratroop door at 0200 with no moon in to the pitch black night chasing a combat load of 80 pounds.

That's all my opinion...to each their own, it's your car.
Easy man...what kind of hood scoop are you talking about? The new legacy and the 9-2x don't look ridiculous like you say or scream hey look at me. They are smaller more subtle and clean looking IMO. If you're thinking scoop like an STI scoop then yeah something big like that would clearly be obnoxious on our cars but a scoop vent like the 9-2x and the new legacy could flow well with the hood on our cars. Obviously you would need to customize the look to our car but yeah. If it was done correctly it would look good. But its all preference.
 
#22 ·
I really dont think age has anything to do with preference. I see and 80 year old man driving around here with a 99 gs-t eclipse( huge wing on the back, neons underneath, and an ebay glued on hoodscoop). It makes me laugh everytime I see him. Just because you drive a saab doesn't make someone sophisticated or mature. Euro inspired cars can be beautiful but I have been seeing some locally that are getting pretty ugly. There is soo much mismatched carbon fiber and performance parts that you cant even see the original car. You better get used to seeing these rediculous saab's driving around because they are getting cheaper and highschool kids are gonna start slappin on the wings and nitrous lol. I do agree with you though unless it is functional and has a purpose then it is completely useless and ugly. I do like the 9-2x scoop.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I completely agree with Dfunk. Age has nothing to do with it anymore. Oddly I see a few older guys around here too that have absolutely ridiculous cars. It's a game sometimes, try to figure out if its really his or his sons car ha. And I agree that the market is starting to change on our models as the drop in price and younger people are starting to jump into the crowd. It'll be inevitable that you'll see some riced out crap soon enough. Kids don't have the money to spend on the quality parts we know and love on the forum. That's were the fleebay comes in and the crappy parts start to get installed.

Anywho...I grabbed some pics to compare

9-2X straight on. I think it is a little too tall for the 9-3 style.


Legacy. Not too bad either.


I mean neither of these hoods are obnoxious or calling for attention. But they don't fit our car either. Custom design is clearly needed. I think the 9-2x hood would fit will if you could shrink the height. With a little bit of a beefier hood the scoop could look really nice. Wish I was going through with my work ha.

btw sorry for the massive pictures
 
#24 ·
Yeah, it probably isn't about age, but...

I still maintain that our cars are not built to be tuned East Asian drift races. They were built to compete in, and be part of, the segment of European sport sedans. My take- if a hood scoop were necessary (functional or style) companies like Hirsch would be developing and selling either the scoops or hoods.

But like I said, to each their own. If you prefer it, go for it. I won't, and I guess most SS- for that matter Saabers- won't either, so you'd definitely get the unique vote. Just don't overkill it, puh-leeze! :cheesy:
 
#25 ·
I wont be doing anything with it just was thinking. You said if the scoop was necessary for functional or style it would be manufactured already. Well as you're right its not manufactured the thing would still be functional. Granted, it's not functional like subaru feeding the tmic but you'd still be forcing more fresh air into the bay for cooler temps. I think that it would have a positive reaction on the forum just by the fact that there has been a few threads about fitting the 9-2x hood to the 9-3 and custom hoods and all. But I understand your stand point. It could very easily be overdone and extremely tacky. Probably why no one has really done it ha.
 
#27 ·
It might actually be impossible to do an 08 swap onto an 06, because the cut line of the hood opening has drastically changed. I'd have to see the two engine bays side to side to see if they changed the stamping for the inner wheel wells. If they did, then its pretty much game over. Also to consider: the rocker/sills from seem to be a different height from 07 to 08. Means that an 08 fender will likely not match up to an earlier one's rocker.

If you really want the new bodystyle, you can find used 08s cheap, but then you lose the unique 06 interior (which I personally like, MOST issues aside). I really like that genuinesaab front end tho (red pic). That would be the way I'd go if I had the earlier bodystyle. You could also get creative with a good body shop and "shave" the side trim, create that completely smooth look from the 08+. If you just want the LED eyebrow from the 08s, there may be some sort of headlamp kit to add-in LED running lights to the Ur 9-3 headlamp design.

For the money, its better to create something unique, distinctive... instead of just swapping up panels.
 
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