Swedish Rice

[Sluice Box Hero]

well, i finally finished stage 2 of my Swedish Rice build.

after taking the car to Thunder Hill Raceway last april i found a few weak links in my 900. soooo i decided it was time for some upgrades.

basically when i went to the track i have a few upgrades that i thought would be good. i had a JZW 3, 6pt brace, 3" turbo back catless, slotted front rotors, axxis ceramic pads, FMIC, 2.5 delivery pipes, 2.5" intake elbow, brand new 205/50/16s, and a rack brace and sway bar from GS. the car has 198k on it and it nearly completely stock suspension wise and WORN OUT!

anyway, to what ive done. after the brakes catching on fire at the raceway i was just gonig to swap in some EBC yellows and resurface the front rotors and call it good, but, we all know how that goes. . . .

first thing i did was order up some slotted rotors from GS to match my fronts since they were pretty old, also ordered up some EBC yellows front and rear (more on this later) since i was feeling like spending some money i also ordered up the full suspension bushing kit from GS, the braided brake line kit from GS, also oordered front and rear caliper rebuild kits from eEuro, new balljoint boots because mine were missing completely, also i picked up some powerflew rear trailing beam bushings, and stanchion bushings, sooo then i started waiting on parts.

got everything installed while waiting for my rear ebc yellows. after about 3 weeks i caught wind of a guy parting out a 2001 9-5 aero so i jumped on it. ended up getting the TD04-15T, 4 BBS RKII 17x8s, and all the brakes and brackets, and whatnot.

so after trying to sell the brakes off that car for a few days, and still waiting on EBC i decided i would just try and use the 9-5 stuff. so i went and resurfaced all the rotors, this is where it gets kinda cool.

i ordered up some rebuild kits for the new to me 9-5 calipers, and dropped the wheels off at the tire shop to have some 235/40/17 Federal 959s put on there. cleaned up the calipers, painted them bright red haha, and ordered up some more EBC yellows for the front and rear 9-5 calipers.

after reading a whole bunch i found that the front 9-5 rotors are a direct bolt in for my 900. all i needed to do was to turn down my front hubs to have the new 9-5 rotors fit over them, so i put the car in 3rd gear and went to town on the front hubs with the grinder until the rotors fit. got the yellows for the front and installed the new rotors, calipers, and pads and everything lined up perfectly and looks stock, only they went from 280mm to 308mm and a much larger pad.

also while i was doing this i bypassed the ABS block because i could feel it fighting me really badly on the track. basically i did this, for the front i ran a new line from the master, to a T fitting and then tied the front lines that were in the ABS block into that T. for the rear i ran a new hardline to a Willwood proportioning valve, then to a T, then the hard lines to the rear. this now allows me to dial in my braking power to the rear, it workd tits, pics later.

so no the rear was a little more work. the stock 95 900 backing plates/brackets for the rear dont work with the aero rear calipers because the rotors is sooooo much bigger, so i needed to swap in the 9-5 backing plate, perfect, that works, but the ebrake lever is now on the bottom, no biggie, i moved the bracket that holds the cable and reworked the return spring. so then i was able to use the new calipers and everything lined up perfectly. went from like 250mm or so to 280mm. at this time i finally got my origional ebc yellows for the stock rear calipers haha, 5 weeks later, but i also got the yellows for my new rear set up, got it all set up and ready to rock.

installed my new BBS wheels and went for a drive.

first impressions are, ive never been in a car that stops like this, its amazing, from 100mph to 20mph like its nothing!! also, it grips and rips now, it handles so much better, id bet im pulling a rear inside tire in turns now, it doesnt push and just goes now. im stoked.

heres a few picks, im not goood at taking pics i just kinda get in the zone and work.



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more pics later, gotta go!

[Sluice Box Hero]

heres some comparisons of 9-5 Aero rotors and NG900 rotors.

this one is NG900 stock rotor in front of the aero rotor.


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this one is a NG900 front 280mm next to the 9-5 aero rear.


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here is the 95 NG900 on top and the 2001 9-5 Aero on bottom


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here is the 900 rear vs the aero rear, both are solid


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[Sluice Box Hero]

heres the new Aero 308mm with aero caliper and ECB Yellow Pads along with goodridge braided lines.


Front and Rear rotors are on the car, along with the 9-5 rear backing plates and hubs.


Battery in the truck using Trail-Gear Optima Box


if anyone has any questions on anything ive done just ask. this was all done a budget i swear so maybe i can help.

[Sluice Box Hero]

Current mods to the car

1995 900 SE Turbo
200k Miles
JZW Stage 3+
6-Puck Stage 3 Clutch w/ Viggen Pressure Plate
FMIC
2.5" Deliver Pipes
RS BOV
2.5" Intake Elbow
Custom 6-Point
Custom 3" Turbo Back Catless
GS Rack Brace
GS Rear Swaybar
GS Front Full Bushing Kit
PowerFlex Rear Axle Poly Bushings
PowerFlex Stanchion Poly Bushing
Braided Brake Lines
ABS Delete
Willwood Proportioning Valve
9-5 Aero 308mm Front Brakes
9-5 Aero 280mm Rear Brakes w/ Sliding Calipers Solid Rotor
EBC Yellows Front and Rear
Rebuilt Calipers Front and Rear (red)
BBS RK II
235/40/17 Federal 959s
Battery in the Trunk

Helset coming soon. . . .

[vinnnocc]

looks good..

how did you go about putting the battery in the trunk.?

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

Hey man, it looks great. I'm a little partial to the 3-door cars. But, why are you calling it ricey? It looks great to me... Ron

[vinnnocc]

Originally Posted by '97 Saab SE Turbo

Hey man, it looks great. I'm a little partial to the 3-door cars. But, why are you calling it ricey? It looks great to me... Ron

i was thinking that too...when i first opened it i was thinking of a saab with a ton of stickers and a 6in muff tip maybe ever lime green paint

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

I was looking for an erector set aluminum spoiler bolted onto the hatch lid... Ron

[Sluice Box Hero]

Originally Posted by vinnnocc

looks good..

how did you go about putting the battery in the trunk.?

basically bought a battery box from a rock crawling website that i frequent, welded it in the trunk, ran pos 1ga welding cable to the original setup, just ran the neg to a clean place on the chassis. pretty straight forward.

and i call it rice because its the closest thing to a ricer ive ever owned. its loud, has 17s, low pros, bumps, and makes me drive like a retard haha. its pretty ricey for me. im more of a rock crawling guy.


today i was able to take it up some windy roads today just out of oroville ca. it handles so amazing, the brakes are amazing, scared the **** out of my gf, she gets pretty mad when i rail the corners. got a little sideways on one corner, but id bet it will pull a rear inside tire in the right circumstances.

more to come ill get some better pics of everything ive done too.

[comtrang]

LOL at the strapped down subwoofer. Awesome.

Good comparison pictures !

[Sluice Box Hero]

was able to take this thing out on HWY 162 above oroville today. basically was keeping a steady 60mph for several miles of 25mph turns, and 100mph straights. beat the living **** out of the car. my buddy in his evo VIII couldnt keep up in the turns, was able to out pull me some on the straights, but i was able to out handle him through the corners. in about 4 miles i was 20 seconds ahead. car is awesome. very happy with the new mods, really makes this car fun.

[saabkid37]

Originally Posted by Sluice Box Hero

was able to take this thing out on HWY 162 above oroville today. basically was keeping a steady 60mph for several miles of 25mph turns, and 100mph straights. beat the living **** out of the car. my buddy in his evo VIII couldnt keep up in the turns, was able to out pull me some on the straights, but i was able to out handle him through the corners. in about 4 miles i was 20 seconds ahead. car is awesome. very happy with the new mods, really makes this car fun.

Hate to burst your bubble, but your evo buddy just proved he might be the worst driver ever.

[busaboy]

Originally Posted by Sluice Box Hero

basically bought a battery box from a rock crawling website that i frequent, welded it in the trunk, ran pos 1ga welding cable to the original setup, just ran the neg to a clean place on the chassis. pretty straight forward.

and i call it rice because its the closest thing to a ricer ive ever owned. its loud, has 17s, low pros, bumps, and makes me drive like a retard haha. its pretty ricey for me. im more of a rock crawling guy.


today i was able to take it up some windy roads today just out of oroville ca. it handles so amazing, the brakes are amazing, scared the **** out of my gf, she gets pretty mad when i rail the corners. got a little sideways on one corner, but id bet it will pull a rear inside tire in the right circumstances.

more to come ill get some better pics of everything ive done too.

Did you hook up the battery after the picture?

[Tap804]

So is it like hitting a brick wall when you decide to stop?
This is awesome, do the brake basicly just bolt up? I wanna put my battery in the back, just becasue its easier to hook up a system

[mike saunders]

Why didn't you install the rear 300mm vented Aero rotors and calipers? Nick at GS can hook you up with the braided lines you'll need for the conversion.

Really measurable improvement...


and your car is top notch...keep it up!

[Sluice Box Hero]

Car stops great, and yes, it all bolts up.

Didn't get the rear vented because the brakes the brakes were all stolen off of a an earlier model 9-5. I'd need different calipers to fit the vented rotors.

Yes, of course I hooked up the battery.

I need to adjust up the proportioning valve a bit more, but it will out brakes the evo, which was were I was making up most my time on him. The Saab will tripod in the hard corners, also, my tires are WAY stickier than his.

[saabkid37]

Originally Posted by Sluice Box Hero

I need to adjust up the proportioning valve a bit more, but it will out brakes the evo, which was were I was making up most my time on him. The Saab will tripod in the hard corners, also, my tires are WAY stickier than his.

i drive an evo and a viggen.

i can tripod the evo on mild pads and all seasons.

if i drive the vig and then the evo its like i just drove a camry...in all aspects

your friend needs a driver mod lol.

[beyonce]

You need a LSD my friend.

[Sluice Box Hero]

I do need a LSD, it's on the list.

I weighed the car last night, with me and a half tank of fuel it was 3410lbs. That's a heavy *****!!!

[Sluice Box Hero]

well, i sold this thing to a 17yo kid sometime in august. basically ive been his personal mechanic ever since (make some good side money since no one else in town will touch a saab). a month ago i replaced the transmission with one with 60k on it (car has 205k). and recently he brought it back to me for a coolant disappearance problem and a couple broken exhaust studs. so i tore it down, pretty much getting a new head gasket because i can justify tearing the engine down this far to retorque the heads and whatnot and not just do the gasket. so just as a little update on this car. its still around and getting beat on. ill probably buy it back in the next year or so when the kid realizes how much maintenance a saab requires, especially one hopped up. but damn i love driving this thing every time he drops if off for maintenance, makes me want another one in a bad way.