[Clean&Saaber]

This maybe one of those dumb rookie questions?:roll: But I've located a 1988 900 turbo SPG vert for parts for my 91 900s convertible. Just wanted to know if the tops were interchangable? Also are there any other good parts off a SPG I'd want to use on my S??

 

[Steve Corgan]

In that predicament I usually go on the Saabsite.com, or other parts site, and compare part numbers for the different year cars.

Sc

 

[EvanD]

Also are there any other good parts off a SPG I'd want to use on my S??

The Turbo?

I'd prolly put the SPG panels on the S.

 

[rawill]

Please enlighten me

What are SPG parts.

 

[cdaly]

..........

 

[TooMany2cvs]

What are SPG parts.

SPG's the 'merkin term for a T16 with bodykit - called an Aero or T16S elsewhere.

 

[900t]

1988 Turbo SPG convertible? Don't tell me it's one of the "Springtime in Sweden" cars... is it black? :lol:

 

[Matt88S]

Hey Clean&Saaber, are you sure it is a convertible? The SPG was a higher performance version of the 900T hardtop 3dr, not vert. There are verts however that have or have had the SPG bodykit put on them and they are often referred to as SPG verts.

 

[Steve Corgan]

Clean&Saaber,

I think that Matt is right; the SPG only came in 3 door hatchbacks. But the molding kits were availiable from the factory as an option and many people scavenged parts from salvage SPGs to get the desiralbe "look."

Google Saab SPG and you'll find some websites with detailed info about the cars.

Speaking of which, if you have a car with SPG moldings and wheels, you potentially have a virtual gold mine, since they're very hard to come by. I don't know the condition of either car, but the Turbo / SPG would definitely be the more desirable car to restore in my book. Unless it's really beyond the pale, consider restoring the it instead of the 900S.

Or get your top, SPG moldings, wheels, and the turbo off the 88 and move them all over to your 91. (I think that Saab changed wheel bolt parttern in 88 and the wheels will fit your 91, but I'm not sure. I know that my 87 900S wheels won't fit on my 91 900 turbo convertible. So you better check that.) Since the 88 apparently isn't really an SPG anyway, there's nothing really lost by parting out the 88 SPG wannabee.


Sc

 

[TheRedBaron]

1988 Turbo SPG convertible? Don't tell me it's one of the "Springtime in Sweden" cars... is it black? :lol:

Yeah, that's what I thought, if it is it shouldn't be parted! It should be sold to a saabnet guy for thousands :cheesy:

 

[TooMany2cvs]

I think that Matt is right; the SPG only came in 3 door hatchbacks. But the molding kits were availiable from the factory as an option and many people scavenged parts from salvage SPGs to get the desiralbe "look."

PLENTY of factory 'verts came with the bodykit.

(I think that Saab changed wheel bolt parttern in 88 and the wheels will fit your 91, but I'm not sure.

Front handbrake, rear handbrake. Change point was <thinks> '87...?

 

[Steve Corgan]

I don't think that CleanandSaaber ever did get his part interchangeability question answered though. That's the problem with mentioning anything SPG on this forum. It's like showing my Redbone a **** and telling him to sit. He can't think about anything but getting that ****.

So, my contribution on the parts question is yes, most of the body and engine parts on the two cars you mention are interchangeable. There are a few obvious items that aren't like things related to the turbo (i.e. exhaust pipe and manifold, APC, etcetera). And like I said before, the bolt pattern on the wheels may be different. Your 91 has ABS and SRS which the 88 doesn't have. Your rotors and calipers may be different if the wheels are. But you can check all that out on the SaabSite.com.

A quick check on any site that sells vert tops will let you know if the tops are swappable; just plug in year and model on both cars and if they give you the same part number, then there's very high probability you can swap the tops on these two cars. Whenever I go to the pick 'n pull for a part I usually check with the Saabsite.com first to see what other year 900s use the same part I'm looking for.

Once I needed a turn signal control with cruise for my 87 900S. I pulled one from a later model with good turn signal action. It had the same OEM part # inscribed on the case, and the same 4 color wires coming from the stem. But, the electrical connector was different than the one on my 87. So I snipped it off and matched the colors to the wires on my 87. The turn signals worked fine (which was what I was trying to fix) but my cruise wouldn't set; it would only accelerated. I went to the SaabSite and found out that Saab changed the design of the cruise control in 88 or sometime after 87. If you've ever looked for good turn signals for the earlier cars you know that THEY'RE ALL WORN OUT. You have to manually hold the turn indicator handle in position. I've got a friend who takes them apart and rebuilds them, but that's too tedious for me.

So, I gently pryed the plastic handle of the turnsignal lever off of my 87 (it holds the switch circuit for the curise control) and put it on the newer lever mechanism from the junk yard, and reconnected the color coded wires. Now my turn signals and cruise controls both work.

Sc

 

[Clean&Saaber]

WOW! Guys thats alot of info! I guess I'll need to find out if its a true SPG Vert or just a wanna be. I just may end up changing direction here! The guy selling the car said its a (BLACK)? 88 SPG Turbo convertible. The major issue is the engine needs a rebuild and some minor common problems. I'm going to check the vin# and see what we ve got!!

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Steve Corgan]

Another Saab Story

C & S,

For some reason you have to go directly to Saab to get the VIN decoded regarding it being an SPG. I don't know why. I recently was in the market for an SPG. Being aware that there are some "wanna bees" out there I started requesting VINs from sellers.

The service manager at the local Saab dealership tried running the VIN on his computer and could only get me the usual information that's available on the Web. Then he said, "You need to see Jeff in parts. He knows somebody at Saab that knows how to retrieve that information."

So, I befriended Jeff, and everytime I'd find an SPG I was interested in, Jeff would call somebody at Saab. On the last VIN he checked for me he said, "The guy at Saab said it's a Talladega Red. They didn't make many of them that color." That's the one I bought.

Sc

 

[grif900]

Just to clarify, the was no SPG vert. There were, as mentioned, verts with SPG/Aero/T16S body pannels. Brakes and bolt pattern changed in M.Y.88.

 

[Steve Corgan]

I concur wholeheartedly.


Sc

 

[Clean&Saaber]

Sorry guys, I did find out that it is NOT a SPG but just has the body kit. I still think its worth getting!

Hey thanks for all the input, your guys are GREAT!

 

[TooMany2cvs]

Just to clarify, the was no SPG vert. There were, as mentioned, verts with SPG/Aero/T16S body pannels.

<shrug>
What _is_ an "SPG"? It's a US-market T16 3dr with the body kit and a bit of extra marketing applied. That's all. This 'vert is the same basic car but with the marketing and the roof removed.

 

[Matt88S]

<shrug>
What _is_ an "SPG"? It's a US-market T16 3dr with the body kit and a bit of extra marketing applied. That's all. This 'vert is the same basic car but with the marketing and the roof removed.

True, but no matter how many times you type its vin into the database, it will never come back saying "SPG".

The spg also was lowered and tweeked performance wise, I think to the tune of 175hp.

There were also many 900S, which on our side of the pond means fancy non-turbo 16 valve, which had the SPG body kit put on them at the owners request. Does this make them "SPG"s as well? There is a N/A 900 around here locally that has every option available slapped on it, body kit, whail tail, etc, etc, but in the end its still just a N/A 900.

 

[TooMany2cvs]

True, but no matter how many times you type its vin into the database, it will never come back saying "SPG".

Nor will a single c900 outside the US. Because "SPG" was a Saab US marketing ploy.

The spg also was lowered

Even compared to the normal RoW "S" chassis? I thought Saab themselves only did two heights - normal and "S".

and tweeked performance wise, I think to the tune of 175hp.

Pffft. <grin> That's the same as my bog standard T16 - and that luckily (I don't much like it) doesn't have the tupperware glued at it...

Does this make them "SPG"s as well?

THERE. Just there. Yep, that bit. That's my point, that is. What *is* an SPG that's _so_ special? It's "just" a T16S 3dr with a bit of marketing stuck to it back in the day. Isn't it?