[DrunkieTheBear]

I couldn't edit my posts on my other thread for fix the pictures...so lets start over.

My other forum that I keep a log of things I've been doing to the car is shutting down soon...So I decided to bring it here.

I picked up the 2004 Saab 9-5 Aero in September 2012 sight unseen, right after getting married.

It had 123k miles then and it now has 151k miles on it. If I could list all the things I have done to it...there would be no room left for pictures.

So lets start from the beginning.

First weekend after purchase:

Euro turn signals

First winter

Swapped in a nice OG900 gearknob

Little to no rust

Spring 2013

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

My old Grand Prix

First stereo Pioneer F700bt

Summer 2013

Vanity plates and catback

Fall 2013 Lowered the car on Koni FSD and Eibach springs

Black Roof wrap

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

Winter 2013

Rear window spoiler

Spring 2014 I buy a house / get my first real garage and detail the car

I buy a **** ton of parts and put them in

I deal with some rust

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

I do some meets / Summer 2014

Stereo #2 DDX372

Summer 2015 Polish

First custom steering wheel

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

Enkei RPF1s and custom wood roof rack

I decided it was time to tackle more rust and rebuild the rear suspension

Saabs at Carlisle 2016

Summer 2016

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

I added a sub

Wrapped the A-pillars

Bought a parts car...I ended up having 3 at one point during the winter of 2016/2017

Brand new transmission with 4.45s

I keep it clean in Winter

Brake booster failure

Seat bracket swap to fix the seat shifting issue

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

Random Engine

Stereo #3 Pioneer x3800bhs THIS IS AN AWFUL STEREO (It pushes too hard on our amp and no volume knob)

Some changes early Spring 2017

My daughter born November 2016

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

I skipped over a lot of things, there are tons of little things I have done that I can't even remember but this a majority of it and there is a lot more to come.

That 4.45 brand new transmission is getting put inside a proper case that will fit my car and a Quiafe LSD added with a Spec 3 clutch

I just recently installed a short throw shifter, hand filing fun

Got some very nice leather goods from RedlineGoods.com

Ultimate pedals installed

Headliner wrapped

Steering wheel #2

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

Just some left over random pictures, towing scrap cars, wife's car, other stuff

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

So now that all of that is out of the way

Here is the latest as of September 2017

I've had a slow coolant leak since October 2016, so small that I burned off about 3/4 gallon to date, couldn't find it for the longest time. I started thinking head gasket some time around January. I got a nice surprise after work one day when white smoke poured out the back of the car in June. I went on vacation in July and when I came back I stuck a camera down inside the spark plug hole.

Cylinder #1

Cylinder #2

Cylinder #3

Cylinder #4

mmmmmmmm who likes their pistons steam cleaned. Common leak spot is between 3 and 4.

I was planning to park the car for the winter and do the head gasket and a ton of other stuff. Figured this engine could make it....Not so much LOL Blackstone labs report

Oh well, I still clean it anyways and drive it. If it spins a bearing...oh well. I am hoping that it can hold out just a little longer and I can park it for the winter. This has sparked other things to happen. If this engine manages to survive it will live another day in possibly another 9-5 (more on that too come)

In the mean time, I have WIS in the garage now too

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

So I tore down the extra engine I got, a 130,000 miles B235R in mint condition. I honestly couldn't have asked for a cleaner engine.
Tore down the spare motor.

Right now I'm parts gathering, but I've been picking things up left and right like crazy
Current upgrades
-ACL Bearings Main and Conrod
-Wossner 90mm pistons
-GS Tubular Manifold
-Phenolic Spacers
-T5 Cams
-60# injectors
-XSBoosts TD04-20T
-do88 Delivery pipe

Transmission
-4.45 final drive
-Quaife LSD
-Stage 3 Spec Clutch
-New gearset with updates

Should be a whole lot of fun once I finish.

Now as for other plans while this is going on
-Adjustable front and rear sway bar links
-Ceika Coilovers
-Adjustable rear lateral arms
-Brembo brake kit
-Solid subframe mounts
-Sony Android auto headunit
-Replace all the speakers with something better (great options now in the 2 ohm range with great sensitivity)
-Hopefully vinyl wrap this car like I have been planning

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

Here is a present mod list for the car, I'll probably update this as I go along
Visuals
-Matt D Turbo X Front lip
-Carbon Fiber wrapped center lip on Aero bumper
-3000k LED ZES chip fog lights with Yellow tint
-Carbon Fiber Hirsch styled grilles
-Natural White LED City Lights
-Sylvania Silverstar Front and Rear turn signals
-Headlight washer delete mod
-Xenon leveling delete mod
-Morimoto 55w balasts
-Philips XtremeVision 5000k HID bulbs
-35% tint
-Clear parts tinted on tail lights
-Satin Black vinyl roof Wrap
-Custom made Wood Roof Rack
-In Channel window vent visors
-Spoiler King rear window spoiler
-Natural White LED License plate lights
-Custom Aero badge on trunk
-KBS Undercoating
-WAHSAABI Euro plate in the front window
-Yellow/Blue Hella Jaguar horns

Where you sit
-Infinity Kappa 32.9cf dash speakers
-Llyods 5 floor mats with Saab logo
-Second skin audio sound deadening in dash, front and rear doors and rear deck lid (soon to be roof too)
-Custom made leather Steering wheel
-Redline Goods leather shift boot and ebrake boot
-Redline Goods leather head rests
-Ultimate pedals custom pedals
-Genuine saab short throw shifter
-Pioneer AVH-X3800BHS
-ProClip phone mount
-Backup camera
-Blue/yellow stripped door sills
-Warm White LEDs in every spot (Map, dome, reading, foot well, puddle, trunk, and vanity mirrors)
-Plaid wrapped A-pillars (roof and C-pillar are next)

Go Fast
-Open air intake
-06+ TD04 with king cobra 6cm^2
-Krona 3” downpipe
-OBX 2.5” catback
-BCB Stage 3 Tune (pushed a bit further by a friend)
-BCB Diverter Valve (Heaviest spring)
-Powder coated valve cover (visual)
-King cobra and u-arm motor mount mirror polished (Visual)
-GS Poly torque arm bushing

Hold me to the road
-Koni FSD
-Eibach springs
-Proparts front subframe bushings (Soon to be powerflex)
-PowerFlex Lower control arm bushings
-Moog uprated front sway bar endlinks
-Moog Poly rear sway bar endlinks
-SAS Sway bars front and rear
-PowerFlex trailing arm bushings
-EBC Rotors
-EBC RedStuff pads
-Goodrich Stainless steel lines
-Krona tower brace
-Enkei RPF1s 18x8 5x112
-Michelin Pilot Super Sports 235/40/18

 

[Tboy]

Looks Great. Props for working around photobucket.

Looking forward to hearing more about the rebuild.

The 4.45 trans is a new one to me, I haven't heard about it, was it installed in a later 9-5?

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

Its a final drive gearing that was found in the Saturn L100s of the early years, it was to give the smaller N/A 4 cylinder motor a bit more thrust (torque). The case will not fit and is essentially version 1 (FM01) of this trans, so it has the weaker fork and reverse gear among other things.

I have an FM08 transmission that will be torn down, the brand new bits of the FM01 that are good/identical will be used, updated parts from the FM08 will be used to finish it off. Along with the final drive, Quaife LSD and ARP ring gear bolts will be used.

Nick T uses them in his car.

 

[Tboy]

Interesting. I put a trans in from MY06 to my 9-5. I'm not sure what the FM number was (don't remember). The original trans would not go into reverse without already rolling backwards (shift fork) but that was at 250K miles. The trans I put in had supposedly low miles (60k) but was from a junkyard (where everything has 60k miles!).

I've always considered the trans to be a bit on the week side, even though I know they are factory rated for a specific NM output.

I will watch with interest on your trans build, that is not something I have ever gotten into. Even with my old trans I never did open the case. I wanted to but didn't get around to it. I'm pretty comfy around engines and have built several small blocks, fords, saabs and honda motors, but never opened a transmission!

 

[jmichael]

Looks good. Just make sure to get the Spec Stage 3+ (SS953F) not the regular 3 which likes to fail.

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

Interesting. I put a trans in from MY06 to my 9-5. I'm not sure what the FM number was (don't remember). The original trans would not go into reverse without already rolling backwards (shift fork) but that was at 250K miles. The trans I put in had supposedly low miles (60k) but was from a junkyard (where everything has 60k miles!).

I've always considered the trans to be a bit on the week side, even though I know they are factory rated for a specific NM output.

I will watch with interest on your trans build, that is not something I have ever gotten into. Even with my old trans I never did open the case. I wanted to but didn't get around to it. I'm pretty comfy around engines and have built several small blocks, fords, saabs and honda motors, but never opened a transmission!

I also bought this:

The shifter linkage was updated in later years to get rid of the plastic parts, the metal bushing fitting are meant to take it a step further and remove the last rubber piece in the shifter linkage. I got the bushings off a guy from Sweden who had made up a bunch. This shifter is going to feel nice and connected now.

I am not really strengthening anything else other than what I am buying/using with already exists. I can still blow out a gear like 2nd or 3rd like John did. If I do, I will probably pick up the Quaife 6 speed, I've seen them sell for $1,900. I unfortunately will not be putting the transmission together, I'll either see if someone local that does transmissions wants to do it or go down to Maryland to see Harvey.

Looks good. Just make sure to get the Spec Stage 3+ (SS953F) not the regular 3 which likes to fail.

That is good to know! Thanks, I literally just ordered the Stage 3 after dinner, I will email them and tell them I would like to upgrade to Stage 3+

 

[Yoshimura]

How do you like the feel of the car with the power flex bushings and the koni's and the springs.

 

[DrunkieTheBear]

How do you like the feel of the car with the power flex bushings and the koni's and the springs.

I like it, the b12 bilstein setup is also a good pick too. I feel more of the road with the bushings. I personally like the feeling, it is firmer but I'm still comfortable.

If want to stay perfectly comfortable, then keep it rubber, put the b12 or koni setup on and some nice sticky summer tires. If you want to have a bit more of a raw ride then add the bushings.

 

[Yoshimura]

I love that steering wheel where did you order that from?

I skipped over a lot of things, there are tons of little things I have done that I can't even remember but this a majority of it and there is a lot more to come.

That 4.45 brand new transmission is getting put inside a proper case that will fit my car and a Quiafe LSD added with a Spec 3 clutch

I just recently installed a short throw shifter, hand filing fun

Got some very nice leather goods from RedlineGoods.com

Ultimate pedals installed

Headliner wrapped

Steering wheel #2