1989 Saab 900 Build

[ICan'tBelieveItEither]

Old Saabs are the just the bee's knees. Don't screw it up.

[erik74]

This thread has a Saab, therefore it pertains to my interests. Huge Saab nut here. Definitely subscribing to this one. I don't think messing with a base model '89 will bother the purists too badly. What are your plans for it?

Ya hopefully not :P

Once I get her cleaned up and driving she'll be a daily/winter car. However, where I currently live we don't even get that much snow so she'll definitely be lowered a bit somewhere down the road. Honestly, this project is for me to learn more about aspects of cars I haven't tackled very much, such as electronics. It will also allow me to finally work on my mk4 GTI that I have neglected from modifying for so long.

On the short list:
Sort out fuel issue (hopefully solved by the ECU that's in the mail)
Check over electronics
Replace exhaust
Replace headliner/door panels (I'm thinking tweed)


Svenska94Aero, nice rides man!

[erik74]

Well, the ECU came in just in time for the weekend. Installed it this afternoon, turned the key, and she started right up! Went for a little drive in the ice covered parking lot, and everything seems to work great!

Tomorrow we're going to basically inspect the entire car to see what the plan is, and hopefully I'll get a little video uploaded and some pics.

[JRodigan]

Well, the ECU came in just in time for the weekend. Installed it this afternoon, turned the key, and she started right up! Went for a little drive in the ice covered parking lot, and everything seems to work great!

Tomorrow we're going to basically inspect the entire car to see what the plan is, and hopefully I'll get a little video uploaded and some pics.

Good to hear! These things run forever, just don't abuse the transmission. They're the weak point on these things.

Good luck with it!

Also, tweed will be awesome on the interior. Very fitting for the car.

[Zacne_4]

Good luck with this, it can be good!

[lokogingerz]

in for this ride !!! i better see some dropped saab here soon

[erik74]

Last bit of work done on her until January. Welded up a small portion of the exhaust, and while it was in acceptable shape I saw it as a good opportunity to practice welding. Going home for Christmas and leaving the car with a friend.

This is also a good demonstration as to why 2 guys who are car guys and happen to also be amateur photographers should never be put together in a shop. The work took 7 hours since half the time was spent taking pictures of welding and grinding.






More pictures by me available [here]

And a shot by my friend. More of his work [here]

[philohlean]

awwww yeeaaaah weird Swedish builds with zero aftermarket. This is gonna be good

[bdtrss]

I love these cars! Almost bought a sedan once

[erik74]

awwww yeeaaaah weird Swedish builds with zero aftermarket. This is gonna be good

Thanks! That's unintentionally the plan! Best way to learn is to hack away.


Also, tiny update, talked to a friend back home who is a mechanist. He's willing to make a few custom accessories for me if I provide him drawings. Hopefully I can make something up quickly in Solidworks before I head home! I'll keep these a surprise though. Maybe a small teaser at some point

[erik74]

Well, yesterday was exciting. Got the Saab out on the road. made it maybe 5 miles and the clutch pedal felt weird. Soon I had no pressure. Limped back on floating shifts, and I believe my slave cylinder is dead.

So, plans for the New Year, going to replace the clutch and slave cylinder. After that, well, we'll see what breaks next!

[JRodigan]

Well, yesterday was exciting. Got the Saab out on the road. made it maybe 5 miles and the clutch pedal felt weird. Soon I had no pressure. Limped back on floating shifts, and I believe my slave cylinder is dead.

So, plans for the New Year, going to replace the clutch and slave cylinder. After that, well, we'll see what breaks next!

Clutches aren't bad on these cars at all since they're in the front of the engine bay.

[erik74]

Clutches aren't bad on these cars at all since they're in the front of the engine bay.

Ya, last night I realized that. Is there any particular reason that you know of as to why they mounted like that? To date, that's the only reason I can think of...and I'm not complaining.

[JRodigan]

Ya, last night I realized that. Is there any particular reason that you know of as to why they mounted like that? To date, that's the only reason I can think of...and I'm not complaining.

I think it was for better weight distribution and balance. They wanted the engine and transmission to be parallel to each other as kind of one unit. But I can't be sure about that. I know they're designed to have a 60/40 F/R weight balance for aided FWD traction in snow.

/Saab nerd

[erik74]

Long time no post. It's been rough getting up to the shop to work on her, the weather has been absolutely crap and I prefer not to walk 30 minutes in a blizzard.

Update: I've been slowly trying to get the clutch torn apart, but every time I go to the shop I have to dig her out of the snow. And then of course things go wrong. If you're familiar with the 900, I've encountered every issue possible with the clutch removal - my slave is dead, the input shaft refused to move, and I lack dealer tools. She's currently at the final removal stage, but I dropped something into the primary drive case...oops. Gotta pull the bumper off, and the rad. Could be worse though right? At least this whole job is done with the car on the ground!