I started work on this project in March 2013 and have been plodding on with it as and when I find the time between my offshore work rotation of 6 weeks on 6 weeks off. Progress was very slow to begin with and I was restoring spare parts I already had in storage but since 2014 I have been making substantial headway. I hope to get it completed before 2015, but only time will tell. Anyway, quick background: I bought the car in question, a basic 1992 900S LPT back in 2007 for an absolute steal. My intention at the time was just to use it as a spares car for another Saab I was restoring back then, but after inspecting the car I found it to be in way too good a condition to break so ended up using it as my daily driver until 2009! I took it off the road in 2009 and lost interest in it and it sat, looking very sorry for itself until I decided to begin this restoration project in 2013.
The restoration plan is as follows:
Replace the tired 220,000 mile engine with a freshly re-built unit. Strip, inspect and clean the original gearbox (which is just about the best 900 gearbox I have used, very smooth and silent) and fit type 7 primary gearing to the box to replace the 6's in there just now.
Fit the larger 9000 Aero calipers, discs and pads to the front.
Replace every suspension component with brand new or newly re-furbished replacements. All bushes will be replaced by Powerflex. Springs will be Kilen lowering 30mm, shocks Bilstein yellow HD. Front ARB delete.
Fit a 9000 Aero 240mm clutch / flywheel combination.
Strip the car, clean, remove / repair / treat all corrosion issues and finally put it all back together after a full body re-spray!
Other additions to the original car will be Aero kit, Carlsson arches, Carlsson rear bumper, whaletail, new headlining and custom leather seats (or maybe just standard Saab seats, not decided yet). I will also fit a new standard exhaust with custom Carlsson style tailpipe. I have a full JT system but will only fit that after I have run in the 'new' engine.
I fitted an intercooler to this car when I first got it, so will be keeping that but replacing the plastic end tanked one with an older style fully aluminium one.
The rest of the interior will be replaced with better quality components than were in the car and all other components will be re-lined / re-furbished as necessary.
OK, here is the car as she was in 2007:
CIMG2300 by Angus Smith, on Flickr
CIMG2304 by Angus Smith, on Flickr
Since this project is complete here are 2 similarly framed pics of the completed car:
The restoration plan is as follows:
Replace the tired 220,000 mile engine with a freshly re-built unit. Strip, inspect and clean the original gearbox (which is just about the best 900 gearbox I have used, very smooth and silent) and fit type 7 primary gearing to the box to replace the 6's in there just now.
Fit the larger 9000 Aero calipers, discs and pads to the front.
Replace every suspension component with brand new or newly re-furbished replacements. All bushes will be replaced by Powerflex. Springs will be Kilen lowering 30mm, shocks Bilstein yellow HD. Front ARB delete.
Fit a 9000 Aero 240mm clutch / flywheel combination.
Strip the car, clean, remove / repair / treat all corrosion issues and finally put it all back together after a full body re-spray!
Other additions to the original car will be Aero kit, Carlsson arches, Carlsson rear bumper, whaletail, new headlining and custom leather seats (or maybe just standard Saab seats, not decided yet). I will also fit a new standard exhaust with custom Carlsson style tailpipe. I have a full JT system but will only fit that after I have run in the 'new' engine.
I fitted an intercooler to this car when I first got it, so will be keeping that but replacing the plastic end tanked one with an older style fully aluminium one.
The rest of the interior will be replaced with better quality components than were in the car and all other components will be re-lined / re-furbished as necessary.
OK, here is the car as she was in 2007:
CIMG2300 by Angus Smith, on Flickr
CIMG2304 by Angus Smith, on Flickr
Since this project is complete here are 2 similarly framed pics of the completed car: