| Author |  Topic  |
1970V4
V4 Fanatic
USA
313 Posts |  Posted - 22 Oct 2010 : 01:38:14  
| So the summer got away from me and my right-hand drive '72 96 project never really got off the ground. In fact, it's now sitting in a rented storage unit along with all of my parts as we're trying to get the house ready for the arrival of our first child in December.
So, here's my newest acquisition, a completely rustfree 1972 96, this is the one teaser shot I have, I'll post more once I get to working on it:
The story with this car is that I ended up finding it for a friend a few years ago who was looking for a 96 and had never had one. He purchased it based on a couple of photos and we made the eight-hour drive to Kansas City to pick it up. Upon seeing it for the first time I immediately regretted not buying it myself as it was an extremely well-preserved original car, Polar White with green interior. Long story short, he drove the car back and put about 100 miles on it before parking it in his garage never to drive it again after one of the wheel cylinders started leaking. It recently came up for sale and he phoned me and asked me if I wanted to buy it, I jumped at the chance.
Right now the brakes need some sorting, the rotors and pads will be replaced along with the cylinders, shoes, and hardware. I plan to keep it mostly stock aside from some bolt-on modifications including a Weber DGV carburetor, MSS exhaust, Sport and Rally steering wheel, rev counter, etc. One of the previous owners replaced the dampers and brake hoses not too long ago so that's a plus.
I will post some more photos once I get a chance to work on it, shouldn't take more than a weekend of fiddling to make her a runner. I could not be happier, this is the 96 V4 that I've always been looking for. |
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rsimps
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
1616 Posts | Posted - 22 Oct 2010 : 08:01:28
| | Looks tidy from the rear! How many times have I used that comment on a night out! |  |
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n/a
deleted
297 Posts | Posted - 22 Oct 2010 : 08:04:13
| | Looking good...can't wait to read (and see) your experiances with such a fine car. Really love the 'Polar' white. | |
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surreysi
Starting Member
United Kingdom
43 Posts | Posted - 22 Oct 2010 : 10:18:08
| Cool.... good luck `race you to new year?`
think thats a bit optimistic for me...i like `Raiders`!
and `cowboys`
they both have more chance of winnin` superbowl...than me gettin on road! | |
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Woody
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
2764 Posts | Posted - 22 Oct 2010 : 20:42:48
| Used to carry my first daughter in a carry cot in the back of a 96V4 in the mid 80's, then a Mothercare Car seat.
Nice motor that. Definitely one to care for. | |
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1970V4
V4 Fanatic
USA
313 Posts | Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 16:49:33
| | I was able to do a little work on it last weekend, completely replaced the rear brakes (turned drums, new shoes, and hardware), fitted a new electric cooling fan to the radiator, and a Pertronix electronic ignition. Still left to do are the front brakes (new rotors, pads, and hardware), outer CV boots, fuel hose, and Weber 34ICH carburetor. I have big plans for this car in the future, including building a hot 1.7L V4 for it. | |
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Woody
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
2764 Posts | Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 20:33:03
| | Looking forward to seeing developments. | |
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1970V4
V4 Fanatic
USA
313 Posts | Posted - 01 Jan 2011 : 15:23:58
| I finally brought this car home yesterday afternoon, here is an iPhone pic I snapped at the petrol station getting filled up:
I ended up having to do a lot more work than anticipated to get it roadworthy. The outer CV boots were torn so I decided to swap in some spare axles that I had with good boots. I installed new brake rotors, pads, hardware, wheel cylinders, freshly turned drums, and flushed the brake system with new fluid. I replaced all of the fuel hose and most of the coolant hoses. The FoMoCo carb turned out to be junk so I replaced it with a Weber 34 ICH that was included in the spares. I replaced the points and condenser with a Pertronix. After getting it running I found that the thermostat was stuck open, one of the bolts sheared off when I removed the housing. The fragment would not come out so I decided to just swap in a spare inlet manifold that I had on hand. Oh yes, the battery was also giving me problems so I replaced that yesterday as well. I've also purchased a remanufactured early c900 alternator with internal voltage regulator so that will go on this weekend.
I still have a bit of tweaking to do to get it to run right but it drives pretty well and will serve as my daily driver. I do need to replace the valve stem seals as the ones that are in it are shot so it smokes a bit. Hoping that I can do this without pulling the heads. It feels so good to be back behind the wheel of a 96 again. | |
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James Ranaldi
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
1475 Posts | Posted - 01 Jan 2011 : 20:32:58
| | Great work, looking good. | |
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john-saab
Administrator
United Kingdom
2679 Posts | Posted - 02 Jan 2011 : 08:34:37
| | US spec headlights look so much better than the ones fitted in Europe...i wonder why SAAB chose square lights for a curvy car? | |
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mettersl
V4 Fan
United Kingdom
126 Posts | Posted - 02 Jan 2011 : 08:55:28
| I guess Saab fitted rectangular headlights in Europe so you can fit wipers to them- I found these really useful on my 99 in snow.....
Lee | |
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James Ranaldi
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
1475 Posts | Posted - 02 Jan 2011 : 11:06:07
| Hi 1970V4,
Why are there no number plates on the front of your car ?
Cheers | |
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1970V4
V4 Fanatic
USA
313 Posts | Posted - 02 Jan 2011 : 16:30:08
| quote:
Originally posted by James Ranaldi
Hi 1970V4,
Why are there no number plates on the front of your car ?
Cheers
Kentucky is a single plate state, you only need to have one on the rear. We also don't have annual vehicle safety inspections so there are some scary things to be found driving on the roads. This is a lot different than my native state of Massachusetts which requires two plates and has strict annual inspections (similar to the MOT).
I do have a vintage Swedish plate that I'm going to put on the front. I think some driving lights would look nice as well. | |
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James Ranaldi
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
1475 Posts | Posted - 02 Jan 2011 : 22:29:45
| Ah hah,
Interesting.
Swedish Plate and lights sounds good.
Thanks for the information.
Cheers | |
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melle
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
3833 Posts | Posted - 02 Jan 2011 : 22:39:57
| quote:
Originally posted by 1970V4
single plate state
Love the word play!
1970 Saab 96V4 "The Devil's Own V4"
1974 Saab 95V4
1977 Saab 95V4 van conversion project | |
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1970V4
V4 Fanatic
USA
313 Posts | Posted - 02 Jan 2011 : 23:37:16
| I unexpectedly ran out of fuel today on the highway, I was able to make it safely off and to the shoulder. I guess I should've paid better attention to my miles driven since the fuel gauge doesn't work!
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| Topic | |
My newest acquisition
