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 1970 Saab 96 1.5 Project
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ShawnColorado
Starting Member

5 Posts

Posted - 26 Jan 2019 :  23:17:33 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Hi everyone, this is my first post from here in Erie Colorado USA.
I bought a Saab 96 recently and towed it home not knowing anything about these type of cars. II got it started and drove around a bit... it took forever to warm up and barely goes 50 mph... can barely get up even small hills.

Did a compression test and it was 90 psi on all four cylinders. Decided to pull engine (first time pulling a car engine out).

I ordered new pistons, cam shaft, lifters, a new clutch, and I’m just trying to make the paint look better and clean it up.

I sent the cylinder head to a guy who specializes on these cars in Oregon and it should
come back with bigger valves and cleaned up (I think he shaves the cylinder head also).

I sent him my clutch and flywheel to be lightened.

Well I’ll try to post some pictures if I can figure it out.

UK_Sub
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
2555 Posts

Posted - 26 Jan 2019 :  23:20:46 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Welcome Shawn,

I look forward to seeing photos!


Cheers,
Simon
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ShawnColorado
Starting Member

5 Posts

Posted - 27 Jan 2019 :  05:30:16 Show Profile Reply with Quote
I set up a picture album in Google photos of my work up to this point.

I have pulled out the engine using a hoist and put it on an engine stand. I had to modify the mounts on the engine stand a bit by chopping them down so that I could get my hoist close enough to the motor to not have to be worried that it would crash down.

After that I just started disassembling the motor and cleaning it up as good as I could along the way. I don't have a parts cleaner so it was difficult to get everything perfect. Everything on this car under the engine
bay is covered in grease, oil, dirt, and debris (must have spent considerable time being stored outdoors). I bought the car from a guy in Grand Junction Colorado and he said he bought it from an estate auction from an old man that had died. He was going to fix it up and sell but became preoccupied with other projects. I drove 4 hours over the rocky mountains and towed it back again over the continental divide using a tow dolly and my GMC Yukon Denali XL 6.0 liter V8 and it pulled it no problem thankfully.

This is way more of a project than I intended to get into but here I am putting in the time and money to try my best to get it back on the road by the springtime.

The issues that I am having with the car:
Headlights and turn signal lights not working (I think only the left side brake light works now)
Interior lights not working
Gas gauge not working
The driver side door panel is missing.
The right rear turn signal cover is broken off and missing.
The heater was not working (but I think that is fixed now) I pulled out the heater core and flushed it and then lubed up the switch for the coolant which was stuck in the closed position. There also was a wasps nest in the vent and all kinds of debris including leaves, pine needles, and dirt. I cleaned it all out and it should be good now I think... the fan works good.
I figured that the clutch was slipping and was the cause of such low power and the engine was revving like crazy, just no power at all.
When I pulled it out the throwout bearing and clutch arm were in good shape and the hydraulic pressure seems okay, but the clutch friction material was pretty much gone.
The other strange thing was low compression on all cylinders 90-95 psi engine warm and cylinders dry. I then added some oil to each cylinder and got 110-120 en each.
I ordered new pistons and rings (found some new, old stock OEM Saab parts on eBay miraculously).
I decided to send the heads, clutch, flywheel, cam, and lifters off to Mark Ashcroft in Oregon. They will swap out the flywheel for a lightened unit, give me a new clutch and pressure plate (a modified Bosch part), modified cam (more torque) and then they will take the cylinder heads to a machine shop for bigger valves, cleaning, and cutting down for more compression.
I wasn't sure what exactly the problem was so I am hoping to get at least the power plant and clutch dialed in and move forward from there.

I haven't worked on cars much before. I have worked on lots of motorcycles though. I do motorcycle road racing now and like to tinker, so I guess I'm having fun with the project thus far but it's been a lot of work and I'm not even close to finished yet unfortunatley.

I will use this forum for help with my project. Just glad to have found a place where other people have the same weird old car. Having trouble wrapping my mind around all this work to produce if I am really lucky like 90 horsepower (what am I thinking!!! Ha Ha)

photo album here
https://photos.app.goo.gl/g7DT6ht37XUzxeL6A

Edited by - ShawnColorado on 27 Jan 2019 05:35:01
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UK_Sub
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
2555 Posts

Posted - 27 Jan 2019 :  09:43:57 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Sounds like you know what you're doing.

Jack Ashcraft will transform that engine, he is THE person to go to for that type of work.

We usually find that 99% of electrical problems are down to the fusebox - either dry electrical joints (give the back of the fusebox a good clean), blown fuses or a bad earth. It won't help that the electrical wire throughout the car will have deteriorated over the last 40 years either.

She looks like a good, straight and solid car and the work you've done to her so far is very impressive. Keep up the good work and I look forward to hearing about your progress.

If you found this forum, I assume you found the folowing too, but just in case, here's a list of useful resources (in the States);

http://www.vsaab.com/classified/classified.htm
http://www.vintagesaabclub.org/
and their forum...
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/vSAAB/info

and check out Tom Donney too, who's putting toether the Saab Museum USA...
https://www.saabmuseumusa.com/

Plus there are a lot of Saab groups on Facebook too.


Simon
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melle
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
3830 Posts

Posted - 27 Jan 2019 :  21:59:50 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Great project, welcome aboard! I can only see thumbnails of your photos (probably because I don't have a Google account) so not really sure what I'm looking at, but is that a Nikki carb? Are you sticking with it? I have 2bbl intake manifolds if you require one for a Weber upgrade.

www.saabv4.com
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Derek
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
2187 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2019 :  10:56:53 Show Profile Reply with Quote
I have a Google account and the pics open smaller than originals. Carb is a Weber, probably a 34ICH, with the fuel inlet on the proper side for the V4, that spec doesn't seem to be very common. Looks like a nice project.
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ShawnColorado
Starting Member

5 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2019 :  15:13:36 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Sorry about the pictures being small. On my end when I look at them in my Google Photos album they look normally sized. What is the preferred way to post up photos in this forum? I have more photos to post.

Yesterday I started spraying the body with primer. I am using a LVLP spray gun and a 8 gallon compressor rated for 120 psi. I have never used andything but paint out of a spray can before so I am learning and taking it slow. It’s cold and snowy here so it’s a nice project to keep me busy during the winter.
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ShawnColorado
Starting Member

5 Posts

Posted - 31 Jan 2019 :  02:13:02 Show Profile Reply with Quote
I started painting the base coat on the car today.
It came out nice for my first time painting. I just did one coat so far and I am guessing it will look even better after another coat and a couple coats of clear.
I’d post a pic if I could figure that out from my phone. I used Duplicolor paint and a LVLP spray gun. I’ll check in as I do more work.
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ShawnColorado
Starting Member

5 Posts

Posted - 06 Feb 2019 :  06:12:28 Show Profile Reply with Quote
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ShawnColorado
Starting Member

5 Posts

Posted - 06 Feb 2019 :  06:29:01 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Got a Flickr account and figured out how to post....

I painted the car a couple of days ago. I have never painted before but it came out okay.


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ShawnColorado
Starting Member

5 Posts

Posted - 06 Feb 2019 :  06:39:35 Show Profile Reply with Quote
I pulled out the dashboard because it was a mess, all cracked and the cover was falling apart.
I just decided to pull off the old dashboard covering and paint it.

It looks a little bit better, pain in the ass doing all that though and I can't figure out how to reattach the windshield washer motor to the lever inside the car that moves the wipers.

I might get a better looking steering wheel too this one looks tired even after a refresh.

I didn't plan on doing all of these cosmetic upgrades but I'm waiting on my engine parts and I got anxious... now I'm going way overboard.


Dash after primer and paint... the steering wheel too!

Hope to get back on the road sometime this century!

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Derek
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
2187 Posts

Posted - 06 Feb 2019 :  11:52:46 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Coming along but it looks as if sorting out the floor and bulkhead junction should be high on your job list. I know that some states are ludicrously lenient about rust and structural integrity but if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Metal, not fibreglass! Fixing that would normally be way higher on the list than painting the car IMO.
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ShawnColorado
Starting Member

5 Posts

Posted - 11 Feb 2019 :  00:52:20 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Today I painted the wheels and wheels wells.
I did primer then black and finally clear coat.
It’s coming along. I also put a leather cover on steering wheel. I ordered it on EBay from the UK. You must sew it on and it was a bit of a challenge, but came out looking great

I received my clutch from Ashcroft, also received the lightened flywheel, cam and lifter. Next week I should be getting the cylinder heads back.
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ShawnColorado
Starting Member

5 Posts

Posted - 11 Feb 2019 :  03:39:27 Show Profile Reply with Quote
My painted engine parts

Wheels and wheel wells painted black


Engine block painted

Front grill parts primed (I also painted them black but forgot to take a picture)
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Woody
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
2758 Posts

Posted - 13 Feb 2019 :  21:06:53 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Impressive work so far Shawn. What year is the car considering you have Monte Carlo strips on the side panels. I have spotted a 1969 front panel for your USA lights.
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ShawnColorado
Starting Member

5 Posts

Posted - 14 Feb 2019 :  10:19:23 Show Profile Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Woody
Impressive work so far Shawn. What year is the car considering you have Monte Carlo strips on the side panels. I have spotted a 1969 front panel for your USA lights.



Thanks Woody,

The car was made in November 1969 in Sweden. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing the 2 side strips were added at some point to make it resemble the Monte Carlo model.

Here's some more pics of work I did in the last couple of days. I am still waiting on my cylinder heads from Ashcroft but they should be here soon... they were shipped out earlier this week.

The front panel and grill painted


The door jambs painted


The wheel wells painted


The modified clutch and lightened flywheel I
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