UKSaabs

With summer round the corner I decided I wanted a convertible.

I couldn't afford a Turbo that wasn't rough as a badger's rectum, so decided the smart thing to do was look for the best condition 900i I could find in the best colour - Black!

It’s a little on the miley side, but the engine and gearbox are sweet, there is no structural rot and the hood is in great condition, compared to my 99 it even feels spritely!

Better still it’s been owned by someone who's handy with a rotary polisher, as you can see!



It does however need a little work. Two of the wheelarches have been thoroughly eaten by tin worm, so I've been cracking the welder out and seeing to the driver's side rear arch (driver's side front still to do)

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'84 Saab 99 with Turbo 8v (project)
"Face-dropped" classic 900i 'vert in Black

Now for "the twist".

I'm not a fan of 900 tupperware, so off came the bumpers and side skirts...



...and on went some proper bumpers!







Much Better!

Jobs still to do are to weld up all the front wheelarch, weld up the little holes where the bodykit fits and get it painted so the sides are clean and uncluttered...



...Oh yeah, and pay for it

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'84 Saab 99 with Turbo 8v (project)
"Face-dropped" classic 900i 'vert in Black

nice work.
I assume it was a slope front previously, Was it a problem fitting the flat front bits?

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Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts.

Aye, it was a slope-front - 1992 car.

The flat front-bits all just bolt straight on

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'84 Saab 99 with Turbo 8v (project)
"Face-dropped" classic 900i 'vert in Black

Don't weld the holes up, it will warp the panel like I don't know what, you will knacker the whole car up mate, honestly.

FUBES phoned me last year about his holes in his track car (same as your holes), I told him to do it like this, should I say, advised, sounds nicer.

Take yer kit off

DA round your holes with some 160 to rough them up.

File a nice chamfer on each hole.

On the reverse of the hole, key the surface around your hole.

Now a bit of expense, glue on the reverse of each hole a 2 pence piece or pre decimal pennies with tigerseal, saves cutting dozens of bits of metal out, rough 'em up 1st though with 80 grit, try to let the minimum amount of tiger seal squeeze through to the outside.

Now skim flexible filler all over holes.

Flat as you know who, finally finish with 800 cutting paper, the white stuff, 3 coats of stopper, flat, prime, guide coat with black, wet flat with 600 and paint it.

I wonder what a Silver bottom would look like.

DO NOT WELD YOUR HOLES UP.

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" Have you come prepared ? Aye, I have a Stromberg Carb diaphragm in my pocket " ! !

Too late I'm afriad rob, already welded half of them - Welded all the holes up in the doors for my 99 too - no distortion round them though. I put the welder on it its lowest settings and dot in some little blobs of weld all round the edges as a heat sink, then give it a short hit with full power, full wire speed weld to fill the hole.

However I will admit to distorting the back wing whilst I was letting in the wheelarch repair panel Took it slow and steady and thought I'd gotten away with it - but when I looked down the side of the car I could see the shoulder swage line had buckled in. I think it just didn't like having such a long straight edge, should have stepped it. Cut it open and re-did it twice and got the dent puller on it. Got it level enough that a skim of filler will solve it, but I shall know better next time...

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'84 Saab 99 with Turbo 8v (project)
"Face-dropped" classic 900i 'vert in Black

Oooooooooo! enjoy a good grind then mate.

Rob

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" Have you come prepared ? Aye, I have a Stromberg Carb diaphragm in my pocket " ! !

I'm in love!

Been driving this car around the past week and wondering why I didn't get one ages ago. Its brilliant!
I now have a rule - if its not raining, the roof goes down! 'tis the only proper way.

Mind you I've been making poor Chris (penguin45) sweat and curse with some of my ambitious designs on the car.
The change to flat-front meant wiring on older style electirical connectors. Chris managed to get the wiring order for one side figured out, and then went to do the other side thinking it would be the same or mirror-image. Nope! Completely different - crazy swedes!

We also dis-assembled the 4 four flat-front headights I've collected in order to built a set with the best condition lenses and headlamp bowls with the most silvering left on them. Except on the first attempt we both managed to screw the silvered bowls in upside down so the high-beams pointed at the floor!

I think the one thats been causing him the most consternation though was my lucky ebay purchase. The day I picked the car up from Ady2008, I won an auction for a set of crosspokes for £90 including tyres. This was a good thing as previously the wheels looked like this, and the mudflaps scraped the ground at the slightest hint of a bump or corner.



Now they look like this things are much better.



It doesn't end there though, the guy I picked the wheels up from was a really nice chap and proper saab enthusiast (not a member of UKSaabs though) - had a super condition platana grey 900 Turbo convertible and a even had a 900i Van as his business car. Anyhow, I was chatting to him about Saabs and my plans for the wheels and my car, and mentioned that I was on the lookout for a red leather interior for it. My search ended at that point! He had one stored on the shelf of his workshop and I promptly became the new owner.



Unfortunately, in my haste and excitement I overlooked the fact that this leather seat set was for the earlier type of seat fitment. So the tricky part has been very carefully peeling the covers of the old seats and skinning them with the new leather. The later style seat bases needed a bit of modification to help the leather seat covers pull down tight. And we haven't been able to close the zip at the base of the seat backs as it is too long for the later style seats.
The only other real problem is that the side panels (where the back adjuster knob goes through) don't really fit the contour of the leather, so the plan is to fabricate some new ones from a suitably shaped piece of plywood.

The back seats drop in without too much modification, the only difference was the snap-lug fitting for the seat base. Chris got the router out to make the two rectangular holes and we simply prised the fitting off the old seats and hammered them onto the leather ones.

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'84 Saab 99 with Turbo 8v (project)
"Face-dropped" classic 900i 'vert in Black

Wow, like the look of this, will have to keep any eye out for you when i'm out and about.

Cheers run saab,

All four leather seats and rear panels are now fitted, although they still need a damn good clean.
Fitted some clear indicator lenses and smoked side repeaters from Parts for Saabs which has helped mean things up a little, photos when I get the chance!

Next on the list is to finish chipping the sound deadening off the floor and repaint it. Water has been leaking in somewhere, and its crept under the sound deadening, lifting it up and attempting to rot out the floor. Luckily I've only found surface rust so far, but it wants nipping in the bud. Not sure why they even bothered with it to be honest, its a convertible so the noise is going to get in through the large hole above your head!

Now I've been rolling around for a few weeks its definitely time for an oil and filter change too

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'84 Saab 99 with Turbo 8v (project)
"Face-dropped" classic 900i 'vert in Black

The Irony of the topic title is, the car now IS twisted. Some pillock in a 2005+ Vauxhall Vectra crashed into the back of it at about 35-40mph last on the way back from Cockermouth, I've put a thread up in the coffee bar asking for people to keep an eye out for a Vauxhal Vectra wish a smashed nose in that area.

Very very angry annoyed and sad as this could be the end of the car...

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'84 Saab 99 with Turbo 8v (project)
"Face-dropped" classic 900i 'vert in Black

That's just a nightmare mate.

Was it parked up? I'm surprised the Arsetra could even move after an impact of such magnitude.

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It's not true that life is one damn thing after another. It's the same damn thing over and over.

chubby hell Hope they find the and take his licence away and make him buy you a new car.

How do you know that it was a Vectra Mr Viking.

Barstool.

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" Have you come prepared ? Aye, I have a Stromberg Carb diaphragm in my pocket " ! !

I know it was a 2005 Vectra because I recognised the taillights shape as he sped away and from the piece of smashed headlight and vauxhall badge he left behind.

I'd been to see AlexW to buy a new back bumper (which we'd just fitted) and had a nice long chat with about Saabs and this and that before I set off back for Newcastle.

It was 1:15am (i.e. kick out time from the pubs) - and I was starving so I went and bought a pizza in town, then thought, I'll drive out of town for a bit to let it cool and find somewhere to pull over so I could eat it.

Pulled over in a layby off the A595 and that's where this idiot drove into me whilst I was sat eating my pizza. The interior lights were on and by habit I sit with my foot sat on the brake so its not like he didn't see me - god only knows what was going through his head? It was the fact that he was driving on the main road, slammed his brakes on and actually backed up in order to pull into the layby behind me that I really can't understand.

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'84 Saab 99 with Turbo 8v (project)
"Face-dropped" classic 900i 'vert in Black

thats terrible news theo. the car was looking really cool and retro. is it a write off? it must be worth the ncb to fix surely?
hope they catch the person that did it and violate their human rights lots.

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LR Discovery HSE TD V6
99 turbo white
c900 turbo black
c900 fpt vert blue
fiat 500

That's a real bummer, Theo. All that work.....

Can't make any sense out of that at all.

Chris,
P45.

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6 million years ago, penguins were 8' tall........ You have been warned.... Oh, I run an 84 99GL.

Sorry to hear this, was looking great.

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Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts.

That's terrible news, Theo. The car was looking fantastic and is just what I'd like to do with mine. A great inspiration.

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Burble, burble...

Well, the car will be getting fixed. The police weren't exactly too hopeful on the chances of finding the person responsible, and with the other driver's details unknown there is no sense claiming on the insurance as I'd lose my excess and NCD.

However, John at the Saab surgery has looked at the car, driven it and says he thinks it still drives fine. We've measured the wheelbase both sides and the rear axle location has not been affected.
Plus he then sent his man Mak round to look at the car. Mark owns a full car straightening rig, and they are both confident that the damage can be straightened using Mark's equipment.
I had been saving up for a full stainless exhaust, the money from which will now obviously go towards this instead.

Hopefully I'll get it fixed up and karma, god, fate or whatever / whoever isn't there will give me a break and not serve up any more unexpected vehicular assaults.

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'84 Saab 99 with Turbo 8v (project)
"Face-dropped" classic 900i 'vert in Black