UKSaabs

Well it has been 30+ years now since I purchased the 99T and the old girl continues to make me smile.

Though I have looked after her bodily, mechanically she has been cared for by Martin at Jamsaab (01179 869997) and though the mechanicals are still strong bodily she is beginning to show her age. A bit of rust is beginning to appear and she has a few dings and dents on the body. So I have a plan.......

I have spoken to Martin at Jamsaab and we agreed that if the job is to be done, it should be done properly. So the 99T will be:
• Stripped of all components
• All mechanical parts that need replacing will be done
• Those items originally painted will be powder coated.
• New bushes and fixings will also be done

Whilst the body is striped it will be completely repaired and repainted (spray shop yet to be decided) and any external items either replaced or refurbished.

There is no firm timescale to this but we hope to have the car completed by spring/summer of next year.

So, to start this off, here she is at present:







As I will never sell the car, it is planned that this will be a restoration that will last me till I pop my clogs a photo history of the procedure will be here:
SAAB 99T restoration

Yep, that looks like a bag of nails that needs a full resto job......

To my eyes here it looks better than factory new already.

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What we need are more people who specialise in the impossible

Andrew, looks can be deceptive.
Take a look at the photobucket shots, once the bits were removed it didn't look quite so good though I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of some of the parts. The wheel arches for example look solid, probably due to the effects of Waxoyl and years of washing under the wheel arches.

i agree & i'm picky ..

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1993 T16s t5d.
2002 Hot Vert ..
2006 v6 wagon.

David, your 99T is the luckiest one out there - everyone knows how good condition it is, and you're still striving for perfection

look , mine's rough....[url][URL=http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d121/bazza1961/?action=view&current=99turbo105-1.jpg][/url][/url]

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1993 T16s t5d.
2002 Hot Vert ..
2006 v6 wagon.

Look forward to the finished results!

I know exactly where Naranto is coming from, his looks mint, mine looks mint but in your own weirdo mind you know it's not, OCD is kicking in big time, you get to a certain age and think.........Mmmmmmmmmm, I wish.............£7,000.00+ and more..........

Well worth it though...

Rob

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

Mr Beard you are a wise man.

There are a number of areas that will need sorting, but as you say my 'weirdo mind' magnifies these problem areas where others may not notice. As explained I have owned the car from new and have no intention of selling, despite an offer in to five figures at the International in Holland back in 2009 and hope that when finished I can enjoy the car for another 30+ years. The restoration is for personal pleasure not financial gain.

Then again, it may be an age thing

I didn't realise you'd owned it since new, that's mighty impressive, so the car has already gone 30 years in your care?

I Think nutcase is right, your 99t hit the jackpot when you were the one who took it home from the showroom, I don't think any other 99t on the planet will have been quite so consistently well cared for (except maybe the Museum cars?)

I reckon you'd probably have a heart attack if you saw the state of mine, its at the right other end of the curve, as in no 99 has sustained a more prolonged period of abuse without being scrapped

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'84 Saab 99 8vT (project)
Stub-nosed c900i 'vert

Except maybe Chris Foxleys 99T Combi Coupe

I drove both of mine into the ground....

99T CC did get sold at 175,000m but died within weeks.
99T Saloon died at 200,008m from rust rust and more rust. Even then is would still go triple red in 4th (boost, rpm and speedo all pegged)

Andrew

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What we need are more people who specialise in the impossible

Yep, Chris Foxleys 3 door is gorgeous and a credit to him and Sharon, but I think you will find he is the second owner

That's mint !!!!

The only thing I will say is when you carry out the "rust" repairs try not to remove the factory "zinc" protection as you can not replicate this with modern after market products .

I have seen cars that have had full bare metal resprays rust through in 5-6 years because the level of protection just isn't the same . Good old health and safety has put an end to the nasty stuff that was applied to your car 30 years ago that has, combined with your ocd level of care, protected your car for so long .

I would always recommend chemical paint removal over abrasion, for this type of work, as you can remove paint in layers . its messy and more work , which is why most other body shops sand , but if you intend on keeping the car its better in the long run !

just my 2p
Mark

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'71 97 Sonnet
'72 99
'76 96L
'74 95
'88 900 Jubilee
'98 9k Annie
www.facebook.com/msaautobodies

Under bonnet looks very nice. Have you chromed or polished any bits? The clutch cylinder looks nice & shiny. The inlet manifolds also look very bright.

Take it from me, Wickes Brush Cleaner is a wonderful thing. .
I know David's car well, and, I fully appreciate where he is coming from.

Thank you all for your comments.

Regarding the engine bay, it was overhauled and detailed by Jamsaab around ten years ago and is a credit to their work that it still looks presentable today. The clutch was plated at the same time as was all the throttle linkages etc.
A few bits will be refreshed but generally the engine bay will stay as it is.

SAAB 99T restoration

Doh!

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What we need are more people who specialise in the impossible

looking very good already.......will be totally mint once you're finished

which parts were you planning on having powder coated?
I only ask as if the parts are exposed and gain a chip, corrosion can spread all along underneath the powder coat - and is a right to fix, whereas painted surfaces can be rubbed back a little and re-painted. Just my 2p

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Rich
Prefers driving over polishing or reading.

H Rich

The finish is a bit of question/problem we have been having and must admit I am leaning towards a good enamel paint for the very reasons you have mentioned, especially as it is not going to be a 'trailer queen' car and will inevitably pick up a few stone chips along the way.

Just have to remove the rear bumper and all the boot items this weekend and it will be driven over to Jamsaab early next week - fortunately I only live a few miles away.

The car is now at Jamsaab awaiting its strip down. Generally it looked better than I had hoped regarding rust, so that has to be a positive.

I have made a start on the mass of items that have been taken off.

• The window winders were scratched over time so they have been sanded and resprayed.
• Headlamp surrounds split (they all do this, it is a design fault) have been re-glued with epoxy resin and a small metal strip set in for added strength.
• Headlamp surround strips removed. I did try a 'chrome' spray from Halfords to try and get a shine but to be honest it was a waste of money - it looks like an ordinary matt silver finish - see below for comparison. So I have removed the paint, sanded the strips and polished it back to a shine.

Now for the bad news:
• Passenger side wing mirror broken whilst trying to remove the glass.