Why is your engine compartment so clean??? LOL

I wouldn't trust my car to any mechanics after working as one for 3 years at the purportedly reputable shop in LA that Walter Wong owns. I would not let that guy anywhere near my classics after the kind of shit that goes down just trying to bring in enough revenue to keep operating.

Glad to hear ScanWest is at least using OEM parts!

Neat project, it would be pretty cool to keep it a sleeper with steel rims.

You may regret the manual rack with the limited slip and grippy tires. It may prove to require too much steering input.

kuponut wrote:After fifteen miles, the new water pump shaft destroyed the jackshaft. The water pump shaft itself is completely intact, and is genuine SAAB it appears.

I think it was John Moss who told me that the last run of pump shafts that SAAB had made had a problem with the tooth profile angle or tooth pitch that caused that to happen.

I have the manual rack in mine with sticky tires and it's not too hateful. But I should probably reserve judgement until I have my Quaife equipped box installed for a few events.

DrewP wrote:Why is your engine compartment so clean??? LOL

Haha, good question. Days of scrubbing. My obsessive nature in full force?

Geoff wrote:Neat project, it would be pretty cool to keep it a sleeper with steel rims.

You may regret the manual rack with the limited slip and grippy tires. It may prove to require too much steering input.

Yeah, it might be quite a sleeper. I have some black steel rims, which might be just the ticket. Actually, I want this car to be set up for snow, if anything. In those conditions I'll take all the steering input I can get. It certainly won't be lowered, and I will probably even install my spring spacers. I want to be able to haul a heavy load, and pull a trailer as needed. No track car, this.

spgftw wrote:Actually, I want this car to be set up for snow, if anything. In those conditions I'll take all the steering input I can get. It certainly won't be lowered, and I will probably even install my spring spacers. I want to be able to haul a heavy load, and pull a trailer as needed. No track car, this.

Yessss.

Nice! My last C900 daily driver was an '86 900S with SPG springs, 2 MSS spacers in the front and 2 SAS spacers in the rear. Swaybars too to keep the tall thing level. I used to tow a trailer with it too.

I originally started out with mine, thinking I was gonna jack it up, put some off road tires on it, and make a baja prerunner out of it. Put some tube steel bumpers, and rocker scrapers. KC lights all over it... Just an all around obnoxious bucket of bolts.

It originally had the overload springs in it, and sat super high. There was 7 inches between the fender lip and the top of the tire.

The sleeper idea had occurred to me, a plain Jane tan Saab, with stock hubcaps, and some go fast bits hidden underneath.

It has gone through a few different incarnations. And it may go through yet another. When my 84 notch race car is ready to pound pavement, the tan 86 is going to be redone once again in preperation for RallyX and possibly a few TSD events. I could just change the springs and tires, and do that now. But I'm planning to strip it of the turbo air dam, and possibly build those tube bumpers afterall. I may relocate the turbo oil cooler setup to somewhere above the body under the headlight. I may add some skid protection as well. It's set up for tarmac and sits real low on cut SPG springs. I have a set of springs out of an 86 Monte Carlo SS that I plan to retrofit into the car. They are taller so that I can get away with no spacers. They will end up at around 550lb. I will need to modify the perch on the upper control arm, but it should work.

It's been a while since an update, so here's a minor one. I spent the last couple months moving apartments, and then parting out my scrap car. I grabbed front and rear suspension and ebrake, so Ulrika will be getting the later style brakes etc. Very thankful this overly long process is done, so I can have my garage back and finally
start making some progress again!



In other news, I bought a new daily driver. Here's the odd part- it's another dolomite sand 86. Only two saabs now, and they are exact twins. This weekend I started wrenching on it. I guess I'll start a second project thread for that one, especially since it's getting all the attention right now. Ulrika will just have to hang in there a couple more weeks....

Is it still stock? I could still use some pics.

Wow, it's been a LONG time since an update. Life has seen some big changes and this Saab project had to relocate to a new shop. It's been slow progress but I'm not giving up. :)

Here's the engine as it looks today. New chain, guides, rings, bearings, freeze plugs.

Someday, I hope it'll run again...

Yes! Took a lot of searching but finally located my missing adjustable cam sprockets. :)

Question time- I'm struggling to pry the transmission input seal out w a screwdriver. It hasn't budged. Any tricks to this before I mess something up?

A 90* degree hooked pick to dig in under the sealing lip sometimes works. Something that will cut into the rubber a little bit and let you get some leverage to pry it out. I recall more than a few of those recently that were a pain to remove. Just try not to scratch the bore that it seats in too badly, but if you do a little sealant is ok to use when you put the new one in.

If you feel like splurging on the right tool for the job, I got one of these a few years back and I use it all the time, it makes seal removal very easy...



http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp ... _ID=675676

*palm smacking forehead*

I have that same tool buried in a drawer somewhere. Bought it just in case, a couple years back. Completely forgot about it. Haha. Thanks for the timely reminder Luke. :)

That tool is what you need. Works great when the box and block are separated. Not enough throw when they are still together. I customized mine by drilling out the lower rivet and clocking it about 60 * and tig the lap joint. That way you can get some lever throw before you run into the block/flywheel.
I'll post a pix. for posterity.

Paul, good to see you are still in the scene and still wrenching.