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Post by PICTUP on Jul 11, 2022 18:54:48 GMT -8
True to the Rally Saabs of yesteryear, I got the wheels painted black. Gasp! Yes, the white wheel guy had some wheels painted black. There is LOTS of paint on them(along with a few runs, but they are wheels after all) and past experience has taught me that when torquing the lugs down, paint in the recess really makes a mess and doesn't allow proper tightening. So back to metal it went with a sanding drum on the old Dremel tool. Freshly(1 week ago) painted Matching the angle is key Then just turn the wheel and move around the face And ta-daaa(!) ready for install. I did paint the lugs with a spray bomb, but they will undoubtedly need touch-up when installed.
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Post by 1hotvw on Jul 11, 2022 20:46:29 GMT -8
just magical don
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Post by Volktales on Jul 11, 2022 21:29:39 GMT -8
Muuuuch better than white. You still need some GOOD skinny knobby tires, though...
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Post by PICTUP on Jul 14, 2022 8:56:11 GMT -8
Muuuuch better than white. You still need some GOOD skinny knobby tires, though... If I could only find some the right size! These cars with high-revving, low torque engines need smaller narrow tires which aren't too popular these days
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Post by Volktales on Nov 6, 2022 21:57:34 GMT -8
Sooo, it was time to get cracking on the SAAB! Don has been extremely busy with his garage project, and I suggested he needed a break, and work on his SAAB instead. And he did! One of the jobs that was ready to do, was installing the replacement fuel tank. Don used one from his parts stash, that was better than the one that came with the car. Getting it in was a bit fun however... The filler sealing grommet went on pretty straightforward, and that is what Don is poking at here. The filler pipe itself was not as much fun... It took a lot of grunting to get the new hose onto the filler pipe assembly. Might have said a few bad words in the process, but it was successful in the end... Don finished off the job by installing this neat gauge sender assembly. This one is the deluxe type, which has a low fuel warning light as well. Such decadence! The unit was resistance tested before installation, and should work just fine. Another job on the agenda is to make this system work. The windshield washer/wiper switch is shown, and Don has to make the washers work to pass inspection. This system uses a hand pump to squirt the water from the nozzles. There is some kind of check valve system missing from this car, so plan B is to install and electric pump, which he just might do. Things are moving forward...
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Post by PICTUP on Nov 6, 2022 22:34:23 GMT -8
I must be a real slow typist...Russ beat me to this info as I was composing a post. Oh well, here is "my" side. lol I have been rather distracted lately with overseeing shop construction, amongst other things, so progress has been sporadic. Back in September I did have a good day making sure the gas tank and filler in the Saab was properly installed, with all its bits. Then I realized I had missed a body to filler tube seal, duh! But where to get one of those? Turns out my rust bucket parts car, which is a actual Sport model from 1964(sadly not saveable without more funds than it would be worth in the end) had one. After extricating it from the crusty car, it became evident that it was, to say the least, not the best example with a few rips. Apparently soaking rubber pieces in various solutions can rejuvenate them, however those rips needed to be mended first. I have had good luck in using Gorilla Super Glue so I gave it a shot. Here you can see the seams of where the rips have been glued together At this point I could have tried soaking to rejuvenate the rubber, but I took Russ' suggestion of "lightly" bead blasting it. It seemed like a good first step. Looks good, eh? I was still worried that it would all rip apart, so I brushed on a layer of Flex Seal coating. Unfortunately I didn't take any pics, but it looked like new. But would it work? To put the gasket on, I had to either remove the tank or the filler that I had just installed. Since the latter was a b*tch, I opted for the former. This forced me to try to solve the sender puzzle. First of all the sender was in with four, not the five machine screws it should have had, so it seemed the sender was not "clocked" right in its hole. Upon removing the sender, I snapped a bolt. Crap, I really had to remove the tank now so that I could fix that. Once out, the tank was obviously a problem with its interior of rust and goo. Some time ago I had cleaned a tank using instructions from a thread on the samba. With all its baffles, the Saab tank took me 5 times as long(it seemed)the time to clean than the Westy tank I did at the same time. So I kept it for the right car, this car(of course I didn't know it at that time, lol). Anyhow, now was the time to use the clean tank. And the sender? Well, it was pretty much a rust blob, i.e. toast. On the hunt I went into my "stash" of Saab parts I have acquired over the years. And low and behold I found one. And not just any one, but the right one for the Sport dash which has a low "idiot" light, which means it has two terminals, one for the gauge and one for the light. Turns out my car has the wiring for it too. Whataya know. "Old" one on the left with the bogus two connectors from the same source, the "new" one on the right With the tank in, here is the "Flex Sealed" gasket from the inside From outside, here is the gasket and the hose connectors for the fill and vent(which I "let" Russ wrestle into place, lol. I think he took over after I needed a rest from trying....) The sender installed with ALL five screws It's all strapped in Now onto the windshield washer .....
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Post by PICTUP on Nov 21, 2022 21:33:39 GMT -8
Well, the windshield washer endeavour turned into something a bit bigger....After I couldn't get the wiper switch out easily(or at all) I made the decision to remove the dash. Russ was not pleased, but the spaghetti of wires just didn't look right to me. More to the point, I didn't want the idea of potential faulty wiring to be lurking behind my dash when driving this car. This car has a Saab Sport dash cluster grafted in and the wiring between the two(regular and Sport) is kinda the same, but kinda not. So far with the help of the photocopy-enlarged wiring diagrams from my accumulated manuals Russ is lowly making sense of what the wiring should actually be. I am helping...I think. Well, I am starting to understand how to read Swedish wiring diagrams anyway, lol! Wiring before Wiring after. Does it look any different? I think it does, but to the eye that hasn't been looking at it for hours, probably not. However, I think we are closer to it operating as it should.
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Post by CrazyBrit on Nov 27, 2022 18:05:51 GMT -8
Definitely cleaner and neater. But then I'd expect nothing less from you two!
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Post by Volktales on Jan 1, 2023 19:24:10 GMT -8
So Don was back over again and time to get some more done on the SAAB. He looks reasonably happy in this pic, but that might have changed a bit later... The dash wiring threw up a few more wobblies before everything worked. I took the turn signal switch partially apart and cleaned up the contacts. This was successful in restoring the LF signal and R dash indicator light to operating status. Then Don ran into some of the dreaded "intermittents". One dash light in particular kept working only when it felt like it. This turned out to be a combination of less than perfect ground to the bulb holder, and intermittent ground to the tachometer assembly. Took some time to get this to work just right... Actually it was quite the pain to get everything to work. Now Don is dealing with the various defroster and fresh-air vents that are hidden behind the dashboard. Extra fun when someone else took them apart, installed some parts wrong, left others out, and lost pieces outright. And some parts are mismatched for extra good times. But it will get there in the end...
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Post by PICTUP on Jan 1, 2023 22:20:30 GMT -8
It's a good thing I have another complete-ish car(except for all the rusty metal that is missing) to look at. Your expertise in getting this project-that-wasn't-supposed-to-be-much-of-a-project( ) running properly is greatly appreciated Russ. . I apologize that this is taking so long. Hopefully soon(-ish) my workspace will be finished, and it will stop taking up a spot in your "working" garage. It has been a long stressful haul. This previous posted video( www.saabplanet.com/a-saab-video-story-by-texas-car-guy/?fbclid=IwAR2MjS6iXu4df3HBM_kuFUw8I9DyBCaGiV-JE2EiMrbc0GT6wbwxTN_fAqY) is interesting in that at 4:20(yes I know the reference)the fellow says that the driver, "has to drive the car as though he is mad at it". I am kinda mad at it now, but I don't think I have any real reason to be, as it is just a mechanical/electrical beast. Maybe I can conjure up some in the future and do right by the car....but it won't be by getting in any ferry line!
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Post by Volktales on May 21, 2023 20:55:27 GMT -8
Sooo, since Don has not updated this project quite yet, I will do the honours... Don slowly but steadily beavered away on this project until at last it was time to see if it would still run and pull itself out of the basement garage... The last jobs that were done included installing the secondary heater core, repairing the seat tracks, making and installing floor plates, and hooking up various controls again. Then it was time to see it the thing would actually start after all the previous messing around with the electrical system. A bit of gas down the carb and turning the key resulted in instant demented chainsaw noises! Just the way it should be... Now outside, and with almost a years worth of accumulated dust to be washed away. Wonder how good that paint really is??? Don found out later when he washed it for the first time. And the result was a very shiny and smooth SAAB! The paint and bodywork were very nice in fact, and now Don is going to fret about getting it all covered with rally mud... Oh well... And for your viewing pleasure... What a machine! Now Don just has to get a safety inspection, and do a few more minor things and it will be on the road! Ring a ding ding!
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Post by PICTUP on May 21, 2023 21:26:55 GMT -8
And here I was about to post some pics from "along the way". Seems pointless now. I have had a few things on my plate other than car stuff as of late, but I won't go into that now. I will say it feels good to be actually closing in on inspection and (hopefully)registration. And yes, the Saab looks much better washed..
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Post by PICTUP on May 26, 2023 22:18:07 GMT -8
Some pics along the way... Parts car squirters Parts and tools used to achieve the final product Rear seat stitching had let go in a length. So I tried my hand at restitching. Not perfect, but neither is the car Then there was turning the brown into red episode So much oxidation on the rear view, I had to do something about it A bit nicer polished Side view too Making the windshield squirters work Taking the stuck-on engine lid cowl rubber off. It had slipped down over time, and I wasn't able to open it easlily(or hardly at all at times!) Taking the heater box off the parts car Refinishing it Installed Cockpit fender well refurb with Plasti-dip paint Getting pedal plates installed Fast forward to yesterday... one inspection and then 2 HOURS and 4 phone calls to ICBC at the local insurance place and TA-DA! Now I gotta drive it! A few minor things until the first burn around the neighbourhood. The plate surround was given to me by my friend in Seattle who actually went to a BaT event after I told him it was happening.
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Post by Volktales on May 27, 2023 8:07:13 GMT -8
Have you blasted past Stan's house yet at 6000 rpm???
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Post by PICTUP on May 27, 2023 11:12:16 GMT -8
Not yet, having some gear poppage issues. Got close though...next time. Russ already knows this, but others should keep in mind that Stan lives in a school zone, but since this is a two stroke I shouldn't have any problem doing 6K rpm in 1st gear ;^)
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