20080730

Junkyard of Futility






5 kommentarer:

Anonym sa...

(my question is I am looking for a manual steering rack, they are IMPOSSIBLE to find in the USA...

So two questions, are RHD racks and LHD racks interchangeable, can you just flip one around to get the other, I realize the mounting points are on one side, in the USA they are on the back of the rack I believe, or what other countries are LHD and can SOMEONE PLEEEEASE help me find a manual rack.....? Thanks a ton Guys)

Yeah,a "depowered" servo rack is one alternative (I drove around like that for awhile),but a proper manual rack works much better,IMHO.

You really need to find a 1979 900 EMS manual rack,they're 3.5 turns lock to lock (similar to servo 3.6 TLL)...non-EMS man. racks will be 4.2 turns lock to lock,but will be much easier to find.

Look on the (saabnet) 99 board,on the first page there will be a topic from July 19 concerning modding a 900EMS rack to fit a 99...contact the poster & see if he still has the rack & offer a price.

I actually had luck finding a 900EMS man. rack a few years back looking on
http://www.car-part.com
It's a database of boneyard dealers...type in 1979 saab steering rack + manual,some of the dealers may be clueless as they list man. racks from an 85 so ya gotta contact 'em & verify what they really got...
...a junkyard in Montana had a 79 manual rack listed & I contacted them & it turned out to be a 900EMS rack!

It might be worth looking into Canadian junkyards also,they would be more likely to have the manual racks...

...and if all else fails you could eat mucho freight costs & get one from a Swedish yard,they have an excellent database & many Saab parts & also pictures sometimes!
http://www.bildelsbasen.se

(THANKS A TON... that's just the type of info I am looking for, any more would be appreciated....oh and my power rack is fine... I just want a manual one)

Myself,I prefer the manual racks...but I'm a spartan minimalist with no objection to "muskelwerk"...one of the major complaints auto-journalists always seemed eager to point out was the 99/900 heavy steering while parking,once you get used to it,it's really no problem.

From a performance viewpoint,power assist is actually the way to go...less fatigue on the driver,back in the glory days Saab did a test with Stig Blomqvist & Per Eklund driving the factory rallycars,one fitted with p/s & one with manual---there was a pretty dramatic difference in times being quicker with the p/s rack.

I still have no idea who manufactured the manual racks for Saab,it has been suggested it was also Saginaw,but I'm leaning towards CamGear (who also made racks for Volvo & Brit Ford Escorts)...

here's a RHD manual rack:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Saab-900-Manu...oQQcmdZViewItem

...these modular racks look pretty neat,not too much info on their site & I've never contacted them,but it seems possible one of their racks may be made to fit og900 application?
http://www.pilbeamracing.co.uk/index2.html
...click on "modular rack"

(I was lucky enough to obtain a set of genuine Saab brand new rear mudflaps to suit 79 to 86 (pre-facelift) c900's and according to info from other people the bodywork on the target car (my 82 turbo) should already have holes pre-formed at the bottom of the rear part of the rear wheel wells on each side of the car to screw the mudflaps into which are likely to be filled with putty or rivets and covered with waterproofing material. Does that sound likely?)

Mudflaps are cool,eh? Even sound cooler in Swedish : stanklappar

The flaps in the photo appear to be "post facelift"?

I had to drill out the rivets on mine...quite simple...if the rivets on your car are covered up with undercoating,fit up the flap (w/o screws) and scrape directly behind where the holes in the flap are...they line up perfectly...after you drill out the rivets you may want to spray some waxy stuff in the holes,if you can't get Waxoyl or Dinitrol over there you can try & make a "homebrew" with beeswax and turps (do a google on "waxoyl recipe)...also a pretty good read on rust is here : http://www.saabenthusiasts.co.uk/cu...e/CavityWax.htm

Of importance : if your kit didn't come with washers for the screws,find some appropriate washers or over time the rubber will chew away and the hole will be too big.

I've heard of people in rusty climates sealing their flaps with clear silicone or something similar...just bead the gaps with a caulk gun...seems a good idea.

(Does anyone know a company out there who makes white rims that fit the 900? Tried looking on saab sites and ebay. I didn't seem to find any...)

Two companies famous for their white wheels
are Speedline & Compomotive.
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/spee...dline_info.html
http://www.compomotive.com
...some Cits & Pugs have the 108x4 bolt pattern,but offset seems to be around 16-19(?!),I've seen a Ford app @ 35.
...saw a Mitsu Lancer/Galant GpN listed @ 114.3x4 w/ 40 offset.
...centerbore should be 65.1mm(I think??)

(One of my mechanics just turned a 12.92 in the quater at the local drag strip. Car is a 1986 900 2dr. It has and Aerocharger turbo and stoc intercooler.)

2300 lbs. w/ driver?-totally insane!!!!
that's great!
Is it a base model w/o sunroof?
It must be pretty bare!!!
Which 4spd. 'box is it running?

One of the main reason I dig old Saabs is the underdog factor,nobody seems to know what the heck it's capable of!

(There is a pristine and rust free saab 900 EMS at the pennsburg junk yard. Such a shame it's there, looks like she did not have a single thing wrong with her In any case, it's there now and nothing we can do about it it's got the 4 speed, and everything that came with the "EMS" all I took was the glove box door cause it was un usual. what else should I take?)

What's the build date on that car?
If it's early '80,it may have the rare '79 900EMS manual steering rack,which is 3.5 turns lock to lock,opposed to the standard 4.2 TLL...

Does it have the EMS "swoosh" stripes?

What is the gearbox number?...G34402...

Is it silver or burgandy?

'79 & '80 were the only years USA had a 900EMS...

Somebody may want the soccerball wheels if it still has them.
The oldschool "clip" seatbelts are cool too.
If it has an 8k tach,somebody will want it.
Retro cars rule, man.

(Not sure on the build date... Will those cool clip belts fit into a newer 900? It had those. Also, yep, it had the swoosh, 8k tach, manual steering rack, soccerball wheels (not one had curb rash) and a neat-o steering wheel with the horn in the center. 4 speed trans, did not look at the # on it. It selected all 4 speeds smoothly (not running, front wheels off the ground) but they all went in... Also, the rear air vents and tail lights had chrome strips on them. looked interesting.)

The build date should be on driverside inner door on that little sticker(i think?)
As mentioned earlier,if it was a late 79 build,it may still have the 3.5TLL man. rack-which is sought after in certain circles...I'm not sure on identifying the 3.5 EMS rack from standard 4.2 racks though...

I've read of a few people retrofitting the oldschool clip belts into newer cars.

The steering wheel might be the highly sought after Momo Sport & Rally wheel...on the reverse of the bottom spoke it'll say Momo...if it's uncracked,its worth at least $100...those are cool because they're FAT...hard to find a fat steering wheel nowadays,they work well with manual steering.

Now for my request! .
...feel free to say:,man,that's too much of a hassle!

After I repaint my car,I'm going to get a signshop to reproduce some vinyl swoosh stripes.(I'm going for the retro look!)
However,it'd make my life easier if I had a template to give the signshop(and they couldn't tack on any "design" fees to the price!)

Are the swoosh stripes on that car cracked & brittle?
Do you think you could peel one off?
If anything else,I'd be glad to pay you for your time if you could use some large thin paper & do a "rub transfer" with pencil of the 3 sections...then I'd have a good template,I only need one side...whaddya think?

(I removed the APC box and cruise control gubbins from my car's nearside front wing so that access to the bodywork was easier. Drove the car around on base boost for a bit, and then put the APC back in... base boost remained.

Question: since the cruise control system is linked to boost control, would removal of said cause an error in the boost system such that the APC would default to base?)

Yes,removal of CC will revert to base boost.

Under driver side knee pad are 4 CC related wires
orange,grey,brown & red
-splice the brown & red wires together & you'll have
normal boost after CC is removed.

...hope this helps!

.troy.
manual sunroof,windup windows & no CC dammit

(I am looking for good ways to make my 900 lighter, is there any that will make a big difference?)

I'm very concerned about weight also...
my goal is 2500-2600 lbs
That's a good list you made Widde...
so far on my daily driver,I have
-A/C delete
-cruise control delete
-manual windup windows
-dynomax 4" muffler(very light,but too loud!)

I have a 79 900 EMS manual steering rack,but it needs new inner tie rods which are impossible to find...at the moment I'm boring & tapping out PAS inner tie rods from M14 to M24 to fit...

I also have a relocated battery-an Oddyssey 925 which weighs only 24lbs,much lighter than a regular battery...

In the future I will:
-remove "tar stuff" from under carpets
-remove rear seat
-add classic style Corbeau race seats
-remove bumpers when I finally get my custom ideas into reality

I probably won't go "extreme",like lexan or polycarbonate windows...I'd really like a lexan rear hatch glass though-that glass weighs a ton!

Some rallycar drivers take out the sunroof & weld it shut,as well as reducing weight,it takes the weight from off the top of the car which is good---I think the whole sunroof assy. weighs like 40lbs or something.

A c900 bonnet/hood weighs in at around 50lbs,which is a little heavy-theres a guy in north Sweden(Kalix) who is RP Glasfiber & makes c900 fiberglass hoods,fenders & combi-coupe hatches---it is difficult for him to ship outside of Swe.,but he makes these parts for "folkrace" so they may not be finely finished?

Theres a guy in Ohio named Gary Moore who imports Jörgen Eriksson's gearboxes & stuff(also headers) who is in the process of getting some carbonfiber hoods made for c900-
his website is just up & running...keep checking it or email him for info http://www.threetrolls.com

Lightweight wheels also help alot...

(I just picked up a newer set of BOSCH fuel injectors. They are # 0 280 150 804 (blue top) Are these good injectors?)

:wink: You didn't get those off a Pug 505 didja?
prolly a Volvo,eh?

According to the partnumber,they're rated at 33 lb/hr @ 3bar,
pretty big I guess...

Stock Saab turbo injectors are 21 lb/hr @2.5bar,however,upping to the 3bar FPR will give around 23 lb/hr.

I've heard about people running too rich with 30 lb/hr injectors,specifically the Ford Motorsport units...it's all trial & error as each Saabtuner has their own unique approach...I intend running 24 lb/hr Ford Motorsport units(easy to find cheap!) with Group6 RRFPR set at 2.9bar & go from there how my settings wind up...I'm too poor to have a groovy stand-alone aftermarket F.I. system,but I do have an EGT gauge & Greddy A/F ratio gauge with it's own 4wire O2sensor...

I think the Swedish Dynamics injectors are the Accel brand...
Tevid-what is the part# on those injectors?

A comprehensive list of injector flow rates can be found here,oddball sized pdf,but a great resource...
http://www.telusplanet.net/~chichm/tech/injectors.pdf

(after fiddling with all the adjustment possibilities i have on my hood i came to the conclusion that my front radiator support and crossmember has been bent, its been out 2x and doesn't seem to be fixable, any ideas as to where i can get one from, no junk yards around here to get one from, :-( ...

hey man,wasup?
Go to Pull-a-Part down off Moreland Ave.
They run a "get in free" coupon in the ATL advertiser,or you can just pay yer buck to get in...take yer tools & get yer shizzle.

They have a good bit of c900,about 10-12,pretty picked over,but you will easily find a good rad support member...as well as APC boxes & solenoids etc.,but no 2.1 head! .

There's one on Buford Hwy. too,but it's smaller.
---you may want to get a wheelbarrow,they keep 'em up front,makes it easier 'cos it's a good walk on gravel back to the euro cars...

(Hi all, I just want to ge to the bottom of this transmission issue once and for all. I just got my first 900 T on the road yesterday and notice it is hard to get into first gear sitting with the car running or @ 0 rpm's. I notice syncros going heavily in fourth upon acceleration and in third in deceleration. The shifting is significantly harder under hard acceleration and grinds under harder acc. even with proper clutching. Fifth makes a sound similar to but far quieter than driving over those highway safety grooves when I floor it a 65 with full boost. All of this makes me regret putting the thing back together. Also, engaging reverse makes a horrible grinding noise maybe 1 in 3 times while it engages quietly otherwise. I don't know when to expect the final straw that breaks it but don't want to find out come winter. I want to find the ultimate transmission to make me love everything about my new dailly driver. I have seen some say the older 4-speed rebuilds were ideal ...)

well,to start with,the 4spd trans design by Saab was a bit on the weak side designed back when the cars were relatively low hp/torque,but the trans was continued in production as the cars eventually got more power...the 5spd is essentially just a 4spd with an extra gear...what seems to make it so rough on these 'boxes is the way they're "laid out" & the wacky path of the drivetrain to transfer power...dunno if any of that makes sense!

The rallycross 'box would prolly be v. strong,but questionable for daily drive use & v. expensive.The good thing is you can have it with any ratios you desire & the casing is reinforced.

A 'box by Jörgen Eriksson from Sweden is famous for strength.He uses 1978 99t 'boxes as a base & upgrades them with strengthened cases etc...Gary Moore in Ohio imports them,they are reasonably priced but there is a long waiting list.

Scanwest in Seattle make really strong 'boxes,shot peened gears etc,but quite pricey...I think they offer stage I stage 2 etc and have a background in gruelling rallysport.

FWD drivetrains are just not that stout,any FWD car with hi-torque is gonna be a gear killer!

(I found three of these 900 fender flares at the wreckers and I picked them up for $2 each, I really need the third. If anyone has an extra I'd be happy to pay MUCH more than $2 for it. I am having an ultra hard time finding one more.

Thanks)

Man,what a lucky find!...but frustrating as helvete to find the one orphan!!!

That's the full length flare,right?
A set of those came up one ebay awhile back & went for around 120$,I think the winner cut them up for SPG flares!

You got the part#,right?
Tried calling a dealer in Sweden?
A remote possibility is trying a Swedish breaker via
http://www.bildelsbasen.se & see if you get lucky.
I'd also try the UK breakers as those were fitted to "T8 specials"

I think it will take alot of legwork!

As an alternativé,you could see if a reputable custom shop could do up some fiberglass replicas from the ones you got as the mold...I'd be willing to split costs with you!!!
:P

Just curious,did those come off a Canada only "900 sport" model?????

and off topic:
do Canada spec cars have km/h only speedos & "45-30-15 liter" gas gauges?...if so,can you reccomend a good breaker I can contact to obtain an instrument panel?

keep us posted on your search!
p.s.-those flares aren't for the SPG are they?

(Hello stigs,

Thanks, those are very good suggestions..I'm going to look into it further.

Yep, they are the full length flares, and as soon as I find the 4th, I'm going to chop them up to fit the SPG panel kit!

Strangly enough, I pulled these off a Saab 99 Combi-Coupe. (late 70's) I don't think the car came with them when it was new, because they weren't installed very well.

Yes, the Canadian Speedos have only KPH. only metric measurments. yes, the gas guage is rated in litres. 45,30,15

I have an extra tubo cluster I'd be willing to part with at the right price, or the self serve auto wreckers I go to has an '88 900 non-turbo I could pull the cluster out of for you. Let me know,

Thanks for all your info)

Hey Rob

Yikes! Please don't cut them up!-Those things are quite rare,
I run an '86 too,my main car,just a 900T,but I have a "beater" 88 SPG...I'd be willing to trade the 4 SPG flares for your full length ones...they're not the super-wide Airflow spec ones,but the regular ones most later SPGs were fitted with...

...and I'm interested in your instrument cluster...

email me at:
rlloyd5@bellsouth.net
& we can discuss it further...
THANX!

YEAH RIGHT, THE DUMBASS CUT THEM UP, STUPID BASTARD!!!
never contacted me.

oh, this is a poem.

___________________

this is a poem?
_____________

yes, it is a poem?
______________
ummmmmm,
whatever.

mike di tomasso sa...

veryschwittersish

fantastiche!

mike di tomasso sa...

this
is
a
poem

Anonym sa...
Denne kommentaren har blitt fjernet av forfatteren.
troylloyd sa...

Mike-

"veryschwittersish"
= an excellent word & i'm glad you think so, this post was from my "reserves" & i was going to delete it but i guess i'll keep it up.
is this a commment?
commment this is!



Angela -
my oracle at the thousand-mouth cave has writ upon leaves that you drive a Citroën DS 21 Pallas, which is appropriate because in French they call 'em Déesse (Goddess)

& thank Thor for yr mighty clack-a-clack peelin' off as many rounds as a Chicago Typewriter with each bullet hittin' mark!

yr rate of output is incredible, & how yr so prolific while maintaining a high level of quality inspiring as thunderbolt upon my head.salut!