Saab Enthusiast magazine

Autumn 2020/ Winter 2021

Custom 99 Rallying Saabs Saabs at Bonneville

WE NEED

YOU! Please send in your Saab stories, tech articles, show reports, restorations, projects & barn finds.

Anything you think our members would like to read about.

Please get in touch; editor@saabenthusiasts.co.uk

The Magazine of the Saab Enthusiast Club

Contents The Chairman’s letter 4 Editor says Hello!

5 Saab 99 page 6 1976 Welsh Rally 8 Trudi’s ramblings 10 Philip Rivers 96 12 Saab’s at Bonneville 14 Custom 99 18 Australian Rally 22 Sonett brakes 24 900 battery warning light 28 Events 29 Trade directory 30 Committee 33 Club shop 35

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Chairman’s letter Covid 19 and Brexit. It has been very difficult for us all. Life has dragged this year,with events and club meeting being cancelled. I guess most of us thought it would be over by Autumn. I’m of the opinion that things won’t be normal till Easter late Spring, I know some events have been cancelled, some postponed some made smaller,The Beaulieu Auto jumble, had pencilled the SEC in for a club display,2021, but there will be no club stands at the spring event. But the good news is we can display our cars in 2022,who is up for it? [form a polite queue] We will be planning events, BUT be prepared for these to be cancelled in line with current affairs. We are a looking for areas, locations where meetings can be held. Hotel and camping, I have a few ideas of where to go,some old and some new, Brexit after covid life will be different for us all, but I believe we will bounce back. If cars become more expensive our younger generation might become interested in classic vehicles. The classic car industry is worth billions to the UK economy so let us help it. What scared me was the Citroen Berlingo is now 25 years old therefore a classic in some people’s eyes [other cars are available] but even 25 years ago those cars were rusty wrecks now it’s the electrics and computers that kills cars, but it seems all is not lost.

Classic and modern cars can and are being fitted with electric motors - shock horror. The interest is cars have survived worse the loss of chrome bumpers funny shaped headlights comfortable seats flashing rather than semaphore indicators necessity is going to be the mother of invention.

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Myself I don’t fancy another year of uncertainty. I will be having the ‘Jab’ when it is available to stay safe, so we can enjoy ourselves without fear. Remember if you drive a SAAB, you’re not an owner, but a enthusiast.

Mark

Enjo ying the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride

Sandys 9000 at Lusk Wyo ming

‘Spa res’ at SAAB museum, Stu rgis

The Editor says Hello!

Well we have managed to put another mag together, thanks for those who have contributed articles. I like Geoff’s report on rally watching, reminded me of the time I spent with a mate from college following the RAC when Stig was using the 96, as was I ( a 1968 V4 deluxe). We removed the rear seat back rest and slept with our feet in the boot and the front seat slid as forward as they would go. We saw Stig on the Kielder stages after he had rolled the 96 and modified the roof line slightly!

It wasn’t long after I helped my brother Dave find another 95 estate to replace his over 200,000 mile one. Russel, my nephew messaged me to help him find a cheap 9-3 diesel estate. He is now running around in a 08 reg with close on 180,00 miles and has already called on the RAC! Hopefully it will get through the MOT and provide reliable transport for the three kids and the dog!

I started the family Saab enthusiasm when I was a student with the 96 V4 deluxe which became Dave’s first Saab and he kept it ’till it rotted away. Since then Dave has owned a couple of 99’s, 900’s, a 9000 and two 9-5’s.

My Dad resisted the Saab madness until

power steering was introduced on the 900, he then had two classic 900’s before deciding on a smaller car, as he got older.

I purchased his last 900 from him, a 5 door 900S 16 valve, fuel injection, on which I made a few mild mods, Ronal wheels, vent covers, clear front indicators, and driving lights. Sadly a lady driving a garage loan, rear-ended me at some traffic lights and it was write off.

Not sure how or if we will get any events organised for the coming year, as I write this covid is running riot. I have filled the Events page as best I can, hopefully by the next issue things will be more clear, contact me for more details.

You will note this a combined Autumn 2020/ Winter 2021 edition, sadly with all that is going on at the moment we have been short of articles. I hope you can understand our problems and hopefully contributions for the Spring mag will come flooding in!

Pete 5

The 99 page After a lazy summer it became a busier autumn.

The MOT for the GL was due in October, so I checked the previous test for advisories. The previous year I had been concerned about some movement in the steering column, but they had found nothing wrong. On later inspection I found that the pinch bolt at the base of the column needed tightening. I have found that it needs a ½ inch spanner rather than the expected 13mm.

One thing that was mentioned was a worn rear brake pad! This surprised me because in my experience these never wear; I had changed them on a previous occasion just for the hell of it, but the old pads had nearly as much material as the new. I wondered if there might be a seized piston. This proved to be the case. I managed to get new 6

rear callipers, though I had to go to two different suppliers. My first try was Saabit’s who have always given great service, but they had nearside only.

Although it was the nearside calliper that had seized, I thought it prudent to change both sides.

With a fresh MOT and a good service the car seemed to be running very well, but I did have a problem after visiting our daughter in Maidenhead, back when we could do such things.

Returning home in the darkness of a wet autumn night, I took a wrong turn and had to turn around in a Sainsburys car park. Somehow, I managed to stall and found that restarting was hampered by a flat battery. A knight in shining armour, or turban to be precise, gave us a push-start and the engine burst into life straight away. More worrying was the rather dim dash and lighting, but after a tense few hundred yards the brightness was restored. You the reader may remember that I had experienced charging issues on a midnight run to Norwich at the beginning of the year, so perhaps there was still an issue?

The next morning I checked all the connections on the alternator, which seemed fine. I was a little puzzled that I had not been alerted by the charging light. On investigation I found that one symptom of worn brushes is the

failure of the charging light to illuminate! I suppose that when the ignition is switched on one should check that the oil pressure and charging lights do light up, but perhaps I have become less diligent?As the brushes/voltage regulator assembly is so easy to replace on the Bosch alternator I ordered a set. The assembly is secured by a couple of sets crews and is easy to remove /replace. The result was a charging light that did light up when the ignition switch was engaged, and 14 volts at idle.

A cosmetic feature of the interior of the 99 which has always seemed odd to me was the use of the fake wood effect vinyl below the dash. After nearly forty years this had bubbled and shrunk, looking even more tacky. I decided to remove it, which proved quite easy, but in the centre section the plastic dash had some holes and cut-outs that needed covering. During a visit to B&Q I had a look at their range of selfadhesive vinyl. Indeed they have their own version of fake wood effect, but it looked much less appealing than the Saab variety. They did have a textured

dark grey/black which I thought would match the rest of the 99 dash. I am quite pleased with the result.

The headlining is starting to sag a little around the driver’s sun visor, not at all bad after nearly forty years.

I think that I will wait for warmer, and dryer weather before I fix that. It is not a difficult job on the 2 or 3 door models, particularly if there is no sunroof.

Perhaps the subject of an illustrated article?

We are now looking forward to another period of inactivity, oh well…

Alan 7

WESTERN MAIL INTERNATIONAL

WELSH RALLY 1976 9 MAY 1976

We drove up to Wales to start the latest adventure in my friend Garry’s 1967 Silver Sand 96V4.

This was one of the hottest May’s that I had watched this rally at the time, some of you older readers may remember the summer of 1976 at least in England as being Hot. This however brought some other challenges while watching, for example the dusty stages.

That year, the rally was dominated by two drivers, Ari Vatanen and local crowd favorite Russell Brookes. Unfortunately for the Saab fans, in this rally, the Saab crews had problems and did not finish the race.

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We took a picture of Stig’s Silver 99 EMS at the start, we never got any more pictures as he retired early in the rally. We were really disappointed that we never got to see Stig on any of the stages. At least we got to see some 96 V4’s. I can’t remember who drove the other two 96 V4’s Car 79 and 86, or whether they finished.

ADVENTURE AFTER THE RALLY

On the last day of the Rally, Garry wanted to drive straight home that evening. We were both very tired, after a few days of “sleeping” in the front seats of the car (the 96’s front seats aren’t that good for sleeping, especially for Garry being 6.6ft,

or thereabouts).

Anyway, I was giving the route to Garry and then “resting my eyes” until the next junction, then all of a sudden the car started shaking and vibrating, as we ran over a kerb and some rough ground, I woke up just in time to see a concrete bollard appearing in front of us, hitting the front of the car, steam starting to pour out of the radiator. We were back on the road within a few seconds and we stopped to inspect the damage. Garry’s expert driving had placed the bollard exactly between the two Cibie Super Oscars and were completely undamaged, the same couldn’t be said for the radiator, front bumper, grill, and concrete bollard.

The bollard had been knocked completely down as we drove over it, only remaining in place (but now horizontal) by the steel reinforcing bars. As it was

late and nothing was open, we decided to find somewhere nearby to pull over for the night.

The next day with plenty of plastic padding and an overheating engine, not helped by the good weather being 25 degrees. We could only drive for about 15 mins before stopping to refill the radiator driving for another 15 mins refilling the radiator again etc; you get the picture.

After an hour or so of driving we luckily found a breakers yard.

Unfortunately, there were no 96V4’s to plunder, in fact no Saabs at all, however after a look around the entire yard, the best fit from what was available looked like a Ford Anglia radiator. Which after a bit of “adjustment” got us back home to fight another day.

Geoff Chittenden 9

It’s been a while... ...since I’ve prepared an article for the Enthusiast.

In 2020 I missed the gathering of the Saab Widows. Until this year I didn’t realize how not seeing everyone can put such an impact on moral and that favourite word this year, isolation. I am to assume many of you stood in the garage looking at your vehicle and wondered how can I make an excuse to get out of here? Answers in the next magazine?

Meanwhile I will tell you how I know others escaped, or didn’t. Not forgetting those that were put straight into furlough. I had to look that word up, I though it was a length of a field to put potatoes in, apparently not. My brother, one of the potatoes, was already on a short week, because of Brexit from January. Slap! Promised not to get political.

There were many who received a letter telling them because of their health condition they were to stay at home and rely on others. My father was one, at 82, was allowed to escape on a daily basis and being a party pooper I didn’t appreciate the Thursday clapping and fortunately our neighbours didn’t take up the challenge.

They were too busy and tired, a Fireman, a Veterinarian Nurse, Lorry driver, Cleaner and me. My very part-time job went out the window, getting to work two hours before the pharmacy opened, staying after it shut, 10

skipping lunch (never did get tea breaks, a mug put in front of me to go cold, nice). I was shattered. So another way to escape?

Volunteer.

There were lots of options and we needed them so badly at work, to assist our delivery driver who normally had a regular routine of twenty to thirty housebound patients.

The strict isolation rule prevented many of our regulars from collecting their own prescription and Christchurch has one of the highest densities of over 65s (actually 90 is about average) in the country. We needed help.

Firstly, to get to work I have two modes of transport, weather and traffic dependant. Those who remember my previous ramblings was about the success in upgrading my motorbike license and that is the mode of transport that makes me happy about going to work and equally quickly returning home. The other is trapped in a queue to get out of Bournemouth for what I have been reliably informed by a lady from Peckham, is worse than London rush hour (my boss).

This was no longer a problem with no traffic it took less than 20 minutes to arrive at the hospital grounds, instead of over an hour. Our ‘biker’ friends were climbing the wall, not going round it, as seen at the fairgrounds. They all volunteered! Great,

except without top box or panniers (those with cruisers, dare I say it Harleys.....) were dismissed. They returned with said box and panniers.

“Andy? You don’t live in Christchurch, how well do you know the area? You know the police station? Speeding ticket?! Okay, go home, slowly...”

Dismissed. Eventually we have a nice selection of drivers, bikers and cyclists who were given little areas with suitable sized packages. Our delivery driver was promoted to Transport Manager, taking on the difficult and larger deliveries and delegating the others.

As the morning ticked by, our volunteers arrived to sign in and collect. The lady on the pushbike took the main straight route on the cycle path, she was 75 and we debated if she should be out, or how she felt delivering to people half her age. She became surrogate granny to several small children.

The lady with the Morris Minor van (sign written ‘flowers’) was brilliant, started linking her deliveries, so we had a system eventually, where everyone in Brisbane and Canberra Roads arranged to collect for those unable to get out.

Maybe that clapping on Thursday did have a benefit, roads began being social, at the government distancing. They began linking their own prescriptions with an elderly neighbour so they could collect them both. She put herself out of a job.

There was a couple of young mums, whose partners were working from home and they would deliver as an opportunity to avoid the children going bananas at home for an hour couple of days a week. A lowered BMW in lacquered black and sparkly bits, a VW day van with one of those stick families on the back (one with drill, or axe not sure which, one with a glass and large bottle, hopefully of water, two identical stick children on skateboards, a smaller one, a stick dog, even smaller stick baby in a

nappy...) and a battered Honda Jazz.

The bikers would arrive later in the day to deliver further afield, we tried to make it a trip on their way home and any signed paperwork dropped back next day. They also did our emergency drops, antibiotics mostly and anything sent by the doctors too late for the daily round.

Of course we had to warn our patients a sweaty leather bound biker may be on their doorstep or a scantily dressed young lady knocking on the window (have you forgotten the warm weather we had?). It went down surprisingly well.

One elderly lady called to thank for her delivery arriving by classic motorbike, it was just like the one she rode after the war.

A gentleman called to complain, he saw his neighbour get a delivery from our own driver but his hadn’t arrived. We checked and assured him Rebecca would be with him later, although we then noticed he had quite a serious heart condition. She had promised to start wearing a shirt.

Meanwhile at home, the retired husband decided to continue with a shed tidy up and get sidetracked frequently tinkering with the car, motorbike and the moped he accidentally bought with his winter allowance, from eBay. The 9-5 stood idle and occasionally went on a short trip to collect large items, a washing machine from the click and collect Currys, a workbench released from a nearby business, no longer required, shelving also no longer required. Which is when, in a thunderstorm I get the call. “The car won’t start” The AA got there quicker than me.

Torrential rain, he at least was better prepared dress code wise and a quick boost to the battery. “A car like this needs long journeys, give it trip” Oh if only...

Trudi 11

SPECIAL DELIVERY!

I’ve always been a big Saab fan and this 96 is my 6th, the 1st one was a 1986 900 classic 3 door in gold. I really enjoyed that car.

There have been others, a 1996 convertible.

A 2004 2.0t 93 convertible, a 2007 93 Tid auto estate, then the 2011 NG 9-5.

The NG 9-5 is a 2011 and is the 64th from last ever made. In this colour and spec it’s the only one in the country (according to the Saab Owners club).

I always wanted a 95 V4 and searched high and low but couldn’t find one in the condition I wanted, for sensible money.

Then I came across this 96 in September 2019 and decided a compromise would be good considering the condition.

It’s 1971 V4 with 135,000 miles on the clock. It’s had some light restoration over the years but I can’t really find any signs of any major welding, it looks like it may of had sills but that’s it. It came with the original service book with the first owners name and address and dealer stamp. There was also lots of history, bills, MOT’s and a heap of receipts from the previous owner for lots of little jobs; new locks, window trims, engine 12

hoses, brake callipers, exhaust system, it’s been a case of no expense spared. The body is actually very sound and shows little or no signs of welding or major restoration. The seats have been tastefully re-upholstered.

And it even has a period Blaupunkt radio although I’ve yet to connect the aerial, it does light up and crackles a bit .

The car is by no means perfect but it is 49 years old and I quite like that it has a few wrinkles, it gives it character and shows it’s lived. I’m not a great fan of over restored cars.

Sadly I haven’t been able to show it at

all this year, due to the current situation, all shows have been cancelled.

It was during lockdown that our vegan supermarket started to gain momentum. We offered same day home delivery’s to people self isolating and others who just didn’t want the supermarket queues and couldn’t get mainstream supermarket deliveries.

My NG 9-5 needed a new tyre due to a blowout and I had to wait as it was at the height of lockdown. So I decided to Add a bit of interest to some of our deliveries (we do have a van), and use the old 96.

As the weather throughout most of May was glorious I didn’t mind using it. The customers loved it and many people took photos with their families next to the car outside our supermarket.

I have made new carpets for it using the originals as templates. There are still a few little jobs that need doing, but owing a car of this age there always will be, it drives and handles very nicely.

Philip Rivers

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THE FIRST SAAB’S AT

BONNEVILLE Dick Catron of Denver set records in two-stroke Saabs in 1962 and again in 1964.

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Catron was owner of SAAB Denver, a Saab dealership, and Rocky Mountain Saab Inc., Saab’s West Coast distributor during the 1960s.

In 1962, Catron took a new Saab 96 to the Bonneville National Speed Trials to take a shot at a record speed, then in the low 80 mph range and held by a VW Beetle.

Catron’s 96 had an engine built by Saab Motors (the predecessor of Saab Cars USA) under the direction of Bob Wehman.

Starting with a Qualifying Speed of

101.99 mph (helped by a tailwind), Catron went on to establish a record in Class F Touring & Sports of 98.079 mph.

Early in the day, the Saab established a record of around 93 mph, but Catron kept running the car, setting new records five times, up to the final record of 98.079.

Catron and the 96 went back to Bonneville in 1963, but the record was taken by an Alfa Romeo which set the speed at 104.406 in I/PRO (Production class, 0.76 to 1.00 liters).

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So Catron went back again in ‘64, this time with a SAAB 93F, believed to be slightly more aerodynamic, equipped with a 940cc engine built by Saab’s competition department under the direction of Rolf Melde (that engine is still in the Saab Car Museum in Trollhattan).

In addition, Gates Tires supplied oversize tires that had been shaved to minimal tread depth. The theory was that the tires would have less rolling resistance and provide a little higher speed at maximum engine r.p.m.

Catron set a qualifying time at 107.39 mph, and established the new I/PRO record at 105.453 mph.

Though the Saab was qualified to make another attempt at the record on the last day of the trials, the rains came and the course became soft, canceling remaining runs for that year.

We would like to thank Tim Winker for supplying his original article and images (published in Nines magazine).

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Not your average 18

99!

I’ve been following the progress of this 99 ever since I saw the bare metal build photos. It’s finally been finished and it’s owner, Adam Perkins has kindly told us all about his amazing project...

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I have always been a car nut. It started at age 14 with my first project car, a 1963 Chevy II Nova. Fast forward 30ish years and having three kids, I had always wanted them to share in my passion and found my daughter had an interest.

We started looking for a project car for her and she wasn’t interested in the usual American vintage cars. We found a 1968 Saab 96 V4 deluxe and she said that was the one. While doing research for her car I quickly became interested in Saab and all of the quirky cool features.

So I started to look for a project Saab for myself. Since we were doing a 96 for her, I wanted a different model. After some deliberation I decided on the 99. I hit the 20

internet and found one available in Idaho that was mainly rust free and needing a full restoration. The price was right at $500 so a deal was struck and I had it shipped to Illinois. I decided early, I wanted to convert it to rear wheel drive and build a car that I could use in Auto Cross. With those goals in mind I reached out to my buddy Tavis Highlander and he rendered a digital image of the project for me.

Next was working with a car builder to get the project underway. I reached out to Justin Nichols, owner of Nichols Paint and Fab, and we started the project.

This car was also featured on their TV show “Wrench’d” on Motor Trend TV. The project was about 3 years from start

to finish and the car was completed just in time to make the World of Wheels indoor show in Chicago in March of 2020.

We managed to win a couple trophies at the first event. Since then I have been able to use the car as it was intended, at a couple of auto cross events, despite the coronavirus stopping most things over the summer.

With regards to the specs, the 99 runs a Ford Performance 2.3 ecoboost engine.

American powertrain Tremec 6 speed transmission, Centerforce twin disc clutch, QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft and a Quick Performance 9” ford rear end. Brakes are Wildwood 6 piston fronts and 4 piston rears on slotted and drilled rotors. Momo

steering wheel, Dakota Digital custom gauges, full custom interior from Vos Upholstery. The engine was set back as much as possible to provide even weight distribution on a custom chassis built by Nichols with QA1 double adjustable coil overs. I run two sets of wheels. Billet Specialties 18x10 fronts and 18x12 rears with 265/35/18 & 315/30/18 Falken tires.

When auto crossing I run 17x9 and 17x11 E-T Wheels with 275/40/17 Falken tires front and rear. A few body mods including the chin spoiler, custom bumpers, wheel arches enlarged and flared for larger wheel/tires. This car is a blast to drive!

Adam Perkins 21

SAABS DOMINATE

2020 BulldustNBack trial IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The BulldustNBack (BNB) Trial is a notfor-profit, four-day motoring adventure that leads drivers in wacky and wonderful old cars through WA’s outback, raising money for local children’s cancer and youth mental health charities.

This year the BNB adventured south, into the Great Southern and Wheatbelt regions of WA. Over 4 days, the BNB took cars through some outback towns, along goat tracks, across farms and through some deep, very deep puddles! A gruelling event which showcased some parts of Australia the average tourist would never find. The scenery was magnificent with Western Australia’s famous wildflowers blooming everywhere the eye could see.

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The route is triple-tested to ensure drivers experience exciting routes, challenging tracks and gravel pits in WA’s famous bushland. Organisers scouted unique areas and sought permission from local farmers to drive along their challenging dirt roads.

The criteria for vehicles suggested new cars would not be suitable and regardless of value, the emphasis was on old cars that predated the 2000s. Entrants were encouraged to use their old vehicles,

buy an old one - checking out Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, or to hire a Wicked Campers – which a few did! Vehicles had to be roadworthy, insured and safe for the adventure with front and back tow-points, a working odometer and ideally a trip meter.

A pre-event check was offered free by a Rotarian at his workshop.

Of the 20 cars entered in the BNB, 4 were Saabs - two professional rally drivers; one doing its first event; and a 9.5 convertible theming itself as the “Viking Ducks”.

One asks ‘Why SAABS?” The answer must be their endurance and resilience to rough road conditions! Or is it because Saab drivers have the highest levels of “psychological involvement” with their

cars - more than 10 times the passion of the average Volkswagen driver!

Due to Covid-19, the 2020 BNB Trial saw only local drivers entering, although once Covid restrictions are over, it is expected to see several international teams join in the fun in 2021 or 2022.

The BNB Trial raised over GBP20,000 ($AUD 45,000+) for cancer and mental health charities – and the event was run by volunteers from the Rotary club of Mill Point (RCMP).

A worthy event for all concerned!

Visit the BNB’s social media pages at www.bulldustnback.com.au www.facebook.com/bulldustnback/ www.instagram.com/bulldustnback/ @Bulldustnback on Twitter

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STOPTHINGNOW! THIS

Having previously carried out the disassembly, cleaning, and recoating of the front calipers with the POR-15 kit and installation of all new cupronickel brakes lines with braided stainless steel brake hoses.

So, freshly rebuilt master cylinder, new fluid reservoirs, plus the above mentioned work, next up was reassembling the recoated front calipers. That meant scrubbing out the front cylinders with fine steel wool and some brake fluid. The brake pistons were pretty clean, but I gave them a quick scrub down too. The cylinder bore needs a fluid seal, a “wiper” seal (prevents grit from getting to the fluid seal), and a retaining ring. I soaked the seals in brake fluid, put them in and then used a piece of wood to evenly tap in the retaining ring.

Know what happens if you lazily try to just tap in the ring without the piece of wood?

You get to buy another whole set of seals!

Good times! Not that I would have any knowledge of that…. uhm… anyways…

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With the front cylinders resealed, it was time to reassemble the front calipers.

Thankfully I had kept all the old hardware since it’s pretty hard to find these days. The bad news? I couldn’t tell how the giant clip was supposed to be positioned… Reader “Eric from VT” came to the rescue (as he often does on SaabNet) by sending me a picture of a fully assembled brake caliper. I added a speed bleeder to each side as well, and they were now ready to go back on the car. Given that he is from Vermont, maybe I should try to pay Eric in maple syrup and ski passes?

With a set of fresh front rotors (with painted hats to prevent rusting), I bolted the rebuilt calipers up. Next up? Brake pads. I had assumed that there wasn’t much in the way of performance pads available for this car, given my experience with the rest of it. Especially a set of pads that are ground at a weird angle! But to my surprise, EBC makes a set of their “Green Stuff” pads that fit both the Sonett & 96. These pads are commonly known for less dust and more bite than stock pads, and for under $60, it seemed like a great deal. So, I added a new hardware kit from Skandix, and installed the new front pads.

The rear drums were a whole different challenge (surprise, surprise…). I didn’t want to take a chance of reusing the old bearings, so I brought them to Dyno Machine. Rich pressed out the old bearings, which… looked brand new, literally. He thought the grease was so clean, that the previous owner must have changed them and never drove the car! I had already bought a new set, so I decided to clean up and store the “old” ones for a rainy day. Rich also sandblasted the drums and checked them out to make sure they were good to go, without any further work.

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Back home, I broke out the POR-15 again (again, so many references that I should be getting royalties!) and gave the drums a coat to prevent any rust. I also had plenty of silver POR-15 high temp caliper paint left, so I gave the drums a follow up coat of that as well after letting the black basecoat dry. The new bearings got packed with synthetic grease, and pressed into duty. After a couple of days to thoroughly dry, I put them on the car and torqued down the castle nut.

Ready to go, right? Nope. Brakes don’t really work without a pedal… So I rummaged through the slowly-diminishing pile of zip lock bags of Sonett parts on my workbench and pulled out the old pedals.

They were totally seized to the shaft…

So I tried a good soaking of PB Blaster, and a little heat, but no luck. And so in a fit of rage, I proceeded to just go FULL ‘MERICA on it, and beat the living crap out it. Good news? It came apart. Bad news? I had vice grip marks all of over the shaft and the end was mushroomed from the hammer beatings… Jake came to the rescue by carefully running it through his lathe to true it up, and then polished it out the remaining blemishes. Thankfully no one will ever know! Until now… oops…

I wire brushed the pedals and hardware, and gave them a heavy coat of zinc rich primer, followed up by some industrial 26

strength paint. Petri from Skan Mobile Classics sent along new rubber pedal foot pads, and I’ll put those on once the car is a little closer to being finished. For now, I put the pedals back on the shaft, added new M6 stainless steel dowel pins, and put it back in the car. The brake master hooked right up, but the old clutch master bolt wouldn’t fit with my new clutch master. Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies came to the rescue with their steel 5/16-24 heavy duty clevis. They even offer a specific Grade 8 crossbolt kit for it! So for under $25 bucks, I was able to bolt up my new Wilwood clutch master to the factory pedals. With the moment of truth at hand, I added brake fluid, bled out

the lines, and to my surprise… no leaks!

I carefully rolled the car forward and… moved it to the other side of the garage to make room for our recently-acquired 2011 9-5 Aero.

The new brakes worked perfectly. But I’m not sure if hand pushing a car 2 miles per hour qualifies as a proper brake test…

But still, it stopped. And the next test will hopefully be at a slightly faster (but not quite ludicrous) speed…

Article originally appeared on the ‘What on earth is a sonett’ blog, written by Josh Cayea from Massachusetts, USA 27

’89 SAAB 900 Auto sedan

Battery warning light

Over the last couple of years I’ve been trying to trace an irritating fault that never seems to get any worse and never causes any distress apart from on two occasions finding the battery flat after a short period of being idle.

During a longer than normal drive, say 50 miles plus, the battery warning light would start glowing just enough to make it’s presence known. The intensity of the light would only vary slightly whilst driving, sometimes extinguishing completely.

My first thoughts turned to the brushes within the alternator as I doubt that they have been looked at since the car was built 31 years ago. I should point out that the car has only covered just under 60k. miles. Trying to remove the alternator from the engine (B202) proved too much for me, no access and Allen key bolts that would not shift. So an “on bench” inspection was thwarted right from the start. Obviously the drive belts had been checked right from the start even to replacing them but to no avail.

After the flat battery instances it was thought that there may be a faulty cell within it so a new battery was tried and this seemed to cure it for a little while. But no, on another run the glowing warning light returned.

After a few years of this I learned to live with it, now and again when going for a short break packing a spare fully charged battery.

During the lockdown period thoughts again returned to this problem. All the main electrical connections were cleaned and checked but before starting this job I removed the battery from the car and put it on the bench connected to the charger. With the two battery terminal clamps now free I cleaned the inside faces which were quite well coated in years of grime. Whenever these terminals have been removed I have always given them a cursory wipe over but this time used a small wire 28

brush and degreasing agent and brought them up to a fine shine,at the same time the clamp jaws were carefully prized apart as over the years with constant tightening of the holding bolts the clamps were getting smaller and not fully sitting down on the battery terminals.The battery terminals were then given the same thorough cleaning. After that a light smeer of petroleum jelly was applied to the terminals and all reconnected.

This all happened a few days before a family reunion 60 miles away. So with a keen eye on the warning lights we set off and all was well, no sign of any malfunction. I would like to have thought that was the last of the dimly glowing light.

But no, on a short journey across town a couple of weeks later the dim light re-appeared so it is back to square one.

I shall now have a concerted try at removing the alternator and looking at the brush-gear.

A few weeks have passed since the last sentence was written, things like medical procedures and lockdowns having interfered with life.

However when the time came to investigate the removal of the alternator again I completely failed, even trying to remove the brush holder together with the diode defeated me.In this case it would seem that a previous attempt in the past had also failed as one of the brass 2BA screw heads had been damaged so was I was not able to get a good grip on it.

As for the alternator I shall have to fashion a special tool to attack the three holding bolts on the alternator mounting bracket.

Clayton Spears

Forthcoming Events If you know of activities which you think may be of interest to fellow Saab Enthusiasts please drop us a line/e-mail/ phone (contact details are as given on the committee pages) and we will include them in the magazine and on our website.

Dates for your diaries

Club Events 2021 We hope to have events organized by the next edition, covid willing.

Idea’s welcome!

Other Events 2021 Penshaw Monument

SOC Saabfest

Sun May 2nd Contact paultuffnell@sky.com

30 July to 1st August Prescott Hill Climb www.saabclub.co.uk

Jurassic Saab Tour

International Events

Sat May 8th V4 and two-stroke only Check meetngs on UKSaabs

Swedish Day

Sun May 9th www.swedishday.co.uk

Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show June 11th to 13th NEC Birmingham necrestorationshow.com

International Meeting 2021 Finland 13th to 15th August 2021 See back page for latest details.

Saab Club Luxembourg Autumn Meeting 10th to 12th September 2021 More details to follow.

Saab Museum Festival 2022 June 10th to the 12th

29

Trade Directory This special feature is intended as a service to both members and to the motor trade, providing contact information and publicity for specialist garage services and spares. Entries are accepted without endorsement at the discretion of the Editor and may be withdrawn without notice.

ENGLAND County

Key: Service provided: A. Sales, B. Parts, C. Servicing, D. Repairs, E. MOT's, F. Restorations, G. Books/Manuals/Memorabilia SAAB Models: 1. 2- stroke (*inc Sonett),2. V4 (*inc Sonett), 3. 90 and 99, 4. 900 classic 5. 900 from 1990, 6. 9000, 7. 9-3 and 9-5

Address

Tel / Email

Service

Models

Bristol

Jamsaab Unit 22, Durley Lane Keynsham BS31 2AJ

01179 869997 jamsaabkeynsham @gmail.com

ABC DEF

2* 3 4 567

Devon

SAABits 3 Huxnor Road Kingkerswell Devon TQ12 5DX

B 01392 581185 billj@saabits.com www.SAABits.com 10% discount online code ENTHUSIAST

1* 2* 3 4567

01371 874107 ABC Fax 01371 879139 DF sales@euro-saab-partsdirect.com www.euro-saab-parts-direct.com

2* 3 4 567

or mention SEC when calling

Essex

30

Euro Saab Parts Direct Unit 13, Zone D Chelmsford Rd Ind Est Great Dunmow Essex CM6 1XG

County

Address

Hertfordshire

Tel / Email

Service

Models

Neo Brothers 01992 719280 Unit 23 Monro Ind Est Fax 01992 760471 Station Approach www.neobrothers.co.uk Waltham Cross Herts EN8 7lX

ABC DF

345 67

Two Stroke to Turbo Unit C Brook Orchard Brook Road Bassingbourn SG8 5NS

ABC DF

234 567

ABC DEF

123 4567

01763 246699 01763 250516 Fax www.twostroketurbo parts.co.uk info@twostroke.co.uk

Huddersfield

Malbrad 7 Colne Road Huddersfield HD1 3ER

Kent

B&D Specialist Cars 01303 264700 Range Rd Ind Est shane@ Hythe CT21 6HG banddspecialistcars.co.uk

ABC DE

345

Motorvation Capel Garage Halfmoon Lane Tudeley, TN11 0PT

01892 825208 chris@motorvation.co.uk

BCD E

345 67

The Saab Sanctuary Almadene Woodgate Road Ryarsh, ME19 5LH

01732 844403 Mon-Fri 1100-1400 only

BG

234

01664 562592 www.cartnetix.co.uk

BCD

1* 2* 3 456 7

01162 839044

ABC D

1* 2* 3 456 7

Leicestershire Carnetix Ltd Unit 2E Saxby Rd Ind Est Melton Mowbray LE13 1BS Malcolm Miles Motor Engineers 15 Erith Road Leicester, LE2 7QA

01484 544556 www.malbrad.co.uk steve@malbrad.co.uk

continued...

31 31

Trade Directory continued Scotland

Address

Tel / Email

Service

Models

Midlothian

Central Saab Specialist

01875 821144 central.saab@btinternet.com www.centralsaabspecialist.com

CDE

345 67

123 456 7

Bonnyrigg Midlothian EH19 3JQ Wales

Clywd

Higher Oak Garage Oak Road Wrexham Ind Est Wrexham LL13 9RJ

01978 661709 sales@saab-higheroak.co.uk

ABC DEF

Conway

Michael Foulkes Unit 28 31 Tir Llwyd Ind Est Kinmel Bay Towyn LL18 5JA

01745 343642 07860 511935 michaelfoulkes2@aol.com

ABC DE

32

The Committee Committee Post

Name

Contact Address

Chairman

Mark Hodges

75 Upper Road, Poole Dorset, BH12 3EN 01202 748128 mike900t@hotmail.com

Secretary

Mike Cavanagh

Ash Villas, 9 Rochdale Road Middleton, M24 6DW 0161 653 2106 secretary@saabenthusiasts.co.uk

Membership

Steve Trigg

18 Cleveland Avenue, Draycott, Derby DE72 3NR 01332 872302 membership@saabenthusiasts.co.uk

Treasurer

Steve Trigg

18 Cleveland Avenue, Draycott, Derby DE72 3NR 01332 872302

Editor

Peter Briggs

16 Saville Street, Blidworth

Trade Directory

Nottinghamshire NG21 0RP 01623 432531 editor@saabenthusiasts.co.uk

Art Editor Website Editor

Simon Coleman

67 Rose Drive, Chesham HP5 1RS simonjcoleman@me.com

Club Sales

John Howard

57 Wedderburn Road Harrogate N. Yorkshire HG2 7QQ 01423 887890 sales@saabenthusiasts.co.uk

continued...

33 33 33

The Committee continued Committee Post

Name

Contact Address

Liaison

Iain Hodcroft

330 Manchester Road, Tyldesley Manchester M29 8NN 01942 878738 (Fax/Answerphone) 07976 314012

2-stroke

Peter Briggs

see Editor above

V4

Mark Dodsworth The Olde Cottage, Gronwen, Morda, Nr Oswestry, Salop SY10 9AR 01691 658398

99/90

Alan Courtenay

Post 99 models

Glen Ellis

The Saab Enthusiasts Club

6 Wadley Road, Leytonstone, London E11 1JF 020 8556 6922 2 Nicker Hill, Keyworth, Notts NG12 5PD 0115 937 4665

Find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/SaabEnthusiasts

Policy Statement The Saab Enthusiasts Club exists for all who are interested in SAAB cars, especially in the older models. Ownership of a SAAB is not a prerequisite of membership but a degree of enthusiasm for the marque would be expected. a quarterly magazine which encourages contributions from all members in the form of articles or photographs which may then be published on this website. Both the magazine and website carry notices of Saab related goods for sale or wanted.

The Club also organises gatherings where members either camp or attend as day visitors and autumn hotel weekends. It also offers technical advice on older models and promotes events by like-minded organisations.

34

Disclaimer The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Saab Enthusiasts Club or its committee members. The Saab Enthusiasts Club accepts no responsibility for any advice published in the magazine and advice or services provided or obtained from persons or businesses advertising in this magazine.

£16 Polo shirt grey or green

Club Shop The club is now in the process of building up its new range of stock items. Shirts and fleeces are available in four sizes; small, medium, large and extra-large.

Though quantities of each are limited, all are available for immediate despatch but, once out of stock, items will continue to be available to order. Enquiries and orders may be posted online to sales@saabenthusiasts.co.uk Prices quoted are exclusive of p&p. The club has no facility for electronic money transfer, therefore payment to be made by personal cheque made payable to ‘Saab Enthusiasts Club’

£6

£12 T-Shirt grey or green

£20

Ski hat black

Sweatshirt grey or green

£25 £1 Window sticker

Fleece grey or green

13th to 15th August 2021

Saab Club of Finland has been awarded the rights to organize the IntSaab event in 2021. We’ve done it twice already: Ellivuori was the location in 2001 and 2011, but making Ellivuori III is not a part of our plan. As a result of extensive research, we decided to place the event in Himos. Himos is located in the municipality of Jämsä, between Tampere and Jyväskylä, approximately three hours drive from both Turku and Helsinki.

Himos may sound familiar to many Saab enthusiasts, thanks to Rally Finland or 1000 Lakes Rally, as it was formerly known. Himos sets the scene for one of the special stages, but the most wellknown stage is probably Ouninpohja, only a couple of kilometers from Himos.

Summertime, Himos hosts many large music festivals and other events. At winter, it turns into a popular ski resort with a pulsating nightlife.

As the scene of IntSaab 2021 Finland, Himos offers us a lot of potential. The facilities are good for thousands of participants, and the same amount can be accommodated in the immediate vicinity of the event. Cars can be parked next to the colossal event tent, and the tent will protect us in the unfortunate event of midnight sun showers.

Before you book all your holiday activities, be aware that Neste Rally Finland usually takes place in the first week of August, only one week before IntSaab. The rally calendar isn’t yet published for 2021, but you have a great opportunity to take part in the rally event, too. Start by watching WRC cars attack the famous Ouninpohja SS, then experience it yourself in your Saab. I have to remind you, though... It’s a public road with normal regulations.

All the latest info is on intsaab2021.com