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Carb: The float level would be a good thing to check. I don't know the specs, so if they aren't in Jack's book, I'd suggest emailing him and asking him how to check it. (Hey, you bought his book, didn't you?...you're entitled!)
Depending on where you got the carb, it might or might not have come with jets appropriate for a Saab -- for a stock-ish engine you'd probably want a main jet in the 165 to 180 range, I'd think (no doubt other more experienced Weberists may have a better opinion.) But if it's even close, it shouldn't make the car hard to start -- it would show up more as symptoms such as surging at highway speeds (too lean) or fouled plugs (too rich.) So I'd look at other stuff before worrying about the jet, if the car runs OK once it's running.
You're using the right amount of choke, aren't you? I had never owned a car with a manual choke before, and it took me a while to learn how to use it. You probably only need to use full choke when the engine is cold; on a "warm restart" you only need partial choke or no choke. Takes a while to learn the "right touch" for this -- maybe that's your only problem!
Springs -- The Sonett is not going to be as smooth as a 900... it's a SPORTS CAR! It's supposed to be responsive rather than cushy. You'll definitely feel the road more, but you shouldn't have any control problems. A Sonett that's working right feels really stuck to the road, like a go-kart. (It took me a long time to get used to the fact that at around-town speeds, you don't have to slow down for corners AT ALL.) So, a bumpy ride is probably normal, but if it's getting "thrown around" to the point that it's hard to make it go where you want it, something's wrong.
The rear springs do have a slight angle on them because of the way the axle tube works, but it doesn't look very noticeable to me. The important thing is that they're seated correctly. You should be able to look up into the wheel well with a flashlight and see the spring perches on top; the springs should sit evenly on them. You might find that they've got off-kilter, or that somebody stuck spacers up there to compensate for saggy springs. If so, I'd take all that stuff out.
You need a compressor to change the front springs, but the rears are easy (fortunate, since they seem to be the ones that go saggy.) You just jack up the car and remove the wheel, take off the shock, loosen the 'stop strap' that loops under the axle, then pull the axle down, grab the spring with your hand, and take it out.
If you want to change them, you can put on ones off a Model 96, which are a little firmer and make the car ride a little higher. Or you can get custom springs from Motor Sport Services for about $65 apiece. They're 25% firmer than stock, which will help keep the rear of the car under control, and MSS will set them for whatever ride height you want -- stock, lower than stock, higher than stock, etc. If you call them, you can talk to Jack Lawrence personally, and he will suggest a good height setting based on how you use your car (street, rough roads, autocross, etc.) He told me that for customers on the hefty side, he can even make the left spring a little longer, so the car will sit level when the driver is in it!
, Thu, 26 Jul 2001 16:23:35
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