1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
 | [Main C900 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: engine swap for '80 900T? Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email]  (#32) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Tue, 7 Aug 2001 16:47:21
In Reply to: engine swap for '80 900T?, courtney, Mon, 6 Aug 2001 19:05:50 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I am in the process of finishing this exact thing on my 1980 900T 5-door. I went a little nuts in the process but at the core it's a simple, simple thing to do.
The only swaps of this type I've personally witnessed involved adapting the old fuel injection to the new(er) motor - in my case, I decided to move ALL the new electronics over, including the fuel injection, the ignition, and the APC system.
Getting the engine in the car was a snap. I had already mounted '87 vented rotors up front, and ended up using an '88 tranny and '88 axles. Since the tranny was an '88, I had to swap the front chain cover to one that would accept a solid mount and swap the side engine brackets. Simple stuff. You also need to install a 16v-style rack since the power steering pump moved from the driver's side to the passenger side. You could have custom hoses made, but for a $125 rebuilt 16v rack, why bother?
I had to drill out the front lower crossmember to accept a 16v oil cooler, and drill out a hole in the passenger side fender wall to accept a 16v power steering resevior & hoses. I used a combination of a holesaw and a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel - totally simple stuff, though very high-stress. :) All that done, the motor dropped right in and everything bolted up.
I sacrificed an '88 wiring harness & fusebox to pull the the wiring for the APC system and ignition system, and was able to use the engine/LH harness intact without any fuss. "Building" these harnesses was simple and splicing them into the existing harness took only a little forethought. I really overthought it and it turned out to be quite easy matching the new wiring to the old stuff.
I ran into a minor problem with the fuel system as I was not prepared to create my own fuel hoses to adapt the filter & return lines to the 16v fuel rail, but all said and done it went quite well and looks very stock. Were I to do it again I'd probably adapt some AN-type fittings and do it custom, but my goal this time around was keep it cheap.
All said and done the car looks completely factory. I doubt casual observation would be able to determine this was anything but original. That said, the car won't start reliably. I know what the problem is (bad fuel pressure accumulator) but haven't worked out how to bypass it yet - I can't find anyone with metric compression fittings in Sacramento. Regardless, I am proud to say it went quite smoothly and all my custom bits & pieces work as they're supposed to. Once the accumulator issue is solved, the only remaining issue will be finding a place to mount the LH ECU. Not anything to worry about! :)
-Justin
posted by 64.160....
, Tue, 7 Aug 2001 16:47:21 <-- Viewing This Message
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
