1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
My first car, a '74 99LE was the first one I worked on. Changing oil, adjusting timing, things like that. I bought this car off my Dad, who had just bought it off a co-worker. This was in '81, and I was 17. Though Dad was a programmer for IBM, in a previous life he'd been a garage mechanic, and used to drag-race in the 50's, road rally in the 60's and 70's.
The third car I bought was my second Saab. Another '74 99, and I knew when I bought it that it had a cracked cylinder. I was planning on using the previous (alas, wrecked...) 99's engine as the donor. Being young and "invincible", I decided to do the swap myself, with Dad's help of course.
After about a week of work I pulled it off. I was fortunate in that I had a knowledgable helper (Dad made me do the work, but guided me along the way) but I also had Saab factory manual that came with the first Saab, plus the infamous Haynes manual (hey, it ain't the best, but every little bit helps). After a week's work I pulled it off. Been wrenching ever since.
Some quick points of advice:
1. Find someone willing to help you out. See if you can watch and learn during a specific job. Ask questions (of the willing helper -- nothing worse than a "pest" if the mech is not a willing participant...) Join a car club if there is one in your neighborhood. Saab club would be better of course, but any car club that focuses on wrenching on your cars is a help. I find I'm still learning, but what I do know I try to pass on to others as well. (I certainly am no mechanic, but will hang with a couple on occasion...;-)
2. READ, READ, READ. Learn the basics of an internal combustion engine first, then move on to the specifics of your car's nuances. TSN is a FANTASTIC way of learning about Saabs, however, knowing the basics of an engine certainly helps as well. There are tons of books out on the subject. Let's face it, the automobile has been around now for a century. Plenty of reference books out there. (Some better than other, of course...)
3. Don't get too enamoured yet with hot-rodding your car. That will certainly come over time. Getting a car to run smoothly and to spec can be just as challenging and rewarding to a shade-tree mech as learning what to do to get the last bit of HP.
4. Have plenty of patience. You'll make mistakes. Some costly, unfortunately, but this is how you learn. If you plan a project carefully you can mitigate much of these problems. Much like chess, sometimes you have to plan several moves in advance as you do a job. (Recently did an alternator swap -- if I had only known about some of those "tricks of the trade"...)
Finally: Have fun! Don't be afraid to take on a challenge.
Jim Miller
VP, WASSAAB: The Washington Area Saab Club
Current:
'88 SPG, Viggen BPV, tweaked APC and solenoid valve (19lbs boost), FoMoCo 30# injectors, Trent Malpassi RRFPR, SAS SS Braided Brake lines.
'97 900 Talladega Coupe, Saab Sport Exhaust, Forge BPV, Abbott Racing ECU and wastegate actuator, AutoMeter boost/vac gauge, Abbott Racing lowering springs, Abbott Racing Viggen Rescue Pack, SAS rear swaybar, Zimmerman crossdrilled rotors, Viggen Intercooler.
'02 9-5 Aero SportWagon
Past:
1. '74 99LE 4dr, "Pumpkin Orange", RIP
2. '74 99LE 3dr "CombiCoupe", Arctic White, sold
3. '84 base 900, 3dr, Azure Blue
4. '88 900S, 3dr, Imola Red, SAS Polyurethane bushings
posted by 12.146.1...
, Tue, 23 Jul 2002 17:14:29
, Tue, 23 Jul 2002 07:51:14
, Tue, 23 Jul 2002 09:39:55
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