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1950-1966 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Hey, you bought the red 95 in Bend, OR! Good for you! I was interested in that one myself, but realized I wouldn't have had time to get out there to look at it until later in the spring. Glad it went to someone with a spirit of adventure! (And good luck finding the backup light lenses...) Here's some general info that may help you get started:
-- Ditch those points and replace them with a Pertronix Ignitor: it'll save you time and effort as you tune up the car, because once you set the timing it'll stay put. One less thing to worry about. West of Sweden Saab (see classifieds) will sell you the correct set; costs about $100, I think.
-- You can order a set of plug wires custom-made for the V4 from Magnecor (http://www.magnecor.com) I just got a set and they look like good wires.
-- I wouldn't remove the thermostat. Remember, the 'stat only helps the engine reach and maintain correct operating temperature more quickly (good); removing it won't make the car run significantly cooler. The engine is what produces the heat, and it's the radiator (plus water pump, fan, hoses, etc.) that take the heat out. On the other hand, a 'stat that won't open definitely WILL make the engine run hot, so I WOULD definitely replace it (not just remove it.) I think the gasket is the same as the one used on the old 1.6 liter Pinto/Capri engine, but I didn't have any luck finding one of those either; I just made my own out of gasket paper, which you can buy at any auto parts store. Just take off the water outlet and use it as a pattern to cut a new gasket with a sharp art knife. Easy.
To be ready for the heat, you might as well start off vetting the rest of the cooling system too. I'd start by replacing ALL the hoses and flushing the system a couple of times with some of that chemical flush stuff. If after that the car shows even the slightest tendency to run hot, don't piddle around with further fixes -- yank out the radiator and get it recored (possibly with an extra row to add cooling capacity.) The first year I had my car, it wanted to overheat and I wasted a huge amount of time on flushes, 'water wetter,' different 'stats, etc. -- finally I had the radiator recored, the problem was solved instantly, and I could actually start enjoying the car instead of driving with one eye on the temp gauge all the time!
-- Another thing you might consider is removing the original cooling fan and replacing it with an electric fan controlled by a thermostat. This way the fan only runs when you need it, and you can run with the V-belt a little looser (which saves wear on that frangible fiber balance-shaft gear.) There's some info on the West of Sweden site.
-- I've gotten some good salvage stuff from East West Auto Parts (think they're in the classified) but stumbling across an oddball item such as the hatch handle is just a matter of luck. You might want to join the VSAAB mailing list to get more leads on where you might find one of these. You'll want to get in the habit of monitoring eBay, too.
-- Your best bet for A/C is probably to find a scrapped later-model 95 or 96 that came with the factory A/C -- that way you'll be able to get all the parts. I looked at a factory-A/C 96 in a Kansas City salvage yard a few months ago -- it wasn't drivable and the floors and hydraulics were shot, but all the A/C hardware was intact and the whole engine compartment looked complete and un-bodged. Unfortunately they wanted to sell the whole car rather than part it out. Basically you'll need to keep hunting until you find something like this -- or start from scratch with one of the modern systems made for street rods etc. (I've seen catalogs for these but can't think of any vendors right off.)
Note that with only 65hp to begin with, running the A/C will DEFINITELY have an effect on the car's performance! When I was in college I had a friend with an air-conditioned 96 -- he used to say that when he switched the compressor on, it felt as if somebody had tied a dead elephant to the back bumper! Also, the on/off load of the compressor can increase wear on the balance-shaft gear (dealers who installed the factory A/C kit were supposed to install a cast-iron replacement gear.) So in the long run you may decide you'd rather just sweat...
Good luck and have fun!!!
posted by 204.76.11...
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