Saab 99 Turbo 1978

[nutcase]

Hi all, I've seen a few familiar names on here, but quite a few new ones as well, so I'll bore you with my car

1978 Saab 99 Turbo 3 door. First production year of the first production turbocharged car. To qualify that, by production I don't mean limited edition - we all know there were predecessors (Corsair, 911 and 2002 for example).

My one looks a little sorry for itself, but being that it looked like this when I got it:







It needed a lot of work!

I got it March 2003, and spent just over a year pulling it to pieces and putting it back together:



I'm fine with mechanicals, but rubbish at bodywork, so all that's happened on that so far is the structural bits welded up and painted, and the tailgate is one off a 900 for the moment!

After lots of fun and games it eventually looked like this:

www.nutcase.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nice.JPG (280k)

And it's been on the road for just over a year now.

[nutcase]

But it's not a standard car, there's one or two minor mods:

Poly bushes throughout (except the rear antiroll bar)
Front hubs and driveshafts from a later car (2kg lighter per side and possible to change the discs without destroying the wheelbearing!)
Rear axle and anti roll bar from a 900
Goodridge braided brake hoses and silicone brake fluid.
Lowered 40mm (too much, I think 25mm would have been better)
Avo shocks, Boge springs

Saab APC system from a 900 fitted and boy does it work!

Longlife stainless exhaust.

Original spec: 145bhp 175lb/ft torque
Current spec: 173bhp 217lb/ft torque

The original engine is starting to leak oil from just about every joint now (I didn't touch it at all after it sat for 14 years, so no real suprise!), so a full rebuild and a bit of tweaking is on the cards. I'm aiming for a reliable 200bhp

I know there's a lot of Retro Cars magazine readers on here, so some of you may recognise the car - it was at last years show, and also in the February and March 2005 issues. First as a buying guide car and then as part of a track day.

[HoTWire]

Love the Saab,.. very cool

[Mr_Bo11ox]

absolutely superb, what a great car. So sad whats happened to Saab now.

Must learn more about this APC system....

[nutcase]

Ta

The APC system is nice and simple and self contained so easy to fit to whatever.

I have one other car, but that's a 5 door G reg metro L so won't mention that

[Lewis]

Hey! Nice to have you onboard......Need to squeeze me one of those in me Dolly...either that or a 9000' one

[nutcase]

Allo mate A 900 carlsson engine would work wonders I think

[Ken]

Fancy seeing you here Nutcase

[wildfire]

i have always like the old classic shape....

Was this one at retro car show in 2004?

[nutcase]

Indeed it was - and stuck amongst all the minters in the cars from each stand bit ;D

When they went round talking about each one, I think I got the shortest commentary

[nutcase]

Well I really need to pull my finger out and get the thing into a bodyshop. It's still got rusty doors and patchy paint!

been collecting more bits for the engine side of things though. A water injection kit should be in the post shortly (so no more 1+ bar of boost with no chargecooling whatsoever anymore!). I must have been riding the det point for quite a while now.

I have had a performance cam sitting in a box for quite a while, but I decided that I wanted to time the cam in properly. But noone makes an adjustable sprocket for my engine But why let that stop me? Send a standard one off to Kent cams, get a quote, organise a group buy and voila! Delivery of 6 sprockets should be done in a couple more weeks 3 for the UK, one for Oz and two to the US. Lovely Jubbly!

[nutcase]

Finally got the passenger door back from the local back-street old car place. Cheap and cheerful reskin and respray. Not perfect by any means, but it'll do me!



He's taken the driver's door away to start that...

[Saru]

Luverly.

You say too low? I say just right.

[Tarka]

Yeahhh I love these beasties. Mate of mine used to rally one which was strange because the handbrake is on the front wheels!! Suppose it was good for reverse flicks. Anyway, well done for restoring a great car. SKOL!!

[robin480]

very nice car, love the odd ball look of saab's

[nutcase]

Cheers guys

Lump coming out near the turbo is the wastgate. Saab invented the thing, so it's a bit crude, but it does the job superbly. I've replumbed it a bit - in that pic it's controlled by the exhaust pressure, but using the Saab APC it needs to be inlet manifold pressure.

Definitely too low. Until they take away the annoying road cushions.

They were pretty sucessful in rallying, especially when it was snow/ice or gravel. Weak driveshafts caused reliability problems unfortunately, and then the Quattro stomped it into the ground A year or two ago WRC magazine voted it into the top 10 of most influential rally cars of all time (number 6 IIRC).

[Stu]

Ace! I always think I'd like one of these old Saabs, must stop buying VW's and branch out. Hmm... turbo!