Why restoring/modifying cars seldom pays

[Henrik]

Henrik. I still have you old FM57 gearbox you sold me a few years back. Picked it up in the same 9000. Aero ....running stage 3 on it at present. MOT booked for next Wednesday.

Aha, it's you

 

[Rannsachair]

Another Saab convert here! I bought a 1984 900 16v turbo S back in 1991 and ran it til 1998 when I got a company car. Seriously quick in its day and built like a tank, then had a 1997 9000 CS 2.3 turbo, a 2000 9-3 turbo and now a 71 96 v4 and a 2006 9-5 aero.

The old 96 is an amazing car: fantastic heater, heated seats, brake pipes run inside the car, disc front brakes, split circuit brake system, freewheeling device on gearbox, fitted with seatbelts, underside of car is totally flat bar the exhaust, so nothing to get damaged. an a much stronger bodyshell than the escorts etc of the day. I had a mk2 escort mexico back in the early 80's and always wanted the saab v4, amazing how competitive they were at rallying. the car is a pleasure to work on, everything really well put together, was designed by aircraft engineers.

The 9-5 is a modern day bargain: 250 hp, really comfy seats: heated front and rear plus cooled! xenon lights, comfy to drive all day, parts amazingly cheap: genuine oil filter under £3, new Bilstien drop links were less than £17 a pair delivered, great car to drive and can be bought for peanuts. May not be as much fun to work on as a much older car.

Restoring old cars may not pay, but I think it gives you lots of satisfaction, though you may find that motorbikes do it for you too, and boats.....why do I keep looking for an Alvis Stalwart on ebay......

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Alvis Stalwart come up for sale on the specialist sites, but good ones go for daft ££££££. Even ropy ones get daft ££££.
Most engine parts are still around. But swimming gear is obtainable, but it is a hard search.

in 2014 I was roped in to help some one restore one. This one was a REME/Royal engineers version, it had an Atlas crane on the back. It was a money pit.
Sadly this year the owner ran out money to spend on it and it now sits in a dry barn waiting. The crane lays in the load bay waiting to be refitted.

 

[GW8IZR]

I just liked the way simple things were thought out on the 99, the washer pipe ran along the bonnet over the top of the engine, made sure the washer water charge was warm, the way the rear seats tilted to make a flat platform etc. Compared to Ford/Leyland etc of the same time it was so well engineered. Crap hand brake setup though :-)

I've been restoring older cars all my driving life, from having to do it to keep mobile through to wanting to do it to turn out something presentable. I dont do it to make any money which is fortunate.

 

[Rudi McAnichal]

I just liked the way simple things were thought out on the 99.... Crap hand brake setup though

Ah, yes, those little hand brake shoes, acting on a drum formed inside the disc, were far from perfect.

Most of my old Saab 99 (1972 L reg) was built like a tank. Did a lot of towing with it, having designed and welded up my own towbar (using the Cebora buzz-box) in the days when you could get away with that sort of thing.

The one occasion that car let me down (fortunately only a couple of miles from home) was a result of the splines wearing away on the clutch shaft and primary gear, so that it lost all the drive (at about 100k miles). The cost of new parts was prohibitive (clutch shaft plus set of three gears), but a local scrapyard had a shaft and gear from a Dolomite that would fit the Saab, so I was soon back on the road for an outlay of just a few pounds, and the 99 was still going well when I sold it some years later with 180k on the clock.

The only car I ever owned where you could change a clutch under an hour, without needing a hoist or pit or even a jack.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Mk1 and Astra clutches were the same. No pit, no hoist.
the Oddest tool was a 17mm Allen key. Or Sump plug key.
In, out. Bish bash done.

 

[Rannsachair]

Alvis Stalwart come up for sale on the specialist sites, but good ones go for daft ££££££. Even ropy ones get daft ££££.
Most engine parts are still around. But swimming gear is obtainable, but it is a hard search.

in 2014 I was roped in to help some one restore one. This one was a REME/Royal engineers version, it had an Atlas crane on the back. It was a money pit.
Sadly this year the owner ran out money to spend on it and it now sits in a dry barn waiting. The crane lays in the load bay waiting to be refitted.

Much as I like my Landy off road:

 

[Swift&Bold]

IIRC, the Stalwart had the vertically opposed 12 cyl engine that powered the FV432 Armoured Personnel Carrier? A very distinctive sound.

 

[Swift&Bold]

The old 96 is an amazing car: fantastic heater, heated seats, brake pipes run inside the car, disc front brakes, split circuit brake system, freewheeling device on gearbox, fitted with seatbelts, underside of car is totally flat bar the exhaust, so nothing to get damaged. an a much stronger bodyshell than the escorts etc of the day. I had a mk2 escort mexico back in the early 80's and always wanted the saab v4, amazing how competitive they were at rallying. the car is a pleasure to work on, everything really well put together, was designed by aircraft engineers.

You must own one of the very last pre-Dame Edna 9-5 Aeros?

Hopefully, the heritage, innovation and influence that Saab had on the motor industry will be realised and make them more attractive as a collectors car, it's a crying shame for them to just fade into obscurity with the occasional jog of the memory.

 

[colnerov]

IIRC, the Stalwart had the vertically opposed 12 cyl engine that powered the FV432 Armoured Personnel Carrier?

Hi, the Stalwart had the Rolls Royce B80, straight eight petrol.

 

[Rannsachair]

You must own one of the very last pre-Dame Edna 9-5 Aeros?

Hopefully, the heritage, innovation and influence that Saab had on the motor industry will be realised and make them more attractive as a collectors car, it's a crying shame for them to just fade into obscurity with the occasional jog of the memory.

Yes, registered January 2006, I preferred the pre dame edna interior and front end. Had to get a comfy car as my elderly parents were struggling to climb in my Landy, could not believe how cheap they were bar the £280 road tax.

 

[Swift&Bold]

I much prefer the pre-Ednas too, they just don't do anything for me, I own a 2005 one. The Road tax on the Edna is also more!

 

[marlinspike]

We have had 3 c900 turbos, including the 16S that is in bits on the drive, a 9000, and a 9-5 estate. Both the 9-3 and 9-5 are serious used bargains now, practically giveaway prices, though the ved on old ones is high. The fact that Saab closed has put people off them, but if you are happy doing your own maintenance or are near a specialist garage it's not a problem, though of course the later cars have Vauxhall bits anyway.

The body panels for older Saabs are harder to find than for UK classics of the same period but that's why I joined this forum, so I could weld up the bits we had. For example, on a c900 the battery tray is usually rusty, so OH made a new one:

I'm surprised @BillJ hasn't been along to join in - he has loads of Saabs and runs a small company supplying bits (Saabits).

 

[Shedendman]

Back slightly on subject
I've got a Ford P100 cortina base coming round to me tomorrow for inspection of what to do,just know without seeing it works not going to happen due to the new owner telling me over the phone he only wants to throw £300 at it,cant wait to see the look on his face when i tell him he best double that

 

[Bill Edwards]

I'm surprised BillJ hasn't been along to join in - he has loads of Saabs and runs a small company supplying bits (Saabits).

If you want to attract his attention (may not have seen this topic) just put an @ sign in front of his username - like this @marlinspike

 

[ronan]

Back slightly on subject
I've got a Ford P100 cortina base coming round to me tomorrow for inspection of what to do,just know without seeing it works not going to happen due to the new owner telling me over the phone he only wants to throw £300 at it,cant wait to see the look on his face when i tell him he best double that

I wouldn't do much work for £300, some people really don't live in the real world, do they ?

 

[Wedg1e]

I was looking at Lotus Eclats again, shame I wasn't looking a week or so earlier as there was a very tidy one sold on the bay. The rest are heaps at the moment.

 

[ms08]

Gratuitous Saab post....

 

[Swift&Bold]

.... and another:
As I bought her.......



....as she is at present.

 

[Rannsachair]

And more:

Dad's 93 ttid, brothers 93 2.0t and my 9-5 Aero! 96 in garage.