The Drunkie Saab Story
10-11-2017, 11:00 AM
#42
Dropped the engine and parts off at the Machine shop
This was left on my front door step
Painting some parts
Believe it or not this frame has less rust on it than my current one on the car. Waiting to hear back from a few shops that can either acid dip this thing or glass media blast it. If the quotes are too high, back to grinding.
This was left on my front door step
Painting some parts
Believe it or not this frame has less rust on it than my current one on the car. Waiting to hear back from a few shops that can either acid dip this thing or glass media blast it. If the quotes are too high, back to grinding.
10-11-2017, 11:01 AM
#43
I'm working with a guy now for a dustless glass media blasting job on it, lets see what he comes back with.
My rear subframe was from a clean 9-5 in texas with 40k miles on it, I suffed it and KBS seal coated it, then chassis top coated it. The lateral arms were brand new from GM for cheap, I scuffed them, KBS seal coated them and chassis top coat. So my rear subframe will never rust. I already scrubbed the underside of this car up to the firewall and seal coated it. I plan to go back underneath the car during the winter and do an inspection and touch up any areas that may need it.
Machine shop trip!
Engine block is perfect, no need for oversize bearing on the mains, the bore is spot on. My piston to wall clearance will be an exact 0.07mm.
Flywheel has had 6lbs taken out so it is now 15lbs
Head is absolutely perfect, not a single thing was out of spec, infact every part was exactly the same measurement.
I wrapped the exhaust manifold. I probably should have had it ceramic coated, but my friend is going through a bit of a rough patch right now and can't do it for me. First time wrapping.
Things will begin to pick up in the coming weeks.
Goals
November-December - Interior tear down, carpets out, headliner, speakers, sound deadening improvment, dash fascia swap, new stereo
January-February - Rear suspension upgrades, undercoating check over, front suspension upgrades
March - Vinyl wrap car
March-April - prepare engine for pull through the top
May 3rd - Engine pull day (my birthday)
May-June - engine bay prep, repaint engine bay, assess what needs to be done
June - engine drop in, hopefully give it its first crank over end of june.
From there it is break in time, work out issues, and begin to tune it.
I only get one day a week to work on the car, Saturday. I work full time during the week and Sunday is family day.
My rear subframe was from a clean 9-5 in texas with 40k miles on it, I suffed it and KBS seal coated it, then chassis top coated it. The lateral arms were brand new from GM for cheap, I scuffed them, KBS seal coated them and chassis top coat. So my rear subframe will never rust. I already scrubbed the underside of this car up to the firewall and seal coated it. I plan to go back underneath the car during the winter and do an inspection and touch up any areas that may need it.
Machine shop trip!
Engine block is perfect, no need for oversize bearing on the mains, the bore is spot on. My piston to wall clearance will be an exact 0.07mm.
Flywheel has had 6lbs taken out so it is now 15lbs
Head is absolutely perfect, not a single thing was out of spec, infact every part was exactly the same measurement.
I wrapped the exhaust manifold. I probably should have had it ceramic coated, but my friend is going through a bit of a rough patch right now and can't do it for me. First time wrapping.
Things will begin to pick up in the coming weeks.
Goals
November-December - Interior tear down, carpets out, headliner, speakers, sound deadening improvment, dash fascia swap, new stereo
January-February - Rear suspension upgrades, undercoating check over, front suspension upgrades
March - Vinyl wrap car
March-April - prepare engine for pull through the top
May 3rd - Engine pull day (my birthday)
May-June - engine bay prep, repaint engine bay, assess what needs to be done
June - engine drop in, hopefully give it its first crank over end of june.
From there it is break in time, work out issues, and begin to tune it.
I only get one day a week to work on the car, Saturday. I work full time during the week and Sunday is family day.
10-19-2017, 03:18 PM
#47
I did my best to keep the lines straight, but the many contours don't help which is probably most of the waviness you see. My first time doing something like that. Once in the car you probably won't notice.
10-19-2017, 04:11 PM
#48
Yeah, that looks all but impossible to get perfect with a pattern that complex. I'm sticking to plain old gray when I re-do the M3!
10-25-2017, 07:46 AM
#49
So I picked up a 1999 9-5 Wagon base, Dark blue with tan interior, Manual
I had to tow it home because it has been sitting and a few things are questionable. Last oil change was June 2016 with 139,000 miles it now has 142,000 miles on it so it hasn't been sitting too long.
I plan to do what I can to get it on the road quickly so I have something to enjoy over winter, over time though I will add a few things that I take off my 04, but I did also manage to score the 308mm caliper brackets, Aero side skirts and some fogs for this things as well.
I begin to clean up the interior as there were some mouse nests and mold issues, nothing to bad, I've seen worse in my years of detailing. I should have it all back together all nice and clean this weekend.
I found the original window sticker in the car
The current state of my garage (more parts keep coming in for my 04 build)
As for the 99, it starts right up, drives and steers just fine.
-Clutch is a little weak, so I will try bleeding that first before I jump to the conclusion it needs a clutch (its grab point is about 2/3rds of the way up so it has some life left).
-Brakes are completely gone, so new brakes are on the way.
-There are no major leaks yet, only suspicious one is right below the brake booster on the subframe (which maybe why the clutch feels so weak) I will be investigating further.
-Brake dust shields are dust and completely gone
-LCA's are pretty crispy, so I have spares I can throw on
-Rust is there, but nothing horrible, the doglegs are an easy fix, everything past the firewall is about 98% rust free, the front subframe is about 15-20% rusted but this car was from Maine. I'm sure I'm going to have a few bolts snaps.
-The Seats albeit are non-Aero but they are really cushy (heated and ventilated) and MINT, no tears or major damage, hell not even minor damage. I did the rejuvenating oil to the leather already and the cracks from wear are disappearing. These are far better than my 01 base seats and I have no interest in putting Aero seats in.
-Body is in great shape, I plan to do a paint correction (because why the hell not, even my Jalopy's tend to roll pretty)
-HVAC cabin fan is shot, so it needs to be replaced, seems like the arms have been fixed though
-No sludge, no smoke from the old GT17 turbo
I'll document what I do as I go along, right now it is about getting this thing on the road bare minimum to get through winter, but over time I plan to make it look my 01 and Aero convert it. It'll probably get my 15T turbo, catback, RPF1 wheels to make it look killer. I'm also looking at the PFS suspension kit. Stay tuned.
I had to tow it home because it has been sitting and a few things are questionable. Last oil change was June 2016 with 139,000 miles it now has 142,000 miles on it so it hasn't been sitting too long.
I plan to do what I can to get it on the road quickly so I have something to enjoy over winter, over time though I will add a few things that I take off my 04, but I did also manage to score the 308mm caliper brackets, Aero side skirts and some fogs for this things as well.
I begin to clean up the interior as there were some mouse nests and mold issues, nothing to bad, I've seen worse in my years of detailing. I should have it all back together all nice and clean this weekend.
I found the original window sticker in the car
The current state of my garage (more parts keep coming in for my 04 build)
As for the 99, it starts right up, drives and steers just fine.
-Clutch is a little weak, so I will try bleeding that first before I jump to the conclusion it needs a clutch (its grab point is about 2/3rds of the way up so it has some life left).
-Brakes are completely gone, so new brakes are on the way.
-There are no major leaks yet, only suspicious one is right below the brake booster on the subframe (which maybe why the clutch feels so weak) I will be investigating further.
-Brake dust shields are dust and completely gone
-LCA's are pretty crispy, so I have spares I can throw on
-Rust is there, but nothing horrible, the doglegs are an easy fix, everything past the firewall is about 98% rust free, the front subframe is about 15-20% rusted but this car was from Maine. I'm sure I'm going to have a few bolts snaps.
-The Seats albeit are non-Aero but they are really cushy (heated and ventilated) and MINT, no tears or major damage, hell not even minor damage. I did the rejuvenating oil to the leather already and the cracks from wear are disappearing. These are far better than my 01 base seats and I have no interest in putting Aero seats in.
-Body is in great shape, I plan to do a paint correction (because why the hell not, even my Jalopy's tend to roll pretty)
-HVAC cabin fan is shot, so it needs to be replaced, seems like the arms have been fixed though
-No sludge, no smoke from the old GT17 turbo
I'll document what I do as I go along, right now it is about getting this thing on the road bare minimum to get through winter, but over time I plan to make it look my 01 and Aero convert it. It'll probably get my 15T turbo, catback, RPF1 wheels to make it look killer. I'm also looking at the PFS suspension kit. Stay tuned.
10-26-2017, 06:58 AM
#50
nice brotha! man, the day I can have 2 vehicles.... cant imagine the possibilites and benefits...
never thought of using plastix on the tails by the way... i have bluebatmobile vinyls on my tails though...
never thought of using plastix on the tails by the way... i have bluebatmobile vinyls on my tails though...
12-08-2017, 06:28 AM
#54
12-08-2017, 07:46 AM
#55
I can't wait to get this car back on the road. I keep telling myself it will all be worth it. I haven't had time to start the engine assembly yet.
02-24-2018, 05:58 PM
#56
Wagon is kicking it, just driving the **** out of it through the winter
Bulbs for the heated and cooled seats in the wagon were out, so I added some flavor to them
Messing with a new color for the Sedan
Headliner is put in on the sedan
I needed to start the car one last time to turn it around (so I can pull the motor), decided to see how the headlight looked
Test fitting a gauge pod setup
Finished up the c-pillars this morning
I also installed a new aftermarket speakers in the rear deck and rear doors, they sound really good, have a much better range than stock and seem to be within about 10% of the stocks as far as output level goes. I can tweak each speaker individually at the head unit. I've been hunting for speakers to replace all the stock ones because in the long run we will eventually run out of used replacements. I think once I have it all worked out, the Wagon will receive the same treatment with new speakers.
Worked on some stuff over the past few weekends.
Got the c-pillars in
Experimenting with some speakers. I have some custom domes to install over the hole, this was a failed attempt at making the hole.
Wagon needed its pan dropped and it still needs a crank seal
Bulbs for the heated and cooled seats in the wagon were out, so I added some flavor to them
Messing with a new color for the Sedan
Headliner is put in on the sedan
I needed to start the car one last time to turn it around (so I can pull the motor), decided to see how the headlight looked
Test fitting a gauge pod setup
Finished up the c-pillars this morning
I also installed a new aftermarket speakers in the rear deck and rear doors, they sound really good, have a much better range than stock and seem to be within about 10% of the stocks as far as output level goes. I can tweak each speaker individually at the head unit. I've been hunting for speakers to replace all the stock ones because in the long run we will eventually run out of used replacements. I think once I have it all worked out, the Wagon will receive the same treatment with new speakers.
Worked on some stuff over the past few weekends.
Got the c-pillars in
Experimenting with some speakers. I have some custom domes to install over the hole, this was a failed attempt at making the hole.
Wagon needed its pan dropped and it still needs a crank seal
02-24-2018, 05:58 PM
#57
Powder coating came in
And I assembled something
Working on finishing up the interior next weekend, I've installed a full stereo setup, all new speakers, cleaned up some custom wiring, cleaning the interior. I am hoping to finish it up all next week, then vinyl wrap the car, after that I have to swap out the rear trailing arms for rust free units. Then it is time to pull an engine.
3M Gloss Ice Blue
Gauges I added. I added Oil temp/pressure, wideband o2 and boost gauge (in the glove box)
And I assembled something
Working on finishing up the interior next weekend, I've installed a full stereo setup, all new speakers, cleaned up some custom wiring, cleaning the interior. I am hoping to finish it up all next week, then vinyl wrap the car, after that I have to swap out the rear trailing arms for rust free units. Then it is time to pull an engine.
3M Gloss Ice Blue
Gauges I added. I added Oil temp/pressure, wideband o2 and boost gauge (in the glove box)
05-09-2018, 05:50 AM
#62
Well we are getting closer.
The wagon is going to start needing some love soon...short list:
-Brake booster
-Shocks/struts
-LCAs
-Clutch
-Turbo
-Exhaust
-Ebrake/rear trailing arm
All that needs to be replaced, some of it needs to be done so it can pass inspection. While I am doing it, I will throw in some Aero parts, basically I'll end up full converting this Base wagon to an Aero even though it is a rusted jalopy. For the clutch/turbo/booster....I'm thinking about actually just pulling the engine since it is incredibly easy I could do it the entire job in weekend. I'm also thinking I will replace the bearings, replace the timing chain, head gasket, valve seals and a general overhaul to keep the thing going. I also have a manual transmission with the upgrade parts I can drop in (2nd gear syncro/reverse gears fail). So maybe, when I get around to it. The car will get some serious love.
In the meantime, the sedan is a rolling chassis right now, I figured out how to get it under 3000lbs like I've always wanted to.
Also I'm the process of remodeling my kitchen, remodeling my living room and landscaping work on the house. To say I'm a little busy is an understatement.
...oh and my co-worker is considering me rebuilding an old John Deere Diesel backhoe rig he has. Should be fun. Gotta say I love working with my hands again, this typing behind a keyboard all day blows.
Pictures!
These aren't D2s or K-sports.
Monotube, dampening rate range choose by me, spring rate choose by me.
So I've replaced all the speakers in the car, except for the rear door speakers. I could not find something that worked there as good as stock. Here is what I used
Dash Speakers
Rockford Fosgate Punch P132 - These out perform the Kappa 32.9s by far - downside is the sit up a little high, I managed to get my passenger side low enough to fit under the cover but the drivers side was a different story. Some modification required
Front Doors
PowerBass L2-6C - These fit and perform within about 10% of stock. The stock speaker holders need to have the ring cut off
Rear Doors
I repaired these with new 2.5" foam
Rear deck
Retro Sound S-692 drops right in and performs better than stock
So here is the job of fixing the rear door
Dash speaker cover mod and my gauge pod finished on the dash
I don't have pictures of the front door modification, but it is obvious when you are mounting them up.
I've been working on a lot of little things, really can't remember them all
Here is rear subframe part 2. I decided to swap out the rear trailing arms and brake shield for less rusty ones
The underside of the car is super clean and no rust in site.
Also would like to note, those adjustable rear lateral arms do NOT just drop in, the bolt hits the gas tank. I've seen people on here claiming they are an easy drop in, they do require dropping the subframe from side to side to get the job done.
I also added this little number to get rid of the cig lighter, just have to dremel about 0.5mm out of the hole and this will fit in
I also dropped off my transmission for rebuild, 4.45 final drive, Quaife LSD and ARP ring gear bolts.
Having fun with the engine
Pressed in some bushings for my rebuilt steering rack
Hauling stuff in the wagon.
Teaching my daughter the important things
The wagon is going to start needing some love soon...short list:
-Brake booster
-Shocks/struts
-LCAs
-Clutch
-Turbo
-Exhaust
-Ebrake/rear trailing arm
All that needs to be replaced, some of it needs to be done so it can pass inspection. While I am doing it, I will throw in some Aero parts, basically I'll end up full converting this Base wagon to an Aero even though it is a rusted jalopy. For the clutch/turbo/booster....I'm thinking about actually just pulling the engine since it is incredibly easy I could do it the entire job in weekend. I'm also thinking I will replace the bearings, replace the timing chain, head gasket, valve seals and a general overhaul to keep the thing going. I also have a manual transmission with the upgrade parts I can drop in (2nd gear syncro/reverse gears fail). So maybe, when I get around to it. The car will get some serious love.
In the meantime, the sedan is a rolling chassis right now, I figured out how to get it under 3000lbs like I've always wanted to.
Also I'm the process of remodeling my kitchen, remodeling my living room and landscaping work on the house. To say I'm a little busy is an understatement.
...oh and my co-worker is considering me rebuilding an old John Deere Diesel backhoe rig he has. Should be fun. Gotta say I love working with my hands again, this typing behind a keyboard all day blows.
Pictures!
These aren't D2s or K-sports.
Monotube, dampening rate range choose by me, spring rate choose by me.
So I've replaced all the speakers in the car, except for the rear door speakers. I could not find something that worked there as good as stock. Here is what I used
Dash Speakers
Rockford Fosgate Punch P132 - These out perform the Kappa 32.9s by far - downside is the sit up a little high, I managed to get my passenger side low enough to fit under the cover but the drivers side was a different story. Some modification required
Front Doors
PowerBass L2-6C - These fit and perform within about 10% of stock. The stock speaker holders need to have the ring cut off
Rear Doors
I repaired these with new 2.5" foam
Rear deck
Retro Sound S-692 drops right in and performs better than stock
So here is the job of fixing the rear door
Dash speaker cover mod and my gauge pod finished on the dash
I don't have pictures of the front door modification, but it is obvious when you are mounting them up.
I've been working on a lot of little things, really can't remember them all
Here is rear subframe part 2. I decided to swap out the rear trailing arms and brake shield for less rusty ones
The underside of the car is super clean and no rust in site.
Also would like to note, those adjustable rear lateral arms do NOT just drop in, the bolt hits the gas tank. I've seen people on here claiming they are an easy drop in, they do require dropping the subframe from side to side to get the job done.
I also added this little number to get rid of the cig lighter, just have to dremel about 0.5mm out of the hole and this will fit in
I also dropped off my transmission for rebuild, 4.45 final drive, Quaife LSD and ARP ring gear bolts.
Having fun with the engine
Pressed in some bushings for my rebuilt steering rack
Hauling stuff in the wagon.
Teaching my daughter the important things
05-09-2018, 07:36 AM
#65
Thanks dude! I'm hoping to give the engine its first turn over mid-to-late June.
Just a 20x24 garage with 7.5 foot ceilings. The first house we looked at and had under contract was a 24x24 garage with 10 foot ceilings. Shame the electrical was just so bad, roof was an issue and everything else.
Just a 20x24 garage with 7.5 foot ceilings. The first house we looked at and had under contract was a 24x24 garage with 10 foot ceilings. Shame the electrical was just so bad, roof was an issue and everything else.
01-08-2019, 05:49 AM
#70
01-08-2019, 07:28 AM
#72
I got it running, ran for about 30 minutes, and discovered an electrical issue with the fans for the radiator and I had a bubble of air that would not push out of the engine.
Need to go back to it someday. Probably should prime the engine too. I've lost a lot love for this project.
Need to go back to it someday. Probably should prime the engine too. I've lost a lot love for this project.
01-08-2019, 11:48 AM
#74
I got it running, ran for about 30 minutes, and discovered an electrical issue with the fans for the radiator and I had a bubble of air that would not push out of the engine.
Need to go back to it someday. Probably should prime the engine too. I've lost a lot love for this project.
Need to go back to it someday. Probably should prime the engine too. I've lost a lot love for this project.
01-09-2019, 11:59 AM
#77
Yup I have both my wagon and the sedan.
Sedan has a built motor with a custom trans.
Wagon is getting a complete tear down to frame, rust fixed, put back together with a top engine rebuild and new trans. It will also get the rare options like auto dim side mirrors, sport tech package, cooled seats, rear roll out floor, auto leveling suspension and bigger brakes among other things.
Sedan has a built motor with a custom trans.
Wagon is getting a complete tear down to frame, rust fixed, put back together with a top engine rebuild and new trans. It will also get the rare options like auto dim side mirrors, sport tech package, cooled seats, rear roll out floor, auto leveling suspension and bigger brakes among other things.
06-12-2019, 11:55 AM
#78
I've been gone for a minute but I'm back now.
So the 1999 wagon had to go, rust was too much, clutch was toast, just not worth fixing it, as much as I wanted to. I was sad to do this.
So I found a 2000 9-5 Aero Manual wagon with 67k miles, no engine/no trans, hadn't seen the road in 6-7 years, it was in North Carolina. So I drove 1700 miles in 2 days to tow it home.
This is exactly the color combo, year, style I wanted, believe it or not, this was weirdly a dream car for me. I wanted a no rust rolling shell so I could build it EXACTLY how I wanted.
First things first. Tear down the new engine
Randomness inbetween like cleaning/prepping
Clean out the back, test wheels
Remove everything and clean
Assemble the engine
So the 1999 wagon had to go, rust was too much, clutch was toast, just not worth fixing it, as much as I wanted to. I was sad to do this.
So I found a 2000 9-5 Aero Manual wagon with 67k miles, no engine/no trans, hadn't seen the road in 6-7 years, it was in North Carolina. So I drove 1700 miles in 2 days to tow it home.
This is exactly the color combo, year, style I wanted, believe it or not, this was weirdly a dream car for me. I wanted a no rust rolling shell so I could build it EXACTLY how I wanted.
First things first. Tear down the new engine
Randomness inbetween like cleaning/prepping
Clean out the back, test wheels
Remove everything and clean
Assemble the engine
06-12-2019, 11:56 AM
#79
Mess with the suspension
Bolt the interior together with fun
Put the engine in
Tune it
Restore things
Polish it
Drive it
Take the daughter for ice cream
This started in March, I just officially registered the vehicle for the Road Saturday and have a few hundred miles on it already.
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon Manual
67,700 miles
Black and tan
02+ Aero vented seats
06 engine with pcv intact
king cobra with T5 cams
New head gasket and timing chain
B08 manual transmission
All sorts of updates I can't remember but I got rid of alot failure points
New bushings everywhere (subframes, rose/lateral, trailing arm, LCAs...all rubber because I'm old)
Auto level suspension in the rear
Roll out floor.
02+ exterior mirrors with auto dimming
Custom stereo setup
Projector retrofit
LEDed interior EVERYWHERE
04+ 300mm vented rear brakes
So much more that I have done and lost track of.
This car is exactly how I want it, I eliminated the weak points or as many as I could. A/c works, it cruises great, ride is nice, it goes when I want it to. Its the perfect daily.
Things left to install is the Wagon spoiler, my grille I made, and some window tint.
As for my 04+ Sedan, I got it running and did the first oil change after startup but the brand new thermostat wouldn't open, a hose burst and I was sick of it for a while, so I parked it and let the project sit. I am going to get back to it here in the next few weeks now that my daily driver is sorted.
Bolt the interior together with fun
Put the engine in
Tune it
Restore things
Polish it
Drive it
Take the daughter for ice cream
This started in March, I just officially registered the vehicle for the Road Saturday and have a few hundred miles on it already.
2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon Manual
67,700 miles
Black and tan
02+ Aero vented seats
06 engine with pcv intact
king cobra with T5 cams
New head gasket and timing chain
B08 manual transmission
All sorts of updates I can't remember but I got rid of alot failure points
New bushings everywhere (subframes, rose/lateral, trailing arm, LCAs...all rubber because I'm old)
Auto level suspension in the rear
Roll out floor.
02+ exterior mirrors with auto dimming
Custom stereo setup
Projector retrofit
LEDed interior EVERYWHERE
04+ 300mm vented rear brakes
So much more that I have done and lost track of.
This car is exactly how I want it, I eliminated the weak points or as many as I could. A/c works, it cruises great, ride is nice, it goes when I want it to. Its the perfect daily.
Things left to install is the Wagon spoiler, my grille I made, and some window tint.
As for my 04+ Sedan, I got it running and did the first oil change after startup but the brand new thermostat wouldn't open, a hose burst and I was sick of it for a while, so I parked it and let the project sit. I am going to get back to it here in the next few weeks now that my daily driver is sorted.