Saab History

The 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project – Thank You

Posted on 02. Sep, 2008 by Ryan.

Photo Credit: Saab History

Now that the 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project has been completed, it’s time to thank everyone who participated in the project from December until just a week shy of the 2008 Saab Owners Convention.

I need to begin by thanking John Goguen of J.G. Service in Lunenburg, Massachusetts who, without his time, critical expertise, part availability and all around attention to detail during the duration of the last 9 months, this project would not have been possible.

I also need to thank Carl Levine of Granite-Embedded Systems of Portsmouth, New Hampshire who always made himself available during the most critical phases of this project and to him, I also owe a debt of gratitude.

Lastly, I want to thank my fiancee for supporting this project from the start until completion. It was our decision in December when we were living in Washington, D.C. to rescue this vehicle and I think after all of the time we’ve been away from each other, we are both happy with the results.

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1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project Ready For 2008 SOC!

Posted on 20. Aug, 2008 by Ryan.

Saab History Prepares to travel to the 2008 Saab Owners Convention, now that the 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project is complete, just one day shy of the opening day!

This project was quite an undertaking since I acquired it in rough shape this past December in rust-free Washington, D.C., but it’s finally done, and I’m a very proud owner of a beautiful 1992 Saab 900 Turbo!

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1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project Progress

Posted on 22. Jun, 2008 by Ryan.

Photo Credit: Saab History

The 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project is now making some significant progress in terms of its exterior and interior reinstallation since the completion of the recent paint job.

This work is really becoming more and more fun here at this point, but I still have to now get the cylinder head back and reinstall it back on the block, replacing chain guides, etc, head gasket, then redo the HVAC system and inspect it, replace steering rack and tie rod ends cv/joint boots, replace brakes all around and replace and inspect all suspension items.

The final stages once those areas are tackled, will include the undercoating treatment, any remaining POR15 in the engine bay and of course, and placing the Saab-Scania badges back on in the “exact” order and configuration as they came from the factory in Trollhättan, Sweden back on February, 1992.

If you are interested in seeing some of the previous work of this project, please view the archive directly by clicking on this image.

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1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project Paint Job Complete!

Posted on 18. Jun, 2008 by Ryan.

Photo Credits: Saab History

The painting and body work of the 1992 Saab 900 Turbo project is finally complete!

After nearly 2-months of waiting, the paint shop where I had this work done completed the job in the original 153B Cirrus White color that the car was painted in at the Saab factory in Trollhattan Sweden in May of 1992.

The results are quite remarkable and I am happy to see this phase of the project complete, now to begin the process of reinstalling & refurbishing every other item that was removed both inside and out!

Please stay tuned for more photographs as progress continues!

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1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project Transmission Progress

Posted on 18. Jun, 2008 by Ryan.

Photo Credit: Saab History

The 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project gets the transmission full rebuilt completed today. Another great milestone for the progress of this project, so please stay tuned for more progress in the days and weeks to come!

When I first began this transmission rebuild, all I had planned to do was to replace the 2nd gear syncro which had problems back in December. To this day, I have inspected everything, and replaced everything that needed to be replaced, all necessary hardware as well as gaskets, so here’s to some smooth gear changing in the nearby future!

Although the photo above shows some covers and differentials uncovered, everything has been wrapped up and now on to other aspects of the vehicle!

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1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project Engine & Trans Overhaul

Posted on 07. Jun, 2008 by Ryan.

Photo Credit: Saab History

The 1992 Saab 900 Turbo project that began in December of 2007 is in the process of having the engine and transmission completely overhauled down to the bare assemblies all the way up the proper “Saab” way.

Having personally spent a number of hours in this process already whether it was cleaning out and replacing bearings to replacing seals, I have learned a great deal about the build quality of the SCANIA built 2.0 liter robust engine as well as the 5-speed transmission, and believe this education will translate to a stronger comfort and confidence level once the Saab 900 Turbo is complete and ready to drive.

A number of you have noted that the color of the valve cover is not the original and being one for originality and authenticity, this is one area that my creative really took over. The reason for differentiation here is that this engine will eventually be E-85 “BioPower” capable, hence the coloring in the same fashion Saab has depicted in their more later model BioPower vehicles on display.

I look forward to completing these most difficult aspects of the project and to see the majority of the project coming together in due time so that it will see its first Saab Owners Convention later this year.

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1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project Receives Paint Job

Posted on 12. May, 2008 by Ryan.

Photo Credit: Saab History

The 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project that began in December of last year will be receiving a paint job this week in the original Saab color, “cirrus white”, paint code 153B.

Just about everything has been removed in order to best paint the exterior car within reason, short of a naked shell, given that it had virtually no rust being a mid-atlantic car from Washington, D.C.

I am looking forward to seeing this vehicle in process and of course, the final outcome once complete!

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1992 Saab 900 Turbo Receives Reconditioned Wheels!

Posted on 15. Apr, 2008 by Ryan.

Photo Credit: Saab History

The 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Project has recently received reconditioned wheels from Viking Wheel Service in Wilmington, Delaware. These wheels are the original wheels for this year and model, known as the “directional” Saab wheels for the 1992 900 Turbo model year only, in 15″ by 5.5″ wide painted silver. The later 900 models had grey insets with polished outer rims.

In terms of the final product, I am very happy with the quality and attention to detail on these original reconditioned wheels from Viking Wheel Service. It is my opinion that the Saab community is fortunate to have such a global source for Saab wheel reconditioning no matter how old or how new your wheels are. Furthermore, if you believe your wheels are beyond repair, I would contact Viking Wheel Service to double check.

As you can see in the photograph above, not only did they do a terrific job on the wheels, they also did not remove the outer lip that many “typical” wheel repair shops do.

As you will see in the original wheels, prior to being reconditioned, even the pitting from road debris due to not being regularly cleaned, remained impossible to remove even with the most potent of eco-friendly wheel cleaners.

The results of their work are really quite amazing. What you ultimately end up with are basically, brand new wheels, like you would have directly from a Saab dealership. The catch is that most of the older wheels such as the case here with the 1992, are no longer available, so this is the way to go.

I am extremely happy that I chose this logical route and look forward to seeing them ultimately mounted, balanced and fitted to the Saab 900 Turbo in the near future.

A thank you goes to Viking Wheel Service for a job well done! I highly recommend this route with any of your Saab wheels no matter how old or new and urge you to visit their website, http://www.vikingwheel.com/.

As I have said before and I will say again, the spring is here, and the 2008 Saab Owners Convention is also just around the corner, so get those beat-up old Saab wheels into Viking Wheel Service, you’ll be glad you did!

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