Learn Me Saab 96

I have seen a couple Saab 96 for sale recently. How available are parts? How hard are they tune? What should I look out for if I look at one? Also were they available as two strokes?

The early ones are two strokes, the later ones have a Ford V4 as the two-smoke wouldn't pass emissions in most places at that point in time. IIRC even the V4s have the freewheel mechanism in the drivetrain that SAAB put in there to protect the twostroke engine on downhill passages.

i believe you can remove the freewheel aspect when rebuilding the trans.

I would rather have a 97

If I had a choice of a 96 or a 97...a 97 wins it, on character.

The 97 is the Sonnet right? All the Sonnets I have seen are more expensive then thr 96s and I kinda like the upright classic look of the 96s. What is the freewheel mechanism? I was kinda looking at the two stroke models.

You can still buy most any part that you'd want. I have no experience with the strokers, but the V4 cars that I have are efficient, powerful enough to function as daily drivers if you please, and the column-shifted 4-speed is geared great for around-town driving. Revs are a little high on the highway, but I'm used to this even with the low-powered more modern cars I've owned/own. It'll happily cruise at 70 on the highway.

My first vSAAB was my '69 96 DeLuxe, but I have since become more interested in the 95s. More room, more seating capacity, and I think they look better. All the same mechanically, excepting the rear shocks.

There are a few of us in the area who have them. I have a few myself. If you decide that you want to make the trek up to Louisville at some point, I'm sure that I could round up a couple for you to look over and drive, including mine.

As with all things old and cool, rust is the killer.

If you have any specific questions... Ask. If I don't know the answer, I can probably find it.

I was thinking more as a fun second car. Are all of the cars column-shifted cars?

the 95 (2 dr wagon like in MiatarPowar's avatar) and 96 (2 dr coupe) are column shift. The Sonnet is floor shift.

The column shift is kinda neat and part of the car's charactor, IMHO.

We almost bought a '73 95... to go next to our '73 Volvo 1800ES...

I guess I could expand my response regarding parts availability. You can get most anything you need from Skandix, West of Sweden (Chip Lamb), or Motor Sport Service (some performance parts here, too). Google all but MSS for their online catalogs and prices. I've bought simple stuff like tune up parts from RockAuto or even local parts stores.

I think a 95/96 makes an excellent weekend driver, as that's really all that mine have become at this point. I drove my '72 95 (the one in my avatar) throughout last winter and into the spring. It was awesome. Never so much as a hiccup, and it would go through anything. Lots of fun, too.

...and from what I remember when we were researchign these cars, the Ford V4 is still in use as an industrial engine, so many bits are pretty common.

Unfortunately, there is a hill racer in our region that has severely soured my opinion of the 2 stroke versions... how something so loud can be so slow... it just doesn't seem possible...

My pal and I built a high-strung two stroke 1963 SAAB 96 rally car. We successfully transplanted the "late" two-stroke engine (Monte Carlo 850 with full counterweight roller crank and three carbs) into the earlier "bullnose" body - something that more than a few SAAB experts said couldn't be done while keeping the stock bodywork. We also adapted an alternator, improved the cooling capacity, substituted an electric fan for the jack-shaft driven original, and added an additional fusebox and relay panel to control all the additional rally equipment.

We also used the later 4-speed transmission and adapted the later, stronger mounts to the early body. The column shift is actually the preferred shifter. The floor shift from the Sonnett has loopier linkage while the column shift is more direct.

You can remove the freewheel mechanism if you want, or you can use the OEM lockout when needed. Any two-stroke engine should retain the freewheel as you do NOT want to spin the engine while the throttle is closed. The intake charge also carries the lubrication oil and the bearings will oil-starve if you use engine-braking. There is no oil sump (or pump, or dipstick) in the two-stroke engines.

Most parts are available, but some, like the CV joints, are difficult and/or expensive to find decent replacements. Performance parts almost all come from Europe. Expansion chamber exhaust are available from a few different folks. Most other engine hop-up parts are refurbished factory performance parts.

If you're buying one, look out for rust. Even fairly clean looking cars may have hidden rust at the base of the firewall, inside the rockers, or under the gas tank below the trunk. We ended up double skinning the floor and rockers in addition to adding an FIA cage and additional rocker support and cross-floor stiffeners and seat mounts. Our car is VERY stiff compared to the soft noodle we started with.

It's a ball to drive. Our engine is not typical as it's been heavily worked over, along with the transmission. But another pal bought the "Golden Bull" 96 and has a few others that are entertaining, though they remain mostly stock.

I had a 65/66 SAAB 96 Special. It was a standard sedan with all of the Monte Carlo running gear. It had oil injection, no adding oil to the gas. After the 850 blew at Lime Rock I picked up a 940 fully modified engine. Put out something like 85 hp. The car was a DD for awhile. the car was tracked, autocrossed and ice raced. SAAB even put out a book on how to modify the car.

I've been considering selling my '69 DeLuxe. If you decide to pursue one, we can talk more.