Pointless SAAB thread

HappyAndy wrote: Don't they all? go onto any SAAB 900/99 forum and you will find as many threads about gear box repair, upgrade & adjustment as you do about power adders...just ask Per if you don't belive me. PS: I'm not hate'n, I know my gear boxes day is coming, I've gone almost 200k miles in 900s with out a failure, I'm over due

You ain't kiddin'. I think they're great cars, but I worked at an SCCA buddy's indie SAAB shop for a year or so and the first time I saw one off the car I just about freaked. Half transmission, half oil pan, all trouble. That's what finally got it through my thick skull to not just rest my hand on the stick in our customers' cars.

Still, if I was a SAAB guy with three boxes stacked in the garage, I'd be all over that SPG.

here's a non-beater spg for you, personally restored

nwoodward wrote: here's a non-beater spg for you, personally restored

Sweet! Throw it up on Readers' Rides, I'd vote it up!

I know the owner of the red Hot Rod SAAB 96 (with the fender flares). He's active on the vsaab mailing list on yahoogroups. Last I heard the car was for sale, but he's asking quite a bit for it.

Its in excellent condition.

Here are my two Sonetts:

The first is a '72 with a tuned engine and a fuel cell, the second is a '74 currently undergoing a full restoration (when I bother to work on it).

More Sonett love. This one belongs to Satch Carlson and is shown here at a TSD rally (at which he excels) in Eastern WA:

John Lawrence ran Sonetts in SCCA for years. Only pic I can find is in FP trim at Pocono in 1980.

When I started Corner Working in the mid 1980s here in Atlanta, I recall John still running the car at the Runoffs (and the guy who posted the pic on Flickr said he actually won the `83 FP Championship), but I think it was in one of the GT classes by the time I started working.

EDIT: Pic wouldn't post, here's the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27666849@N04/3026869468/

nwoodward wrote: here's a non-beater spg for you, personally restored

Not to highjack my own thread but dude tell us about your BMX rig. Here is mine..

Just a correct for posterity: The racer is Jack Lawrence, not 'John'...

He runs MSS, Motor Sport Service in Jamestown, NY, and is the god of all things performance related to V4 SAABs.

My white Sonett (pict above) is tricked out with nearly 30 years of MSS parts, including the camshaft, valves, headers, etc (previous owner installed in the 80's), and exhaust, springs, and widened wheels Jack made for me over the last few years.

Here's the inside of the widened wheel, Jack took 8 original Sonett 'soccerball' wheels, cut them up, and welded them back together for me. They I got them powdercoated and shod with rubber. Expensive and heavy, but the only way I could think of to get wider wheels to fit the 5x170 bolt pattern:

Here is my favorite Sonett, when I finish the orange car's restoration, I'm thinking I'll paint it as a replica of this car:

I love the over-the-roof exhaust! Any idea if that is street legal?

pardsbane wrote: Just a correct for posterity: The racer is Jack Lawrence, not 'John'... He runs MSS, Motor Sport Service in Jamestown, NY, and is the god of all things performance related to V4 SAABs.

Thanks for the correction, pardsbane. I'm leaving the info about his shop in your quote, so that he can get more customers..

We loved seeing him at the last few Runoffs at Road Atlanta (I was an SCCA Corner Worker back then). The car was always fast, even though they'd shoved him into one of the GT classes. With a little more luck, he'd have more than one Nat'l Championship to his name.

Hey, get him to post up over here! When I went looking for info about his efforts, I ran across a bunch of results pages from SCCA regions where he'd continued to autocross V4 cars into the 00s. Seems he did pretty well, from what I've read...

Saab has a new owner: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090616/ts_nm/us_gm_saab;_ylt=AgJf7S96NHZaYvRZPvhhXC92F78C;_ylu=X3oDMTJrYzJxN3M1BGFzc2V0Ay9ubS8yMDA5MDYxNi90c19ubS91c19nbV9zYWFiBGNwb3MDMgRwb3MDMgRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA2dtc2F5c3JlYWNoZQ--

HappyAndy wrote: Don't they all? go onto any SAAB 900/99 forum and you will find as many threads about gear box repair, upgrade & adjustment as you do about power adders...just ask Per if you don't belive me. PS: I'm not hate'n, I know my gear boxes day is coming, I've gone almost 200k miles in 900s with out a failure, I'm over due

It didn't start with the 99 models either. Our '63 SAAB Rally car was built with a stronger '66 transmission. At it's first event, Rallye de Paris, we stripped ALL the teeth off fourth gear, most of the teeth off third, and completely tore up the freewheel pawls. We sent it and another core to Bud Clark for a rebuild and he wasn't able to use a single part off of ours. The good side is that we bought a no-holds-barred, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink racing transmission from him for $750. As hard as it is to find parts and know what to do on this car, at least everything has been fairly cheap.

http://jalopnik.com/5292362/gm-sells-saab-to-koenigsegg-for-song-dance http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/business/global/17saab.html?_r=1&hpw

yay!!!!

now i guess i can post my saabs lol

my 94 ng900

my sonett - currently undergoing the knife ... heavy restoration lol

Pointless SAAB thread? I just test drove a 2007 9-3 (with 6 speed manual) last night. Good acceleration, roomy, comfortable seats, but who thought faux wood is a good ides for interior trim? Yuck! Still might buy one for the wife though...

I called Jack Lawrence one day while I was at work. Not only does he know Sonetts, but he knows 99's and c900's as well.Definately someone to get in touch with if you want to know anything or are looking for go fast parts. I spent atleast an hour chatting with him and his wife on the phone and had them send me a catalog. Think I still have it somewhere around here.

hotrodlarry wrote: I called Jack Lawrence one day while I was at work. Not only does he know Sonetts, but he knows 99's and c900's as well.Definately someone to get in touch with if you want to know anything or are looking for go fast parts. I spent atleast an hour chatting with him and his wife on the phone and had them send me a catalog. Think I still have it somewhere around here.

i did the same .. i got to talk to his son though ... he is sooo very knowledgeable

he was very intrigued about my idea to put my ng900 motor in my sonett ... interested to see how i would do it

pardsbane wrote: Here is my favorite Sonett, when I finish the orange car's restoration, I'm thinking I'll paint it as a replica of this car: I love the over-the-roof exhaust! Any idea if that is street legal?

Is that another one of Satch Carlson's cars? Many years ago (pre-interweb) I looked all over for a copy of his book. I finally bought a copy from a place called Sundog Services.

Love the SAAAB badge, too...

this thread really makes me want a sonett

Woody wrote:

pardsbane wrote: Here is my favorite Sonett, when I finish the orange car's restoration, I'm thinking I'll paint it as a replica of this car: I love the over-the-roof exhaust! Any idea if that is street legal?

Is that another one of Satch Carlson's cars? Many years ago (pre-interweb) I looked all over for a copy of his book. I finally bought a copy from a place called Sundog Services. Love the SAAAB badge, too...

Woody, I was going to ask the same thing. That's an Alaska plate on the 1st pic, isn't it?

I ran with Jack in the Northeast Div. of the SCCA throughout the 80's. Knows how to make a Saab run fast, he won the National Championship in 1983 in the F-Production Class then somewhere around 1986 was moved to GT4. I run into him at the Vintage race at Watkins Glen now and then. I should ask him why he is listed on the results and with SCCA as John when we always called him Jack.

Pocono SCCA National 1981

Jack Leading at Lime Rock SCCA National in 1983

is the sonett steel or glass? I have yet to see one rotted

all glass .... cept the doors .... and floor

my trunk was rotted, all new metal now... and my engine bay, right at the inner fenders

and the pass rocker

The entire chassis is steel. floors, rockers, firewall, engine bay, trunk, swiss cheese panel the fuel tank fits under etc.

We made patterns for just about every single item of sheet metal on the Sonetts many years ago.

Pic of a rolling chassis, minus the body:

The body is fiberglass, and adds essentially zero strength to the car. It literally just sits over the chassis.

Chris H.

hmmmm.. you could gavinise dip that chassis... or powdercoat it if you could find a shop that do something that big

WilD wrote: Pointless SAAB thread? I just test drove a 2007 9-3 (with 6 speed manual) last night. Good acceleration, roomy, comfortable seats, but who thought faux wood is a good ides for interior trim? Yuck! Still might buy one for the wife though...

Yup, the wife liked it. I'm bringing a 9-3 home this afternoon. I believe my wife intends to name it Sven...

My '85 900SPG, as seen last Saturday at a friend's house in Indiana.