My new (to me!) Saab 9-3 SE Convertible Project

[griffin dai]

Following on from my 9000 Aero thread:

http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f...

Its been replaced with a 2000 Saab 9-3 SE Convertible in Cosmic Blue....all 154bhp of it!
(sellers pics);










I've been fancying one of these for around 2 years but just couldn't part with my beloved 9000 so just kept on with the engine mods....so close to the 500bhp target I could almost taste it!!! (was probably around 460 in the end with the boost turned up a bit more) but the next stage of mods was a good few thousand with a bigger turbo, injectors, forged pistons etc plus fitting! Also the bodywork was is dire need of attention with rust and could have done with a decent respray... so easily a couple thousand there...couldn't do it (not as rich as some of you lot)

Both cars together before saying goodbye for ever




Back home...missis was not happy! Told her I was "just off to view a couple cars"


This one is a T5 engined car with the B204, the later cars have a T7 B205 engine which isn't as strong, from what the guys say they can get to 300bhp then need a fair bit of work to get some big power. I was initially after a 2002 9-3 Aero in Grey & black roof with the bigger bumpers, nicer seats etc but with whats planned for the engine (although nothing too mad this time) I decided on a T5 car instead as it can cope with up to 500bhp...same as the 9000's B234. Bit of a minefield trying to find a T5 car if you'r not used to the 9-3 like me!!! Massive thanks to the UKSaabs guys for guidance here as I very nearly went for a T7 car.

Plans for this one are a bit more modest compared with the 9000...will be around 100bhp down for starters with a much smaller turbo! As good as the GT3076R is...I think it'll be wasted on this one as its not really the car for 100-150mph lunacy. So will be going for a Hybrid TD04 instead, meant to be a fantastic 350bhp capable turbo, several different variants out there but a good one is meant to be from SaabFlight. Gives similar performance to my old GT28RS but is pretty much a bolt on mod so works out miles cheaper for the same oomph.

Will be using a few uprated bits off my 9000 to get it up to stage 6 or 7, so 3 Bar Map Sensor, Walbro Pump, 630cc injectors, Abbott cams & tubular manifold and a couple other small things then just need around 5 bits to get back up to stage 6.

Suspensions getting sorted first though with new springs, dampers, pollybush EVERYTHING, steering rack clamp and subframe brace and some decent rubber! Brakes will also be swapped for some 9-5 Aero ones. (might get a cheeky stage 1 remap next week though as its way way too S L O W!!)

Couple little extras came with the car, modified grill, Clarion Double DIN Head Unit which sounds really nice and links up great with my iPhone, Carbon Fibre dash (fake C/F and its going), 17" TSW wheels (going). A few things need fixing like a scuffed drivers seat bolster, small crack in dash fascia, scuff on door needs touching up, SID1 has missing pixels and the leccy mirrors switch doesn't work. Nothing major. Over all its in really nice condition...most important...no rust!

Beige leather seats



Bolster needs dyeing:


Scuff on drivers door


Crack in dash




Clarion HU

Wil be adding to the system over the next few months with some Focal components front and rear, small sub in the boot and a decent amp.

Mods basically begun within 20 mins of picking the car up!! My friend swapped the standard steering wheel for one out of a 9-5 Aero! Bit nicer with perforated leather and thumb grips.

Standard Wheel




9-5 Aero Wheel


Also going are these!!! I'll get bloody murdered driving though South Wales with these on the back!!!


Will keep this one though


So....really happy with it, feels much more modern than my 9000, hard to believe its only 5 years younger, but doesn't feel as solid with the 9000 built like a tank! Handlings not fantastic and needs attention...but my 9k was the same especially in the wet! Lethal in the wet!!

Took it out on Saturday with the roof down...picked the missis up from work and got a bking straight away for "showing off" and "stop embarrassing me".... so the roof came back up pronto



Also gave it some beans with the roof down, windows down & up...definitely not a 100+mph car like the old one, so will concentrate on getting it nice and quick below 90/100 instead.

Handling first....power later
Handling first....power later
Handling first....power later
Handling first....power later
Handling first....power later

(If I keep repeating it I'll do it!!)

[griffin dai]

Started getting a few parts for the handling side.

PFS Steering Rack Clamp


6 Point Sub Frame Brace


2 parts out of around 11 thats needed! Hoping to get the suspension all done within the next month, but tyres & brakes will be around May when funds allow.

[jamiebae]

Given it has the structural rigidity of Katie Price's knickers what made you go for a cabrio as a base for a big power project?!

It looks fairly tidy though, are you going to put the outside back to standard and lose the spoiler?

[griffin dai]

Just always fancied one mate. The handlings getting sorted over the next 4-6 weeks, just need a bit more info on what to get then I'll crack on with it. Alloys wil be getting swapped for some Saab ones, either 9-3 Aero double Y or facelift 9-5 Aero ones...not sure yet but will probably have them sprayed to a slightly darker colour. No rush on that as I need to decide on some decent tyres, V70A's are top of the list at the moment. Spoilers staying! I think it's part of the Airflow kit that comes with the car?

[griffin dai]

loriegyw said:

i have seen second hand headers for sale but would rather put new ones on as i dont want them rusted and holed within a year!

my budget is £220ish for the full system (including back box)

will this be possible or am i going to need more money?

Doubt it mate unless you found one 2nd hand...even then it will probably be just a cat back system. A 'full' system would be from the turbo back so the most expensive bit (3" down pipe) is what gives the extra power...rest is mostly extra noise & fancy tail pipe. I had a standard cat back system for a good 6 months on my old stage 4 tune. Didn't notice much (if any) extra oomph when I fitted an Abbott Racing 3" cat back system at this power level (circa 300/310bhp) but probably worth it if you go above 350 and into the 400's;)

I bought my manifold from an eBay seller who's converted a 200sx one to fit the Saab block, just do a search on there for 'Saab Tubular' and they're there for around £300. Only other real alternatives are to buy from Maptun (£700+) or get one made (£650+). What's the spec on your car? I wouldn't bother unless it's got a fairly big turbo as its money best spent elsewhere like a 3" DP. I'm only fitting mine as I've already got it & didn't use it on my 9000.

[griffin dai]

Erm...big update time!! Completely forgot about this thread so a good 6 months to catch up on here!

Just copied and pasted from another forum:

After getting the steering rack clamp and 6 point brace (which took around 6/7 weeks to arrive!!) I got cracking with getting everything else together and just have the whole lot fitted in one sitting. (bank account took a hiding big time here!!)

Abbott Racing Sherical-Joint Track Control Arm Bushes, Inner Part


http://www.abbottracing.net/product.php?id_product...

^^^^thats part of Abbott Racing's Viggen Rescue Kit (VRK) some say its a worthwhile mod others say not worth the extra £££ over a normal polly bush kit.

Also getting some nearly new Powerflex TCA bushes off a friend next week with some luck... so that lot should sharpen things up a bit by all accounts! My own DIY Viggen Rescue Kit!!! I'll pop down to the local screwfix depot and get some decent bolts for the PFS clamp though as I've been told they're not too hot.

9k polly upper engine mount modified to fit the 9-3 strut brace.



I've got the old one off my 9000 so this will be modded tp fit against the strut brace (also fitting a beefier modded brace as the standard ones not that good)

[/QUOTE]

[griffin dai]

[U]Stuff to get as and when funds allow:[/U]

Bilstein B8/Maptun springs combo from Neo's, will be ordering on Monday after I chat with them....

http://www.neobrothers.co.uk/bilsteinmaptun-loweri...

A couple Powerflex bushes, was initially looking at getting the full kit but as I've got the inner & outer TCA arms coming, plus PFS clamp and Abbott bearing kit I just need a few more bits instead!

Powerflex Rear Axle Mounting Bush (Monday)

http://www.neobrothers.co.uk/rear-axle-mounting-bu...

Piggy back ARB!!! Def getting this done! Was looking at the SAS one but this is miles cheaper and apparently just as good (ASAP)

Also will be looking at a Rear Strut Brace but as I'll have a small sub & one or two amps in the boot...not sure if I can do it yet? (TBC!!)

Can't stretch to a LSD so I just need to add some decent tyres to all that and I'm hoping it will improve things a bit. Tyres I'm considering a few ranging from Kuhmo V70A's to Toyo R1R's (had the Toyo's on my 9k for a year and they're very good...pretty cheap on ebay to) but the V70A' are meant to be fantastic (Trying to bag a V70A deal!!)


Not sure about the following? I don't think need the steering rack mount now as I've got the PFS clamp...need to 100% confirm this though...

http://www.neobrothers.co.uk/steering-rack-mount-p...

The front ARB bushes and drop link bushes..50/50 on these but will probably go for them...need to chat with Neos about it.
http://www.neobrothers.co.uk/front-anti-roll-bush-...
http://www.neobrothers.co.uk/front-drop-link-bush-...

Was hoping to get these parts further down the line when I get the cash... but the shipping from the States is just too expensive so will have to leave it for a while

GS Taliaferro Engine Mount

http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/product_info.ph...

GS Taliaferro Gearbox Mount

http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/product_info.ph...

GS Taliaferro Strut Brace, this I REALLY fancied!! And have been told it [U]will[/U] fit as long as I don't use a Viggen Master Cylinder....but again the shipping is just too rich for me, so that idea will have to be shelved for now.

http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/product_info.ph...

GS Taliaferro Steering Rod Bushes...will probably also go for these if I do get the above bits later in the year.

http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/product_info.ph...

Expensive shopping list that seems to get bigger & bigger!!...still in shock after getting the Abbott bush kit!!!!! But its meant to be worth it and a few guys have recommended I do it, so we'll see how it goes....

[griffin dai]

Right!! Proposed engine mods ;ol;

I was initially after some big power again on this one, first by sticking the GT30 back on and then when funds allow I wanted to go up a few sizes to a Holset Super HX40 and try get some real BIG numbers!!! ...but after some thought I've binned that idea and will be going for a TD04 Hybrid instead from SaabFlight, so after briefly emailing them for info I should see around 340bhp on the B204...might squeeze a tad more with the tubular & later the cams? Don't know..we'll see, not really bothered about BHP figures anymore tbh. If its anything like my old GT28RS (and I think its even better from what I've read) then it should be a very quick & responsive car. Not that fussed about 100+mph performance anymore either! or trying to get a 500+bhp, 60-100 in 3.5 secs car! As in reality I found the laggy turbo used to catch me out below 60 a lot unless I stayed in 2nd. It doesn't seem the right car for that, so just want it a nice fast sub 100mph car instead.

This won't be for a while yet though, aiming to get it all done after the summer but realistically looking at October/early November as its a few quid!!

Shouldn't cost the earth though as I'll be re-using what I can off the 9k and have sold most of the uprated parts and have a couple more things to sell next week when I collect the bits, so will work out whats definitely staying/going.

Off the top of my head I'll be re-using:

Tubular Manifold
T7 Moded T5 ECU
T7 APC with pipes
3 Bar Map Sensor
Walbro Fuel Pump
630cc Injectors (getting cleaned/flow checked before fitting this time) :roll:
Magnaflow Race CAT
Chinese 450x300x76mm Intercooler
Any 3" Pipework that can be used again!
Abbott Racing 234 Stage 1 Cams (fitting in 2013)
Upper Engine Mount (will be modified for the 9-3)
Red DI Pack (good one- keeping as a spare)
Forge Competition DV
Forge Actuator
ITG 99mm Filter (hope it fits!!)

Will need:

TD04-15g off a 9k Aero (coming this week & then needs to be 'hybridised') :cheesy:
3" DP (will be full 3" from turbo, not 2.5">3" for a little extra oomph)
3" Exhaust with a Race Cat & De-cat on V-bands for easy swap over
Different plugs...probably go for BCR8ES again
Viggen Clutch
Viggen Master Cylinder
Decent Brake Pads (Either Yellow Stuff R or DS3000's...had yellow stuff R on my 9k but never been that impressed with them)

The DP will have to be custom built around the tubular as it shifts the turbo a few cm's to the right...not sure if that'll help or ruin the spool up though as the exhaust side is opposite on the 9k so on that one the bend was further away from the turbo outlet...not even sure if it'll still fit!!

Might also get further down the line:

3" intake pipe
Larger Delivery Pipe

50/50 on those two items....not sure its really needed until your well over 400bhp...

I think thats about it on the engine side, will just get a Stage 1 map for it next week as its WAY WAY slow!! (but in a nice way!) Then keep it at this power level until after the summer and then drop the car down the garage and go from stage 1 to stage 6/7 (whatever it'll be??) in one go ;ol; Works out miles cheaper than going back through the stages like I did on the 9k!! (thousands spent there) :roll:

[griffin dai]

Got on with a few jobs last week. Most important job was to Renovo the roof. No before after pics of this but I only had a chance to do one coat and thats made a nice difference, will get a 2nd coat on there next time I'm home.

Also cracked on with the audio side of things. The Focal Sub turned up, just needs an enclosure built now:





Onto the sound deadening. Had a look at Dynamat but its way to expensive!! So went with all Silent Coat products instead which get really good reviews.

This is the thinner stuff, 2mm damping mat, should have enough to do most of the doors and boot. Might need doubling up on some areas but have something else for that.



This is the Multilayer Extra Door Kit, 4mm thick that's also got a composite-bitumen layer in the middle so it's a fair bit stronger (packs are heavy!!) Used this to double up on the larger holes and also directly behind the speakers:



And finally some Sound Absorber 15 which is a egg boxed shaped foam and this will go directly behind the speakers and stuck on top of the 4mm stuff.

[griffin dai]

That's the drivers door done, 2.5 hours but pretty easy to do as long as you watch the sharp edges!

Pulled the card off and found this;





Previous owner said the guy before him had a bit of work done to the music side which turned out to be an all Clarion Component & Co-axial system.

[griffin dai]

Got started on the outer skin first. Covered most of it with Silent Coat 2mm deadening, then added some 4mm Multilayer Door kit and Sound Absorber 15 foam directly behind the speaker...not sure if that'll improve it at all? Will see how it goes!

[griffin dai]

Then onto the inner skin, the last guy covered up the largest hole with some thin foam deadening but it wasn't fully stuck on anymore (see 1st pic) ripped that our and covered it with the 2mm stuff. Had to make sure the boot release could still be fed through so stuck a bit of deadening the other side to stop it sticking! Same deal with the door release...all I need is that to stick!!





All done First attempt...not a pro job but pretty happy with it!

[griffin dai]

I noticed a very slight increase in SQ with the doors deadened but nothing major....bit dissapointed tbh but I still had the Focal's to fit. So I collected these the next day;

Focal 165KP 6.5" for the fronts






Tweeters are TN52 so meant to be a little better and not as harsh as the others.


Crossovers...heavy things!! No idea how you set these up, ones missing a push button but still works

[griffin dai]

And the rears;

Focal 5.25" for the rear[/b]





Magnets are huge for a small speaker!!!


TN46 Tweeters...will suck it & see with these, still got my old Infinity & Alpines upstairs if these are too harsh



Crossovers are battered!! Ones held together with tape and the others rattling so somethings broken :wall:
Luckily the guy I bought the 6.5's from gave me these foc so I'm hoping I can use them instead?

[griffin dai]

Onto the Passenger Door

Concentrated a bit more on the passenger door, tbh I didnt find much difference between both doors, one sounded slightly better but nothing major.

Whipped the card off and this ones also had a bit of dynamat treatment, same thing with the large foam part, was loose at the bottom. Won't explain all the pics but basically covered a bit more of the outer skin this time with the 2mm stuff, then same as before behind speakers with 2mm, followed by the thicker & stronger 4mm multilayer sheet and then the foam sound absorber on top.

Inner skin was covered again with 2mm, but this time I stuck the 4mm on top again to give it more strength (could see it moving slightly when the music was up high) that worked a treat and it's very sturdy now.
Fitted the Focals...Miles better!! These Focal's are worth every penny, the passenger side woofer has a slight problem at low volume but its only noticeable when the doors open, doors closed its fine and when the volume's cranked up they really are a world apart from the Clarions.

[griffin dai]

Doubling up the thickness, 4mm stuff is 5 layered so a fair bit more heavy duty...





Drivers door...just added more 4mm to it and that's really improved things!!



Definitely well worth the effort, music sounds much more bassy and really clear. Well happy with it. After a few days driving the difference in SQ between now and before is evident. For a few hours work I think its a must to get the best out of your system.

Still a lot more to do though ;ol;

[griffin dai]

Rears

After figuring out how to get the rear cards off without damaging anything they came out pretty easy, first side took ages but the other was off in 5 mins! All in was around 2 hours as I didn't want to break anything!

No pics of them fitted but I'll be getting them back out next month to rewire them to the new crossovers and figure out a place for the tweeters to live. Suppose they could go where the two small lights are now as they're not working anyway...but will a tweeter 6" from my right ear be annoying!!

Maybe a pair of decent Focal 5.25" coaxials would be better? I know guys say components for the front but do they usually do the rears too? I'll keep an eye out for a decent pair of co-axials just in case!

Didn't bother sound deadening today, just wanted to fit them and make sure they work as I'm away for a few weeks & can't be doing with yet another PayPal fiasco with faulty speakers and gone over the time limit for a refund! The sound ok but not fantastic, maybe because there's no tweeter fitted yet? Can def tell they're going to be better than the Clarions though, sound a lot clearer at high volume and don't distort. Not much room to deaden there unless I get the clear plastic covers off and do the outer skin....job for next leave, will take a good few hours but if the fronts are anything to go by it'll be well worth the effort.




These Focal's are also a fair bit deeper than the Clarions (magnets are huge!!) so can't see me getting a lot of deadening behind them...defo cant see the foam stuff fitting! Tried with the thicker 4mm stuff but couldn't fit the speaker back in...so probably just deaden the outer skin and cover the inner as best I can.

Old Clarions....probably stick these in the missis car with my old Alpine amp!

[griffin dai]

Next job is basically deaden the rears, then deaden the boot and any place that's going to rattle with the sub going off!! Then the part I've been dreading...re-wire with fresh speaker cables throughout

Shouldn't bee too bad as both sets of crossovers will be in the boot. Reason for that is if I decide to run them active off the amp its easy to just remove them from the crossovers and connect straight up to the amp.

Speaker & power cables

Ordered some 2.5mm ebay stuff and it looks really good quality wire. So ordered some thicker 6mm of the same flavour for the sub(s) and not sure if I could also use the 6mm for the mids as I've read the thicker cable can muddy the sound?? Not sure how it'll be compared to the old 1.5mm blue cable I used in the 9k :?

New cable





Old stuff from the 9k



Comparison between the three


Also picked this up for a couple quid. Had a 'mare last time trying to hold 2 wires, solder and the bloody iron :wall: So this should come in pretty handy



Also need to decide on what to use for the power cable? I used some blue 4AWG cable from the battery into a power block then out of that was the red 8AWG cable to the amps in the last car. Problem now is there's very little 8AWG left over! So was thinking of either running a 0AWG from the battery to a power block then 4AWG to each amp....or just get another 4AWG cable in red (so I don't get confused with 2 blue ones at the **** end of the car!!) and run 2x 4AWG cables direct from the battery to each amp fused each end. Not sure what will be the easiest to run through the car here... 0AWG is pretty thick!! But so are 2x 4AWG cables..

Old 4AWG Power cable with fuse holder



Old 8AWG cable



Earth cable I've read needs to be the same thickness or thicker than the power cable? Had some 2AWG in the 9k than went into a earth block then what I think is 10AWG back out and into the amps. Not sure if that'll be ok here or best to use the 2AWG again with the earth block and 4AWG into the amps?

2AWG earth with earth block & 10AWG coming out



10AWG earth cable



Power & Earth cables size comparison....0AWG must be real thick!!

[griffin dai]

Onto the amps

Was torn between DLS, Audison and Genesis amps here. I kept missing out on the Genesis ones and the 2 Audison LRx amps I fancied ended before I could bid on them :roll: So when these pair of DLS amps came up I made sure I got them!

Ones a DLS Ultimate A2 2 channel and the others a DLS Ultimate A7 5 channel. Both meant to be very good and used in various competitions..that'll do me then!!

Still no idea on the best way to fit these as the A7 is pretty long at 23.8 inches!!! The A2 is a lot smaller at just under 10.5 inches. Still need to figure out where the subs going, not a lot of room in the vert's boot and I need to keep it a little bit practical. Bought a load of MDF & couple lengths of wood to make a false floor and sub enclosure...any ideas/pics of the best way to do this? Will probably just make a removable sub box instead of integrating it into the boot build. Most important thing is access to the amps controls...and keeping them safe as they cost a small fortune

DLS A2

http://dls.se/en/car/prod.html?produkt=en_107

DLS A7

http://dls.se/en/car/prod.html?produkt=en_110

Will run the fronts bridged off the A7 with the supplied crossovers and the sub will run off the A7' dedicated sub channel. Rears will run off the A2. Once I've got the hang of the audio side I'll then run the fronts active off the A7 to get the best out of them.

Lots to do next month, will probably just screw the amps down to some spare MDF for now until I've figured out the best way to instal everything. Sound deadening & rewiring should take a couple days....wood work will take a while as I'm crap at DIY

[griffin dai]

Thats the audio side pretty much good to go ;ol;

Suspension I've put a bit on hold ref the springs/dampers till next month. Looking at it I'll probably keep the Abbott springs on there but definitely swap the dampers for Bilsteins. Not sure if B8 will be too hard though? Also still need to get a few bushes from Neos.

I've had a couple things turn up in the post.
First was the PFS steering rack clamp:

PFS Steering Rack Clamp


Then the Abbott bearing kit turned up:

Abbott Shperical Bearing Kit


Still can't believe how much these things cost...hope its worth it!

Not sure if my 6 point subframe brace is here yet as Im away but a friend (Dr Ken ) has sold me his old Powerflex TCA bushes and a brand new set of Traction control arms. So will fit these 5 things next time I'm home and if I'm right will have my own little/cheaper version of the Abbott VRK :lol:

Collected the parts off the 9k last week. Just need to decide on a turbo now then get a 3" DP, fit the Viggen clutch and go straight to stage 5/6 (what ever it is with cams & tubular?) torn between a Hybrid TD04 or GT3071R 0.64 ....just thinking with the extra weight of the audio side a GT30 will be better as I'll have the extra 70/80bhp on tap? Have read that the 0.64 isn't that laggy either so could be the winner.