'87 Saab 900 saloon - with added T16-ness

[enneffo]

Thought I'd share a few pics of my current vehicle - impulse-purchased last summer after a friend sent me a message containing only an eBay item number. I took that to mean 'you need this in your life'

Pickup day:


'Erec' (as christened by the previous owner) is a base-spec 900 saloon, last of the flat-front models. So basic that there's no sign of a radio or speakers ever having been fitted. Manual windows all round, manual mirrors, no sunroof, no nothing. 'He' left the factory with a 100bhp single-carb 8V engine, and as far as I can spent most of the last 10 years doing a few hundred miles between MOTs, racking up just shy of 80k miles in total.

Cleaned up a touch. Rusty doors (taped up) let it down the most:


The aforementioned previous owner took the engine from a rusty 900 T16 and the Trionic 5 engine management from a late 9000 and transplanted them into 'Erec'. All of this, and - in tedious detail - my subsequent fiddlings-around are documented here: http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=35&am...

'New' wheels:


The upshot is that despite looking like something your grandad would drive, 'Erec' is capable of delivering a few surprises

Engine bay. The intake and intercooler arrangements are still a bodge:


I've just finished fixing a number of irritating problems and the car is definitely in my good books again - had a great 'test drive' yesterday. Currently running at just under 1 bar on a manual 'controller', I've got a bigger and hopefully better intercooler to install. When the T5 boost control is working properly, it should be possible to set up a gearbox-friendly boost curve with more top-end power than a standard T16. That's the theory, anyway.

First drive after a month off the road with the dashboard, turbo and engine ancillaries in bits:


Not sure how far it goes as a project. It's generally solid but in need of cosmetic TLC. I've got a set of 4 spare doors in good condition but the wrong colour - I fear the cost of repainting them might be about the same as I paid for the car in the first place!

[43034]

I'm glad to see this has been bought! I remember it for sale last year in Weymouth, I think? It was up for £1500 last time ISTR. Lots of car for the money if so!

[enneffo]

I picked it up from Yeovil, it lived in Bournemouth before the engine swap. It was on eBay starting at £800, I set myself a limit of £1k and the bidding ended a few quid below that. Nearly didn't get it - eBay app logged me out and I couldn't remember the password, but it came back to me just in time!

[NiceCupOfTea]

Proper sleeper! Persevere with T5, it's the only way to go...

[900T-R]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Proper sleeper! Persevere with T5, it's the only way to go...

[enneffo]

That's the plan - need to build the 'combi adaptor' board so I can get at the settings and maps. No other option really - none of the original FI/ignition bits apart from the distributor are present, and that's just to block up the hole in the cylinder head.

Apart from dodgy idle control (so much nicer to drive with it disconnected, think it's set up for the wrong type of valve) and the lack of boost control, the T5 setup seems pretty decent - fuel consumption's not too bad and it passed the emissions tests at the last MOT with a vast margin.

[griffin dai]

enneffo said:

That's the plan - need to build the 'combi adaptor' board so I can get at the settings and maps. No other option really - none of the original FI/ignition bits apart from the distributor are present, and that's just to block up the hole in the cylinder head.

Apart from dodgy idle control (so much nicer to drive with it disconnected, think it's set up for the wrong type of valve) and the lack of boost control, the T5 setup seems pretty decent - fuel consumption's not too bad and it passed the emissions tests at the last MOT with a vast margin.

Give JohnC a shout over on Trionictuning for the combiadapter (if that's what your after?) I think I paid around £100 for mine. Works a treat

[enneffo]

griffin dai said:

Give JohnC a shout over on Trionictuning for the combiadapter (if that's what your after?) I think I paid around £100 for mine. Works a treat

That's the one - I've got the files, just need to get round to ordering the PCB and components. And then building it, obviously!

[enneffo]

An update - I sold the SAAB back to the chap I bought it from, and replaced it with this:


Time will tell if this was a wise move!

[irish boy]

Saab is lovely but is that an xjr?

[enneffo]

irish boy said:

Saab is lovely but is that an xjr?

Yes indeed.

[irish boy]

Good taste, I've also owned both. Probably preferred the Saab to be honest but it was a low mile minter, and it took me on my honeymoon so was attached to it. xjr's go like stink, just watch your timing chain tensioners.

[enneffo]

irish boy said:

Good taste, I've also owned both. Probably preferred the Saab to be honest but it was a low mile minter, and it took me on my honeymoon so was attached to it. xjr's go like stink, just watch your timing chain tensioners.

They've been done, it's the bodywork that concerns me. It *was* pretty cheap though - currently trying to figure out whether to keep and 'invest', or enjoy it for a while and move on.