SAAB 9 3 'Vert Shed
Discussion
On a positive note, I am not sure if it is the brake change (one of my calipers was a bit sticky) or the service, or a bit of both, but my car's economy has leapt up!
On my leisurely drive to Heathrow on Monday where I usually get 30-32mpg I averaged 37.5 (and saw 38 briefly) and driving slightly urgently(!) home from the airport last night it only dropped to 29.9 overall, whereas it would normally be down to 26-27, it feels smoother and perkier too!
On my leisurely drive to Heathrow on Monday where I usually get 30-32mpg I averaged 37.5 (and saw 38 briefly) and driving slightly urgently(!) home from the airport last night it only dropped to 29.9 overall, whereas it would normally be down to 26-27, it feels smoother and perkier too!
Taking a slightly different Tack, we have entered the Aldeburgh carnival decroated house competiton fo rthe past 5 years and have done well, but since my Dad's passing my Mum has sold her house on the High Street and moved further down. Part of the reason for buying the 'Vert was the possibility of using it as the basis of a carnival Float...the Carnival theme this year is Disney so we are going with a Peter Pan theme - The SAAB will be Captain Hook's ship! (The kids will be creating Neverland on the entrance to the courtyard where my Mum lives, so this will be parked tehre for the morning judging before joining the parade)
So, I have made a start on a frame, it will be held on with some small N50 magnets attached at various points (covered in material to prevent paint marking)
Rear first:
I need to modify the back so that it can be broken down and put on the roof-rack of my Wife's Lexus for teh journey down, so we will decorate it it in panels. I need to have a good think on how to do the front...and the masts!
Wish me luck....
So, I have made a start on a frame, it will be held on with some small N50 magnets attached at various points (covered in material to prevent paint marking)
Rear first:
I need to modify the back so that it can be broken down and put on the roof-rack of my Wife's Lexus for teh journey down, so we will decorate it it in panels. I need to have a good think on how to do the front...and the masts!
Wish me luck....
Thanks Simon, yes the handling is probably more marine than track anyway, although I have some plans to start sorting that out
Looks like the kids are having a change of plan on the overall theme, so the float will either be Steamboat Willie or Mater, most likely the latter, but working out the ideas....
Looks like the kids are having a change of plan on the overall theme, so the float will either be Steamboat Willie or Mater, most likely the latter, but working out the ideas....
We have had a slight change of plan, the Float will now be Steamboat Willie, the first Disney cartoon with Synchronised Sound:
I started work on the front section last week (with some help from Daughter)
Once I have this bit done I will start on the centre section with the Cabin and funnel....
I started work on the front section last week (with some help from Daughter)
Once I have this bit done I will start on the centre section with the Cabin and funnel....
Did some more work on it last week and over the weekend
Finished the front Saturday Morning (yes that is meccano holding it together!):
I then built the centre section with cabin that rests on the front and rear sections, clamping them together
And then on Sunday we got busy with the Hardboard sheeting to do the basic covering, I have now handed it over to the kids for filling in the gaps with cardboard, adding the funnels and painting, we then have some other stuff to add when I get it down to Aldeburgh at the weekend
Finished the front Saturday Morning (yes that is meccano holding it together!):
I then built the centre section with cabin that rests on the front and rear sections, clamping them together
And then on Sunday we got busy with the Hardboard sheeting to do the basic covering, I have now handed it over to the kids for filling in the gaps with cardboard, adding the funnels and painting, we then have some other stuff to add when I get it down to Aldeburgh at the weekend
Forgot to mention that I bought the hardboard in 2.4mx1.2m sheets...then tried to attach to the roofrack on my Wife's Lexus....
...it turns out that they started flying at 28mph causing much scaredness and mayhem amongst other drivers, so I had to break them down to fit them inside the car.
I have left the ragged edges at the bottom as they will be covered with cardboard, etc
...it turns out that they started flying at 28mph causing much scaredness and mayhem amongst other drivers, so I had to break them down to fit them inside the car.
I have left the ragged edges at the bottom as they will be covered with cardboard, etc
Well it all travelled OK and went back together smoothly, except one beam that broke at the front but I took some Meccano along for repairs which worked a treat!
We were entered in the decorated cars category and got 3rd prize!
The kids had an absolute ball being part of the whole thing and there was a great party atmosphere 'backstage' during the preparations and build-up. The Weather was very kind Sunday and Monday too
Of course all the incredulous laughing has stopped and everyone is ready to start planning next year's as soon as the theme is announced in January!
some pics of it:
It is all now dismantled and in the back of the garage, I need to give the car a good clean and polish and sort out any scratches...but it was worth it!
We were entered in the decorated cars category and got 3rd prize!
The kids had an absolute ball being part of the whole thing and there was a great party atmosphere 'backstage' during the preparations and build-up. The Weather was very kind Sunday and Monday too
Of course all the incredulous laughing has stopped and everyone is ready to start planning next year's as soon as the theme is announced in January!
some pics of it:
It is all now dismantled and in the back of the garage, I need to give the car a good clean and polish and sort out any scratches...but it was worth it!
I had a difficult decision when it came to teh MoT, as well as the rear brakes and PAS Pipe, which I kinda expected, a small hole in the inner wing turned into a major bulkhead replacement.
Was quoted £800 all-in, which is more than I paid for the car, but I could either have the work done and know I had a good bulkhead, PAS Pipe, new brakes all around and new front tyres to go into the new year, or go and spend the same money on an unknown one, so I did the former and saved her for another year. It has still worked out as cheap motoring and I have done another 1,000 miles since.
Had to invoke the unlimited load height feature when picking up some MG Midget parts for my 12 year old son from a friend today, was a bit cold (and damp) after a 1.5 hour drive back, but it is the first step of him re-building a Midget as his first car!
Was quoted £800 all-in, which is more than I paid for the car, but I could either have the work done and know I had a good bulkhead, PAS Pipe, new brakes all around and new front tyres to go into the new year, or go and spend the same money on an unknown one, so I did the former and saved her for another year. It has still worked out as cheap motoring and I have done another 1,000 miles since.
Had to invoke the unlimited load height feature when picking up some MG Midget parts for my 12 year old son from a friend today, was a bit cold (and damp) after a 1.5 hour drive back, but it is the first step of him re-building a Midget as his first car!
Haven't posted in here for a while! Still have the old girl and she has just passed 20,000 miles in 22 months of ownership!
With sterling service over the winter she started to get very vibey under acceleration so I put it into Offord for a service and a look-see, they diagnosed a worn 'Spider' on the front driveshaft and sorted it for a total bill of £550.
My front tyres were found to be very worn on the inner edge so they did the tracking too, but I wouldn't let them change them as I had other plans....
I didn't like the 15" wheels, so kept a look out on eBay
A set of 16" Vikings (Alu8) came up for £160, but I didn't like them, I wanted some double Ys or 5 spoke...then they were reduced to £150... so I put a cheeky offer in of £100 and we agreed on £130, they had two brand new tyres and 2 nearly new (3 different brands of Dieyoung Slipmaster, but rubbish tyres with tread are better than good tyres without) and in the meantime they had started growing on me, so when i got them home on Saturday I was pleased with the result:
Just ordered some EBC discs for the front as the Brembos have warped (probably because of the driveshaft issue) so hopefully once they are on, it will be back to its nice and smooth self!
Just then need to figure out why she keeps blowing the Maxi fuse everytime I try and put the roof down
With sterling service over the winter she started to get very vibey under acceleration so I put it into Offord for a service and a look-see, they diagnosed a worn 'Spider' on the front driveshaft and sorted it for a total bill of £550.
My front tyres were found to be very worn on the inner edge so they did the tracking too, but I wouldn't let them change them as I had other plans....
I didn't like the 15" wheels, so kept a look out on eBay
A set of 16" Vikings (Alu8) came up for £160, but I didn't like them, I wanted some double Ys or 5 spoke...then they were reduced to £150... so I put a cheeky offer in of £100 and we agreed on £130, they had two brand new tyres and 2 nearly new (3 different brands of Dieyoung Slipmaster, but rubbish tyres with tread are better than good tyres without) and in the meantime they had started growing on me, so when i got them home on Saturday I was pleased with the result:
Just ordered some EBC discs for the front as the Brembos have warped (probably because of the driveshaft issue) so hopefully once they are on, it will be back to its nice and smooth self!
Just then need to figure out why she keeps blowing the Maxi fuse everytime I try and put the roof down
Not much to report, she has just passed 170k (26k in my 2 1/3 years of ownership) so I treated her to a gearbox oil change, the old stuff poured out like water!
As you can only change 2.5 litres of the 4 litre capacity at a time, I will run her for a month or so and then do another change to use the rest of the 5 litre can (£30 from Opie)
It is amazing the differnce such a quick and cheap little job makes! much smoother, sharper and economical!
I have a slight issue with the AC at the moment, but if I switch to econ mode it goes away, so may leave that until the weather improves to sort out!
As you can only change 2.5 litres of the 4 litre capacity at a time, I will run her for a month or so and then do another change to use the rest of the 5 litre can (£30 from Opie)
It is amazing the differnce such a quick and cheap little job makes! much smoother, sharper and economical!
I have a slight issue with the AC at the moment, but if I switch to econ mode it goes away, so may leave that until the weather improves to sort out!
Well, we have had an interesting year so far, she has been the usual workhorse of early morning/late night airport runs and a few 420 mile round trips to Wales for work (great being able to drop the roof as you head along the heads of the valleys road)
I serviced her myself in spring, at 174k, with new engine and gearbox oils, filters and sparkers
She did blot her copy book once, however, and decided not to start when I finished a Careers talk at a school in Leicester. the RAC guy was old school, lifted my bonnet and sniffed the Direct Ignition pack, diagnosing that it had blown straight away. Luckily I had a spare black one at home, so he towed me back home and offered to fit it for me whilst I finished a conference call, gave him a tenner tip. The Black one works fine, gives a little bit more power but awful MPG!
I then noticed that my feet were cooking on my trips to Wales, took a peek underneath and found my exhaust flexi-coupling just clinging on, my local exhaust centre had one lying at the back of the stock room and fitted it for £75
In August we took part in the 75th Aldenurgh Carnival and created a float based on the Vintage bus that runs up and down the seafront
And we won 2nd Prize for Decorated Cars!
Sadly, however, she has just failed her MoT, mostly on minor things, but it is not economic for me to repair, so I will have to sell her on for Spares or Repairs
She needs 2 tyres, front shocks and a spot of welding on the seatbelt mount, would be simple for someone with time and energy to get it back on the road very cheaply
She has served me very well for 3 years and 36,000 miles, and has been one of my cheapest ever cars to run per mile, so will be very sad to see her go...she was only meant to be a 6 month fill-in!
I serviced her myself in spring, at 174k, with new engine and gearbox oils, filters and sparkers
She did blot her copy book once, however, and decided not to start when I finished a Careers talk at a school in Leicester. the RAC guy was old school, lifted my bonnet and sniffed the Direct Ignition pack, diagnosing that it had blown straight away. Luckily I had a spare black one at home, so he towed me back home and offered to fit it for me whilst I finished a conference call, gave him a tenner tip. The Black one works fine, gives a little bit more power but awful MPG!
I then noticed that my feet were cooking on my trips to Wales, took a peek underneath and found my exhaust flexi-coupling just clinging on, my local exhaust centre had one lying at the back of the stock room and fitted it for £75
In August we took part in the 75th Aldenurgh Carnival and created a float based on the Vintage bus that runs up and down the seafront
And we won 2nd Prize for Decorated Cars!
Sadly, however, she has just failed her MoT, mostly on minor things, but it is not economic for me to repair, so I will have to sell her on for Spares or Repairs
She needs 2 tyres, front shocks and a spot of welding on the seatbelt mount, would be simple for someone with time and energy to get it back on the road very cheaply
She has served me very well for 3 years and 36,000 miles, and has been one of my cheapest ever cars to run per mile, so will be very sad to see her go...she was only meant to be a 6 month fill-in!
If it was just another year of cheap motoring I was after then I would just do the repairs and get another year, as you said I have dealt with all of the usual issues (Bulkhead, engine mounts, power steering pipe, etc) and it is a solid car
However, I have Senior Management Approval to spend a little bit of my end of year commission on something with two seats and no roof, and as my Daughter is currently learning to drive in a nice little 0.9T Clio I can go two months without a car whilst I enjoy the choosing and buying process.....
However, I have Senior Management Approval to spend a little bit of my end of year commission on something with two seats and no roof, and as my Daughter is currently learning to drive in a nice little 0.9T Clio I can go two months without a car whilst I enjoy the choosing and buying process.....
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