Saab 96 two stroke project. Part 2.

I don’t really have any decent photos of the current state of the project, but I took this series when the front wheel housings were being restored:

saab-96-1

These shots are from the drivers side. Large parts of the wheel housing had to be removed, as they were badly corroded.

saab-96-2 saab-96-3

Also the spring brackets were replaced by ones I got from my “spare parts vehicle”, a longnose 96. Parts were modified where necessary to fit.

On to the passenger side:

saab-96-4

Large sections were constructed of sheet metal.

saab-96-5 saab-96-6

The positions of all parts were carefully measured (as was the frame) before anything was removed.

When replacement parts and new sheets were put on, all measurements were checked before final assembly.

That way the front end was kept as close to the original as possible. It also helped making sure, that the body would be straight.

saab-96-7

The sections were painted as they were finished, to prevent corrosion from setting in. All was done outside on our yard back then! Thankfully I now have a very nice place to do this in.

I regret I didn’t have the foresight to use acid primer, so now I propably have to remove all that red stuff and paint it again.

Here’s two shots of the engine compartment, combined as one:

saab-96-12

See the spring brackets in place. I’ll never, ever again take a project with this much corrosion damage..

This gives an idea on the condition of the original spring brackets:

saab-96-8

There’s still a lot of work to be done on the body. The original paint job hasn’t aged very well. At places, there’s a thin film of rust under the original primer, even though the paintjob looks ok on the outside. So ALL original paint has to be removed thoroughly before continuing to put on a new primer.

saab-96-13 saab-96-14 570h0031 570h0033

8 Comments

  1. Wilkes

    Tommi very nice work with the site and specially with the car.
    i would be very pleased if u could tell me where i can download the haynes 95 96 v4 workshop; i owned a 1966 montecarlo no engine and i think that book will be useful, if u have a printable version please send it to my mail well anyway thank u

    • admin

      I haven’t seen the Haynes manual online anywhere – so unfortunately I can’t help you with it directly. But they are frequently availlable from eBay etc. So I would keep my eye on those, since the Haynes books don’t really cost that much.

      I used to have one but when I got the official Workshop manual and the Spare Parts catalogues I sold it.

  2. Wilkes

    And the official is the 1964 one that is here or is another one that u have? i already downloaded that and is very good but i think that i would need more pictures and diagrams to get any result with my poor montecarlo i mean poor because it is in my hands jeje. bye and thank u again

    • admin

      The Workshop manuals are big books (or loose leaf binders) – about 5 cm thick and up to 1000 pages.
      Then there are the Spare Parts Catalgoues which have drawings on all the parts, parts numbers etc.
      They are both very handy but I imagine hard to find in some languages.

      Spare Parts Catalogues are usually dual language – Swedish and English. So they are pretty much universal. But the Workshop manuals come in several different languages. Saab Club Of Finland sells a reprint of the Finnish language edition of the V4 Workshop manual (1967 to 1980). I don’t know if other clubs might have made reprints of the English edition.

      If your Monte Carlo is two stroke you would need the workshop manual for two strokes. I have one of the years 1965 to 1968 but it is the Finnish edition.
      If it is V4 you’ll be fine with the V4 workshop manual (1967 to 1980) which are easier to find.

      Unfortunately I have not seen the 1965-1968 book or the 1967-1980 online anywhere. I can only point you at eBay…

  3. Kana

    Hi there, your blog is very interesting. My grandad.Has the same car in very good condition but lately there he’s facing a problem with the accelerator padel. We’re looking for spare parts for it. Is there any way you can recommend anyone who can help us? We’re in malaysia. The part is the Rubber Bellows on the accelerator control. I don’t mind importing the part from anywhere in the world

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