Reply With QuoteExcellent. Would love to see the Saab 96 pics.
It's been a while since I posted a 'Tales from...'
Things have been great over the last months. In fact, we can have more customers' cars than we can handle at the same time. And, the classic car scene is very season-related. Quick Summer jobs like maintenance and repairs. E.g. on my own TR: the OD didn't want to engage. In the end it was a 25ct O-ring that leaked. Still making it a 700 euro job when you take all costs into account.
Currently we're busy with the last of the Summer jobs... The Lancia is in for a checkup before it's in hibernating in the owner's garage. The Riley's owner noticed that there was oil leaking on the inside of the back wheels. Leaking brake cylinders. That lead to an all-four wheel check and replacement of the wheel cylinders. Sadly not an off-the-shelf item, so we had to look for those - and found them after a week of thorough searching.
With Winter coming, we have a few long-term jobs ahead: restoration of a Triumph Spitfire MkIV. Mechanically, the car is safe and sound. Now it's the body and chassis that needs attention. Next to the Spit, there's still the little Fiat 500 we're working on from time to time. Every time the owner has some spare cash, he's spending it on the restoration. We don't mind that it's a multi-year job.
Finally, we're going to tackle a Saab 96!!! Yes!!! With 4 Saab 96s under my belt myself, I can safely say that it's my favourite car to work on.
The owner is a long-time customer from the other side of the country. He owns a handful of nice Jags that we maintain and repair for him. This year we tackled a V12 engine for him. That's when he found out that I'm a big 96 fan. He told us that his parents had (have) a 1974 Saab 96 in their fire-wood barn. Last week we pulled it out. I hadn't moved since... 1998! Untouched for 22 yrs. Pulling it from the barn was like an episode from Wayne Carini's Chasing Classic Cars!
The brakes were fully jammed, no air in the tyres. What helped was the rural location of the car: ultimately, we asked the old people's next-door-neighbour for help: he came with his big-*ss Fendt tractor and a large chain! He simply pulled the car from the barn onto the drive! Brilliant. Then we tried to free the brakes (the car had been standing close to the wall). Without success off course. So, the next-door farmer called his grandson for help. That young man went to his boss (on Saturday) and asked for the keys of the boss's industrial-sized forklift. Within 15 mins the boy came with the forklift and lifted the
Saab on our trailer! Three cheers for rural living where people help their neighbours.
Now the car is in the shop. The owner is baffled by the possibilities: restoring it to it's former glory or... upgrading it for winter rally driving. I gave him a few books from the late 76s with pics of Saabs 96 hammering the RAC Rally. There are also under-bonnet pics... So we give him a few weeks to set his mind to it. He's aware that the total costs will be higher than the Saabs ultimate value. But knowing him, that's not an issue.
To be continued.
Menno
Last edited by thieuster; 30th October 2020 at 12:52.
Excellent. Would love to see the Saab 96 pics.
You may already know of him but this chap is really good for vintage Lockheed and Girling brake parts. I sold him a lot of NOS a few years back, and used to buy some of the harder to find older parts from him.
https://www.powertrackbrakes.co.uk/index.html
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Thanks for that link! That can be very useful.
Funny thing is that the Saab 96 is a mix-match of Lucas and Hella parts. I can safely say -with about 500K kms spread over my own 4 cars- that Lucas parts in a Saab never failed. Neither did the Hella parts as a matter of fact. One has to take some precautions. E.g.: it's good practice when driving a Saab during the winter to check all the fuses and fuse connections in November. Simply use a piece of fine flint paper to make sure that all contacts are clean. Then use some contact spray. Works perfectly all the time. As said, never an issue.
Loving the Lancia - I used to have a 1981 Beta Spyder about 20 years ago.
Enjoyed your report Menno.
As an aside, since moving into the depths of the countryside I can attest to the 'rural living where people help their neighbours' as I've experienced many examples of it.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Love that Lancia!
When I had the old Carb and tuning firm we would always be working on stuff like that. So much more interesting than what is around now IMO.
Cheers,
Neil.
Very fond memories of suprisingly fast (but smokey) two-stroke Saabs
My father had a '76 Beta Spyder, we loved it!Originally Posted by markbannister
I've had SAABs over the years, starting with a 96, then 2 x 99s followed by a 900 Turbo.
Damn, that all seems so long ago now. They never ever let me down though.
I'll follow this with interest.
In my apprentice days I had an old two stroke Saab that had a pull out lever that put the car in free-wheel mode, Illegal in the UK I think? (Early seventies)
That Beta is lovely! A shame most of them rotted away years ago.
Cheers,
Plug
We share similar tastes. I had a 79 Lancia Beta Coupe from 81 - 85, which met an untimely end at the hands of a coach driver. I still have its Moto Lita steering wheel and oddly one of its rear lights.I have no idea why, but cannot bring myself to get rid of it.
And between 90 and 98 I was the proud owner of a red 71 Saab V4. A real hoot to drive especially free wheeling into corners and then giving it the bean.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Harry also reviewing a Lancia Beta this week from his Harrys Garage series.
https://youtu.be/VcP5EigpHC8
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