Pleasent Surprises

Last Friday I got my new windshield. JN Phillips Auto Glass Co. came out from New Bedford and did the job right in my driveway. It took about an hour and I got to see the whole process, which is a lot more involved than I would have thought. The installers were great, patiently answering my questions that must have seemed so obvious to them. I highly recommend JN Phillips, great customer service, prompt service and a nice neat clean job. Well done!

The windshield that was in the car, was poorly installed. As I recall it was done the first winter I had the car while it was still my daily driver...and it was really cold! The caulking that holds the glass in place was an incomplete bead at the top (that explains the damn leak) and it was all shriveled and dried out. The guys scrapped it out really well, down to metal. Then they put on pinch weld primer. Several coats since there was some minor rust. If the windshield ever has to come out again, I'll have it done at a body shop so the pinch weld can be properly repaired first. Then they put on a nice neat bead of adhesive which they preheat. That apparently helps the curing process. Then they set the new glass in place. They had pre-installed the molding strips and rubber perimeter gasket at their shop in advance. The adhesive bead spread out evenly, no ugly dollops this time. And the green tint in much much nicer on this car than the blue - in my humble opinion.

An hour after the glass was set, it was safe to drive the car. It was a beautiful afternoon, so headed off into the country to look at the foliage and enjoy the beautiful farms and pastures. The purpose was to get the engine nicely warmed up for the annual MA inspection. I like to get it done in the fall so that come spring, there is one less thing to deal with. On the way home I stopped off at the local garage I always use for inspections and they got the car right in the bay, so I waited around. About 5 minutes later the car backed out and I thought the worst...it must have failed emissions as it wasn't in nearly long enough. To my surprise the tech told me that MA no longer requires emissions tests on 1995 and older cars, just a safety check. Sweet! So I was good to go and pleased that it didn't fail...it never has before.

Black and Tan is now ready to have the cover put on and hunker down for the New England winter. The author is off to Ireland in a few days to get back to work...delivering a 75 foot sail vessel to the Caribbean. So the blog goes into brief hibernation. When I return it will be beyond the convertible driving season, but projects will commence. Stay tuned.

Windshield Molding

Can anyone tell me if the rubber windshield molding is original Saab or a 'Universal' aftermarket piece? The photos aren't that great, but it's raining and I'm not pulling the car out of the garage. In looking at it closely, I'm thinking it may be aftermarket. It doesn't seem to fit exactly as it should and is lifted at the bottom corners. At the rounded top corners, it almost seems to be set in too deep. Thoughts?

 
 

New Tags & Windshield Replacement

Finally got around to visiting the Mass RMV over the summer while on the Vineyard to order some new tags. I still had the original 1987 plates that were first put on my dad's 1987 900T hatchback back in the day. They were terribly faded, banged up and dirty, so it's nice to have clean ones that aren't older than the car. Makes it look a lot nicer.

The windshield has been a problem for a few years now. I had it replaced shortly after buying the car when it was chipped by a rock. I don't recall if that was the original glass or not. Currently it has a Pilkington replacement, which in my opinion has never been right. It can never really be cleaned. I've tried everything and it continually fogs up. It has a blue tint at the top, not sure if that's the original tint color or not. I want to say it should be bronze. Anyone know for sure? Anyhow, just chipped again by another rock, so time to replace. Auto Glass Co. tells me that Pilkington and Sekurit are original OEM glass for Saab. Is this true. I was given a choice of green or blue for tint. I chose green, seems like a better match. Not sure thought. Thoughts?

Changing Oil

Today was fall oil change day, and it was a day of change. Switched from regular old oil to Mobil 1 synthetic 10W30. Not sure if this is a good thing or not given that Black & Tan has 141,758 ticks on the clock...but what the hell. Synthetic seems to be the way to go, so we'll give it a try for a while.

Contemplating brakes

I never realized until I began searching and reading the C900 board at Saabnet.com that brakes are such a complicated and opinionated subject. I have been putting off replacing the brake pads and rotors on Black & Tan because they work just fine. They were replaced sometime before I bought the car I'm sure, but that was almost eight years ago. The rotors are not particularly warped and the pads are not terribly worn. My problem with them is that they are really messy. They make a ton of brake dust. I have to wipe the wheels down everyday I drive the car to keep them clean. This didn't bother me when I had the original wheels on the car, but now that I have the nice 16" aeros with dark gray center portion and polished outer lip, I get annoyed. I got a bit lazy towards the end of the past summer and didn't always clean the wheels properly after each drive. Now I'm paying the price since I can't get all the dust off the polished part of the rim. They may have to be refinished. Infuriating! So I have got to replace the whole brake kit and there are a lot of choices and opinions. I don't know what to do. So, I'll start with my priorities.
1. Eliminate (or reduce as much as physically possible) brake dust.
2. Eliminate or minimize squealing.
3. Install the best quality and long lasting brake components available.
4. Improve performance.
On eEuroparts.com I see Zimmerman cross drilled rotors, regular rotors, Brembo rotors, Genuine Saab rotors and a whole slew of pads available. How is a brake newbie to process all these choices, determine which is best given his priorities or even know which pads and rotors are compatible. I guess I'll have to continue my research and ask the folks over on the C900 board...

Rainy day blues...

It was too rainy and wet to drive Black & Tan today, so I decided to get started on a few of the winter projects to get them checked off the to-do list. First I installed the fuel tank level sender. The hardest part of this job was getting the wiring connector unplugged. It was really in there tight! I actually had to get the sender out of the recessed hole first, so I could use a tiny flat bladed screw driver to pry out the connector. Getting the plastic retaining ring off the sender was a chore in itself without the special tool that Saab offers for this process. In a moment of brilliance, I turned my channel locks upside down and used the handles to grip the ring through the small access hole and was able to turn the ring loose. The whole time while not cursing the Sweedes for installing this thing this way to begin with, I was pondering 'why' they did it that way. Anyhow, new used sender and greased retaining ring are installed and the wiring is back in place.

I also replaced all the interior light bulbs that were out in the glove box, ashtray and various switchpacks. I repaired (again) the y-valve in the windshield washer hose under the hood. I started detailing the dash area with Aerospace 303 protector. I began the refinishing process on the rubber spoiler extentions. More on this to follow, but there is going to be a lot sanding, dying and 303 to get them looking good. Lastly I installed a small 2amp battery maintainer that I can plug in when in the garage all winter to keep the battery up.

Recycling

I called Goldwing Recycled Saab Parts in Hastings, NY earlier today and spoke with gentleman called Kyle who was most helpful. He informed me that he had in stock a nice set of rear spoiler extensions (the ones that wrap around from the rubber tail on the trunk lid forward to the windshield, going over the doors). I believe these were only installed on 1992-93/94 convertibles. So I ordered those up in a hurry! Also ordered a used fuel level sender...hopefully this will correct the fuel gauge reading just over half when the tank is actually full and reading empty for days when in fact there is plenty of fuel left.

In general, I an a big fan of recycling. I think it's an important thing to do. I never really thought about it in terms of cars before. Sure, I knew used or salvage parts are available, but the idea of auto recycling...taking from dead cars that will get crushed or left to rust away somewhere and removing parts that can be used to keep other cars going so that they don't have to be replaced with new ones, seems 'right'. Before stumbling across Goldwing, I have never come seen another junk yard, scrap yard, salvage yard refer to themselves or even have the term 'Recycling' in their company name. In this green day and age...it makes sense.

Off Island

So the Saab and I were on the 10:45 boat out of Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard today and back home just after noon time. I was great to get her on the open road and go over 45mph...the first time in over 4 months! Everything seemed just fine on the ride, though I am smelling the leaking exhaust manifold for longer and longer periods of time when I drive the car. It used to be just a few seconds, but now it's a few minutes...while the engine is heating up. I guess this problem is moving to the top of the priority list. Trouble is, I haven't had any luck finding a replacement manifold. I wonder if new ones are still available or if I'll have to settled for used. I hate going the used route with Black & Tan since most used parts are likely to be older than her original ones. If I'm gonna spend the time and money to do a job, I want it to be perfect, so I usually lean towards new hardware.

On a side note, I did find a auto recycler this week that says they have the spoiler extensions I need, so maybe I'll see if they have a good manifold too and just place a big order.

Winter's Coming

The Saab and I have spent the summer together this year on Martha's Vineyard. This is the first time in five years that Black & Tan has spent even one night out of the garage...though she is under a lovely fitted cover which is waterproof. So I've used the car more this summer than for the past few. I've come up with a list of things that need attention over the winter. Perhaps I'll get started this fall, when I get her back on the mainland next week. The following is a list of the more major items.

• New canvas top & rear window – remove frame and paint
• New brake discs & low dust pads
• New windshield – original if possible w/o funny blue tint and strange coating that fogs up
• Repair or replace exhaust manifold, it leaks a little bit
• Paint or replace hood
• e-code headlights
• Repair or replace front rubber spoiler extensions over doors
• New fuel level sender
• Repair or replace slow driver side window motor
• Replace chafed heater core hoses. 2nd time this has happened this year…why?
• Repair or replace power mirror motors

I will endeavor to discuss these items individually at greater length in future posts.

Stewardship

When I purchased Black & Tan, I didn't know that much about the Commemorative Edition. I knew that it was one, but that was about it. I didn't know how many there were...and I still don't really. There are different sources with different numbers. www.saabce.com says there were 500 each in the US and Canada. So I figure that's 1000 total. Mine is #338, which I learned after some research. Is that of the US series or total? Does it matter? Given that it is a member of a limited edition, numbered series, am I obligated as the temporary steward of the car, to preserve it as original? It was a daily driver for the first ten years of it's life and it's always lived in New England. It's in good shape, but it's not pristine...and never will be...at least not with my budget. However, I dream of it being showroom new condition. I'd also like to change some things, update it if you will. Does that take away from it's originality? Does it matter? It's not worth much in terms of money. Should it be the car I want or the car that is true to it's original design and configuration? I can't decide. I've made a few changes, but nothing that can't be easily undone, to put it back to stock. I wasn't the first owner, and I may or may not be the last. Therefore, I see myself as the current 'Steward' to this car and need to ensure that I do right by it and give it it's due.

Black & Tan

The Saab is a Commemorative Edition Convertible #338, built in 1993, but called a 1994. It's aptly named 'Black & Tan' for it original color scheme, but also for one of my favorite beverages. I've owned it since 2001. I enjoy working on it myself as it allows time for reflection and contemplation. I hope to use this blog as a log of the work I've done on the car and my musings while laboring away on this beautiful old girl. I also hope to connect with other owners to discuss problems and clever solutions.