Saab 96. Whats the score?

[freebird]

Are these any good? I love the fartiness of the styling and they seem to be the perfect "Classic" fodder to be used as a daily.

The prices for them seem to be all over the shop.

Anybody got any experience of them? Should I ever consider one or should I run a mile?

[sierrapaul]

had one years ago bloody good car,there built to last and not bad to drive.the only let down with it was the v4 ford engine.it used to boil up everytime you went over 60 apart from that i loved it

[ShiteRider]

I like the look of the estate versions, as said previously the engines are crap (mate had a 2000 v4 in a corsair, underpowered and leaked oil from everywhere)

[freebird]

I like the look of the estate versions, as said previously the engines are crap (mate had a 2000 v4 in a corsair, underpowered and leaked oil from everywhere)

Are the two engines identical though?

IIRC, the 1850 Saab99 and Dolomite engines were not totally identical.

Im wondering If Saab did any of the tweaking on the V4 to make it a little better.

Im suprised people think they are that shit a lump, they powered a whole generation of Transits pretty successfully.

The 96s seem to be excellent chuggers that will do intergalactic mileages and go on forever.

[sierrapaul]

not sure to be honest with you,they might have made changes.you could always fit a crossflow or pinto in its place.i should think it would go like stink with a 2 litre pinto in

[ShiteRider]

not sure to be honest with you,they might have made changes.you could always fit a crossflow or pinto in its place.i should think it would go like stink with a 2 litre pinto in

Or alternatively, a modern Saab lump (cough, 2.3 turbo, cough )

[sierrapaul]

that would be fun,prob be a pig to wire up.keep it old school.3 litre essex would bolt straght onto box same eletrics and prob same hoses and down pipes

[Lacquer Peel]

Good luck fitting a straight-4 engine in the same space a 2 stroke 3 pot and a V4 was squeezed into.

[sierrapaul]

theres a fair bir of room under the bonnet from what i can remember,but it was over 20 yrs ago i had mine

[Lacquer Peel]

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Be ok if the new additional cylinders are aft of the flywheel, as theres a fair bit of space behind the engine

[sierrapaul]

i thort there was more room in there than that.must have been cos i was abit smaller then

[freebird]

Ive spent so long working on my bloody cars,the ones that ive owned to"enjoy" ive not spent enough time actually driving them.

I dont have the time and, while im no mechanical dunce, the real skills to carry out any complicated transplants, besides the whole charm of the 96 is its whole persona and sound. Start re engineering it and it ceases to be a dear old Saab 96.

[Lacquer Peel]

 

Here's one with a SAAB 'B' engine so I guess it can be done with some effort.

[sierrapaul]

that looks the part.its like the a55 van weve restored at work,we put an mgb engine ad overdrive box in it.had to make new floor pans and tunnel new prop.and it was fast to 60 then run outa puff so now its got an a60 estate diff in.all the work we done on it i bet we aint driven it more than 2 miles

[wuvvum]

They're a Cologne V4 in these, not an Essex, so not the same as the Corsair lump. They're still not brilliant though.

 

A 2.3-litre Cologne V6 is a relatively straightforward mod - gearboxes don't tend to last long channeling a V6's torque however. Easier is a 1700 V4 from a Taunus (or a Sonnett), if you can find one. None of them rev though.

 

Otherwise, great fun to drive, very comfortable, good brakes for such an old design and they're quick enough to keep up with modern traffic around town, although as has been said they do struggle a bit on the motorway. I've had six of the things - would happily have another.

[chaseracer]

I had one about 20 years ago. Loved it. It still exists somewhere, according to the Doooooovla...

[carlo]

that looks the part.its like the a55 van weve restored at work,we put an mgb engine ad overdrive box in it.had to make new floor pans and tunnel new prop.and it was fast to 60 then run outa puff so now its got an a60 estate diff in.all the work we done on it i bet we aint driven it more than 2 miles

 

What's he on about?

[Justin Case]

I've had two, a few years ago though, but they had more character than anything I've owned before or since The engine is the Taunus V4 which is different from the Corsair/Transit one; the engine is mounted in front of the gearbox, so fitting anything bigger would be difficult and make the understeer even more terminal Only weak point in the engine is that one of the timing gears is made from fibre-flavoured chocolate, but is not a major job and you used to be able to get a steel replacement. The last year or two they became 96Ls with larger bumpers, more room in the back, manual choke and a stronger gearbox; my second one was a 96L and they are definitely worth looking out for, but the 95 lost its backwards facing third seat. Get a good one though, it is worth the extra to drive a taught well -sorted one.

 

The two-stroke is even better, I have driven one and it is the most balanced car ever, bar none especially in roundnose form. Unfortuantely they now come into the hen's teeth bracket and not really Autoshite fodder any more

[HMC]

Had a maroon 73 96 a few years ago. Despite it no longer being a two stroke it still had a freewheel fitted. I was fascinated by the styling and general brick outhouse feel of the car. Sold on to a chap who said he was going to restore it. Hes either still at it or its been scrapped as the tax on NDL170M ran out during 2005

[garethj]

I had a 95 estate V4 years ago and it was quite good fun to thrash around town. It had 2CV levels of body roll through corners and the 1500 engine wasn't great but the column gearchange was ok, the freewheel was a laugh and the front windows pivot at the front like a Lancia Stratos

[Rocket88]

Theyr're good old buses, the V4 engine isn't that bad, and can be improved, as mentioned, with a steel timing wheel, and a mild tune. Freewheel is great fun, column shift is good. They do rot in some bizarre places, and they are a wee bit claustrophobic for the larger gentleman.

[Junkman]

Here's one with a SAAB 'B' engine so I guess it can be done with some effort.

 

Anything can be done with some effort. With some effort you could cut the floor out, graft the body onto a Gasser chassis with a blown big block out front and it may be featured in Hot Shits magazine 30k and 30 years of hard work later. Not sure whether this is what Autoshite is about though.

 

Those things in standard configuration are about the quirkiest cars ever built north of a DKW. Pure eccentricity on wheels. At the same time, they are sturdy beasts and have a road holding, that allows you to drive flat out under any circumstances. That's why they won every rally they ever were entered in. They can sustain rollovers with no windows broken, you just put it back on its wheels and carry on. Dunno what the fuzz is about the Ford V4 either, they powered about 10 million German Fords and are so rugged, they can be used as anvils. The only trouble spot are the old cardboard camshaft drive gears, but modern replacements do exist and I would be surprised if there is a running one out there that hasn't been updated yet. Maybe Saab used them in the first place.

 

The only sensible modification on those is to replace the loud pedal with a toggle switch, but that's it.

 

OP: Buy that thing and enjoy it for what it is. If you are a full blooded Autoshiter, you won't be disappointed. Not in the least.

[freebird]

They're a Cologne V4 in these, not an Essex, so not the same as the Corsair lump. They're still not brilliant though.

 

A 2.3-litre Cologne V6 is a relatively straightforward mod - gearboxes don't tend to last long channeling a V6's torque however. Easier is a 1700 V4 from a Taunus (or a Sonnett), if you can find one. None of them rev though.

 

Otherwise, great fun to drive, very comfortable, good brakes for such an old design and they're quick enough to keep up with modern traffic around town, although as has been said they do struggle a bit on the motorway. I've had six of the things - would happily have another.

Considering you have owned more makes and models of car than Russell Brand has had leg overs, I will take your view as a case closed endorsement of them.

If the engine is a Cologne jobbie, is it the same Cologne as the 2.8 Cologne?

I think the next question is obvious.

[Junkman]

If the engine is a Cologne jobbie, is it the same Cologne as the 2.8 Cologne?

I think the next question is obvious.

 

Cologne 2.0, 2.3, and 2.8 V6es are interchangeable. In fact, you can't tell by just looking at one which one it is.

As has been said before, 1700 V4 may be your best bet, but those engines are sought after by the Taunus collectors, too.

[wuvvum]

Not sure about the 2.8, but a 2.9 V6 won't fit a 96 without major surgery. One of my 96s had a 2.9 from a Granada partially fitted - unfortunately there wasn't enough clearance for the crank pulley so the front panel would have had to be cut away, and there was nowhere to put a radiator. Fortunately the original engine was in the boot. 2.3 on a carb is the easiest V6 upgrade.

[mharrell]

I own three, two '67s with two-strokes (the red one an oil mixer and the white one an oil injector) and one '68 with a V4:

 

 

I race the red '67:

 

 

and use the '68 V4 for hauling parts and camping at the track:

 

 

They're great cars. Highly recommended.

[freebird]

Sir, I bow to you.

You walk the walk and talk the talk.

Im not sure ive seen such glorious patina on a classic car for some time. Most people would be wanting to respray, you have decided that it looks best natures way.

I love the fact that it still gets used as Saab intended ( or maybe not quite)

Brilliant!

[wuvvum]

Freebird, you're talking to a man who drives a 1937 Plymouth as a daily and once did 4,200 miles in an MG Metro with a car transporter trailer on the back. I think most of us would bow to him...

 

I've only ever once driven a two-stroke Saab - a mate's 1966 95. It has an 850cc engine on triple carbs, and is absolutely hilarious to drive - bugger all torque, but revs like a demon and makes a fantastic noise. I'd love one. Or even two.

[Wilko220]

After all the recent complaints, I think I should just say...

 

This is a good thread!