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New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

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Old Aug 6th, 2022, 15:50   #3151
Laird Scooby
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Originally Posted by 360beast View Post
I love Saab 90's (the one that looks like a 99) 99's 900's and 9000's, the rest are a bit meh for me, especially the Vauxhall badge engineered ones, I wouldn't touch one of those with someone else's barge pole.

That convertible one Alan probably had a cracked bulkhead, a common problem with them.
I think most Saabs are good looking cars, tried a 99, owned a 900i but wouldn't have another for the simple reason i can't get on with the driving position, gave me backache.


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I had the bulkhead checked (by a Saab specialist) Luke as it was a well known problem, but no, the 900 convertible just handled very badly (according to the specialist). Saab even produced an aftermarket fix consisting of some weld on brackets and a brace I think. It was quite cheap to buy the kit but very expensive to fit due to the skilled labour cost. By then I'd given up with the motor car and was happy to see it go when I bought the Porsche.

I think the steering issue came about because it started off as a saloon, had the roof removed but not much strengthening added to compensate, additionally Saab put on a lot of extra weight, exacerbating the problem.

The 900 was full of lots of other poor engineering that didn't appear on the Vauxhall equivalent, one that come to mind was the self-adjusting clutch cable that almost never worked and generally meant drivers had to undertake a Charles Atlas course for their left leg. In the end I gave up trying different Saab fixes and bought the equivalent Vauxhall Astra parts from a scrapyard. they fitted easily because Saab hadn't deleted the fixing holes for the Vauxhall non-self-adjusting cable; it worked perfectly and made the clutch action quite good.

That was the only Saab I've owned; it seemed to me that the company waas its own worst enemy.

:-)
Yours looks very like one a friend of mine owned a few years back Alan, even down to the registration - can't remember his reg exactly but it was Rxxx UBL and was a black rag-top. The roof wouldn't go up and down thanks to a fault in the hydraulic control system where they had used Cherry V10 microswitches - Saab wanted an absolute fortune for each one and although i informed him i could replace them for peanuts, he sold it on for scrap because there were other problems with it. Transpired that the ECU had become fried due to water ingress so even if the roof had gone up and down, the engine wouldn't run long enough to take you anywhere!

It's often said about Volvo that they take a simple idea, over-engineer it and then complicate the bejesus out of it. With Saab they seem to square or even cube the last stage!
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Old Aug 6th, 2022, 15:52   #3152
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I had the bulkhead checked (by a Saab specialist) Luke as it was a well known problem, but no, the 900 convertible just handled very badly (according to the specialist). Saab even produced an aftermarket fix consisting of some weld on brackets and a brace I think. It was quite cheap to buy the kit but very expensive to fit due to the skilled labour cost. By then I'd given up with the motor car and was happy to see it go when I bought the Porsche.

I think the steering issue came about because it started off as a saloon, had the roof removed but not much strengthening added to compensate, additionally Saab put on a lot of extra weight, exacerbating the problem.

The 900 was full of lots of other poor engineering that didn't appear on the Vauxhall equivalent, one that come to mind was the self-adjusting clutch cable that almost never worked and generally meant drivers had to undertake a Charles Atlas course for their left leg. In the end I gave up trying different Saab fixes and bought the equivalent Vauxhall Astra parts from a scrapyard. they fitted easily because Saab hadn't deleted the fixing holes for the Vauxhall non-self-adjusting cable; it worked perfectly and made the clutch action quite good.

That was the only Saab I've owned; it seemed to me that the company waas its own worst enemy.

:-)
I meant the proper 900 Alan not the Vauxhall Astra with a Saab badge.

Once GM got involved it all went tits up.
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Old Aug 6th, 2022, 16:15   #3153
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I meant the proper 900 Alan not the Vauxhall Astra with a Saab badge.

Once GM got involved it all went tits up.
In my humble opinion the problem was that the motor car wasn't a Vauxhall Astra with a different badge. There was nothing much wrong with Vauxhall and Opel engineering, the issue was that Saab felt a need to change so much (and all for the worse). Saab just wasn't a big enough company to solve engineering problems itself, but was too stubborn to accept perfectly good designs from GM.

We all know how it ended up... :-(
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Old Aug 6th, 2022, 16:26   #3154
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Yours looks very like one a friend of mine owned a few years back Alan, even down to the registration - can't remember his reg exactly but it was Rxxx UBL and was a black rag-top. The roof wouldn't go up and down thanks to a fault in the hydraulic control system where they had used Cherry V10 microswitches - Saab wanted an absolute fortune for each one and although i informed him i could replace them for peanuts, he sold it on for scrap because there were other problems with it. Transpired that the ECU had become fried due to water ingress so even if the roof had gone up and down, the engine wouldn't run long enough to take you anywhere!

It's often said about Volvo that they take a simple idea, over-engineer it and then complicate the bejesus out of it. With Saab they seem to square or even cube the last stage!
I can't have been the same model or year Dave, my Saab 900 had an electrical mechanism for the convertible top, the hydraulic one came in with the 9/3 about two years later.

Both systems were rubbish (design and execution), but the electrical one was worse. It drove through a right angle gear box which incorporated the emergency release latch for the roof. The mechanism was too flimsy, play would build up in the movable release latch and then the bevel gears would start slipping - soon reducing themselves to dust. Saab charged a fortune to fix it - mine came with a FSH and had been repaired (by replacing the whole mechanism) twice and costing thousands by previous owners. The only reasonable way to make it work in the long term was to dispense with the emergency release mechanism and bolt the bevel gears firmly in position. That worked very well indeed, except should the electric motor fail there was no way of putting the roof up or down.

No more Saabs for me :-)
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Old Aug 6th, 2022, 18:31   #3155
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I know he had two at one point Alan, think the idea was mix'n'match to get one good car out of the pair but the other was newer - it's possible (probable in fact) i've confused the registration years with the rag-top mech but the one i looked at for him was hydraulic with a power pack in the boot.

Either way, Saab did overcomplicate things even worse than Volvo :thumbs-up:
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Old Aug 8th, 2022, 07:23   #3156
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Essentially, this one is now in time where the RB was when you bought it, Alan. It strikes me as being a fitting subject for your future affections.

The 2.3 auto is in my view the best combination of engine and 'box. I agree with '360beast'; I do not think think that you would like the 2.0*. They will go, but you have to work them damned hard in contrast to the lazy low-down power of the bigger engine. Because of this, they are no more economical on fuel than the larger car when driven 'like for like...

With this one you could even make a few bob on the side (you would of course first need a chauffeurs' cap to join your existing headgear on the hat shelf), but the project could thus become self-financing!

Seriously, thank you for sharing your adventures with the RB. Whatever you decide, I look forward to vicariously following your next project with both pleasure and genuine interest.

Regards, John.

Edit / PS: *The 2.0 was introduced as a concession to Italy's (IIRC) draconian tax laws which strongly favoured sub two litre cars (or heavily penalised those with larger engines, if you prefer)! J.
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John has just summed up my feelings too, the 740GLE (mit einspritzen) Limo would be a worthy successor to the RB and may even be self financing using it for wedding work on saturdays.
Will be a pig to park in Morrisons car park though, have enough trouble with the normal length 760 in their slots!...

Alternatively, wait a while. There's a lot of merit in what you said about the bills coming in, Xmas coming up and so on and forcing peole to sell cars at a knock-down price.
I'm warming to the idea of the 8 seater 740 GLE limousine chaps. I'll leave it until mid-September, if it is still for sale then I'll look at it as a next project :-).

Alan
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Old Aug 8th, 2022, 09:26   #3157
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I'm warming to the idea of the 8 seater 740 GLE limousine chaps. I'll leave it until mid-September, if it is still for sale then I'll look at it as a next project :-).

Alan
Purely as a hobby car, it could be an interesting choice with much to commend it, Alan.

Apropos Saab 'verts. You are right about the electromechanical hood on the late GM 900s and early 9-3s. That is why they switched to hydraulics on later cars. These were better, but the problem there was that (in 2017) reconditioned rams were £200 apiece - new ones (if you can source them) twice that - and there are five of 'em. Ask me how I know this!!

Later cars still, post 2002, were a complete redesign which both functioned better and lasted much longer. These cars also featured a reworked bulkhead which much reduced the inherent and vicious torque steer of the earlier cars. They are much more pleasant cars to both own and drive.

Regards, John.
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Old Aug 8th, 2022, 09:46   #3158
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Purely as a hobby car, it could be an interesting choice with much to commend it, Alan.

Apropos Saab 'verts. You are right about the electromechanical hood on the late GM 900s and early 9-3s. That is why they switched to hydraulics on later cars. These were better, but the problem there was that (in 2017) reconditioned rams were £200 apiece - new ones (if you can source them) twice that - and there are five of 'em. Ask me how I know this!!

Later cars still, post 2002, were a complete redesign which both functioned better and lasted much longer. These cars also featured a reworked bulkhead which much reduced the inherent and vicious torque steer of the earlier cars. They are much more pleasant cars to both own and drive.

Regards, John.
Thank you for that John,

My experience with the Saab 900 convertible was not a happy one - for much the reasons you describe. I think the Vauxhall/Opel basis was probably an okay motor car (I never owned one, I only know that anecdotally) but the Saab designed and executed changes (the hood mechanism, the 'self-adjusting' clutch cable, the terrible steering and the position of the 'computer' that controlled the hood in such a vulnerable place come to mind) were the worst engineering I have seen on a motor car.

I'm pleased your (later) Saab convertible has turned out better :-).

Alan
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Old Aug 8th, 2022, 11:54   #3159
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Default Farewell to the Royal Barge

The time has come to bid the 'Barge 'farewell',
With many memories on which to dwell,
Off to the Borders it will soon be going,
With Alan doing the to-ing and fro-ing.

But, the Volvo bug having deeply bitten,
Leaving Alan more than a little smitten,
Another project he now doth seek,
Something different to fettle and tweak!

What will it be?
We shall have to wait and see,
But not a turbo nor an estate,
Because neither of those are to his taste!

Someone suggested that he bought a Saab,
(But only one equipped with a carb'),
I don't know how far that idea will run,
Although an early two-stroke could be fun.

No, I think the limo; that seven-four-six,
That's the one he'll buy and fix,
To take apart in easy stages,
About which to write in these pages ...

How about it, Alan? You know that you want to ... J.
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Old Aug 8th, 2022, 12:03   #3160
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Very eloquent John!

The "seven-four-six" prompted me into thinking it's a good job Volvo never made a 6 door, 6 cylinder, 600 series!

Or did they?



Look closely at the digits on the number plate! My current 760GLE has 760 as the digits on the number plate, that was my last 740 in the pic..........

*** EDIT ***

PS - i won the ploughing competition!
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