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Home > Off Topic > Zagato' SAAB 96 restoration!

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Zagato Site Supporter Member Since: 08 Jan 2011 Location: Billingshurst West Sussex Posts: 5013

Zagato' SAAB 96 restoration! Many of you as customers will have seen my SAAB 96 in various states of undress over the years. Well after 8 years enough is enough and I am doing a full concourse restoration on her by doing most of the work and mates rates for the final spray after me prepping it and a SAAB specialist, good friend of mine is going through the engine and gearbox for me. NOS parts I have collected over the years. She is a one previous lady owner SAAB 96V4 with a Ford Taunus 1.5 engine. I was brought up with them and owned SAABs all my life (as well as LR's ). This is an incredibly rot free example, interior seats covered from brand new and has only done 70K miles. I was interviewed along with other buyers to see who it would be sold to. The husband was not allowed to drive it and her son was not allowed to have it. It needed to go to someone with a real obsession against rust so it would be preserved but used. Next to my SAAB Sonett when I first got her... Click image to enlarge A weeks work just to VERY carefully take off the original underseal to expose the mint underside. Now covered in Dinitrol clear coat of course. 4 days spent in each wheel arch doing the same. Right down to treating every little rust worm meticulously and coating in Dinitrol 1000, 4941 and 445 stone chip. Click image to enlarge Weeks in this engine bay and still not finished, just takes ages... but loving doing all this. Click image to enlarge Last edited by Zagato on 17th Aug 2023 5:39pm. Edited 2 times in total

17th Aug 2023 4:12pm

Zagato Site Supporter Member Since: 08 Jan 2011 Location: Billingshurst West Sussex Posts: 5013	Now looks like this... Click image to enlarge Years of collecting parts... to go on. Click image to enlarge And she will go from this... colour is actually yellowy, faded, mismatched. Click image to enlarge To this, one of the most desireable colours for a SAAB. Actually named by SAAB as Indian Yellow! Click image to enlarge Last edited by Zagato on 17th Aug 2023 5:41pm. Edited 3 times in total
17th Aug 2023 4:31pm

LR90XS2011 Member Since: 05 Apr 2011 Location: bickenhill Posts: 3640	brilliant DEFENDER 90 TDCI XS, I hope everyone is well and your land rovers make you happy
17th Aug 2023 4:33pm

Procta Member Since: 03 Dec 2016 Location: Sunderland Posts: 5161

one of my old primary school teacher's had one of these, back in the 90s. in a dark bluey green colour. She must have had it for years, it was the only one to be knocking about sunderland at that time. After i left school i often would see her driving around in it. Few years later, it had vanished, then on day i happened to see another one in beige, i was like, ah i remember when Miss Bell owned one of those! Then i clocked the driver, and guess who was driving it, only happened to be her! As far as i know she still drives it to this very day! Not sure if its the same car she had in the 90s that's been rebuilt and re painted. i cannot really remember what year hers was on, she retired the year i left primary school. She wasn't that old funny enough, she may have been in her 50s then, so she will be in her 70s now. Defender TD5 90 ---/--- Peugeot 306 HDI hatch back Success is 90% Inspiration and 4 minutes Preparation # you can make it!

17th Aug 2023 4:38pm

seriesonenut Member Since: 19 Nov 2014 Location: Essex Posts: 1211	A great project and impressed just how clean the underside is. Top job  2010 XS USW 1957 Series One 88 diesel 1958 Series One 88 4x2
17th Aug 2023 4:41pm

Zagato Site Supporter Member Since: 08 Jan 2011 Location: Billingshurst West Sussex Posts: 5013

They were loved by teachers, my one was also a teacher as was my father (a head) who got me into SAABS. This is my 40th odd, had em all BUT this one will stay in the family. Quirky BUT finally people are beginning to find out how well they were engineered and how well they were rust proofed etc. Crumple zones, collapsible steering column, heated seats, side impact bars, column gear change, front wheel drive, powerful heaters, freewheel, and an incredibly strong but heavy body that was dipped into a charged bath, numerous coats of paint then completely Ziebatered, engine bay, al lbox sections, pillars etc etc. UK Fords, Vauxhall cars etc were designed to last 6 years back in the day. Scandinavian cars were designed to last 12 years due to the harsh environment. The 96 V4's are nose heavy but the Two Strokes are beautifully balanced. Great for rallying... Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Last edited by Zagato on 17th Aug 2023 5:24pm. Edited 2 times in total

17th Aug 2023 4:48pm

blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17359	Is that a Sonett 3 in the first photo? Is so, well, WOW! I've never even seen one before. Awesome!
17th Aug 2023 5:09pm

Zagato Site Supporter Member Since: 08 Jan 2011 Location: Billingshurst West Sussex Posts: 5013	Yes, it was owned by a SAAB mechanic for 18 years. I was fortunate to buy it from him as our family new him. A REALLY nice nice, low mileage example... it didn,t run right so I sold it to buy a new Defender. No regrets then
17th Aug 2023 5:27pm

jpboost Member Since: 13 Apr 2021 Location: Gatwick Posts: 377

Looking great. As mentioned when I popped past yours, We had SAAB 95s and 96s as our family cars when I was young. My parents are also teachers, so there's a pattern here.... Ours were a red 95 (reg no: KHT 388P) , white 96 and a blue 96 ( I can't remember the registrations of the 96s). All V4s. The last of them was sold just before i was old enough to drive. It's a shame as it would likely to have been my first car if that hadn't happened. I've got many happy childhood memories of sitting in the rear facing seats in the boot of the 95 - watching the world go by as we toured around the UK and bits of Europe. I'll see if I can find any pictures.

17th Aug 2023 5:32pm

Zagato Site Supporter Member Since: 08 Jan 2011 Location: Billingshurst West Sussex Posts: 5013	Pics would be great. Thanks.
17th Aug 2023 5:34pm

DAZ110 Member Since: 06 Dec 2007 Location: East Sussex Posts: 2036	I went with a mate up to the British motor museum at Gaydon , Warwickshire a few weekends back to have a look round. Just happened to be a Saab meeting going on outside the main building. I’ve never seen so many Saab’s together! Including about 4 Sonetts…and plenty of Swedish being spoken.
17th Aug 2023 6:23pm

L110CDL Member Since: 31 Oct 2015 Location: Devon Posts: 10739	Great thread and thank you for taking the time to post all the progress  1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up. Keeper. Clayton.
17th Aug 2023 6:56pm

Zagato Site Supporter Member Since: 08 Jan 2011 Location: Billingshurst West Sussex Posts: 5013

DAZ110 wrote: I went with a mate up to the British motor museum at Gaydon , Warwickshire a few weekends back to have a look round. Just happened to be a Saab meeting going on outside the main building. I’ve never seen so many Saab’s together! Including about 4 Sonetts…and plenty of Swedish being spoken. I was there on Saturday in the rain Gaydon has improved since the last time I was their in 1998 I think. Reasonably priced with some nice Land Rovers.

17th Aug 2023 7:16pm

Zagato Site Supporter Member Since: 08 Jan 2011 Location: Billingshurst West Sussex Posts: 5013

L110CDL wrote: Great thread and thank you for taking the time to post all the progress Thanks and will do.... This has been run all its life as a daily drive for local trips up until a month ago. 133k on the clock. 50 years old and now needs welding... the next project. Engine and gearbox are fine. It will be painted red and hopefully ready for my kids who will be taking their tests soon. Click image to enlarge Last edited by Zagato on 17th Aug 2023 7:52pm. Edited 2 times in total

17th Aug 2023 7:17pm

DAZ110 Member Since: 06 Dec 2007 Location: East Sussex Posts: 2036	I was at Gaydon on the Sunday, and it rained then too. ….and yes there are plenty of Land Rovers to look at.
17th Aug 2023 7:21pm

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