Tassie convertible project
Tasmanian Saab nut, Drew B, has a knack for picking up Saabs at pretty cheap prices and turning them from ugly ducklings into……really nice Saabs.
He’s got a very distinct collection and has recently added to it with one of Saab’s signature models - the C900 convertible. Looks OK from the outside, huh?
Click on any of the photos to enlarge.
Several months ago, there was a night here in Hobart where a gang of hoodlums went on a procession that involved the vandalism and theft of around seven cars in three hours.
This convertible was one of them.
They burned something on the roof, which dropped down onto the driver’s seat. Fortunately it didn’t catch and whilst the driver’s seat is now landfill and the roof will have to be replaced, there was minimal damage to the rest of the interior.
Drew picked the car up at auction for a song, and has now started work on the restoration. The rear seat looks a bit scarred in this shot, but that’s actually just charred bits of roof. The leather itself is unmarked and in good condition.
I can’t remember the full story, but there was an issue with the lighting in the dash. When Drew pulled it apart, he noticed some of the wiring had been re-routed through the power mirror switch and that the circuit card behind the gauges had seen better days. A little bit of hunting later and new circuit card was sourced and the wiring’s been sorted.
This is what your C900 dash looks like underneath….
And the circuit card…..
Drew had a few dash bits and pieces in storage, so in the end he took the best bits out of four different dashboards and made one perfect one, which is going into the car now….
There’s still some work to be done. Seats have to be sourced for the front and the top re-covered. Drew’s also looking for an Aero body kit to complete the look. The good news is that the engine and transmission are both very strong. I’ve been for a ride in it and it’s much, much smoother than my old automatic 900 Turbo.
This will make an awesome summer cruiser when it’s done and knowing Drew and his standard of work, it’ll be a very good restoration and a worthy addition to the collection (I’ve got to get photos of all of them one day). I’ll make sure we get some completed pics when the job’s finished.
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Put dark grey/black paint immediately on the bumpers looks horrific…. Please….
I’m with Jörgen, the bumpers look really weird!
But you’re doing a good job restoring it
This sled is bound to look awesome after DB has finished the resto! DB has done some amazing work on his cars, and every single one he owns looks amazing… great you rescued another one Drew! You still gotta finish that 99 bare metal restoration too!
Looking forward to taking a drive in the cvt one day buddy! Will take it over 3,000rpm too!
sab
I’m sure he’ll have a rev limiter in place by the time you get hold of it, sab
And APC solenoid plug disconnected for safer boost level
Good work Drew! You´ve got quite a collection there already. Lucky cars I´d say! Cheers!!
With an Aero kit you can have the silver bumpers Drew, otherwise it’s a no-no!
Is that your workshop Drew? Very envious if it is.
Beater daily drivers >> garaged restos.
The car came with the bumpers already painted like that. Unsure if it was standard issue in Oz or not. Drew will know. I think he’s looking to grey them up and add the Aero side skirts etc.
PT - not his workshop, just the storage facility for that car, but Drew’s setup is pretty good nonetheless.
I have all the brochures from back then. Painted bumpers only came with Aero body kits, in which case the bumpers are different anyway as per the Aero coupe.
Not actually a resto, merely a repair. Resto reallly implies that it was in poor condition to start with, whereas this one is a low km, 2 owner vehicle that was in immaculate condition prior to some minor vandalism.
I didn’t have to remove the dash to fix it from the vandalism, just took the opportunity to tidy things up from previous minor repairs and a dodgy radio install. Only discovered the circuit lighting had failed after I put it all back together the first time!
Agreed on the bumpers, they look awful. Most of the turbo cabs sold in Oz came with painted standard mouldings, for whatever reason. They’re pretty common here like that, and not something that many owners opted to have done independently.
My plan is to throw away all the side moulds and bumpers, and add the post-88 Aero kit and wheelarches. In the original Odoardo grey, of course. Just need to order four new wheelarches and attaching strips, and I’ll have pretty much everything I need. Front and rear bumper covers and front spoilers I’ll buy new.
Drew
I know it wasn’t really a resto, but I was feeling like a confrontational Jalop when I made that comment :p