therealpinto
therealpinto HalfDork
1/23/24 2:05 a.m.

Sorry about the accident but the people are ok and that´s most important.

These old Saabs have a really solid structure. They are still one of the most popular and successful platforms in our "banger races" (Folkrace) here in Sweden so I am pretty sure a light love tap like this is no big deal in just making it drive reasonably straight again.

 

Aaron_King
Aaron_King UltimaDork
1/24/24 10:31 a.m.

Fingers crossed.

wae
wae PowerDork
1/31/24 11:20 p.m.

Got it into the shop tonight.  It's absolutely not drivable - it just pumps oil out the cooler like crazy - so we had to use the come along to slowly winch it in. 

Good news number 1 is that with the hood open, the passenger door is fine.  Good news number 2 is that the core support doesn't appear to have taken any damage at all.

It was a bit of a shell game because I had to relocate the Miata to the garage at home and I got a late start because I had to deal with my wife's car suddenly needing new tires, but the next step will be to get it up in the air and start pulling things off.

wae
wae PowerDork
2/1/24 8:28 a.m.

A few weeks ago, when the car was leaking a bit of coolant, I thought I was going to need to replace the radiator, I started looking around at my options.  Once we discovered that the problem was merely a hose, I didn't think anymore about it, however, the puddle of coolant in front of the car at the scene of the crash tells me that (a) I'm glad I didn't have to replace the radiator already and (b) I'm going to have to replace the radiator.  Here's what's a little weird, though:  It looks like Nissens sells two different radiators that potentially fit the car:  64057A and 64059A.  Different retailers seem to offer different choices:  Rockauto is 57A, eSaabParts is 59A (I think - they list both model numbers on the same part page), Pelican Parts is 59A, autohausAZ is 59A, AutoZone is 57A, O'Reilly is 57A, and FCP Euro just has both.  The price difference at FCP Euro is under $10, so I don't really care which one I buy, I just don't want to have to sent it back!  I've reached out to FCP Euro to see if they can help me figure that out.

The oil cooler is kind of a big deal.  I wasn't sure how much of a leak it had and the approach to the shop is a little bit uphill, so after we winched it off the trailer, we verified that there was plenty of oil in the crankcase and fired it up just to see.  Within about a second or two, I had about half-a-quart of oil on the ground.  Naturally the OEM part is NLA, but is a "direct-fit" replacement from do88 that is supposed to hook right up.  It seems like that's (a) a little spendy at $350 or so and (b) presently out of stock everywhere I've looked.  Also, the bracketage that it uses to mount to the car is pretty well twisted up - thus the crushed oil cooler! - so I'm thinking that the best course of action will be to get a universal oil cooler, find a place to mount it, and then make new lines for it.

The front-left marker light needs to be replaced.

The right headlight bucket is in multiple pieces, so that will need to be replaced.  I'll definitely need to print new headlight adjusters, but I'm not sure if the right headlight itself will have survived enough to be re-used.  I already have a left headlight on the shelf.

While the right taillight is damaged, I can patch that over with some red tape for the time being.  The quarter panel is a little bent up where the light is supposed to go so if and when I find a new light, I'm going to need to massage the metal back into shape.  Or at least close to it.  But that's low on the priority list for now.

The bumper is banged up, but it might be intact enough to be re-used until I can find a new bumper.

It wasn't in great shape to begin with, but the lower valance is pretty much destroyed the rest of the way now.  I may be able to zip tie it enough to get it through until I can find a replacement.

Something has the hood tweaked over to the right a little.  As noted, the core support doesn't look that bent, so I think getting the hood to straighten out should be fairly simple.  the hood itself has no damage, it's just wherever the hinges mount.

Finally, the elephant in the room is that fender.  That poor, poor, fender.  It's going to need to be relocated enough to hold in a new marker light and the little bit of trim is gone.  Job one will be to bend it back a little bit and cover the bare metal so it doesn't get any worse.  Someday, I might try to hammer it as straight as I can get it and then use filler to get it the rest of the way, but I just don't see me ever cutting the fender out and replacing it.  Maybe - MAYBE - if I could get a good repair panel, I might consider it, but in my five minutes of Internet searching, I cannot find anyone that's pressing those.

The primary concern, however, is that having 5 people that need to be in 5 different places all the damned time is a real pain in the ass with only two cars!

procainestart
procainestart SuperDork
2/1/24 5:49 p.m.

In my limited experience (a guy in a pickup backed into me in a drive-thru, my punishment for eating E36 M3ty food), it's not hard to tweak the core support, so it's conceivable that it's slightly bent, and that has shifted the mounting points for the hood, or because it's tweaked a little, when you seat the pin at the leading edge of the hood, it's not positioned correctly. In addition, the contact points at the end of the tracks on either side of hood, by the windshield, have hooks that are designed to deform so the hood pushes up and over the windshield, not into it. So, take a look at them. 

For used parts, you could try these:

https://redaero.net/ 

I haven't bought from him but a friend Has. He may have a fender?? 

https://www.goldwingsaabparts.com/

Will be spendiest, probably; very likely to have everything you need. 

https://scanwestauto.com/ 

This is a Seattle repair shop with a lot of spares, e.g., oil cooler. Call and ask for Craig, tell him I sent you (my real name). Or if Rob (the owner) answers (more likely if you call before 8 am PT), just talk with him. Super nice folks to deal with -- I've been going there for 25+ years. 

And it never hurts to try https://www.car-part.com/mobile/index.htm

Jerry From LA
Jerry From LA UltraDork
2/1/24 7:26 p.m.

In reply to wae :

Try one of the SAAB BBs to see if anyone has a used cooler or possibly a salvage place could put it out on the wire.  Also, is there no part number on the cooler itself?  The cooler can be cleaned inside by a radiator shop.

EDIT: Procaine's post landed just before mine.

Aaron_King
Aaron_King UltimaDork
2/1/24 7:54 p.m.

I found this car in Washington State:

1985 Saab 900

 

If any GRMer is close you may be able to get everything at once.  I have a few sets of sedan/convertible tail lights that my brother gave Tyler when he got his car, you are more than welcome to one or a set.

If someone is close to that car in WA i would be willing to split shipping or whatever cost, I could use both front calipers.  Let me know about the tail lights, we are not that far apart.

procainestart
procainestart SuperDork
2/2/24 1:30 a.m.

In reply to Aaron_King :

I took parts from that car a couple weeks ago. I could go back Friday afternoon. Front lighting won't work on wae's car, but it's a good bet the cooler is still there, though less likely the calipers are. Lmk. 

EDIT: Lmk by 9 am Pacific, por favor. yes

wae
wae PowerDork
2/2/24 8:36 a.m.

Thank you for all the direction and the contacts!

Looking at the parts diagrams/part numbers that are on eSaabparts.com, I don't think there's anything in the front-end structure that I can use.  It looks like the grille, marker, and the headlights all have different part numbers starting in 1990.  It's a little hard to tell, though, since they don't seem to think that the 900 existed in 1985 and the VIN for that car doesn't decode on their site.

As for the oil cooler, the original Saab part number should be 7546567 and that, too, appears to be a new P/N from 1990, even though it looks basically identical in the diagram.  That said, I'm more concerned with getting things like the lighting bits than the oil cooler.  The oil cooler is just a tube running through some fins - hell, I might actually have a cooler sitting on a shelf from a Ford Focus that I parted out a while back and I'm pretty handy with putting push-loc hose together.

Now... that said...  If you were feeling really ambitious, the front bumper, the core/beam, and that little trim panel on the left fender forward of the wheel looks like the right part numbers (assuming that 1985 and 1986 were the same for the "integrated bumper").  I am not entirely sure what the freight situation would be for that, though.  I kind of think that my better bet on that is to try to find my own parts car.  That's a lot of disassembly work to do and a lot of stuff to ship.  It looks like there's someone in CT that's asking $600 for basically the front clip off a '91, but it's a pull-it-yourself deal so I'd need to get to CT, pull it in a New England winter (ugh), and then truck it home with me.

wae
wae PowerDork
2/2/24 8:38 a.m.

In reply to Aaron_King :

I would be very interested in the tail lights.  Let me know what you want for them!

Aaron_King
Aaron_King UltimaDork
2/2/24 9:24 a.m.

In reply to procainestart :

If you are willing to go check the car I would be interested in the front calipers and the front marker lights, if they are in good shape.  Tyler is also in need of a working rear defrost button.

Aaron_King
Aaron_King UltimaDork
2/2/24 9:27 a.m.

In reply to wae :

Both me and my brother got the lights for free.  I ended up with 3 sets I think, you are more than welcome to a set just for getting the car back on the road.  It really sucks that the vert is gone from that yard in Dayton.

procainestart
procainestart SuperDork
2/2/24 10:38 a.m.

I'll go look for the brakes and turn signal lights.

There are two variants of dash-switch pin configurations and I'm not certain they're all compatible - what year is Tyler's car? 

@wae - The bumper isn't the same as the '90. (The bumpers, lights and grille changed in '87.) I agree that a parts car is a good idea. The one I'm going to look at has taken a hit at some point - hood is not original, RF corner is repaired, core support may also not be solid. Also, I grew up in CT - the weather's not so bad. ;) 

Aaron_King
Aaron_King UltimaDork
2/2/24 10:41 a.m.

In reply to procainestart :

Tyler's is an 86.

Aaron_King
Aaron_King UltimaDork
2/2/24 10:46 a.m.

I did find a 93 900S on FB Marketplace in Fairview PA for $1400.  Unfortunately I can't get on FB on this computer.

procainestart
procainestart SuperDork
2/2/24 11:03 a.m.

In reply to Aaron_King :

Switches are the same yes

wae
wae PowerDork
2/2/24 11:37 a.m.

In reply to Aaron_King :

I was looking at that one.  There's also a non turbo hatch in Louisville for 925 that I've been eyeing. 

wae
wae PowerDork
2/2/24 12:21 p.m.

The bumper is remarkably straight.

procainestart
procainestart SuperDork
2/2/24 3:21 p.m.

In reply to wae :

You are an optimist. :)  Just need to pull the faux frame rail out, and hopefully the crumple zone stuff didn't crumple. (There are holes drilled into the rail to weaken it.) 

@ Aaron_King -- Greetings from the Lynnwood, WA Pick & Pull. The '85 has been picked over pretty extensively: both brakes and the entire dash are gone, and the corner lights are cracked. I know wae wasn't keen on the oil cooler, but it's moot, having been "customized" (read: bumped into a curb and bent). 

wae
wae PowerDork
2/2/24 4:06 p.m.

After a little bit of doing, the radiator came out:

 

It's completely empty and there was a coolant puddle at the scene of the crash, plus I think I see a little spot where the plastic tank is cracked.  FCP Euro did get back to me with the correct radiator so that should be easy to sort out.

The A/C wasnt working before anyway, but it turns out that there was some pressure in the system.  When it started to hiss a little bit, I thought I'd be able to just close it up again real fast, but the flare nut was seized to the aluminum refrigerant line and snapped off.  Something else to worry about later, I guess.  Anyway, with the condenser out, it's looking like this:

 

After a quick pull with the pry bar, the core support is sort of straightened out.

 

The hood is still kinked over to the right such that you can't open the passenger door with the hood closed.  And I haven't tried to push or pull the bumper support back out, nor have I messed with the fender at all yet.  Interestingly, the hit seems to have been entirely sideways so while things bent to the right, nothing seems to have crumpled.  I need to dig a little more before I'm completely certain of that.  I'm thinking that maybe I can pull the hood off and then remove the center support to try to clean it up, straighten it out, throw a few beads of weld onto it to repair it, and then toss a little paint on.  With that out of the way, I can then try to figure out the best way to try to straighten the bumper mounts and tap on the fender a little bit.

I'd appreciate any opinions one way or the other, though, as to what my chances of getting it "good enough" are going to be.  As I look at it, it appears that it may not be pretty, but with a little pushing and pulling, I should be able to get things back into place enough to accept a radiator and an oil cooler so it's worth starting to order parts and to get serious about trying to find the headlight and marker light.  Any contrary opinions there?

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter)
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
2/2/24 4:14 p.m.

In reply to wae :

cut that corner of the hood off?

Aaron_King
Aaron_King UltimaDork
2/2/24 4:19 p.m.

In reply to procainestart :

Thanks for checking.  If you ever end up in Ohio I owe you a beverage.  

procainestart
procainestart SuperDork
2/2/24 4:38 p.m.

In reply to Aaron_King :

No problem. yes

procainestart
procainestart SuperDork
2/2/24 4:54 p.m.

In reply to wae :

First off, is that a crack by the top of the front motor mount bracket? That mount is attached to the transmission... 

Are you saying that when you have the hood disconnected from the core support, and you slide it all the way into place, ie, up to the windshield, it's too close to the door? If so, then it sounds like the mounting point at the RH corner of the windshield could be damaged. There is a hook-like component that may have bent. Take a look at the LH side and compare. Or maybe the attachment point on the hood.

Because the hood hinges and latch are attached to the core support, I think you need to be sure that the support is in the right place in space, too. If the door isn't opening when the hood is attached to the core support, then I'd imagine the cause is the support. Hope this makes sense; lmk if not. 

wae
wae PowerDork
2/2/24 5:08 p.m.

In reply to procainestart :

Hmm, the pictures are kind of washed out, so I can't really tell.  I headed home from the shop, so I'm not in front of it right now, but I'll look first thing tomorrow.  I was looking all over at the transmission, actually, just looking to see if there were any leaks or anything since things were out of the way and I had a decent view of it, so I kind of feel like I would have noticed a crack in the case, but I'll double check.

I have not yet disconnected the hood from the core support, so I suspect that the core is still shifted over causing the hood to be out of alignment.

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