| Well,
Boxwrench Garage
is back at it again. We have aquired a 1988 Saab 900 SPG for
the 2007 running of the 24
Hours of LeMons. We found the car on Jan. 31 in San Mateo, posted on Craigslist for $600.
After much ado and pestering of the guy selling it, (thanks
Justin and Damien) he was talked down to an even $500. That
put
us right on the money for the event rules. The nice thing
about
this car is that it is a complete, running and driving car.
All
we need to do is strip it down, put a roll cage in it, some
better tires, and go racing. |  |
 | When
Damien and Max went to pick up the car, the seller had locked the title
in another car, along with the keys. This actually worked out
well for us. Because of the delay, the guy knocked another
$20
off. Sweet,
down to $480, well within the rules.
We will also be selling many of the parts that we will not
need.
Rims, trim, air conditioner, interior, etc. That
will also
bring the cost down, and is allowed by the event rules.
At this point it doesn't look like we will need the extra
money,
but if we have it, maybe we could replace a ball joint or two. |
The
car is really good shape. It almost seems a shame to smash it
up.
I guess there is always the posibility that we will not get
hit
by anyone this year.... Aw, who am I kidding. Last
year's
car didn't have a straight peice of sheet metal on it by the end of the
first lap. Still, SPG's are a rare car these days.
I know
of more than a few people that will be crying when the race starts.
We were really hopeing to find a black car so that we would
look
just like last years, but this will do. I may still paint it
black if I have time. In fact, I may have to. We
plan on
cutting the roof off and welding it back on so that we can get our roll
cage in!
|  |
 | Here
is the money maker. Bone stock 2.0L, fuel injected,
intercooled
turbo. This motor has nearly 300,000 miles on it.
Damien
says it feels weak for what it should. Once we strip all the
extra weight off of the car, it should be good enough to last another
1000 miles, (we hope). As always with old Saab 900's, there
is
some concern about the transmission holding up. That is the
weakest link in these cars. Damien can tear one down and put
it
back together in a few hours. I suspect that he will do that
with
this trans to make sure there isn't anything obvious that is about to
break. If need be, we could source another transmission from
Pick-n-pull on half price day for $40. |
