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1964-1974 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Hi Marc,
Very nice that you're getting your Dad's Sonett. That's a special car for you and I wish you the best on the restoration.
Your question "how much does it cost?" is a good one. I find that the majority of the VSaab community does most of the work themselves. The cost these days for labor is just too high to invest in paying someone to do all the work for cars like these. Even though only 10,000+ Sonetts of all types were made, it's just not worth it financially for most of us to pay to have it done. So we learn to weld, learn to diagnose and fix most of the common problems and are pretty much do-it-our-selfers. Not everyone, but most of us. And since they're 40 year old cars, they take constant care and maintenance to keep them on the road. I regularly drive two of my three VSaabs and I'm always working on them- there's always something!
So with that big speech out of the way...to your question. A transmission rebuild, assuming that your transmission is rebuildable, will cost you $1000 to $1500. I haven't priced a motor rebuild recently, but I'd guess it can run you twice that in parts and labor. Rust repair- oh boy that can cost you, as it's very labor intensive. As Ray advised, there's varying degrees of rust and their implications. Most common areas are the trunk and the floor under the drivers feet. These are the easiest to repair. In fact, you *could* get away with cutting out the rust, making new flat metal patches, and using sheet metal screws or even pop rivets to replace small sections in these areas. Remember that these cars are unibody, so structurally, you have to be careful with this route. After that, the most common area is the rocker panels that tend to rust from the inside out. Not a repair for the novice. Next most common is the front spring/suspension supports. More difficult, but not out of the question. Worst of all is if the rear axle tunnel rusts away- some say that's a sign to retire the car and send it on to that great junkyard in the sky. But, it can be done with enough time and patience.
After the motor and gearbox and rust, what could be left? The brakes! If the car's been sitting for that long, plan a complete brake rebuild. Rebuild the master and the front calipers, using new pistons in the latter. Then new rear cylinders, new pads, shoes, and rotors for the front. Throw in new brake flex lines, a couple of rusted hard lines, and some brake hardware. Buy the parts, do it all yourself and you got what, $600 in it. Gotta be done.
Then there's the clutch- clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing, and both clutch master and slave to rebuild-$400 off the top of my head.
Then, what of the electrics? Most require sorting, rewiring, etc, so you don't start a fire. Have fun with the headlight switch and associated wiring. The wiper motor is a treat also. Of course there's the ignition system including starter, alternator, distributor. And the dawgone gas tank probably has crud in it and needs to be cleaned and sealed. And how's the interior? Lemme guess- headliner is falling down and the glue has let go from all the panels in the back and the fiberboard has turned to mush... And the exterior? Fiberglass all cracked around the headlight buckets and the paints all faded and ostrich bumped everywhere?
Had enough?
Seriously. Not meaning to scare you, but a man should know what he's getting into before he starts. I know it all in spades and I STILL get way over my head and wonder why the heck I thought it would be a good idea to pull up the carpets, get the screwdriver out and just check around for any lurking rust! Six months and two spools of wire for my welder later...
So listen, don't take offense at anything I've said here- could be you're a master mechanic and could wrench me right into next week. And I don't want to discourage you. You have a great car here that means something to you and I say go for it. If you want to pay to have this all done, it won't be cheap. If you want to do all you can yourself, it will be a rewarding hobby. And as Ray said, there's great resources around to help you with advice, parts, and pick you up if you get discouraged.
Let us know what you decide!
eric in vermont
posted by 68.142.5...
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