1964-1974 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Hey Larry I just read your post and looked at that interesting site/link. FYI That's a Sonett III with the rear broken fiberglass in the photo. I agree that strength/safty is an issue with all of the Sonetts that are left either parked or driven. They met the standards of the day in the late 60's and early 70's, when the Sonett was imported, as North America's first front wheel drive sports car. They were also Saab's first production sports car and were available only in the USA at first, never here in Canada, and in 1972 Sweden and Findland?.
Basically the unitized sheet metal Sonett frame was well protected on the bottom surfaces, but not the same care was given to the inner surfaces especially those that were subject to attack from moisture, battery acid, and brake fluid. The frames rust from the inside surfaces to those areas on the outside. FYI the majority of the frame's parts completing the Sonett frame were trimmed down Saab 96 parts with added tabs etc. The floor piece was trimmed on the sides and shortened by about 303mm. This reduces the wheel-base for the Sonett to 2149mm (Saab 95 and 96 wheel base is 2497mm). When the floor was cut and welded a seam about 45mm wide was created. This seam is located underneath the seats.
Structural Integrity is defined as "A structure, which has the quality of being sound throughout." In order to establish the structural integrity, which is a present day safty concern, of any Sonett frame you must look for the signs of rust and other damage.The following is hoped to help both owners and prospective Sonett owners to determine the overall condition of the sheet metal frame on any Sonett.
Sonett Frame Inspection:
Most rusts starts from the inside surfaces of these sheet metal "tub" frames. Usually starting in or at a welded seam only to finally work through to the outer surface if not repaired or detected. The inside surfaces of the various components that make up the tub are relatively unprotected. Covered only with a coat of zinc oxide primer toped with a coating of black paint. The outer surfaces of these components are covered with a coat of zinc oxide primer and most are then further protected with a heavy layer of undercoating. This heavy layer of undercoating can become damaged over the years due to various factors. Heat and contact from the exhaust system, exhaust clamps, exhaust hangers and road debris all take their toll on this protective layer. Look closely at all seams when checking for rust.
1) Remove both the seats by first lifting up on the handle used to position the seat while sliding the seat forward. Then disconnect the wires for the seatbelt warning device (later models). Remove the carpet and floorboards located under the carpet. Check this seam from the inside and from the outer bottom of the car.
The floor is sandwiched between the inner rocker panels and outer rocker panels. Check along the length of the outer rocker panel to floor seam and the inner rocker panel to floor seam. Lift up the lower corner of the gas tank's front cover. While kneeling and facing towards the back of the car, reach in through the large hole in the bottom of the partition and locate the top of the outer rocker panel on which the rear door pillar is welded to. Feel for signs of rust on the top of this rear and hidden section of the outer rocker panel. You should not be able to reach down into the inner aspect of the rocker panel area. The seam between the axle tunnel and the main floor, and the seam between the axle tunnel and the rear floor should also be examined from both from the inside and out. Next inspect the front seams between the floor and the inside of the front wheel well. Then inspect the front seam between the floor and the firewall. The outside curved surfaces of the rocker panels as well as the outside surfaces of the front and rear end plates should be looked at very closely. Also the suspention stiffening brackets in the rear wheelhouses should be looked at very closely as well. Again both the inside and outside surfaces of the wheel well should be checked.
2) Remove the two carpet sections that cover the front inner door valances, which are glued onto the metal surface of the door valance. Inspect the front hidden portions of the inner and outer rocker panels checking for signs of rust while looking through the two large holes that are in each valance.
3) Over the years hydraulic fluid from the brake or clutch reservoirs damage the paint on the frame and firewall allowing rust to form in the engine compartment and along the bottom of the firewall's seam.
4) Aged window and door seals allow water to enter and like the old Bowler trailers, which are also made of fiber glass, sweat forms on the inner surface of the roof. FYI As the foam ages and fails the linner drops.
5) And, battery acid in the trunk, which was made from a shortened 96 trunk, causes corrosion and rust damage.
For my own safty Larry, I compare driving my Sonetts to riding my motorcycles. Altough I may have more fairing around me, I am seating very low and do not look as intimidating as I would to someone on my bike. I get lost beside any SUV starting with the Mini and I mean the old ones! I try to keep on top of the car's (just broke down yesterday) up keep and repairs. By having ones brake fluid changed every year and all of the car's hydraulics changed and checked the chances of having to be caught broken down are limited. I also look more intimidating pushing my bike along the side of a road than I do pushing the Sonett (like I did yesterday). So, look visable, anticipate the other driver's intentions, insure other drivers know your intentions, check and use your signal lights, add a rear brake light to the roll bar, use the two second rule as the minimum distance between you and the car in front, position drive so that you are not caught in someone's blind spot, use the posted speed limit as your maximum speed and smile at all those very impressed people!
Also I have a couple of frames I'm working on so that I can have as safe a Sonett as I can. My goal is to retain, as close as possible, the original weight of the frame and therefore the original power to weight ratio. Repair panels may still be available through the Swedish club, but I'll make my own.
Larry, I believe that it was in 1972 that there was a mid-year change from the early body-attached front and rear bumpers to the international acclaimed and awards earning 5mph impact absorbing bumpers (Saab the inovator not the imitator), and it was in 1971 that inner door beams were added to protect occupants in the event of a side collision. Further strengthening of the doors, which I believe was the tabs on the upper surface of the rocker panel mid-door was added in about 1973.
Altough I may have more fairing around me, as I compare driving my Sonett to riding my motorcycles, I drive the posted speed limit and smile at all those very impressed people! (As I push my babe)
Regards
Jim H
posted by 24.66.16...
, Tue, 28 Mar 2006 16:33:32
, Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:50:13
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