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My Experience Posted by 88SPGCLone [Email]  (#1317) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from 88SPGCLone) on Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:32:57
In Reply to: Converting to a 5, Chris, Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:38:11 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Let me preface by saying I haven't worked this detailed on a car for 22 years...and I did the entire conversion myself. I only needed a hand to guide the engine/tran back in. I did tow to my indy for startup because I didn't have the tool to assure shifter & tranny were aligned in 3rd and nor (for whatever reason) do I enjoy bleeding brake/tranny systems. Everything else is patience, method/approach and for the most part a basic Craftsman metric tool kit. http://www.spxkentmoore.com/ had a few of the special Saab tools which keeps you from being too creative. Parts take sometime to round up. You may be better finding a donor car because gas, dealer ($$), eBay, phone, time & shipping multiple parts start to cost a lot or find a shop/site willing to sell the entire lot of parts. I found Saab Savior and my indy very helpful on parts / advice.
I took my time. I preemptively replaced alot of parts as well as the difficult to access items Timing Chain, Chain Guides, Rod/Main Bearings, Control Arm bushings, all gaskets etc. Lots of people have suggestions on what parts make sense to replace while you're in there. I probably had 80 hrs in to it (wasn't in a hurry) and not unlike the other gentlemen I worked on it mainly when the family was in bed (during winter). It's a great stress reliever and kept my mind from thinking about work. I'm considering converting my vert auto to 5-speed mainly for the stress relief. It's an excellent Swedish excuse to go the garage, choke down a few cigars, primal scream or beers depending on whatever.
There was a published PDF from Mark Jeter called "Automatic to Manual Conversion" that helped me understand the scope. I would get a Bentley manual and read read read. Both were very helpful. I think I academically prepared a lot and once the first bolt was removed I was pretty much following intuition. This board is extremely helpful and quite a few of us DIY will chime in on advice.
My Indy did rebuild the entire 5-speed. It took him a week once he got all the parts in. Parts like 2nd sych, pinion, reverse gear tend to cause issue w/5-speeds and were replaced. IMO, at this point in GM/Saab relationship as well as age of our cars, you may want to consider long term parts/replacements.
I still can't believe I did it. I remember the lump in my throat when I realize I was at the point of no return and potentially a Charlie Foxtrot. It was a positive experience. The car runs great, the 5-speed is fun and I have a lot of pride for the effort otherwise I wouldn't be on this board willing to share advice. Oh I might add, after this effort I can fix darn near everything on this car and with the age of the car not a bad time for DIY efforts. If you need any advice, feel free to email.
88T - 225k
posted by 12.181.22...
, Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:32:57 <-- Viewing This Message
, Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:31:44
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