To the person who posted about that Saab Sonett last week...

Posted by Baaguuette@reddit | projectcar | View on Reddit | 73 comments

Thank you for attaching the copart auction link 🤣 I dropped everything I was doing to nab it as soon as I saw this was in Oregon.

Ever since I first saw one of these at a cars and coffee a couple years ago it's been one of my top dream cars, never thought I'd actually get the chance one day. Going for a more practicality based restoration over purity. I forsee a lot of custom fabrication and 3d printing for the missing bits, which are mostly cosmetic - bulk of the internals are still here. Big one is probably gonna be custom shrouds for the headlights

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Ogreanonymous@reddit

My favorite dream about the Sonett is to cut the body vertically in front of the rear wheels to the greenhouse, and then cut out the greenhouse moving towards the tail. Add about 14 inches of wheelbase in front of the rear wheel. Put an engine there. Due to the narrowness of the Sonett, a transverse engine might be difficult, so perhaps a Subaru or the Ford V4 longitudinally. I think both would fit length wise, though the end of the six speed Subaru gearbox would be very close to the rear bumper. Alternatively, a Hayabusa or Kawasaki 1400cc could fit with all of the clutch and gearbox issues bike engine cars can have. Remove the front engine and hopefully shorten the nose about 10 inches. That front overhang is ugly. Then either weld in a roll cage or build one from carbon fiber grafted onto the fiberglass body. Miata suspension would be the most straight forward improvements to handling. It is like building an entire car but without 3/4 of the body work and half the interior work.

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Pyropete125@reddit

Ford's only V-4 they ever produced.

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Ogreanonymous@reddit

Ford produced two V4 engines, one in Germany and one in the UK. They are not compatible.

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nunyazzz@reddit

My shop mate has among his 5 other saabs a sonabusa. Sonet with a Hayabusa motor. I never got to drive it. it was always getting tweaked to keep it alive.... As were his other viggens, and 900 track, lemons, and rally saabs. True fanatic.

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Thee_Sinner@reddit

OP, please keep the V4 in it instead of the swaps everyone else is wanting :P

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Baaguuette@reddit (OP)

I'm definitely gonna try and get it running first just to see, but for the long term I was thinking of swapping out the motor mostly to have something in there with better parts availability. Also a little more power than the stock 65hp and 13s 0-60 lol

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dr2chase@reddit

be a little careful, the transmission is not infinitely strong, 3rd gear in particular is not well-lubricated. Modern synthetic oils should help, though.

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awesomeaustinv2@reddit

Parts availability should be fine, actually. That Ford Taunus V4 under the hood shares the same architecture and most of the same parts with the Ford Cologne V6, which came in a multitude of very popular vehicles in the US, including the Ford Mustang, Bronco II, and Ford Ranger, so most common engine parts are actually pretty easy to find. The only things that might give you a problem are cylinder heads, crankshaft, camshaft, intake, and maybe oil pan since those would all be V4-specific, but unless something goes very very wrong you shouldn't have to replace any of those.

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Thee_Sinner@reddit

I love the idea of v4s lol building out one of these was my plan until I saw the face my bank account was giving me

Wiki says there’s a “bored and stroked” version that made 200hp… what face is your account making? Lmao

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Particular-Wrongdoer@reddit

Practical and Saab do not go together, but enjoy your car! I’ve owned 4 900T in the 80s-90s, a 2001 93 and a 77 99 ems. Fun cars. I drive a Honda now and enjoy my sanity.

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WatIsLasagne@reddit

Crazy snipe 😭🙏

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2muchtoo@reddit

LS swap.

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series-hybrid@reddit

"...The Saab Sonett was offered with two distinct engines: an early 748cc, 3-cylinder two-stroke engine, and a later 1698cc (1.7L) Ford V4 four-stroke engine sourced from the Taunus, which became the standard engine due to emissions regulations..."

A V4...Hmmm

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Jack_Attak@reddit

Yep. Here's one I saw at a car show a few years back.

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triforce88@reddit

Never thought an engine could be cute!

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nmyron3983@reddit

That whole car is a real looker. Gives some early Japanese vibes meets softer styling. Very cute

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Ollemeister_@reddit

That cross brace/coolant tank is absolutely unhinged

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Gregarious_Raconteur@reddit

A V4...Hmmm

They're pretty common in motorcycle and marine applications.

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Whowhywearwhat@reddit

I'd be looking for an ex speedway scat v4.

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mr_j_12@reddit

G16egts for me. 3 cyl 😁

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GringoSancho@reddit

So I’m a Toyota guy, but I drink a marijuana soda. But, I’m pretty sure that’s the turbo 3-cylinder from the Yaris and the Corolla GR? Holy fuck dude, that’s gonna be a missle.

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justin_memer@reddit

Why is missile so difficult to spell?

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series-hybrid@reddit

Not for me. Speling werds is easy fr me.

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mr_j_12@reddit

That'd be the one. It would be a weapon indeed. 👍👍

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BadVoices@reddit

I've been doing stupid stuff with a Wisconsin W4-1770, an air cooled Industrial V4. Full rebuild, added Sequential Fuel injection, coil on plug ignition, flex fuel support, and o2 sensors. Economy, starting, and performance in the skid steer I put it in has been substantially improved. Going to get one setup in one of my spare baja beetle chassis.

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AdjunctFunktopus@reddit

2/3rds of a Cologne V6.

People have swapped the V6 into Saab 96s, I’m not sure it would fit in a Sonett though. And the weight balance would be so far forward you’d probably have to tie down the back end when you parked, and use stoppie bars for heavy braking.

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Fearlessleader85@reddit

The V4 was used in a lot of stuff back in the day. Great little engine.

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FXLRDude@reddit

I had the Ford Taunus 1.7 with a manual.it was a very light car. It's hard to get it to and out of. Mine had a roll bar. It also came with an 8 track tape player.

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EarthOk2418@reddit

Yup

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blakewantsa68@reddit

I had three at the same time in the 80s - I saw one for sale in some dude's yard while out for a drive and pulled in to have a chat. turned out it was a three-for deal, I had to take all three to get the one that was in running order. I was annoyed but it turned out to be a win as I perpetually needed parts.

sold them a couple of years later.

it was a blast --there used to be a bunch of old Saab enthusiasts in the Portland area in the 00s that still raced/rallyed the old two-stroke cars. No idea if that's still a thing. Keith Martin or Jeff Zurschmede might know if you can find them

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jimbofranks@reddit

Oh wow. Is the lever for the headlights still there?

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AKA_Squanchy@reddit

Not sure if you can see this link but Saabs have been following me!

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ClassicV8_1969@reddit

Bruh. I saw that about a week ago and I was thinking to myself “huh, that would’ve been a good car to give my friend for his 17th birthday.” Then I didn’t because I need to replace the rear brakes on my car and a single caliper is about $400 so that’s not really an option.

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caosblue@reddit

I think I saw this on a trailer today on I-5. If not it was something similar

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Baaguuette@reddit (OP)

Being pulled by a uhaul pickup? If so that was me lol

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caosblue@reddit

Yep with headlight swinging from the wire under the car. I assumed it a was a Briklin for some reason. Good luck with your project sir.

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Baaguuette@reddit (OP)

Funny story about that - had no idea that was happening! When I got home I noticed a headlight just sitting on the trailer, my guess is it was loose but tucked up in the nose. Didn't notice it at all when getting the car strapped down, must've jostled loose and thankfully didn't fall out on the road. The other one was just sitting in the passenger footwell lol

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PatentlyDad@reddit

It’s wild someone happened to both see this post and also see you bringing this car home. What are the chances?

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AKA_Squanchy@reddit

Someone sent me pics of my old Bug in the driveway of the guy who bought it from me when I posted pics of it once. Turns out it was his neighbor haha

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Johnny-Cash-Facts@reddit

I got a dm from a former owner of my 4Runner when he passed me on the highway one morning.

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rekab6969@reddit

You need to check out Tom Donney. 😁

https://www.saabplanet.com/tom-donney-achieved-new-records-in-a-saab-at-bonneville-salt-flats/

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Hoovooloo42@reddit

V4s are cool but that bad boy needs an Evinrude V8 if the motor is shot!

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Miserable_Tooth1420@reddit

If it has A/C, look into the steel timing gear sets. The stock fiber gears will lunch themselves quick and it will start overheating because the balancer quits turning the water pump

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proxymoto@reddit

K-Swap it

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RiskyNight@reddit

I don't think it would fit. Look how small the bay is, and the longitudinal layout. It would be a lot of fab work and almost guaranteed to be protruding out of the hood.

Sportbike or snowmobile engine is the way!

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Hiroken@reddit

Really hope to see her at Orchards one day!!

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AScaryHomelessGuy9@reddit

Assuming you’re not married to the idea of an “all stock” restoration. If it fits…a GM 3800 supercharged (L67) out of a early 2000’s Pontiac GTP would be AMAZING in this FWD car (GTP is also FWD). An old friend had one and it was surprisingly quick/reliable, engine and transmission.

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patlaska@reddit

I had a college professor in the mid 2010s who daily drove one of these. Was always cool seeing it parked on campus like any old commuter

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BeamMeUpReddit@reddit

I feel that Saab overall is a very college professor car.

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cateraide420@reddit

What a rad ride! Congrats!

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jeepymcjeepface@reddit

Congrats! I've owned two, as well as an old Saab 95 wagon. I've had both the 1500 and 1700 v4. They're cool little cars; I'm glad you snagged one.

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Klo187@reddit

The front end is screaming for a 440 big block, and the rear is asking for something a bit more sporty

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tk8398@reddit

They are tiny, a 440 would be almost as wide as the whole car 😂

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Complaint_Manager@reddit

Yeah. An LS7 would be a better choice. Only 427 ci.

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Packshaw@reddit

Here’s a theme song for you. https://open.spotify.com/track/5j8zZdqxnNH7wL3HnmKfI9?si=AQ9Fd_x6RFihJcFw67cUiA&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A6gpUXbKlLHbgXFSyKvetch

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trollkarlsmatto@reddit

Damn! Im gonna follow you now, looking forward to seeing more

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mmmmira@reddit

Congrats! Love these.

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DerisiveGibe@reddit

Let me borrow $300

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TBFP_BOT@reddit

He just spent his last 300$

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I-Died-Yesterday@reddit

gif

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lunarc@reddit

Oh nice! How much did you get it for ?

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Baaguuette@reddit (OP)

300 was the listed price, once the fees were added on and the $100 membership it went up to 675. Still, never thought I'd see one of these even in this condition for less than like 1500

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lunarc@reddit

Awesome! A good price for sure !

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CognitiveSinergy@reddit

Theres a fair amount of info around on these. If you're not deep into Saabs already, join some of the vintage groups. Those guys will have all the info youll ever need. Here's where the reproduction sheet metal lives.

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Baaguuette@reddit (OP)

Thank you for those resources! I have a 2001 9-3 which was my first car, currently sitting in my driveway as I've been neglecting it to work on other projects lol. Esaabparts has been my lifeline for that car, what they didn't have I could then find elsewhere easier with the part numbers

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PharmoCratic@reddit

I had one. They’re nuts in the ice. It’s front wheel drive. If you floor it, turn the steering wheel and pull the hand brake it will turn 180 degrees around. The door into the engine area is too small. The overflow tank in a front crossover pipe is kooky. Chip Lamb is the guy to know. There was a guy selling cnc panels like trunk bottoms. I haven’t heard of him lately. It’s NOT a transverse engine design. It’s a front wheel drive sports car. You can probably find the headlight parts for it. They’re small.

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