1965 Saab Monte Carlo 850

96 -

-

-

Gasoline

1965 SAAB Monte Carlo 850 I bought the car from a fellow in Covina CA in 1997. It had been sitting for several years. The seat upholstery was rotted and the dash was severely cracked. The paint was faded and the lower sides of the body had been painted forest green with spray cans. The chrome was faded. The car had absolutely no rot in the typical areas that attack these cars. The transmission was locked and the engine was not running. At the time I’d made the acquaintance of Bud Clark (J&B Imports). I towed the car to his shop and removed the running gear. He rebuilt the transmission and the carbs. He cleaned all the gunk that had settled in the cooling system and had the radiator flushed. The fuel tank was rotted to I replaced it with one supplied by the Swedish Motor Factory in San Jose. I had the seats recovered by a shop in Orange CA. The door panels are original and show obvious signs of wear but were useable nonetheless. They are still in place. Bud also rebuilt the brake master cylinder (had it re-sleeved with a stainless steel insert. I rebuilt the front calipers and replaced the rear wheel cylinders. I had stainless steel flexible lines made for the car. I got the car on the road and drove it for a couple of years and then decided to disassemble it for restoration. I took a job in Utah and my wife and I loaded the car into the back of a rental truck and hauled it out here. I decided to get back on the car and had a fellow I met here shoot the engine compartment and finish prepping the body for paint. I tried to get as close to original the pea green. The car was painted around five years ago and it still looks great. The car does have a couple of small chips on the edge of each door. Since thefront suspension was out, I blasted and powder coated the control arms, springs rims. I installed new gas shocks, rebushed the front and also installed new ties rod ends and ball joints. The rear axle was not removed but also got new brake lines and other brake work. This is a premix engine. I have not been able to track down a running MC engine with oil injection. I do know where I can get a buildable core that will need the crankshaft rebuilt. The current engine is a three carb 850 CC unit. The engine runs wonderfully. I have a pertronix ignition installed and hardly deal with fouled plugs. The transmission shifts nicely and the clutch works well. The freewheeling also works well. I do have an oil tank that goes with the car but the oil line fitting needs welding. The car had the incorrect single pipe exhaust and Bud Clark had an expansion chamber made for the car. A local muffler shop fabricated dual pipes back to the rear resonator. I had a new headliner made for the car which my wife and I installed. It looks very good for a couple of amateurs. I also had carpeting made for the car which although is not exactly the same is presentable. Most the bright work has been replated. I disassembled the rear side window and had them plated as well per the original (the chrome had faded badly). The only chrome plate job I’m not happy with is the bumpers. The shop (now out of business) did a poor prep job. They look OK but the chrome is peeling slightly in a couple of spots. The stainless on the windshield and rear window were in bad shape. I had new front and rear window seals installed with the plastic chrome strip. I was thinking of finding a good used one in its place. I replaced the window channels and the seal around the rear deck. I had the dash recovered by a shop in WA. They did a nice job, but were unable to replicate the grooves as in the original. Overall it’s a very nice car, but wouldn’t win any SAAB Convention Concours! The longest drive I've taken in the car since restoration was around 150 miles. Some things you should know: · The clock does not operate · The front rotors have runout. I haven’t been able to source replacements. It’s not too bad unless attempting to slow from around 70MPH. · The shop didn’t do a great fit on the rear resonator to the pipe. I can’t tighten it completely. I’ve been at odds as to whether to have it fixed. I like the idea of being able to remove it easily when it come time to burn the oil out of it. I had thought of running a screw though the two ala motorcycle baffle just to stop the rattling. · The interior light is missing. · There is a slight flaw on the driver seat. I have a NOS fuel pump rebuild kit, microfiche for parts breakdown, Monte Carlo supplement to the owner manual. I have a microfiche viewer that I will throw in if the winning bidder desires. Although I will not arrange shipping, I'm happy to assist in meeting your shipper. Car can be picked up by winning bidder as well. I can store the car for a reasonable time not to exceed 30 days. I prefer the winning bidder make immediate arrangements to pick up car. I have the car advertised locally as well. I will terminate auction immediately if it sells. I have attempted to portray my SAAB as honestly as possible. Please ask if you have any specific questions.On Jun-02-11 at 17:12:28 PDT, seller added the following information: The right side mudflap is a bit oil stained due to the obvious exhaust residue. I tend to run the car a bit on the conservative side with my gas/oil mix.On Jun-04-11 at 18:09:19 PDT, seller added the following information: I also have a well worn shop manual my father had for his then new 1965 SAAB that goes with the car. In addition, I have a MC sales brochure and supplement to the standard 96 owner's manual.On Jun-06-11 at 19:49:28 PDT, seller added the following information: I've added a photo of the underside of the car. It has never had any floor repair or any other weld in pieces anywhere.