1965 Saab Other

Manual

If you recognize your Saabs you will know that this is a very rare 1965 Saab 96 Monte Carlo 850. I have owned this car for over 18 years but find that I am not using the car enough to justify keeping it any longer. This Monte Carlo 850 was purchased from its original owner in the summer of 1993 with only 43,000 actual miles on the odometer. The original owner, 73 years old at the time, had hopes of restoring her rather unusual car with the help of her son. She realized that she would likely not be able to accomplish this restoration at her age and decided to part with the car. I purchased this Saab due to its unaltered state. The original wiring harness was unmolested and all of the original Monte Carlo 850 emblems were intact and in excellent shape. The interior was faded and sun damaged but the seats and door panels had never been worked on. The original steering wheel and gauges were present and even the original jack and bag were in the car! There was some surface rust on the fenders that had been protected with a rust converter as well as some rust through at the bottom of the front fenders. The right rear fender showed signs of a minor bump as there was a wrinkle near the tail light. I brought the car home and stored it indoors from 1993 until it became the current restoration in 2001. The project took a little over one year to complete primarily due to the scarcity of replacement parts. The restoration began with a total disassembly of the car. All components were removed from the body shell and non-repairable parts were discarded. During the disassembly process rust through was found in the front middle of the floor near the engine bay bulkhead. The body shell was then replaced with a very rust free shell. The serial number located at the vertical panel in the rear seat and the name plate in the engine bay were transferred to the new shell. The shell was then stripped of all paint and prepped for repaint. The bare shell was painted in Polar White acrylic enamel including the interior and the engine bay area. Sub assemblies were then sent out for their respective rebuilds. The engine ran but had a noise due to wrist pin failure. It was packaged for shipping and sent to California for rebuild by renown 2 stroke mechanic Bud Clark. The rebuild included all main and rod bearings, oversized pistons supplied by the Saab club in Sweden, cylinder rebore, distributor rework, and reassembly. When the engine returned it was further enhanced with rebuilt carburetors and a new water pump. The reassembly of the body shell included powder coated suspension arms along with new control arm and suspension arm bushings. The heater core was tested and placed in a freshly powder coated heater box. The engine was then returned to the shell and fitted with new primary and secondary mufflers supplied by the Saab club in Sweden. New dual pipes were fitted between the new mufflers as well as new OEM hangers. The brakes were totally reworked which included new steel lines, new flexible lines, new rear wheel cylinders, and rebuilt front calipers. With the mechanical components finished it was time for the interior and exterior rework. The interior of the Monte Carlo was disassembled and the seats were recoverd by Rayco Upholstery in St. Petersburg, Florida. The proper cloth insert material for the seats was obtained from the Saab club in Sweden and coupled with a very close matching red vinyl. The chrome on the seat recliner mechanisms was replated and reassembled on the completed interior. The original door panels were retained as they were in excellent condition due to the car’s low mileage and light usage. They are excellent down to the snap off drink holder covers and map pockets! The carpet was matched as close as possible to the original carpet that had become somewhat brittle through time. The original headliner was reused and currently has a few wrinkles in it. It is likely that these could be removed by the proper application of heat and technique. The original Monte Carlo instrumentation was cleaned and replaced in an original bezel. The bezel and dashboard were resprayed in matching color paint with the proper sheen. The bezel has a small crack in the lower left side which is only slightly noticeable. The dashpad was replaced with an original pad. There is a slight separation in one of the grooves which is barely noticeable. The original glove compartment contains the owner’s manual along with the original Monte Carlo supplement. The exterior was then resprayed in Polar White acrylic enamel. Rust free fenders were used and attached using new fender welting, clip nuts, and stainless steel screws. The stainless screws used to attach the front fenders were individually blunted as the original fasteners were. The paint is likely the weakest part of the restoration. It is presentable but not concourse quality. It would not take much effort to take the bodywork to the highest level due to the quality of the body panels underneath. All emblems and bumpers were rechromed and replaced. The detail continues into the trunk. The trunk was fully detailed and even includes the original inner wheel well and trunk floor material. The wood floor was replaced and painted with the matching paint. The spare tire is new and matches the other tires on the car. The original jack and bag are also in the trunk. This is a very special car that can be driven at any time. It always draws attention wherever it goes and is an excellent example of vintage Swedish engineering. See link below for YouTube video of this car in action and feel free to email with any questions regarding this special automobile. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdG9U50IJDM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhTPYb6-fxY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJiiuufENDM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPMqU19Y9R8