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Fuel Cell Install

We have many projects to tackle on the car before its ready for paint. Our goal is to get all welding and body changes completed before painting the car. We dont want to forget anything and have to ruin a great paint job! One of those projects was to make a metal enclosure to house the ATL racing fuel cell. The enclosure is mandatory in Rally America rules for any after market fuel cell. The project isn't finished yet but it is looking great. To finish it off it will be getting a hinged lid, and a Aero Catch latch to keep it secure. The square on the left of the fuel cell is where my two Bosch 044 fuel pump's will be mounted upright.

All the small things...

Lately I have spent some time doing the small things I dont want to rush later on! I painted my intercooler that survived the fire. It looked aweful so I cleaned it up and sprayed it with some red paint. It has been notched so my headlights slide into it. It fits like a glove! I have also sanded and painted both the front and rear sway bars.

My engine block is bare and ready to start the build. Its going to be a very simple engine build. I am going to put in new rings for my JE forged pistons, new rod bearings, new timing chain and guides, and delete the balance shafts. The head will be the same as my last one with stronger springs, upgraded custom camshafts, lash caps, and adjustable cam gears. Its all really simple I just need to buy a few gaskets and get motivated!

Keep Saabin!

Kaylan Marie

The best type of present...

...is the type that comes UPS all of the way from Svenska wrapped in tape that says "Speedparts". :)

When "Dustin" burned down and I decided to rebuild him one of the biggest questions I asked myself was what wheels I would use? I loved the 18" Inca wheels I had on Dustin for a couple of thousand miles but they were destroyed in the fire. They got so hot they literally warped and bent beyond repair. I didn't want to get a new set because I wanted to build something new, and fresh. What other rare saab wheel could I get for a new car that would be as good, if not better, and be as unique? Well I found the answer to that question but unfortunately they ended up costing over $500.00 US brand new per wheel! I kept a close eye on the cost through Saab but the price never declined. Fortunately for me when I emailed Peter over at Speedparts Sweden he saved the day and got me a set at a very decent price. Two thumbs up again for Speedparts.

The wheels I decided on are another set of 18" wheels available only to the European market. They are called "Double Blades" and come on the 9-5 Aero in Sweden if I am not mistaken. They are rare, unique, and very attractive wheels. These ones are actually 8" wide instead of the traditional 7.5". They arrived late last night:

 

 

These should fit the new build nicely for the street wheels. Another smaller diameter set will be decided upon for rally tires.

Keep Saabin' and check back often!

-Kaylan Marie

Saabaru Aero Spec C?

Well here it is finally installed on the car. We put it all together for a test fit but it is coming right back off to get painted:

Before the hole was cut we measured and traced the pattern:

Husband cutting it out:
 ( I love him doing the dirty work. Where was he during the last build? )  ;)

After the hole was cut, and the rubber seal was in place:

Of course since I am not a Subaru nerd I put the rubber seal on upside down without knowing any better. I guess I have to turn that around. ;)

Shot of it from the inside:

Total install time: About 15 minutes. My husband and I were both wondering how long this actually takes the Subaru guys?! lol.

Keep Saabin' and check back frequently!

Kaylan Marie

Sway Bars

Today I scored a set of SASAB.com sway bars with a new set of poly bushings. A close family friend bought his 9000 with them installed and he didnt like them. I traded my stock Aero sway bars for the SAS ones, and the poly bushings came with the bars but have never been installed. Im going to paint them nice again (red or orange probably) and throw them on the car.

Keep Saabin' and check back frequently!

Kaylan Marie 

Completed Roll Cage

A few weeks ago my husband James took my 9000 Rally Car to meet up with one of the guys from Rally America to go over the roll cage. They re-bent the front bars and now my husband has finished up the cage. Its ready to be log booked once the guys get back from the "Oregon Trail" National Rally America event taking place at Portland International Raceways this weekend.

We are moving onto other things now such as finding dent free rear doors so we can commence the two door conversion, installing the Spec C Subaru roof vent, and we are waiting on the tittle to another parts car so we can have a good rear quarter panel to weld onto the drivers side. Things are coming together nicely so far, and Nick T if your still reading I need a few things. I will be in touch. :)

Keep Saabin' and check back frequently!

-Kaylan Marie

Roll Cage Construction

Our project got delayed because of our vacation and because we relocated the car from my parents house into our new shop. My husband had to re-wire his welder for our 220 outlet in our shop, and get everything in place to finish up the cage.

Here is a photo of how the construction is going. Hopefully next week sometime we can meet up with one of the scrutineers from Rally America or NASA so we can confirm the cage will pass tech inspections before we go through the trouble of finishing it up. (and especially before it gets paint!)

Keep Saabin' and check frequently for project updates!

-Kaylan Marie  ;)

Our Voyage at sea

On Feb 7th 2010 James O'Connor and myself were married at sea accompanied by our closest friends and family members. We tied the knot while in the port of Long Beach California and we all set sail together for Mexico.

 
  

Subaru Spec C "roof vent"

Shall we call it a Saabaru? (god I hope not)

In my quest to find a reasonably priced aftermarket rally style roof vent I failed. Every aftermarket option either has a dump tube for water and a "roof scoop" that goes over it, or looks like something that should be on grandma's old camping trailer. I decided to go with this factory subaru rally vent which only opens when you pop it open, and will seal water tight.

The white one above is the one I bought, and below is a photo of one installed on a WRX.

-Kaylan Marie 
  

New Fog Lights

One thing I was missing on my old Aero were the French market only front fog lights. I always wanted them but could never find a set of them. I finally got my hands on a set of them thanks to rbmperformance. These have an amber reflector inside of them that gives them the apperance of depth which will match the European head lamps nicely. :)

The glass needs a little polishing but other than that they are in excellent used condition. :)

Kaylan Marie