Miata Drivetrain in a SAAB 96
 

I know, I need to finish one project before starting another, but when the option presents itself you must move on it.

Picked up a 94 Miata R last week. Got it home on Friday night. Looked like this.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328503300
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328503300

As of 10:00 Sunday night it looks like this.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328503300

The intent is to swap the entire drivetrain including engine, trans, rear end, both subframes, suspension, brakes, wiring harness - the whole thing into
a SAAB 96. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and I was unable to view said SAAB at the owner's farm. Hopefully next weekend.

If it just will not go, I'll build a Locost but I really want to do the SAAB. It will be tough. The SAAB was a FWD car with a 1300cc V4 in it.
I'm thinking SR20T25 budget turbo build. With the drivetrain in the SAAB it will perform and handle pretty well. The vehicles are similar size and weight. Making camaro, vette and mustangs cry on the road course with a 60's vintage SAAB will be epic.

Parts chillin in the shop.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328503300
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328503300

subbed for gigant bon4rz

Thanks for gutting a perfectly good Miata, assflute.

And an R to boot, making me Mr. assflute to you.

So you bought his car...The dude you bought this from posted on miataforumz.com

I sad until I read this.

I wonder if you could put that R back together in 2 days.

really? I need to creep that.

EDIT: Tried to find anything - couldn't. He didn't strike me as the kind who would post. The guy i got it from bought it at impound auction. The prior owner got caught on a drug stop on I80 going from CA to IA and the car was impounded and then sold by the tow company to cover towing and storage.

http://www.miataforumz.com/showthread.php?t=630

Oh wait, so maybe it's not you...crazy that two saabs are going on miata subframes.

I don't give a ---- about the "R", we're going to run out of chassis soon and its your fault. See you in hell.

I doubt it. It took me that long to disassemble and that always goes about twice as fast.

It is actually my fault. This is the first time that I have dismantled a non-wrecked running car. It was just perfect for what I wanted. I actually had waffled on just making a cheap track slut out of it. It already had the suspension and hard top. Just gut, roll bar and drive, but I have the V8 car for that. I wanted something different.

Don't tell me, tell this to Marshall Applewhite at Heaven's Gate.

The 96 will need some flares since the track is somewhat "different" to a Miata (1220 mm vs about 1420mm, 48" vs 56").
I remember trying to be two kids in the back seat, it was tight.

Yes, I anticipated this on the track width. I still need to go to see the car with a tape measure in hand.

I'll also have to move the firewall back about 10" because there won't be room for a footwell once there is a transmission tunnel there and the fender protrudes into the cabin. As a result it will be losing the back seat. No matter, it will be getting a set of aluminum 15" or 16" Kirkey seats and a cage and that's about it.

Omg you ruined a perfect miata! These cars are such gems, and you destroyed one. Your saab won't have the weight distribution to ever keep up with the perfect design of the miata!

/m.net rant.

J/k man, subscribed to see how this turns out.

SAAB 96?!?!
Subscribed for glorryyyy!!!!!

At first, I was like "a Saab?"

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328552996

But then I saw you write, "Making camaro, vette and mustangs cry on the road course with a 60's vintage SAAB will be epic" and decided to google Saab 96 and discovered this:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328552996

and this:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328552996

and decided his might be pretty spectacular after all.

Yes, that last picture is my target. More flare, though, to get the stock suspension under it.

old SAABs are awesome!
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328555368

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1PnI1gLjtl...+Lampinen1.jpg

I haven't yet seen the actual SAAB but it has been stored indoors for 12-15 years. It does come with multiple doors and more importantly multiple fenders for figuring out the "slight" fender roll.