1991-2004
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My Saab Hobby started in 1990 when my grandpa had to give up driving due to old age. His car -a 1977 Saab 96- was in pretty good shape (low mileage) and I needed a car since I was going to get a drivers licence pretty soon. I had actually dreamed of something a bit different, but ended up paying £100 for the Saab (very very cheap). |
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At that time I actually thought that it was ugly as hell, so ofcourse I had to do something about it. The car was stripped almost bare and painted inside out. There was very little rust (something of a rarity for a car that old, especially in Finland since the roads are salted in the winter time) and the job was relatively easy. The engine was also checked (excellent condition). |
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I propably had more enthusiasm than skill those days (actually, that's still the case) but my father has a lot of experience with different Saab's, and was willing to help. Thanks to him, we finally got the job done. |
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Most of the work was done during one summer on the backyard of my parent's house. |
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After painting: The assembly |
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All lists and badges were stripped to get a "clean" look. The side view mirrors were also changed for something more "sporty". |
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With the original bumpers and mask. |
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Later I acquired a new mask which was sandblasted and painted. |
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New mask and new (old) bumpers. They were left over from my fathers '71 which was dismantled around that time. |
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After that the car was in use pretty much year round for several years. That ofcourse didn't help keeping it in good shape. So, as I started new studies, and subsequently, a new job, I didn't have the means, time or money to keep it running. |
| Dark times: | |
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Finally I sort of abandoned it to this carage I rented for a couple of years. |
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But, as times seem the darkest, all hope is not lost... |
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The Second Incarnation, 2005 >
All Images / Site Copyright Tommi Järvinen 2005