The Rains Came

August 6, 2020 Eleven

…Just, but enough for me to run outside and see how well the detail on the Viggen had worked. I don’t think I’m alone in getting a bit excited about some tiny beads of rain sitting atop newly detailed paintwork and fabric, it’s one of those simple pleasures that just makes any petrolhead smile.

From early signs, it seems as though the Fabsil Gold on the roof has worked a treat, keeping to interior dry and cosy whilst the Soft99 Fusso has worked equally well on the Lightening Blue paintwork, reassuring considering it’s been sat in hibernation for the past 5 years. I’ll looked forward to a proper English downpour with fingers crossed next.

Viggen from the Flames

August 4, 2020 Eleven

Almost 5 months ago today I purchased the Saab 9-3 Viggen convertible, I’ve done a number of updates throughout the journey, but today, it finally had it’s full exterior detail.

It’s not perfect, having covered 140,000 miles for it’s 5 previous owners, that’s almost 6 times around the Earth, it has stories to tell; stone chips and a few dents, but totally honest and with virtually no rust I couldn’t ask for more, it deserved to be saved, pampered and then enjoyed.

A local detailer has given it a good scrub down, clay bar and treated with Soft99 Fusso; a Japanese paint sealant which will protect it for up to 12 months whilst the roof has also been given a good clean with G101 APC together with a Fabsil Gold waterproofing.

Having driven it for a few hundred miles now, there are a few niggles to deal with, the Air Bag light needs reseting after removing the interior, the outside temp sensor needs replacing and there’s a slight knocking from the driver’s side front suspension set up. Other than that, the short shift gear knob is taking a while to settle in and has a tendency to pop out of 2nd when downshifting, and if this can’t be adjusted satisfactorily, I’ll change it back to the standard shifter instead which will be a shame, but essential.

As this was always a project to save another beautiful Saab, it’ll be up for grabs once the issues are all addressed, you’ll find the full build over on Aeroriginal soon.

Black and Blue

August 3, 2020 Eleven

It might sound strange, but one of my favourite parts of any new Saab rescue is the interior refresh, I look forward to it, I plan what I need to do and how to approach it, I even like stocking up on the products iv’e trusted for years.

After a good few months of the Viggen being made mechanically right again, the interior has languished in 5 years of dust, dirt and tiredness, the leather looked sad and neglected, cast off parts all over the back seat and numerous fittings missing, lost over its 20 year journey.

I like to remove all of the seats, that way, I can treat each one to a full clean and 24 hour feed with Gliptone, bringing the leather to life again, the distinctive Viggen blue leather has come up a treat, it looks bright and firm again, and although the drivers seat has some cracking, the moisuriser has given it a new lease of life and left it with a lovely patina to help tell the car’s story.

I used a foam cleaner by Autoglym for the carpets and plastics and finished it off with a light rub of Autoglym Trim Gel which brings out the grain and colour perfectly.

The new CD head unit replaces the old cassette unit and a subtle AUX input has been fitted, the gorgeous new Nappa leather steering wheel by Tun Style and a genuine Saab replacement leather gear knob.

Tomorrow, the Viggen will be pampered even more by Harry the detailer, the body gets a full clay bar treatment and polish and the roof gets cleaned and sealed again ready for its first outdoor Winter in 5 years.

Viggen Rescue Update

June 25, 2020 Eleven

It’s been a busy fews weeks down at Malcolm Miles, the 9-5 Sportcombi has been dropped off and some serious work has started on the Viggen.

Firstly, some housekeeping, although the sump had been dropped only a few hundred miles ago, it was actually back in 2015, so that’s been dropped again, oil completely drained and refilled with new oil, filters and spark plugs. The power steering pipe has been replaced as have a number of other pipes and perished hoses, the brake lines all cleared out and new high performance Tarox brake fluid added together with Tarox Japan Street drilled, grooved and vented discs, pads and braided hoses. We’ve also added a new oil cooler together with a new DO88 intercooler, Nordic Performance induction kit and a Stage 3+ ECU upgrade by Karl at Noob Tune.

The Bilstien B8 shocks and Eibach springs are now fitted together with the Momo Stealth alloys wheels, chosen for an updated play on the original Viggen 5 spokes, 215/35/19 tyres from Hankook have been used, but from early thoughts, we could upgrade these to 225/35/19 tyres and still fit without issues. The gorgeous craftsmanship from APH Performance has been fitted in the form of a 3” stainless steel downpipe, this links up to the original Viggen middle and rear exhaust section to keep the style right.

Inside, the original tape only head unit has been replaced with a CD unit and an AUX input, the new Hirsch style Nappa leather steering wheel has been fitted and a new OE leather gear knob tops off the superbly tight short shifter from Jam Saab, all in all, the Viggen is beginning to look like my vision, progress continues and this iconic convertible should be ready to take its first road trip in 5 years.