Weekend Aero Workshop

October 1, 2024 Eleven

A couple of jobs on the Graphite Green Aero had been outstanding for a while now, an irritating whine we’d narrowed down to either alternator, or power steering pump, as sod’s law always wins, we changed the alternator for a new one, and it wasn’t that, the whine continued. This weekend, it was finally fixed, a new pump fitted and we’re back to the quiet, smooth running I always associate with the Saab 9-5 Aero engine.

Annoyingly, the beautiful dark Walnut dashboard had started to delaminate and crack, so a perfect replacement was found and that has also been fitted. Over the years, I think I’ve possibly had virtually every facia option Saab offered, some more unusual, the light walnut with a gorgeous satin finish, the almost black Ash, and both the Saab and Hirsch Carbon options, but I still find the dark Walnut endearing. This Aero was also specified with the optional matching Dark Walnut Gloss gear selector, which really does finish the console off perfectly.

Another job for the weekend was to transplant the original Hirsch steering wheel from the Nocturne Blue Aero over to the Green Aero. As I’m not entirely sure what will happen to the Nocturne one, I wanted to keep the wheel as it’s a gorgeous shape, and feels so much more substantial than the standard wheel.

Last but not least, the Green Aero had a slight stutter under full acceleration, it hesitated and didn’t put its full power down, so we’ve changed over the brand new, genuine DI pack and also correct Aero spark plugs and it’s stopped the stutter completely, passing the issue to the donor Nocturne Aero, so yet another DI and plug set has arrived this morning from Neo Brothers.

After such a long time to get this car back on track, it’s such a joy to own and drive, although it’s featured for sale on Aeroriginal, I’m not entirely sure I can let this one go now.

A Different Kind of Luxury

May 30, 2024 Eleven

The Graphite Green Aero has been somewhat of a nemesis over the past year for me, all originating from an oil light that kept haunting me on tickover; two bottom end engine changes, and finger’s crossed, I think we might have finally sorted it.

Malcolm Miles, have somehow kept their cool, sourced another Aero block and brought it all together again, there are a few small snagging issues to sort; a whinny belt and a slight hesitation on full acceleration, but it’s back to being as nice to drive as I remember.

Having just had surgery, I have to suffer two whole weeks without driving, but today, I felt well enough to do some much needed work on the interior, lots of dirt and a general build up of grime left it feeling a little sorry for itself, sticky console buttons, film over all of the windows, disintegrating mats and the odd missing fitting here and there. Taking my time, I cleaned the dashboard, seats and door cards with soapy water to get the worst off, then moved on to Autoglym interior foam and a brush to give them all a thorough clean.

It’s not perfect, but after putting in a high quality set of new carpet mats and a final hoover, it’s starting to look how it deserves to look. Not to everyone’s taste, but the cream leather, carpet and headlining give the interior a beautifully calming and airy feel, whilst the dark wood dashboard and extended wood gear knob just add to the overall sense of luxury. The clear orange and green lights are a welcome relief from the harsh, bright instrumentation of many newer cars and overall, the Saab offers a rare, relaxed space in which to enjoy endless journeys; the Graphite Green Aero is finally coming together.

Saab Design Study

July 15, 2022 Eleven

There are numerous reasons why I believe Saab made such exceptional cars, not least, their infinite design capabilities. Driven by both form and function, Saab managed to bless us with superior innovation and refined details for some 66 years.

I've always been so impressed with Saab Design, that I thought it was about time I shared a few of them occasionally. As I'm currently in the process of saving a 1997 9000 Aero, I'll begin with one of my personal favourites; Super Aero alloys part numbers: 400100491 / Cap 400100707. 16 x 6.5" with an offset of 27. These stunningly simple, 3 spoke wheels managed to help give the 9000 Aero a totally unique aesthetic.

Manufactured by RONAL, the Super Aeros have the ability to look larger than they actually are, and is one standard wheel I can't bare to change. These wheels suit the 9000 so perfectly I can't imagine the Aero models with anything else.

For my 9000 project, I've chosen to have them fully refurbished and powder coated in a darker metallic grey, this will help create a contrast to the Silver paintwork and help highlight the Rocky Black Aero interior even further. It wasn't a standard option when the 9000 Aero was launched, but feel it adds a touch of individuality without compromising its overall design integrity, my whole reasoning behind Aeroriginal.

Interior Design

March 7, 2022 Eleven

No Saab project is complete without a bit of interior design, it’s the place we spend most of time, the place that gives us the sense of being in a car that is a bit special, a bit individual. Over the years, I’ve always looked out for the rarer parts that help with this feeling, the Carbon dashboards, Hirsch handles and pedals, or even just a new genuine Saab leather gear knob, but nothing makes quite so much difference as a new steering wheel.

This must now be my sixth or seventh wheel from TunStyle, and I’m always reassured by the quality of craftsmanship; perfect form, just the right level of chunkiness and absolutely superb Nappa leather, part perforated and beautifully stitched. Luckily the airbag and buttons in this 9-5 are in great condition, so with a little clean, it looks like a new interior again.

TunStyle tunstyle.eu | Instagram

Interior Therapy

January 17, 2022 Eleven

Despite owning the 9-5 Hirsch for over 6 months now, I hadn’t had an opportunity to spend time detailing the dashboard. Over the years, the buttons tend to get coated with grime and become sticky, so it’s an exceptionally rewarding job to tackle.

I tend to use warm soap and water with either a toothbrush or paintbrush to work in some moisture first and then move on to a Hi-Foam Interior Shampoo from Autoglym for a second stage clean. I’ll them remove any residue with a microfibre cloth and hoover over the entire facia to really pull out any remaining dust and dirt.

I’ve got a real hate for any kind of oil or shine on the surfaces, so tend to stay away from most treatments; Autoglym Vinyl and rubber care being the exception. This feeds the plastics and bring the colours out again but still remains matt after finishing.

It’s a stage I love doing, especially on Saabs, the older dashboards were beautifully designed and built and respond well to care. The buttons are once again free from grime with clear letting and symbols and with the new Saab carbon facia, is both timeless and functional, all that remains is a new Nappa leather steering wheel.

Saab Sourcery

April 28, 2021 Eleven

When there's a new Saab project on the horizon, I find it increasingly difficult to relent in my search for parts, in fact, I find it one of the most enjoyable stages of the build. I'll spend hours looking at old brochures and images to see what works best; interior, exterior, engine mods, stance, wheels, even colours.

For many years, I've wanted what I class as one of the very best Saabs ever built; the 9000 Aero, and I think I've finally found the perfect one for me. It's a 1996 Scarab Green with Dover Interior, it's covered decent miles at 212,000, but for a 9000, that's relatively low and best of all, it's a manual with minimal rust.

One of the most exceptional design features of the Saab 9000 Aero is the interior. Beyond its time in both style and substance, the curvaceous seats, designed by Recaro are things of beauty, and even today, not many seats have come close to beating them for comfort of support, and then there's the absolutely gorgeous dashboard and centre console, full of analogue beauty, functionality and old school longevity.

Sadly, it's had the original stereo removed and a poor replacement fitted and that's where my sourcing began, I've already found a perfect tape deck with amplifier, but better still, I noticed the donor car also had a rather fantastic compartment with pop out coin tray and cupholders which I just couldn't resist.

I was also lucky enough to have procured a rather lovely full Aero interior a few years back, Rocky leather with all seats and door cards in amazing condition, so if the Dover interior feels a little too light, I'll be doing a full swap out for my reserve interior which might suit the Scarab Green even better.

The search continues for more parts, a wood and leather wheel is already on its way, but I'll be on the lookout for wood door caps and latch surrounds next.

Swedish Interior Design

April 14, 2021 Eleven

On each Saab Aero project I've done, there's one part that I always find most rewarding; the interior refresh. The early 9-3 and 9-5 both have beautifully designed, intuitive aesthetics, but they've also proved to be superior quality too, they've faired well over the past 20 years and with patience and hard work can be brought back to a seriously nice place to be.

They do of course have their Achilles heal, and these from experience are the seat bolsters, the dash buttons and screen pixels. The soft touch rubberised coating on the buttons wears off easily and can also become sticky to the touch, I always look out for units that have minimal wear, but these are getting harder to find now, there are fixes around, but originality to me is always key. For the 9-5 Aero, I've managed to source a set of new dash units that have excellent buttons and also no missing pixels, they slot in beautifully and always help to remind me just how exemplary Saab interior design was.

The seats are always another area of wear, mostly on the driver's bolsters, but if not looked after, the entire seat surface can become cracked and tired. I've found a set of sand coloured leather Aero seats from a 2005 model, these offer more side support and comfort and work beautifully in the gen 1, I've also added leather trimmed door cards from the later model, some minor adjustments to the boot and full buttons are required, but again, the results really add to the overall interior feeling. I'll be having some new leather handle covers made as the rubber coating on these too, tend to perish and flake off.

Ive removed the seats and given the carpet a good clean, the seats have been cleaned and moisturised, and all surfaces treated. Ive added a brand new Saab Carbon Fibre dash and also another beautiful Nappa leather steering wheel by TunStyle to finish it all of nicely. Ive even found a set of new, genuine Saab sand coloured carpet mats which really do work wonders.