Days 1-4

Preamble:

Since owning a '72 Sonett III in my youth, I have wanted another one! I finally cajolled my loving wife into allowing me to get one. The car in question is a '71 Sonett III with early mag wheels, purchased from a man in Oregon who never got around to the restoration and needed his garage back. It is (used to be) orange (it is about half primer gray at the moment). Oregon plates in the trunk start with the letters JMX, so I have decided the car must be named Jamie. Jamie is in need of lots of TLC, actually she needs a life-changing experience!

Day 1:

The car arrived on a transport truck this morning. I am not sure how they got it up there, but it took myself and four neighbors to get it down off the top level of the auto transport as there were (supposedly) no brakes. We discovered upon pushing the car into the driveway, that there is still some traction in the emergency brakes.

A quick survey of the car and the loose parts in the interior revealed several interesting things upon my return from work.

Frame:

There has been extensive damage and subsequent repair work to the drivers side fiberglass, most notably at the rear vent pillaster and wheel well, but also at the drivers door and around the pop-up headlights. The rocker panels on both sides are complete losses despite the fact that both sides were rebuilt in the past, apparently using a metal break for repeated folds rather than bending a curve in the metal. There are very large holes in the floor pan on the drivers side and (as expected) in the trunk along the sides of the floor and under the battery.

All metal observed, including the door frame assemblies, is covered in a heavy coating of rust. I have not been under the car yet to see the condition of the steel under there. The worst of the rust damage appears to be around the seams between body panels (again as
expected).

Trim:

All the trim from the nose of the vehicle (corner lights, grille, bumpers, fog lights etc) have been removed. The corner lights were located in a plastic crate in the trunk, but the front bumpers are MIA. Parts that potentially form the grille were also found in the trunk, but verification is still required on that.

The door trim, handles, etc. and most of the interior carpeting has been removed, but appears to be present. The carpet and apholstery were all planned to be replaced anyway, but it is good to know that the originals exist for patterns for the new. The seats, seatbelts, and lumbar supports exist. The driver side seatbelt tentioner is broken, however.

The window glass all has original Saab markings except for (ironically) the passenger door. There is even a spare vent window included. The gas cap and passenger side windsheild wiper are missing, as are the wiper fluid nozzles.

Drivetrain:

This is a big unknown. There is lots of oil covering everything in the engine bay, but all the requisite parts appear to be present and in their correct locations. No indication of rodents or other damage to wiring. I have not yet checked to see if it will shift. The brakes are inoperable, most likely due to lack of fluid.

The plan is to do a complete body-off restoration of the frame, dissasemble and build back up the engine and transmission as required, and (eventually) new paint and interior.

Day 2

Took some photos of the car and tried to start a blog to share progress with others.  Both attempts were fruitless.

Day 3

Commenced Operation Bicycle to find new homes for all the non-automobile wheeled vehicles currently in the garage.  This involved adding corregated fiberglass panels to the ceiling and two walls of the front porch.  The lumber pile was re-oriented, and retaining walls added to hold back the dirt and provide a flat floor area.  The pile of unused bricks found a new home as a floor to finish off the area.

Day 4

 Completed Operation Bicycle, moved the bikes to their new home, and cleared the garage of remaining tools / junk.