So additional to the Commaero, my Saab powered Commer van I have a Reliant Scimitar GTE Se5a which is of course, Saab powered! The Saabitar!
I bought the car in 2016 with the intention of fitting a B234 Saab 2.3 turbo.
I did the whole swap on weekends as I was working away and rain or shine it was carried out outside on my driveway.
It first saw the road with Saab power in early 2018
Its initial spec was;
Engine;
1997 Saab 2.3 turbo B234
630cc injectors
Ebay GT28 turbo
3 bar MAP sensor
Transmission;
Vauxhall Omega R25-28 5 speed manual
Sachs racing clutch
Custom prop
Wheels;
Extreme Offset 15x8 steels with Toyo Tr1 tyres
Brakes;
Front Peugeot 505 GTI vented discs with yellow stuff pads
Rears stock drums
Suspension;
Protect height adjustable coil overs with 12 point shock adjustment.
Notice the 3d printed badge 😁
It had a relatively docile tune and made 280hp and 300ftlb.
You may remember I spectacularly blew it up at the start line at RRG 2019. I blew the diff which immediately locked solid, the engine was still trying to send 300ftlb to the wheels so it tweaked the prop shaft and then finally ripped the teeth off first gear in one smooth movement!
Up until this point my Commer was supposed to be a manual and had my spare R25-28 box sat in it. I robbed it for the Scimitar and the Commer then went down the route of becoming an auto!
I ran with the Scimitar as a 5 speed manual for another year before I realised the prop was the cause of a massive 85mph+ vibration I was experiencing!
I then decided to fit a 2015 BMW M5 7 speed dual clutch transmission 😁
Fortunately by this time I'd secured a workshop for late nights and installed a 2 post ramp 😁
Obviously no kit exists for this box to engine conversion so I made my own flange adaptor to mount the box to the engine.
The M3, M4 and M5 DCT cars have a flywheel with a flange on but of course the clutches are internal. So I got an old M3 flywheel and removed the flange.
To fit this to the Saab engine I turned a piece of aluminium down to take this flange.
To ensure the engine and box were aligned before transferring holes I first turned the adaptor so that I could fit it in the engine backplate and that way the backplate and gearbox would be perfectly aligned to one another.
Once I'd transfered the holes I turned the rear of the adaptor down to fit in the centre of crank and sandwiche a flex plate in place.
Then it was bolt it all together and fit the engine and box together
Then fabricate mounts and install.
That was back in January before I decided to pause the project while I pressed on with the Commaero. Work will re commence soon
I'm doing a little series on it here;
And more can be seen here;
www.instagram.com/livingmyboostlife/
I bought the car in 2016 with the intention of fitting a B234 Saab 2.3 turbo.
I did the whole swap on weekends as I was working away and rain or shine it was carried out outside on my driveway.
It first saw the road with Saab power in early 2018
Its initial spec was;
Engine;
1997 Saab 2.3 turbo B234
630cc injectors
Ebay GT28 turbo
3 bar MAP sensor
Transmission;
Vauxhall Omega R25-28 5 speed manual
Sachs racing clutch
Custom prop
Wheels;
Extreme Offset 15x8 steels with Toyo Tr1 tyres
Brakes;
Front Peugeot 505 GTI vented discs with yellow stuff pads
Rears stock drums
Suspension;
Protect height adjustable coil overs with 12 point shock adjustment.
Notice the 3d printed badge 😁
It had a relatively docile tune and made 280hp and 300ftlb.
You may remember I spectacularly blew it up at the start line at RRG 2019. I blew the diff which immediately locked solid, the engine was still trying to send 300ftlb to the wheels so it tweaked the prop shaft and then finally ripped the teeth off first gear in one smooth movement!
Up until this point my Commer was supposed to be a manual and had my spare R25-28 box sat in it. I robbed it for the Scimitar and the Commer then went down the route of becoming an auto!
I ran with the Scimitar as a 5 speed manual for another year before I realised the prop was the cause of a massive 85mph+ vibration I was experiencing!
I then decided to fit a 2015 BMW M5 7 speed dual clutch transmission 😁
Fortunately by this time I'd secured a workshop for late nights and installed a 2 post ramp 😁
Obviously no kit exists for this box to engine conversion so I made my own flange adaptor to mount the box to the engine.
The M3, M4 and M5 DCT cars have a flywheel with a flange on but of course the clutches are internal. So I got an old M3 flywheel and removed the flange.
To fit this to the Saab engine I turned a piece of aluminium down to take this flange.
To ensure the engine and box were aligned before transferring holes I first turned the adaptor so that I could fit it in the engine backplate and that way the backplate and gearbox would be perfectly aligned to one another.
Once I'd transfered the holes I turned the rear of the adaptor down to fit in the centre of crank and sandwiche a flex plate in place.
Then it was bolt it all together and fit the engine and box together
Then fabricate mounts and install.
That was back in January before I decided to pause the project while I pressed on with the Commaero. Work will re commence soon
I'm doing a little series on it here;
And more can be seen here;
www.instagram.com/livingmyboostlife/
