I survived the winter better than the car has, but we struggle onward. Headed into winter I discovered a rust hole around the driver's front jacking point, disguised by the rubberized gravel guard. This spring I had another look and the rocker is completely rotten along the bottom. This didn't happen overnight, obviously, so any repairs that will happen can wait. Yeah, it's structural, but I can live with this for a while. The crappy excuse for an exhaust flex section I bought disintegrated as well, so a replacement section of pipe was grafted in. The driver's front caliper decided to no longer adjust the parking brake automatically but the mechanism is still working inside the caliper so I wound the piston in and out until I got it right. Hopefully it was just a bad spot in the adjuster mechanism and it'll start working again, but if not I'll just adjust it again next year.

I ordered and installed a set of the Saabits SPG replica springs this weekend, along with a new balljoint and tie rod end. The junkyard springs were pretty good - they handled like the dickens, but I'd cut the fronts too much and the front end kept bouncing off the bump stops. I was right in the process of machining some EPDM ramped spring seats to properly support the cut end and to give a little lift to the suspension when I found the Saabits springs. The car looks like a 4x4 in comparison - the gap between tire and arch used to be even all around, but now the front end is up a good inch and a half from there. However, the car is transformed - the front end is slightly softer than before but there's no chance of whacking the bump stops, and the rear end is quite a bit softer than it was. I haven't pushed any corners yet, hopefully the delightful balance I had remains but I doubt it'll handle as neutral as it did. Sure rides nicely though.

Nothing really wonderful to report other than that. It still uses not a drop of oil or coolant, it still runs great.

It's getting to be decision time though - do I stay on this path of Saab ownership, and if so: how? What concerns me are the dwindling parts - windshields are apparently unobtanium and lots of the rubber has disappeared. There are plenty of parts cars still around but I don't live on a farm so I can't be hoarding every one I find. I also don't have the emotional energy to consider another restoration, but I have never ever accepted "original" as good enough, so buying a really nice SPG and leaving it stock is of limited appeal. It'll sure be easier to sell than any hot rod I build though.