DAW Posted June 23, 2001 Share Posted June 23, 2001 After trying to fit a wide variety of factory intercoolers to my 280Z, including Audi, Starion, Renault, and Volvo, I think I've finally found a viable choice. Saab 9000, 1987 (I think). It is a similar configuration to the Volvo rear-drive turbos, except it is wider and larger overall. The hose inlet/outlets line up with the Z vent holes in the radiator support when it is fitted in place. To fit, I notched the bumper shock mounts significantly to allow it to drop down into place. I have early ('72) bumpers adapted to this '75 Z and the modification to the '75 bumper mounts was no problem. Another solution to freeing up the bumper shock/mounts so that you can notch them for the intercooler is to: remove your front (heavy) bumper and discard. Remove the small screw at the leading edge of the bumper shock and release gas pressure. Cut off the piston/flange end sticking out of the cylinder. Remove the piston internals from the cylinder/mount assy by removing the nut at the rear. You'll probably need to remove the assy to do this step, and you may need to use a cutting torch to do away with the nut. Take a Fiat X19 front bumper (aluminum), the solid one not the twin bars, bolt your Z bumper/shock stubs to the Fiat bumper plates, and weld the Z stubs to the Z cylinders. You've just lost a bunch of weight from the front of your car, made it unique with an aluminum bumper, and freed up the rear aspect of the bumper-mount cylinders so that you can notch the for the intercooler fit. I'm not sure of the years for the X19 but you'll recognize the single square looking bumpers. By the way, get the rear (aluminum) bumper and the plastic grille also as they adapt easily to the '75-'78Z cars as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted June 23, 2001 Share Posted June 23, 2001 A true Hybrid. Welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted June 23, 2001 Share Posted June 23, 2001 Thats the 2nd time I've heard that about the Saab 9000 intercooler. Anyone have ideas of core size or pressure drop on those ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted June 23, 2001 Share Posted June 23, 2001 i have one of those ic's but i havent installed yet-have to get a friend's project car done first.what surprises me about it is how well inlet/outlet lines up with holes in z core support.by looking at it yuo know it will flow more than starion-2.5 in hoses.probably not as good as isuzu npr.but try finding an npr unit-i have called every truck wrecker in northrn ca.i thought of renting a npr truck and throwing some hose in place of ic.but i usually get busted on this stuff.i dont worry about experimenting with saab ic cause i only paid $25 for it at pic&pull,i have combed the yards for a good ic for a year.i have a cylinder head shop by work that has a flow bench-i could take saab ic and have it flowed.right now i am watching pick&pull for a early 90's ford tbird sc supercharger and ic unit-i will probably pay about $100 for that stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted June 23, 2001 Share Posted June 23, 2001 Shoot, I want to see what the Fiat bumpers look like on the Z!!! Please post a picture!!!!! Pretty, please, DAW!!! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAW Posted June 24, 2001 Author Share Posted June 24, 2001 It'll be a while before a can post pics of the intercooler & Fiat bumpers but I'll get to it eventually. Meanwhile, I should provide some further details on the bumper swap: use '77-'78 plastic endcaps (not '75-'76). They have a series of serrations/accordian-looking section in both fronts and rears. Fit the endcap to the Fiat bumper and note that because you've eliminated the extension that the bumper-shock caused, the endcap is now displaced several inches along with the bumper. This gives a much cleaner look to the car since you've lost those front & rear "workbenches" hanging off the car. Anyway, just cut out the required length of the accordian section so that the endcap mounting hole to the fender/quarterpanel lines up, and you're set. DAW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted June 24, 2001 Share Posted June 24, 2001 It sounds so darn easy, but I would love to see this before I shell out the bucks for these bumpers at the yard. I'm looking for something "new" and "different" for the Z, but a picture says a thousand words... You could mail a pic or two to BLKMGK and he could post--he's such a nice guy! Thanks for the info--I just have to file it away and sleep on it. I'm thinking it would look pretty good--much better than any 280Z bumper, yes? The Fiat has thinner ones covered in black rubber, right? It's been a while since I've seen them. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayZee Posted June 24, 2001 Share Posted June 24, 2001 That sounds great DAW! Any chance of posting a pic of the Saab IC in the Z? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted June 25, 2001 Share Posted June 25, 2001 Ya', send them, I'll cut them down and post them I'd like to see what it would look like myself to be honest. Wonder if it's much more impact protection than say fiberglass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAW Posted June 25, 2001 Author Share Posted June 25, 2001 Sorry guys, but I'm in the middle of moving and you would not believe the scope of the task! Five Zcars, one ZX, two PL510s, two Conquests, and a huge array of parts, engines, and drivelines. Photos later. I would have thought that X19 bumpers would be way narrow for a 280Z, but measure them and they are very close, almost perfect. The shape and appearance are very close to stock '77-'78 bumpers but they are MUCH lighter. As to strength, they definitely appear to be stronger than '70-'73 Zcars and, other than losing the 5mph impact feature of the stock '75-'78 bumpers, appear plenty beefy. A lot of European cars (Volvo, Audi, Saab, etc) had aluminum bumpers like these. Late model Hondas have plastic bumpers beneath those urethane covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted June 25, 2001 Share Posted June 25, 2001 Hmmmm, all those Z cars, huh? You wouldn't by chance be moving to my neighborhood, now would you??? David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 I wanted to ressurect this post for two reasons: 1. I saw an intercooler (saab) today at the JY. Is it worth picking up? 2. I would still like to see the X19 bumper conversion. Any chances for pictures DAW? And some details on how well the IC works? Thanks, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAW Posted January 19, 2003 Author Share Posted January 19, 2003 The Saab 9000 intercooler bolts up fairly readily but it does lay low. The lower edge of the intercooler is a bit precarious to bottoming out and scraping. A speed bump at high speed would be a disaster! Otherwise it works fine and I've got stiffer springs and shocks to combat this problem. As to the aluminum bumpers, this work is 90% done and it works but I've turned my attention to other things...a '78 Dodge 18' motorhome to ski-bum in, gets headers, sway bars, aluminum intake, Quadrajet, cam, etc., etc. DAW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest livewire23 Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 ressurection- pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_H Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Just how big is the Saab intercooler? My thought was it wasn't very big, but I guess I am wrong? I look forward to the pictures if anyone can put one up. -Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimZ Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Well, here are a couple of pics of what I would imagine is the bumper in quesion: ...looks pretty do-able. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_H Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Here is a picture of the Saab 9000 intercooler. One of the pics shows it next to the volvo intercooler, so it is rather large. Only drawback,(besides unknown psi-drop), is it is 1.5 inches thick... Saab 9000 intercooler -Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAW Posted January 27, 2003 Author Share Posted January 27, 2003 Thanks for posting the pics! I'm using the original 280Z "accordian" end cap pieces, sectioned to remove the amount of distance the bumper is displaced toward the body. The stock bumper shocks and bumpers can be manipulated to displace the bumpers in (essentially by permanently compressing the shock pistons) and while it looks better than stock, it doesn't help any with weight reduction. I did this on my 280ZXT because I haven't found a suitable substitute lightweight bumper, and the ZX bumpers seem lighter than the Z bumpers. DAW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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