Originally Posted by
neilbourjaily
SAAB. After unloading his Hillman (the one with the flags that would pop from the door post to signal left or right turns), my father started driving SAABs, specifically the 96. 1 quart of oil into the gas tank with every tank of gas, cleaned extra sparkplugs in the glove box to replace the one(s) that fouled, 4-on-the-column, and seatbelts. One of his proudest days was acquiring a brand new GT 850, oil-injected meant no more quart per tank. To move it out one had to rev the engine (if you let off the gas, it'd go Rrring-ding-ding-ding...down to idle- a riot to hear!) and then it'd burn rubber. Of course, when a 16 year old kid is allowed to drive it and wants to show off to his friends that a SAAB is fast (really) and lets off the clutch to abruptly, the rubber joints between the axle and the wheels don't respond well having over 70k miles at the time. That lead, eventually, to extracting the engine and transaxle to get to the joints and replace them. I don't recall how long it took to get the parts and do the job, which took place over a weekend. Another time, earlier, that same kid had gone to the one of the locks on the C&O canal to hangout with buddies and left the radio going. Dead battery. Free-wheeling. Dang. Recall! On the floorboard high and right from the gas pedal was a handle, which when pulled, disengaged the freewheeling, that is it engaged the wheels to the transaxle. Relief. Pop drove that car for years and did all his own work on it.
My poor old-man, to have had a kid like me.