Every race car needs a parts donor... or two... or three. Total cost to buy these four Saab 900s? $800!
In the meantime, I continue to work on rebuilding the spare engine in my garage as time ... and money ... permit. Disassembly is down to the short block. I'll check the main and rod bearings, but will probably not remove the pistons. The cost for parts and a valve job run about $500. Pistons and rings are expensive for the 2.1L engine due to the rarity of that powerplant. I did buy some parts at RockAuto on closeout, rod bearings and a timing chain and some brake parts, so they were cheaper than wholesale.
As long as the engine block was stripped, I decided to paint it. But instead of the factory red color, I decided to use a light blue. I bought a spray can of engine paint at Central Sales, the local surplus store, for $2.99. The color was "Chrysler Blue". I shook it up for some extra time since it had probably been on the shelf for several years. When it started to come out the coverage was poor, as if there wasn't a lot of pigment in the spray. Suddenly there was more color to the spray and the nozzle quickly clogged up. I removed it from the can and cleared it with pressurized air. but it quickly clogged up again. It wasn't long before the spray was spitting something that looked like varnish beads, so I quit painting.
Picked up a can of Dupli-Color Engine Enamel at the local O'Reilly store for $5.49. The hue was Pontiac Blue, but the shade was nearly identical to the Chrysler Blue. I attempted to scrape off some of the previous paint job, then proceeded with the new paint. What a difference! The paint covered nicely, no clogs, and dried quickly. The finished product looks pretty darn good.
Sometimes it doesn't pay to go cheap.
