Photo Credit: GM Heritage Collection
As a follow-up to the folks that manage the GM Heritage Collection, I thought I would inquire about the 1983 Saab 900 Friction Tester acquired back on December 4th, 2007 from the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, New York.
The photo above has been kindly provided to Saab History as you can see it is all but complete needing those side rub strips on the fenders and door panels at this time, it looks like it turned out quite well don’t you think? I’d love to see what the inside looks like, particularly the restoration of the electronics, etc.!
Here are the full specifications and details of this vehicle from the original ebay posting back on December 4th, 2007.
Year: 1983
Model: Saab 900
Body: 3-Door Hatchback
Transmission: Manual
Interior: BlueSaab Friction Tester History
This unique car, used specifically for road surface testing in Airports, this special factory built vehicle was used by the Greater Niagara International Airport, Located in Buffalo, NY. This vehicle was purchased new by the airport and was kept in storage in the maintenance garage until it was needed for service.
It has hardly seen any on the road use, and used mainly for running up and down the tarmac, checking surface conditions. Sometimes the Saab would be used for general purpose running around, but since the rear seat is replaced by a 400 liter water holding tank, it was impractical to use as a passenger vehicle.
Saab Friction tester specifications (quoted from several sources)
To start with in introduction to the Saab Friction Tester I should inform you that and I quote “it is a sophisticated measuring deviced designed to measure surface friction on airport runways. It may be used for both operational testing, as an aid to ongoing air traffic; and for friction maintenance purposes.†When not being used for testing purposes, the Saab Friction Tester may be operated as a general purpose airport vehicle. The Saab Friction Tester is composed of three basic elements — the rear axle assembly, the computer panel, and the watering systemRear Axle Assembly : The Saab Friction Tester is equipped with a special measuring wheel mounted behind the rear axle. The measuring wheel is connected to the rear axle through a chain drive which is geared to maintain a constant 12% slip on the measuring wheel vs the speed of the vehicle.
The raising and lowering of the measuring wheel is controlled from the driver’s control panel and is operated hydraulically. When the wheel is lowered onto the pavement surface, the forces acting on the wheel are transferred to the chain drive, which passes over the torque sensor. As the friction forces from the pavement vary, the tension on the chain varies, creating varying pressures on the torque sensor. The electrical currents passing through the strain guages within the torque sensor are affected by measuring these variations in the electrical current and converts the analog signals into “coefficient of friction†readings.
Computer Control Panel: The computer control panel is located on the console in the driver’s compartment. In addition to providing a variety of control switches, the panel also houses the electronic circuit boards which control the function of the friction measuring equipment; performs calculations and provides digital and printed output of the system.
Watering System: The watering system is made up of a 105 gallon water tank, water pump, nozzle and pressure gauge. The watering system provides a controled layer of water ahead of the measuring wheel for friction maintenance testing. (The watering system should not be used at temperatures near of below freezing) In addition to the SFT being used with a Saab 900, it also currently being used on a Saab 9000, Saab 9-5 Sedan, Saab 9-5 wagon and trailer unit.
Vehicle condition:
This car is in quite nice shape, and has never seen any salt. It has 28,000 original miles, and was well (fleet) maintained by the airport service facility. From the service decals on the door and windshield, sometimes it would be taken to a service facility outside of the airport for routine oil changes, maintence, etc.
There are some dents and dings, the worst being the pass front fender and hood. There is NO RUST, except for minor surface rust on a few of the scratchesThe car runs well starts right up, goes through all the gears, stops well, the clutch engages where it is supposed to and brake pedal is very high. the emergency brake works, an It feels like a 28,000 mile car. The suspension is tight, and the steering feels good, but maybe tight.. I have only personally driven the car around the block, but everything feels ok to me. The oil was just changed. The tires in the rear are brand new, and the fronts appear to be at about 50%. This is a 25 year old car, so don’t expect perfection. The interior isn’t perfect, there are a few cracks in the dash. I wouldn’t take it on a cross country trip until I drove it for a few miles to make sure everything was OK, but it is in pretty nice shape. It has factory air, but it’s hard to tell if it’s working because it’s cold here, so when I switch it over to cold, it blows cold air. I have not checked the cruise control either. Assume it doesn’t work. If there is something I didn’t mention in the add, ASK, or assume it isn’t working
The drivers seat is worn, and this is probably due to the fact that the driver who did the testing weighed approx 350lbs.
This car would make such a great addition to a collection, or drive this and be the envy of all the SAAB enthusiasts in the area.
I really don’t know much about how the tester is supposed to function. It does power up, the gauge lights on the dash, and the wheel drops down. If you intend to use the car as a friction tester in an airport, I would recommend a thorough inspection to be sure everything operates up to specification.