A question for JVL

Does the name mark ashcraft ring any bells from way back when?

I believe, JVL is in China with his wife, visiting her family. Dunno if he is online from there. Either that, or he ran off with all the huge profits from his strut sales.

Mark B.

Anyone know when he is expected to return?

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JohnLane

Overkill is consistently more fun

Another 3 weeks when I talked to him last but Kevin knows better.

Tim

He still stays in touch via email or this forum

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rally gods would turn in their graves if they ever knew Lada's were now part of EU rallying!!!

Ok ill just wait it out.

Mark Ashcraft is my teacher and was a designer for SAAB in the early eighties. Raced SAAB's as well and said he knew JVL.

Is he related to Jack Ashcraft? Jack runs a SAAB parts business in Oregon.

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Bruce Beauvais
Too many SAABs to count

ill have to ask him. class this thursday.

Sean, never spoke with the son and really only a couple of times with Jack. It's a small world in any niche market but even moreso in the Performance niche market for an obscure car.

And then there was a fundamental divergence of opinions on what, how, why old Saabs should or could be modified.

Jack was already considerably older in the early 80s when I started full time with the old V4s, and his real job it seems was as a draughtsman and graphic arts. His art work illustrating techniques was superb: clear, concise and well executed.
But, and there's always a but, his comments around or about what could be done, why what could be done could be done, the results of doing whatever were often not just seemingly groundless but often in conflict with the results obtained by Saab themselves and the impressions of dozen of my customers when I'd build motors and do pretty careful versions of what Saab themselves published.
Problem is, when people would be dazzled by the pretty artwork, they'd read the words saying "The Weber 40DFI is too much for the street".

Now where this (just for an example) idea came from God only knows, as the Weber 40DFI, a carb with the dimesions of the common Weber DGV 32/36, was sold by Saab as a stage 1 sort of mod, and I sold dozens. I'd say to people "Look, you're going to pay this much for a new 2 barrell manifold, this much for a carbie, this much for an air filter, this much for an installation------and with a DGV 32/36 progressive you'll never be even beginning to open the second side--progressive remember---until you reach 2/3 throttle, and not only that but the primary side the 32 of the 32/36 is smaller than the OEM 34 one barrell so you spend all this dough and except when you're above 2/3 throttle, you have a smaller carb to run on. How does this make sense?"
The 40 DFI was a syncronous opening carb with 4 x 40mm throttles, the largest you could bolt onto the DG/DF family bolt pattern.

And they'd use those exact words they read in the Saab Club Newsletter "A 40 DFI is too much for the street!!!

I'd then send them out in a customer car for a drive, they'd come back with huge grins and say "Wow that's what I've always wished for but didn't think was possible" and then the invariable "Why do they all say it's "too much" for the street?

And then I'd be stuck trying to answer why somebody else who has some "noticable fish in a miniscule pond" cred says something the customer just experienced as nonsense. And I don't like talking bad about people. So I'd say "I think the wind is blowing some the smoke from the fires down in Medecinco County over the pass, and we all know what the big cash crop up in Northern California is".
Or try to explain that his experience came from playing low level amature auto-x stuff in a fairly isolated part of the country, while Saabs tuning advice and build procedures came from World Rally Championship experience against really much superior cars and engines, or hardest school possible vs the hit and miss of local parking lots.

But this is all about his Dad, the son Mark, all I know is he played with a Yugo with his Dad and thy were touting it as the coolest thing since sliced bread. Never did figure out if that whole Yugo kick was a long running gag cause it couldn't possibly be serious.
And I never did hear just what projects Mark did for Saab, or where he worked or for how long. Always very vague on details.

Whatever.

What course are you taking from him?

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

John, China must be treating you pretty well as that is about the most concise (spel) reply I've ever seen, especially on this matter!

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As always IMHO

SEAN TENNIS KF7JJR
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
SAAB 99, SAAB 850
SAAB V4, SAAB 99T

I'm taking a class called mobility design at Art Center in Pasadena. which is a pretty word for car design and a little bit more.

Its purely aesthetics. fun.

Mark worked for SAAB's design team in the eighties and was responsible for the 9000 and some other stuff after that he worked for Honda now he primarily teaches.

His SAAB stuff came up and your name came to mind to and two went together, small world!.

Sean

You go to the Art Center? My friend made the foam molds for my carbon parts there...on the mill. I like going to the open houses...all sorts of people dressed up trying to look different...which makes them all look the same..lol!

Andrew

So true, the machine is kind of fun to watch!