Purchase and assessment of initial condition

Course of restoration
Purchase and assessment of initial condition
Start of dismantling. Detailed determination of defects
Dismantling the running gear
Transportation of the body to the surface treatment
List of ordered parts
Assembly process

2006.02.17.

Travelling to Belgium to assess the car in person and to organize its transportation to Latvia, it was ascertained that the observations from the Internet photos were accurate - the car was really not only in a poor visual, but also technical condition.

The body paintwork had peeled off or was scratched all over, the varnish was cracked and the legacy of rust was visible in many places. There was also a lot of mechanical damage - to the front bumper, its left horn in particular, to the chrome moulding of the radiator grille, to the chrome circumference of the front right hand headlight and in many other places.

Inspecting the underside of the car, we noticed a tale of severe decay - the floor was actually rusted through in many places and the braking system tubes were completely rusty. The exhaust pipe was so rusty that it subsequently fell off en route to Riga; the exhaust system simply fell off the car and collapsed.

 

The body floor was severely corroded in the boot zone and around places where the fuel tank was fastened. All around, it had been splashed with oil which it seems had flowed from the rear axle differential over a long period of time.

 

Upon opening the engine hood, we found that almost all the engine's main assembly systems had been dismantled, including receptacles, carburetors, etc. Some of these had been supplied in a semi-dismantled and incomplete way, i.e. "hanging loose".

 

The carburetors had been removed and were no longer fully equipped.

 

The engine's cooling radiator had also been removed which when first viewed had appeared to be undamaged. Inflow and outflow receptacle components also appeared to be in working order.

 

The floor of the boot space was severely corroded both from the underside of the car and from the inside of the boot itself.

 

The once colourful interior was now also a dismal sight. The upholstery was beyond repair. The components of the chrome steering wheel were markedly corroded.

 

The once luxurious red leather seats had turned into mouldy old strips of leather and a hotchpotch of packaging shreds.

 

To repair the seats, complete renovation of the upholstery including the coconut fibre layer would be required.

 

Individual areas of the body had been carelessly repainted. Possibly in order to conceal the true technical condition of the car.

 

Mechanical damage to the chrome components at the rear of the car was also clearly visible. The right rear lamp diffuser was missing.

 

Significant defects were visible to the body's wheel arc zones.

 

Upon inspection it was clear that the gearbox had been repaired sometime in the past.