Andre Bought a Soviet Luxury Car: Is It Really THAT Bad?
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In this video Andre goes deep into his newly running GAZ Volga!
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#GAZ #Volga
2 things I would suggest. 1) do a cut and buff on the paint and see how much it comes back. It might actually spruce up quite well. And re upholster the seats in period correct fabrics. This car actually looks quite decent on the inside. And I think some Volga hubcaps would look good as a garnish.
Whitewall tires to top it all off.
I think that would work well cars of that time had thick paint it doesn't look rusted that might be the reason.
Nu Finish car wax will do the trick
good points. Sometimes red is very hard to keep unfaded; might not be possible to keep it looking different from its current faded look.
@@jeffreyvanvoorst2077 kept in a garage when not in use helps a lot it's sunlight that causes it to fade.cut and polished it should be fine.
It was produced from 1956 to 1970 and they made about 640k of them. My dad had few of them not so long ago and did full body off frame restauration on one of them before selling it. Not so rare here in Eastern block, but still starting to gain that classic/collectible car imago
They also made a V8 variant of GAZ-21 called GAZ-23. It's engine was borrowed from the GAZ Chaika. It was made exclusively for KGB.
gaz 21 has no frame
ilevwn its predecessor, the m20 was monocoque
Andre is single handedly propping up the Soviet era classic car international car market.
Yeah. Most are simply owned and maintained by Russians themselves. Having been to eastern Europe in general, they love their old cars and refuse to give them up, even though new cars are cheap and stripped down
Literally single handedly. Some poor Russian waited 50 years for his delivery just for it to end up in Andres hands long after he left
No worse than propping up the Japanese car market.
@@michaelbenardo5695 Read the room, man. This is clearly meant as a joke.
Well they are downright impossible to find in the west. Seems like very few have been imported here to the states. I for one would love a Zaz 968, Trabant or a Gaz 21 or 24 but it's extremely unlikely I'll ever come across one. lol
For all the people who are interested in the car here are some details: Production run was from 1956 to 1970 roughly 640 000 built; 2.4 liter I4 75hp 3 speed manual with unsynchronised first gear; 0-60 around 34 seconds; weight 1480 kg around 3200 lbs; very robust engine capable of 200 000 miles before the first overhaul
And it had good rust protection.
I vote for keeping the car as original as possible. That way you'll have a real time capsule.
first Wolga was built in 1956 and for me it was one of the beautiful cars in this time...
And save $$$$$$$
Believe me. Everything that were made by russians or soviets better to rebuild with modern technologies. Otherwise it would brake down every 500km that is inevitable for soviet tech. The passanger door is a prime example. Do you think that no one haven't tried to repair it? I have repaired many old soviet things and they have one in common no compatibility with civilized world technologies and poor as F build quality.
@@Cyber_Engineer I have an Elektronika 6.15M alarm clock, made in 1984. it wakes me up every morning since that time, never had a breakdown...
Also I have a Mashpriborintorg Ц4324 multimeter, from 1978, still in calibration, works good as new, despite the slightly cracked screen... build quality was good for the time, certainly not stellar, but good... I've seen much worse "Made in USA" products from the same era (and also Made in Italy, my home country has a reputation for building good quality products but there are a few black sheeps as well...)
@@MrOpenGL the main difference is that you probably have export variants of these things. The local variants of most products is complete trash. Soviet bikes that have soldered rear triangles with offset to the side and wheels aren't parallel, hubs without any quality, lubrication or calibration and other beautiful things. If you have those things in working order I'm truly happy for you but my experience tells me to avoid all soviet tech even if it works well. All soviet car and bike parts don't have two identical parts you have to manually adjust it with a grinder to fit. Maybe it's different in US but not where i live.
Awesome, I love Andre's cars that are all about the sentimental value to him. The thrill is not so much about the actual car, but the time and the people it reminds one of. I am the same way with cars. Beautiful car Andre!
Thank you for the kind words.
First time viewer here. I'm so happy that Andre is having so much nostalgia and is *so* excited about this vehicle. I know back in the day, the Volga's were very reliable and had great "off road" suspension capability for less than optimal roads of the CCCP. Great find and I can't wait to see if you keep the Buick engine or do something else with it. Very cool car.
These were also assembled, diesel or gasoline, in Belgium by d'Ieteren. Few thousands were made but the diesels were immensely popular, also because the heating system actually WORKED.
Sold under the name of Scaldia Volga in the 1960ies.
I had factory brochures on this car. Although it was not in english, I got the impression this was not a luxury car. Of course in it's time and place ANY car was luxury. I had the address of the factory, and sent for the brochure. Years later, they did the same when I requested brochures of the next generation Volga. I donated them to the Petersen museum. Obtw, I spotted the later model in front yard of a house near Aqua Dulce in socal.
Definitely not luxury car by western standards, but still better equipped and prestigeous than a Zhiguli or a Moskovich. You had to be somebody to get one of these. maybe a university professor, a high ranking engineer, scientist, a low level commisar, etc . These cars were priced above of the average worker's salary.
And if you saw the black one, you had.. Wait wait who are you guAAAAAAAAAA *Gone*
@@triangleofdeath6246 What a lot of people don't understand, the price was not a problem, availability was. You couldn't just go and buy a Volga even if you had enough money. Or just put your name on a waiting list. In soviet system you had to be assigned the right to buy this sort of car. For this you'd better be a relatively high-ranking bureaucrat or army colonel, or something like that. So it created a crazy black market for these cars with people paying twice the price or even more. BTW, in most cases professor position didn't allow you a Volga (unless you're a nuclear scientist or something).
@@triangleofdeath6246 It was not a problem to get Volga in USSR times. Simply apply for job as a taxi driver.
As a Russian American as well it’s super cool to see these Soviet cars. I sadly was too young to remember anything of Russia. I’m from a smaller village called shakhty
shakhty that near rostov-on-don? Not so small really.
Are we ever going to see Andre's 4x4 van on the off-road course?
I would definitely watch that video
Is it running?
Buhanka / Буханка
A loaf of bread
That's what they're called.
Thats what Iv been waiting for
The loaf!
Still not a rare classic car here in Russia, most of them are restored for weekend cruisin or car shows, but sometimes you can see it as an old man's daily ride in small towns. I have one- 1960 second series (1958-1962).
I'm glad someone who cares about the car and will take good care of it ended up with it. I had fun with it while I had it but unfortunately I just had too many other projects.
For the disintegrating plastic parts: there are a couple web sites that sell reproductions of all the interior knobs and buttons for pretty reasonable prices.
Andre, I think you should see if the car can be buffed out before you just repaint it. Good luck with your car!
Great video fellas, thank you. Back when dirt was new, I’ve had a pleasure of being chauffeured in a similar automotive icon, although I couldn’t see out of the back windows ( I was 5), I still remember the feeling. Great stuff, keep it up.
Just a little additional data on this exquisite specimen - what you got there is domestic model, export ones had a lot more chrome on them. Congratulations from a ´66 owner!
Several people said this is a domestic market car.
I owned this car before Andre, and you are correct. I bought it from the guy who brought it back from Russia to Colorado Springs. This is a 1969 model(not a '65 as the video said). It was a really fun and interesting car. I drove it daily for a while when I first got it, even took it up to Wyoming and back once.
Husband and wife account. This is the husband here. I love classic vehicles. I'm also a master mechanic with decades of experience. The UAZ engines look like good industrial quality engines to me. I would love to see the origional engine freshened up, or rebuilt, the right way. Do a blueprint job. Measure everything. Match the parts to get as close to even on cylinder volumes as possible. Do a true balance job on the crankshaft. Do a three angle valve job. Upgrade to the best quality piston rings that are available. Clean up the cylinder head ports. Port match the intake and exhaust manifolds to the cylinder head. Bring the quality of that old heavy duty engine, up close to modern quality standards. I'm sure the end results would be well worth the small expense. Plus you would get incredible reliability. And still be the super simple to repair. That the car was origionally designed to be. There are universal door seal kits that would probably work. And adjusting the door latch and striker will fix the lose door problem. The soviets knew how to design cars and trucks for their dirt roads, mud and snow. They just didn't have great quality control. A good rebuild job. Would be far better quality, then that car was when brand new.
My grandpa also had similar Volga. Black as a taxi here in Finland.
1965 he bought Chevy Impala V8, also Black. Man that Chevy was awesome!
I haven´t laught so much in a long time!
Please more of this 3 together^^
Viele Grüße aus Deutschland!
just kept laughing and laughing. Grüße aus Würzburg 🤗
Danke 😮
I'd rather have the Volga over the Mercedes. Great time capsule you have there. Edit: In my little opinion, I would rather see it restored back to factory as close as possible, no LS swap, just the original 4 banger. These cars are fairly rare and a full swap is going to take the originality out of it. Plus an LS swap will always be over capable, much more than the car will allow, so my thoughts are LS swap a different car. These are only original once and it it a sweet ride. Keeping history like this is more important than an attempt to upgrade like that. The original 4 banger is what I'd prefer to see if it were at a car show and would be more interesting to me than an LS. Just my thoughts.
gaz 21 has terrible fuel consumption tho, which is 13 l/100km
Upgrading a Soviet relic just seems wrong in so many ways. It's almost like converting a Tesla to ICE; it's ironic but has no purpose outside of that. Imo of course. Like you wrote, ".. much more interesting..."
@@CynHicks well, depends on the situation, if it's just a show car you take outta the garage twice a year, then it should be in stock, but if you are a masochist and wanna daily drive it,then making it NOT devour a whole bucket of gasoline a day would be quite good
@@samtheprotogen9038 Sure, but daily driving one of these seems wrong in so many ways. 😅
@@samtheprotogen9038 I mean, unless it's your only choice lest you be Guantanamo bay'd or given the free choice between death and government re-situationing. 🤣
That is a really neat car Andre. I'd like to see it driven around town to see how it does. Maybe even on the highway. If it gets by, I wouldn't worry about the drive train. The burnt orange color looks good to me. I think I'd get the interior fixed up some. Thanks guys. Great video
The GAZ M21 Volga is an automobile produced in the Soviet Union by GAZ (Gorkovsky Avtomobilniy Zavod, in English "Gorky automobile factory") from 1956 to 1970. The first car to carry the Volga name, it was developed in the early 1950s. Volgas were built with high ground clearance (which gives it a specific "high" look, contrary to "low-long-sleek" look of Western cars of similar design), rugged suspension, strong and forgiving engine, and rustproofing on a scale unheard of in the 1950s.
GAZ 21 started in 1956!
and they made 639 thousand of them -- not just 20 or 30 thousand :) the GAZ 21 had 3 facelifts - this one is the last one 62-70
I am 63 years old, when I was 10 years old,my uncle has one.thank you very much!!
For me the side profile is that of a Studebaker. The headlight placement is also Studebaker. The big difference being that they didn't copy the bullet nose of the Studebaker grill.
When I looked that's what I saw as well.
Yes! Studebaker was my first thought too, especially the rake of the windshield. The roofline is very Fordish though.
Yup the trunk gives me that Studebaker vibe too.
@@jamesrodriquez2863 The designer, Lev Eremeyev, started designing the Volga in 1953. He pulled design elements from the new '53 Ford, Plymouth and Chevy, the Ford being the heaviest influence of the 3. In '54 GAZ even went to the effort of importing a '53 Ford from (I think) Estonia to use for comparison and on-road testing and aquired the rights to build a metric copy of the Ford-O-Matic gearbox under license from Ford.
Exterior design of GAZ-21 Volga had most similarities with 1952-1956 Ford Mainline. The reason many people in comments quote similarities with various makes and brands of the time is that they all followed mainstream design trends that prevailed in the West in early to mid-1950s. And so did Volga.
Put the original engine back in. You are lucky enough to still have it and it would be a real shame not to restore it to original condition.
Im sure the Buick 231 was the "get it running" option, surely he isnt gonna keep it in there forever.
@@twoeightythreez Really that Buick is the perfect engine for that though. American interstates are alot to ask of a 75 hp i4, especially in Colorado
Put the original engine and transmission back in. Let the car be a total example of the time and place it was created in. This is an AWESOME car. I love it.
I agree with you about your powertrain swap idea. Get whatever LS you want, then get a Tremec transmission and a limited slip rear end with a width that will fit the car. You think you like the car now, with that performance stuff in it you'll be in absolute heaven.
Boring, keep it stock.
Next logical step up for Andre is a Chaika, drive around like a real Soviet Boss !
Cool car Andre! I would put the original engine back in and keep it original.
I am considering putting the original engine back in.
I like the front end design on this car. The side profile and wheel arches look good. The rear end and rear roof profile is a bit bulbous. I have seen a video of a 2 door Volga. It’s actually a pretty good looking car style wise.
Seems like they took some cues from AMC also.
two-door Volga never existed. 2 door Volgas, its all a custom works. it was popular in the early tenth years to redo the body structure of the Volga in the countries of the former Soviet Union. I owned a 1959 Volga. I dreamed of building a Lead-Slead project based on this Volga
@@CyberpunkChanel maybe it was another car brand. But it was definitely a 2 door hard top Russian or soviet era car of some kind, it was black, and was equipped with a V8 engine of some kind. I remember being surprised when I saw the video of it because I did not think they made 2 door cars in the Soviet block countries.
@@americanrambler4972 I think you mean BMW (E31) with a Volga fitted body parts. It was most popular project
I am pretty sure russian designers were inspired by Studebaker in mid 50s) I like that volga seems more flying over the road than sliding american cars of late 50s
I see a bit of Studebaker and Kaiser in the side profile and the "haunchiness" of the rear quarters.
I too got a Kaiser Henry J vibe from the side profile, and a hint of Studebunker
The average person who lived in Eastern Europe had to be put on a waiting list just to get a car. The wait was about 5 years. One car I remember very well is the VAZ Volga Avto Zavod which is a rebranded Fiat 124. Those car were common in the Iron Curtain countries IE Yugoslavia, Romania 🇷🇴, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria 🇧🇬, Poland 🇵🇱, East Germany.
Having Nathan & Motoman included in this video is priceless.
Great video, and very curious car. All three of you brought something to this video. Perhaps next time you could find a ZIL ! That would be pretty awesome, especially if you could find one from the Khrushchev era.
Since it's got a Buick engine already, I would go with a Buick 350 engine. As for the body, I would bet that you could bring back that paint job with a good buffing. Recover the seats and I think you will have a nice classic that you can be really proud of.
Could also keep the V6; bolt in Buick Grand National turbo version, if it can handle more power.
I tried giving away a Buick 350 for months, nobody wanted it. Have a rebuild kit and pistons with it too.
The LS really dried up any demand for these old motors.
Honestly IMO he should just put the original engine back in it.
Its not like hes gonna build it for speed so he may as well keep it uniquely period correct.
Since a Buick v6 is already in there I think an aluminum Buick 215 or a 300 v8 would be a nice fit. Light and not so torquey to break stuff. And they are cheap!.
They used the Buick aluminium engine in Wolga cars too --- the 3.9 V8 EFi made for Range Rover -- short run of the government cars in the 90s - the 31013 or different number -- when they run out of Gaz 13/14 v8 engines :)
At least one guy put a Rover V8 into one.
I'm a fan of Buick v6s I'd keep that engine.
@@alwenke212 I dunno, the carbureted ones are pretty anemic.
@@ngauruhoezodiac3143 Which, if it's an older one, is a version of the Buick aluminum V8.
Great video! If parts are available you should bring it back to near original, at least the basic drivetrain
Good luck trying to find parts for these things as it's difficult to buy car parts from Russia...
...Because Putin.
But I'm sure there's some people in the US that DO sell parts for Russian (FUCK PUTIN!) cars.
@@MichaelOKeefe2009 dude. Calm down. Seriously. No need to start crying over the bald man 10,000 miles away, fighting a war you know nothing about.
@@bldontmatter5319 I know what's going down over there and Putin is a NUCELAR THREAT to our whole planet and I know he's trying to find a way to throw one.
@@MichaelOKeefe2009 no worse than any American leaders since jfk
I love the fact that Andre got to put his Russian language skills to good use. Maybe I have missed that video, but I would like to hear his story about how he got to where he is now.
Надо было показать им главный прикол 21-й Волги, что спинка переднего дивана откидывается и в салоне получается чисто кровать )))
Love it! I've seen tons of those Volgas on the roads in Cuba. Despite the stereotype, there are at least as many Russian vehicles as American ones. The things they do to keep them running is astounding. A lot of them have tractor engines in them! This is, however, the first one I've ever seen in the US!
I have so many memories with my grandfather with such a car
FReaking awesome car Andre!
and a buick engine to boot!
apparently more reliable than a hummer ev.....
reminds me of a keiser
6:35 HOLY Schet
rally cross this verses a miata!
interior and a buff thats all
It was made from 1956 (early version) untill 1970, and they made 470 thousands of it!
And if he's talking just about 21P model ("P" is Cyrillic for "R"), it's a marking for base model made after 1965.
That car's a beauty. The shift pattern's slightly different from what I'm used to from a 3 on the tree. Really enjoy the way the three of you interact, you really look to be having fun.
Didn't think about that when watching the video, but you're right. We're used to 1 and 3 being down and R and 2 being up. Good catch!
Newer known before! Thanks
Ha! Love it. Thank you for sharing that with us. I love seeing rare or unique cars. Especially growing up here in the USA, we don't get much exposure to cars unique to the rest of the world. It's cool to see Andre's connection he has with that car from his past. Andre, keep the engine it currently has in it and just make it safe to drive (install seat belts?!). I'd reupholster the seats, maybe get some body work done, and maybe repaint it. If you're feeling adventurous. That's part of the charm of this car is that it's vintage. Do not LS swap it 😂
(Side note on the unique cars thing, have you ever seen what Ford of Brazil has produced?? Have you ever seen a Ford Expedition with a Ford Focus rear end? It exists, check it out 😂).
Have you seen the awful Ford f250s of Brazil? 3-4 foot beds with giant cabs. It's awful
@@bldontmatter5319 I have!! They're dreadful!! 😂
If that is a true Soviet era radio, NPR should come in just fine! 😂
Bruh 😂
I was attending a school in northern Wisconsin in the early 80's. One of the students going home for a weekend asked me to go to Canada with him. He wanted me to visit a Lada dealership there.
Russian cars, I had never seen such a thing. What they were was Russian made Fiats. The little showroom had a couple of new cars. He especially wanted to show how the rubber parts -radiator hoses and tires were already lightly cracked, the hoses had talcum powder looking stuff on them. These were new cars. The ignition wires looked bad too. Your car has a bit of 53' Studebaker look on that rear quarter panel. Your videos are interesting to watch, fun and informational ........good job guys.
I remember taking a POS LADA taxi in Sakhalin and being amazed at how it glided over the crappy roads like a silver cloud. I mentioned that to the driver and he said "Russian cars built for Russian roads." (in that accent)
Speaking of the Buhanka!!!! Have I missed it on the off road course?
One of the options is to swap a ford y-block in it. I own 59 Volga with this engine, and the car feels great.
To me, this is more of a Soviet Taxicab than a luxury car because of the Zil Limousines, which slotted above these.
On the radio, "D" is long wave AM, "C" is medium wave AM, and "Y" is OIRT VHF FM.
The front grill is named after the Baleen whale. They built a lot more than 20,000 of them in the 3 or 4 versions of the car.
It was called the Siberian Buick because of it's ruble (dollar) smile.
Almost 640 k according to wikipedia. 1956 to 70
Great video! You guys were having a blast :-) ... if Andre doesn't put the original drivetrain back in it, he should find himself a Pontiac "Iron Duke" 4 cylinder. I have a feeling its sturdy, agricultural character would suit the Volga perfectly.
I can see that working nicely in this car.
If you had this car in 1965; you would have one amazing luxury car. This car was made to survive the winter; when many cars couldn't even turn for the winter.
It was a popular car use for Taxi's
Love Andre's soviet car collection growing.
More russian lessons from Andre please ✌🏼
His russian is good enough:D
This is quickly becoming my favorite channel on TH-cam 😂 awesome vids you guys post!
Fun fact, my dad's UAZ is from 1989
And it *still* has the same GAZ 21 engine
This reminds me of the early 50's Kaiser-Frazer "Vagabond" model for which my Dad owned for a couple years!
Very nice Andre, to me it looks like an old Volvo or Saab. Have fun with your new toy! 👍
My brother says it looks like an old lady's shoe. Actually, I think it most resembles a '53 Plymouth. I like it! 🙂
Ha! I see both, the 53 Plymouth and the old lady's shoe!
The Moskovitch had the blinds on the radiator as well, I think it was standard on Soviet watercooled vehicles.
Yeah, you're right. All carburator soviet engines have been equipped by this
Please get a good detailer to give a shot at the paint. Absolutely do something with interior. Great car. Love it.
This is a really decent car for it's age , and it's place in the world. I have a Russian tractor. Belarus 350AS. It is one of the more common Russian tractors here in the States. I hate the ergonomics of that machine. Like nothing is in a place that is comfortable. As in I feel like I've been worked hard just doing simple farm chores using it. But this car looks very comfortable, and user friendly. It's nothing compared to to an early 60's Impala SS. But compared to my Russian tractor from several decades later it's light years ahead of it. Tho my Belarus tractor will burn on anything that the injector pump will push thru it. As long as it'll crank it'll burn used old engine oil like a champ , but stink so bad it'll make you vomit 🤮
I think it's a cool ride. Have you thought about finding a small diesel engine to put in it, or is that what the original engine is?
Looks like a 1953 Ford to me. My brother owned one and it reminds me of it. Nice proportions.
Right! Specifically, a 1953 Ford Mainline. This machine became the main one for studying when the Volga was designing.
You should check out the video "Volga V12 A:Level - единственная и неповторимая" on TH-cam. They modified a Volga by putting the body on a BMW platform with the BMW V12. So to answer the question about what you should do with your Volga, fix the paint, fix the interior, lower the car, stiffen the chassis and LS swap the engine. While the Soviet red paint is a look, the gloss black paint with chrome in the video mentioned above is quite attractive.
I've been eye-balling a soviet era car .. this one is perfect .. The guy in the black shirt though .. pretty obvious he doesn't quite get the column shift idea (I thought he was going to break it off trying to get it slammed down into 2nd) .. Great car, can't wait to run across one here too .. Whoop! I vote for a healthy little Coyote with T56, new rear end, squeeze some comfy suspension under it, and re-upholster it to look vintage, but cushy .. if the Coyote is too wide, the Godzilla is skinnier .. Don't pollute it with any GM stuff please .. Work with the paint as it is, fix it where you have to, but let it ride (hubcaps for sure too) ..
Put an OLD V8 in it , they were made to fit one anyway so it won't ruin the classic car feel but it will give you a bit more power ! Edit : we also wanna see the Buhanka on the offroad course please !!!
Dice door lock button? I'm thinking aftermarket. 8:56 Also aftermarket bigger rear view mirror is clipped over the original one. The door rattle might be cured by an adjustment to the latch mechanism.
The 2nd / 3rd shift is backwards from what I remember of our "3-on-the-tree".
A big steering wheel makes up for lack of power steering. The steering wheel on my '68 Scout was enormous.
Our A/C was 4-40... 4 windows down, 40 mph.
5 grand for something thy don't make anymore and they didn't make a lot of isn't bad.
It's ambitious, but I'd go with restoring the original motor, it's not a racer.
I'd love to see the Lada Niva on your track.
Take care of that car and please please DON'T TURN IT INTO AN EV..
The Chaika looks like an impressive car. It would be good to see Andre behind the wheel of one
Very cool car Andre! Did you know your sunglasses are on your head? Then you don’t have to squint!
GM 4.3 would be good in that and relatively low cost
What’s wrong with the Buick?
@@mikek5298 He didn't say there was anything wrong with the Buick engine. Just that the 4.3 would be another option.
First impression: a 1955 Ford.
The story says that the engine was derived from the 2.1 liter inline 4 from the predecessor GAZ 20 Pobjeda, which means victory in Russian produced from 1946 to 1955/56 which shall be a copy from the Willys engine in the overland Jeep from WW2.
ANDRE your grin says it all! I'm happy with you!💖
Soveit impala in the shield of a ford crest. Volga means wolf
The rear quaters/door fender line and lights look like late 40's early 50's Studebaker.
The early 70s Japanese did the same with taking styling clues from American+Euro and adding a few more Japanese quirks to come up with a salad of styling hoping to emulate some kind of pleasant visuals. The difference being the Japanese at least produced a vehicle with refined driving habits and high reliability with many comfort features in the interior and the most modern engineering and high quality fit and finish. Not so the Soviets.
@@marcodmagnifico2737 The Japanese forgot interior comfort by the early 2000's. I haven't ridden in one that wouldn't make my back sore in an hour of sitting. Seats as soft as granite! When I was a teen my folks were between homes in central Florida and Milwaukee. Every year there would be multiple drives between the two which meant 3 days of 8 hour drives...Each gas stop I'd get up and my back would be so sore teenage me would walk hunched over for a minute like an arthritic octogenarian...Usually by the destination I'd be sore enough it would be hard to sleep. Every Honda I've ridden more than an hour in since then has been that bad (I'd probably never own one because of this).
Contrast that to my Lincoln Mark V which I road tripped 8 hours multiple times...That thing was a pleasure to drive/ride in. It was like sitting in a comfortable couch all day.
If Andre wants to daily drive it, he can both keep it authentic-looking and improve driveability by installing 100 mm sleeves and '421' pistons from the 2.9 UMZ engine. Retrofitting an overdrive would also help with cruising ability.
Too much power from a modern V8 would overstretch the chassis, and old big iron engines would ruin the balance (which is still imperfect).
From the side, it looks like a mashup between a '52 Ford and a '54 Studebaker Commander, with a bit of '62 Peugeot 404 in the front end design and more than just a bit of '54 Dodge Coronet in the rear styling. Overall, a pleasant looking car.
Here in Central Wisconsin last year there was a rough average low temperature of -9°F at lowest I mite just want to add that open and close venting to my ride. 😆
It's a 7/8ths sized 54 Chevy from the side
I know most people are going to tell you to put the original drive train back in, but realistically the claimed 75 hp was a gross exaggeration, and the car just simply won't keep up with modern traffic. If you want a museum piece, restore to original. But, if you actually want to drive it, be able to safely merge, and be able to run at a reasonable highway speed, then re-engine. A good re-man 4.3L would give you more than enough power without shaking the car apart, and is relatively inexpensive (start about $1500). Good luck whichever way you go.
Only found out about motoman recently and I love when he’s on the podcast with you guys or video.
first time I have seen him and he seems a bit annoying to me. Who is he supposed to be anyway?
Fun Fact: there is a very infamous urban legend from Russia that involves the Volga.
Beware the Black Volga, cause if it followed u, you would never be seen or heard from again.
Whish is kinda true, since the Volga was a popular car used by many Sercret Police Organizations in eastern Europe.
I’m seeing a lot of shoebox Ford from the headlights, that grill is early 50’s Buick all day and the side profile is 53 Belair with Cadillac esque taillights. It basically 1953 Detroit put in a blender
I think Andrei is completely mental for buying this thing, I enjoyed the video very much, it really took me back to when I was a child living in St. Petersburg Russia
I'd go with an pre OBD/computer controlled Chevy 262cid/4.3l and either hook it up to a T5 manual or do some research as some of the Chevy pickup trucks up to the mid 1980's still had tree shifters and get one of those transmissions and linkages to make work with your current tree selector. If the truck had a SBC 350, it will bolt up to a 262 as the bellhousing is the same, and there are plenty of carburetor intakes for them. Those 4.3s have more power than that car needs, are cheap, plentiful, reliable, and ANY parts store has parts to keep you rolling.
Thank you for sharing! More please, and when I say more...I mean not just more for myself, but for everyone...
When I was young, such cars were sold in my country too, Austria, Europe.
I love it. A Russian car with an American engine and a Mexican blanket over the seat!
LS 4.8 would make that car sing Andre.
225 Buick V6? We had a 67 CJ5 that came with that engine. No powerhouse but it got the job done. This is cool. Why not consider a 4.3 with a auto tranny and a Dana 44 rear end. This wouldnt over power the car yet run well and last forever. Keep ALL the original parts and enjoy driving it. Still that baby 225 is cool. Thank you. Be safe!
love the video. i own an all-original 1974 vaz 2103 in los angeles. mine looks like it just roller off the factory floor. i HAD TO have a car from my childhood. make a video about your buhanka, man!!!
Paint it in two colors! My dream car was Pobeda though 😜
It's got a temperature gauge!
...A luxurious ride, and quite a handler.
Vuri niceuh...
From the side, maybe a little bit of a Studebaker; the back windshield to bumper like a bullet nosed Studie (Late 40s early 50s) and rest of side/roofline, a late 50s Studebaker Lark??
If you don't see this, maybe I've just been up too long today!🤪