That beige Polonez: EUROTRIP 2014

[Alexg]

 

Why did this not make the calender thread shortlist?

[Wilko220]

Needs to be considered for 2014!

[SambaS]

The Polonez didn't escape some action either. We went on a tour of Scotland to see some dead FSO's.

 

Managed to buy some parts from the Dumfries one:

 

 

 

It was simply a case of undoing 5 screws and 4 wires... oh wait no it wasn't.

 

 

Turns out it wasnt just the metal inside the rubber trim that was rotten.. the panel behind was/ is too. So I treated the metal and painted it. Steve's doing a bodywork restoration on this in the winter hopefully so I slowed down the rust but didnt go mad cutting bits out, that will be for Steve to do later!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top coat will have to be at a later date as funds are tight. As am I.

 

 

I've paid a deposit on the interior - it is MINT, so that will improve the car no end.

 

 

Also Steve fitted a replacement carburettor today, but untill I TAX it, we wont know how much of an imporvement it will have made. Certainly seems better. But still has a flat spot.

 

[SambaS]

While in Scotland we did a deal on this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She will be on the road sometime in 2015. Don't believe me - wanna fight about it?

 

[Alexg]

Are you fucking mental?

[Shep Shepherd]

The Prima looks too good to be in a scrapyard

[SambaS]

Quite

 

Are you fucking mental?

[SambaS]

The Prima is a sad sad story.

 

It is in DA autospares in Dumfries, we tried every angle to buy it but a COD has been issued (you've probably head me whinge about CODs before, wondered why? THIS is why).

 

Okay it was in a garage in Dumfries until a couple of months back. The car has covered only 9,500 miles. The Prima is the top spec Polonez. There are NO Primas left on the road.

 

Can't buy the shell to reshell another.

Can't buy the car to "banger race"

Can't even export it to Poland.

 

We have tried everything apart from taking Mr DA out for dinner and sucking him off.

 

[Lacquer Peel]

What's the Scottish Polonez good for?

 

I've seen it IRL and it's even more fucked than it looks in the photos.

[SambaS]

Restoration of course. We went to see it on Thursday, these are my pictures.

[Shep Shepherd]

Oh, bugger!

 

I remember the Prima being quite common in east Kent in the late 1980s - they were easily recognised due to their white Wellers. I always thought that they looked pretty neat compared the other eastern European cars available at the time.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Why did this not make the calender thread shortlist?

 

Because the car next to the FSO is crap!

[RedSparrow]

Bloody shame you couldn't save the Prima instead of that rotter.

By the way - are you serious about that?! There must be a few of the same age in far better condition than that knocking about. It's utterly fucked!

Anyway, respect to you sir.

[trigger]

There's no way that FSO is savable, and even if it was it wouldn't be economical, by a very long way.

 

Christ there's been Lotus Cortinas scrapped that have been in better condition then that.

[KruJoe]

While in Scotland we did a deal on this:

 

 

That's gonna behave beautifully* on the way back to Yorkshire, hanging off my A-fame.

 

Edd, have you told Steve about this yet?

You're significantly more mentally disturbed than I thought. If he knows, the same applied to him. Mad as toast.

 

*("Hanging" being the operative word.)

[Lacquer Peel]

I don't know if it's genuine madness or autoshite willy waving.

[Richard]

You can't possibly A-frame that, at least one inner wing is detached.

[Guest]

It's coming home on a trailer, it's going to be restored.

[RedSparrow]

One of these trailers?

 

 

Ok, I'll stop being an arse now. I look forward to an epic collection thread wiv pitchers.

When are you getting it?

[Guest]

Not sure yet, we've spent that much on hiring trailers in the past year that it would make more sense to buy one, were moving some other eastern bloc tat at the end of June hopefully so this beauty maybe collected at the same time. There's quite a good chance it's going to snap in two when we try and move it but we brought the caro truck home in two pieces so that's nothing new

[CYANIDE STEVE]

Yes as Ben says, we definitely need to by a trailer soon. The plan is to store the car with Edd until my Caro truck is finished then this will take the place of it in my workshop. Edd and I went and saw it last week so I know what I'm in for and doesn't phase me at all. You should see some of the other so called impossible restorations I've done over the years! Whether it's economical to restore or not doesn't even come into the equation. It's all about our passion for these Eastern Bloc gems and this being a very early one makes it worth doing (In our eyes anyway)

[Angrydicky]

Steve, if you manage to restore that I will be seriously impressed! You will be pretty much reconstructing the whole car from scratch. It makes my Cambridge seem solid, and I never thought I'd say that! Having said that, it's only metal, so it can be repaired.

 

Mucho respect sir.

[RedSparrow]

Is it worth getting a decent one from Poland and sticking all the rhd bits on it?

And how is the pickup coming along?

[trigger]

Good luck Steve, prove us all wrong!

[quicksilver]

You FSO guys are all totally, gloriously and brilliantly mad I never in a million years thought any sane person would even consider restoring that one after 25 years in a Scottish field so much RESPEK' to you! Shame about the one in Dumfries but I guess you can't save them all and at least it didn't die in vain.

[Lacquer Peel]

Re-shelling, is that just sticking the VIN off this one on a better car?

[SambaS]

No reshelling a car is not just sticking the VIN on a better car - that sounds more like ringing to me?

 

It requires a bare shell, then the transferring of all the good parts.

 

Not committing to any kind of plan this early in the game, just to bring it home.

 

Check this video out, this man built an FSO from thin air and a bunch of panels

 

[CYANIDE STEVE]

The pick up is coming on a treat. Really pleased with the progress. I'ii post some more pics up when I get back home next week.This is another restoration people thought impossible . Also on the Polonez we intend keeping as much of the original car as possible I'm not into ringing. Well not cars anyway

[KruJoe]

Bells?

[CYANIDE STEVE]

Ends maybe!