...or other Eastern European stuff? Any suggestions for cool parts to look for while I'm in Bulgaria. Volgas have interesting hood ornaments and dash clocks... maybe an unussual carburetor... I don't have a lot of time or luggage space, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for stuff to look for. I like the idea of having a few wierd parts that will have people scratching the heads. AK receivers are not happening.
Supposedly private citizens can't hardly own guns in Bulgaria. . . New Years Eve was a suprise, it looked like every window in the city had guns hanging out, blasting away. Otherwise they seem to keep the firearms on the QT
Been working in the Russian far east for over 3 years now. Most cars here are Japanese, but you do see some Niva's. Niva is a Chevy Chevette clone, with diesel engine, 15" tires and 4 wheel drive. I have seen these things go through unbelievable snow and mud. As for gun shops, I was in one that had everything you could possibly want in a large gun. No hand guns, but rifle, shot guns, all the way up to a early 20th century Maxim machine gun, water cooled barrel and small wheeled cart with 18" diameter steel wheels. How to get that one through customs one part at a time. '22
Last week we were at a flea mkt For sale was the best collection of unrestored double guns I've ever seen outside of a museum He also had a revolver built into a rifle......... this was his ''sell'' stuff The guy is an hour from us I gotta go see him in the next few weeks I'm a guest here and left my guns in the US
G'day mate!,I was in your area after the Ruski's fucked off and the stuff available was amazing ,I wish i bought a few of the soviet uniforms,medals etc people were selling ( just to get food...) now. Don't Forget Folks that Eastern Europe also has it's car enthusiaskis too so those unusual things are'nt too common anymore,In faxt anything Russian automotive is pretty strange yet the west has yet to make a machine as capable as a Niva Station wagon or Barkus 4x4 van.
Lottsa fake BMW's here....... all remade and WLA Harley Merc...... you can still buy all kinds-a Ruski stuff..... military stuff is everywhere ....... old Nazi stuff too most new made to sell to tourists People are still sellin stuff just to get food and many people here can't heat their house.......... It's sad to see good people struggle This isn't going to be a very good year here ...... Many have left to work elsewhere and find living so costly they can't send much money home To show you how tight things are I needed to see a Dr..... for US$35 I could see him tomorrow....... If I wanted to see him on the national health it would be ten weeks...... People wait ten weeks when you can walk right in for $35 Then there are the few that will give you a price 20 times what it would cost in the west because your a visitor not understanding double I might go for AND can't understand when you walk Most people are kind and happy that I try to speak to them.
I owned a 1982 Lada 1500S from 1983-1986..... paid $3500 for it and was glad to get $100 when I sold it for parts 50,000 miles later. Nothing I recall worthwhile on the car, and certainly nothing I miss. Even the clock quit before the car was 18 months old. Bad, bad electrical system on these things. Why am I telling you this ? Just a heads up. Don't waste your ruples (or whatever their currency is) on anything that is going to have electricity flowing through it. Trust me.
Man, I'll take one of those! What a hot looking car! Anyone know anything about them including availability? Steve
made with BMW parts http://www.caranddriver.com/features/8018/volga-v-12-coupe.html http://jalopnik.com/cars/custom-car...casts-the-bmw-6series-ruskie-style-202990.php
Yeah, alot of BMW clones, all attached to a flat bed side car. Not unusual to see Pa driving, Ma on the back, 5 or 6 kids on the side car bouncing down the road. Surplus tracked APC's running down the road, kind of the Russian version of owning a Hummer. Mainly forested areas here, lots of hunting and fishing/ice fishing. So heating and eating aren't as bad as elsewhere. And truely some of the nicest people I have ever met. That old "eat your dinner, don't you know some kid in Russia is starving" that your folks told you when you were a kid. Russians had "eat your poridge and cabbage, don't you know some kid in the USA is starving tonight.... Always interesting to compare things..
Thanks for the posts. I have not seen that body style of Volga, but I have seen a few that look like a mid 60's mid size Ford. Not bad. Moscovitchs are ugly, Niva's look like fun. There are some front engine vans that look a lot like a VW. There are a bunch of french cars, America is not missing much there. I hope to get out looking in the snow today. The people of been real nice, and tolerate me butchering their language. I wish there was a polite way for me to talk the them about the Von Dutch hats..
No I don't mean clones I mean fakes....... mostly Saharas with a driven side car and done in Desert cammo and sold as ''original'' "The East" is a term that covers a lot of area ......... and situations......sorry to say most of it the people are poor......... but with good hearts There is a game....... How drunk can we get this Yankee ! I learn something new here everyday. Having been in and out for 20 years I have seen so many changes.
What Bluto said. That's what I would buy if having an empty suitcase to bring back. Car parts are cooler in west with no doubt... But remember, there might be some restrictions in importing/exporting. --mika
About the motorcycles, I heard a story about Stalin taking an entire BWM motorcycle plant on trains from Germany to Russia after the war. Also stories about Moscovich cars using carefully copied BMW motors many years ago. Everytime we visit someone's house here, they bust out the homemade wine and brandy right away. The folks can drink!.
Thats true about the BMW bikes,( Russian made Urals have been around for 60 years) the BMW factory ended up in East Germany so the East germans continued building the prewar BMW as a BMW until the real company ( or it's shell, told them to cut it out,) so they changed the name to EMW ,Eisenach moteren Werks.... I saw one years ago in vilnius,complete with mag wheels tinted glass etc ,which i thought was a botched up BMW 328 until my then wife put me straight. The 'E' was just a 'B' changed with a bit of paint...LOL!!. The English got the rest of the plant and it reemerged as the powerplant for the post war Bristol.
My country is full of those Russian motorcycles, useless crap IMO. Some cool choppers built of them though, hamber Chopper_Olli's got one. http://public.fotki.com/RatFink/ural_m-61_1959/ural.html
Would any members be able to help me locate Body Kits for my 1990 Lada Samara convertible ....Also any info/specs for Samara T3 4x4....chromedoctor 'outback' Australia.........
Would any members be able to help me locate Body Kits for my 1990 Lada Samara convertible ....Also any info/specs for Samara T3 4x4....chromedoctor 'outback' Australia.........
Check THIS out: http://englishrussia.com/?p=311#more-311 I'd LOVE to have one of these old cars from Russia to throw a little Jap 4 banger & 5 speed in, and drive around in style while watching people scratch their heads. I dig the shit out of those wierd-ass little cars. And I'll also take 3 of the twin-cam Tatra Hemi's pictured in this thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=259001&highlight=russian&showall=1
I have been working on Urals for many years and yes 9 times out of ten I can sub in a BMW part, but not always. Tring to find the orginals can be a real pain in the ass, mostly the pre- 60's stuff.
Hey SPYDER, did you get cool parts while in Bulgaria?? I am always looking for russian/soviet era car emblems for my collection, I have several different emblems I have collected over the years, I have been trying to locate emblems from a GAZ Chiaka (Russias knockoff of a Packard)but since they were only government cars they are very hard to find even in Russia. hope you had a good time there!!
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