Restoring old Polish cars

czesc, is there anyone out there that has, had or is driving an old warsawa m20 pickup, i bought a 1965 version last summer and its in need of full refurb, are they hard on fuel? im trying to have it finished in time for the euros where im hoping to drive it to gdansk,to support ireland,, and poland of course

You could always contact these guys, they renovate and maintain a lot of oldtimers, the chap who runs it speaks english and is a minefield of information.


muzeum-motoryzacji.com.pl/pl/oferta/odrestaurujemy_twoje_auto/

If you want a full refurb, as in stripped back to the shell, engine out and rebuilt, all put back together, then that is going to be very very hard to do between now and July.

If it's not having bodywork, then I would expect at least a serious overhaul of the engine, suspension and braking components if you want to take it on that sort of trip. These machines weren't that rugged to start with, and 50 years later they really ought to be treated lightly.

And as for fuel economy, they're shockingly bad, but that's half the fun :D Expect between 18-22 mpg (imperial).

thanks boys, what.....18 -22 mpg, thats not good, but i did buy it for its looks, i have had the engine done, cost me around 4000 zlotys,now it needs a new back,, ,the cab is in good condition, just a few small marks,planning to have it all repainted black with a few coats of clear lacquer on top,definitely want to have it ready for the euros,, also need to have the inside upholstered,

Good luck with it then! Just make sure before you start the trip that you carry a chest of spare parts. If there's anything specific you need help with, just ask.

Where are you driving from?

cheers, richfilth,you are probably going to shake your head as i am planning to drive it from czestochowa, at 18-22 mpg it sounds like it may be cheaper to hire a taxi to pull me there, but i see this as a trip to see the countryside , my wife is polish and our 3year old son is 4 on the 10th of june, a bit of a chevy chase style family vacation, weather will be hot then, will you be going yourself to the euros, ?

Here’s a restored version, the owner kept it all original though, the canvas was stitched together by a former employee who did that for a living and it took him years to do so. Anyway cool car so good luck on your project.

//moto.pl/MotoPL/1,113204,10852859,Warszawa_Pick_up___pierwszy_powojen ny_polski_samochod.html

I plan on staying as far away from the football as possible; hopefully in my garage, under my own car with my ear defenders on, trying to pretend none of it is happening.

Czestochowa to Warszawa will be no problem for you though, and you'll get many people flashing their lights and giving you thumbs up on the way. You don't see those old beasts on the road any more except for classic events.

And it'll only take you 8 gallons each way; 250km will hardly hardly breaking the bank! I drove my Syrena a lot further before she irreparably broke down...

ha,ha.. cheers richfilth..i take it that your not a football fan,im not a serious fan either,, but for me its a great chance for a vacation with my wife who is polish and my pride and joy,, my little son,, joshuah,,so i hope to be able to get tickets for both a polish game and an irish game,,would love to find out more about vintage car rallies in poland,would be great to go to a few,and im also in need of a back bumper for the pick up, i know the early models had 2 half ones on the back, i would like to get hold of this type if you know of some,, driving to warsaw might not be too bad,, its the drive to gdansk that might cause problems, do you have vintage cars also...

I haven't had vintage for a long time; the last ones were a 1968 Peugeot 404 and a 1968 Ford Cortina Mk II. In Poland I stick to Youngtimers; 70s and 80s cars, and I'm currently mid-way through a complete strip-down rebuild of a BMW E30.

For parts for your car, you'd best sign up for a few forums; the Nekla forum is primarily about Syrenas but they do support the Warszawa as well: syrena.gminanekla.pl/forum/

Parts occasionally turn up on Allegro.pl too. Zderzaki are what you need, but I don't know if parts from the Warszawa 223 will be compatible with your model.

Plenty of rallies around though. Try to get your hands on the magazines Automobilista or ClassicAuto (who I used to write for) and you'll get a calender of events as well as lists of Owners Clubs, who will help you more than I could.

cheers cyga, thats a beautiful restoration job on the pickup. its an older version than mine,, i love the split windscreen,, i will be creating a different back on mine, probably a smaller version than the origional,[not as wide as the cab], im on the lookout for other old polish pickups also,, so far , the warsawa is my favourite shape, what car do you drive,,

Richfilth

I'm looking around for a BMW E9 to be restored. I've identified a few in Germany that I expect to check out in the coming 2-3 weeks.

Can you recommend anyone in the North Warsaw area that would do BMW restorations? I see from your post you were half way through the rebuild of an E30.

Regards