"Close your mouth" and other valuable lessons from steam-cleaning a Moskvich | Hagerty Media

[Hagerty]

I was deeply enthusiastic about cleaning my farm-fresh 1960 Moskvich 407 from the inside out and top down. The loose change, the artifacts. There was a lot to look forward to! The underside, however, I dreaded from a place deep within my soul.
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[AG1962]

Wahnsinn (madness), as they say over there. You are one dedicated junk restorer, Matthew. Having clocked hundreds of km in a 1989 Trabi on east German roads in 1991 and 1992 (my buddy had ordered it in 1976), and having owned a 1985 Škoda Rapid in Canada in the 1990s, I can say that I understand the weird gravitational pull of East-Bloc cars. Your Moski takes the cake. Maybe a Škoda Felicia would top it. A Tatra would be, admittedly, in another league altogether — like the Jay Leno league. Saving and driving *ordinary* junk is a special passion. I salute your dedication to the ordinary! Please keep us posted.

[AG1962]

P.S. Driving a 1970s Audi 50 (precursor to the mighty VW Polo!) for a year in Freiburg (1985-86) prepared me for the joys of Autobahn driving in dodgy old sub-60 hp sub-sub-compacts...

[Bostwick9]

'Saving and driving *ordinary* junk is a special passion. '
My 63 Valiant may have been a year away from the junk yard when I got it.
That was 40 years ago.
Amen AG1962, from the Isle of Misfit Cars

[MatthewAnderson]

I'm an absolute sucker for Valiants and the earlier the better. I had an Aussie one in South Carolina for a bit that I bought off a rancher while visiting Tasmania, then shipped it over. It was that oddball 245 Hemi with the little 904 Torq-Flite. I think some guy in Iowa has it now.

[Tcoradeschi]

Sigh. I still haven't gotten over my parents junking our '65, back in 1978. Probably never will - 225 ci, 3 on the tree, optional radio, heater and front seat belts. Such a great car. OK, so NJ's fixation - even back then - with wintertime use of road salt didn't help any, but still...

[MatthewAnderson]

We are absolutely on the same track there. While I can't imagine waiting for a car that I ordered 13 years ago, I can imagine looking 13 years for the right Skoda Rapid somewhere in the plains of Saskatchewan. I had a Skoda Favorit for a bit but had to scrap it due to the rust. An old Felicia or Octavia would be obtainable but due to my unwillingness to spend money, a Tatra or Chaika is out of my league. I guess I'll start my 13 year clock for a deal on one of those.

[SilentBoy741]

I think you found Jimmy Hoffa...

[Bostwick9]

What a treat. Thank you for telling it.
I'm hot for that car, absolutely.

[MatthewAnderson]

Thank you. I'll do my best to do it justice. It should be in a rollable state relatively soon.

[shoulderboards]

Thoroughly enjoyed the descriptive tale of mud, fur and...other substances. Brings back similar memories of my experience helping a friend resurrect a 1959 Glas Goggomobil 2 door from it’s entrenched resting place in a Colorado chicken coop a number of years ago. The need for a big-gulp size tetanus shot was most necessary.

[MatthewAnderson]

Oh man, what a place to be a chicken!

[Steve1957]

Perhaps you should name it "Lenin's Tomb."

[brb]

Great story. Cool looking leetle car. I anticipate the engine restoration will be equally entertaining.

[red-on-red]

Another lesson to learn from this project
"Don't stand under an elevated load on a forklift"
If a hydraulic hose pops or a seal lets-go you will add some extra organic material to the underside of the car.

[senator70]

Another great Matthew Anderson Eastern Bloc car story! Keep them coming. As the Moskvich emerges from the farm dirt, its resemblance to the 1950's British Standard 8, 10 and Pennant (Triumph sedans in the U.S. market) becomes more apparent. What about an ex-Stasi Volga for the next project?