If you briefly go through the history of cars, it will become noticeable that people from high society - the elite - possessed convertibles. A convertible was considered a luxury, as their prices were significantly higher than on a car with a roof. But this does not mean at all that you cannot have a convertible without being the son of a businessman. If you have the tools and certain skills, you can make such a car with your own hands. It all depends on personal preferences, the possibilities of creative thought, as well as a certain amount of money. If you wish, to make a convertible out of an old Volga is not a problem. However, the operation must begin long before the summer season - there is a lot of work to be done on the alteration.
About body types
Information about the first convertibles is dated to the beginning of the nineteenth century - then light horse-drawn carts began to appear in France , the roof of which was folding. One horse was harnessed to this wagon. Then, as technological progress developed, convertibles were called passenger cars designed for two or four seats with a convertible top. A modern convertible is equipped with soft vinyl or fabric materials stretched over a lightweight frame or rigid folding roof types. Such cars have two or four doors. Body - often sedans, less often - hatchbacks.
There are other bodies on the basis of which convertibles were created. For example, a phaeton. This is called an open-body car with a top made of soft materials. At the beginning of the 20th century, the main manufacturers of cars of this type were Skoda, Horch, Pacard. Targa is one of the varieties of two-seater roadsters, where the roof is removable, there is a rear window, as well as an arc.
Why Volga?
Now in fashion tuning classic cars, especially Soviet-made. They include the Volga. But unlike the Lada, Volzhanka can look like a lowrider. Simply put, she has more room for tuning.
It can be either a show car or a car for everyday use. What the “Volga Pobeda” looks like can be seen in the photo that is presented in our article.
How to make a do-it-yourself cabrio
Before you start sawing the Volga, you need to know that a convertible is not just a car without a roof that you screwed or cut off. The remodeling process requires a major change in body structure.
In this case, special requirements must be applied to security. It is necessary to take this issue seriously if the work is carried out in a garage or in private workshops.
What will be needed for the operation?
There is a suitable car, tools, as well as a garage. How to make a convertible from the Volga? First you need to find or develop drawings and cut out the pattern. And after that, you can closely deal with alterations. We also need a welding machine and a grinder with a corresponding disk. Do not forget about protective equipment - glasses, gloves, etc.
Cut off the excess
So, now we need to mark the places on the body that need to be cut. These will be the central pillars of the doors, as well as the junction of the rear pillars with part of the body (which goes to the trunk). It is better to mark with a bright marker - so that the place saw is clearly visible on a bright day. You also need to disassemble the interior and windows (everything except the windshield). At the door you can do everything "in place" indiscriminately.
Next, turn on our grinder and begin to file away everything unnecessary. In height, all racks should be on the same level with the line of the body. Try to cut the metal as evenly as possible, otherwise then you will have to apply a lot of putty. Leave a small podium on the rear pillar (as pictured above). This will hide the design flaws.
Body reinforcement
In addition to protecting passengers and the driver from the vagaries of nature, the roof of the car provides a certain rigidity. By simply cutting off the roof, a convertible cannot be made out of the Volga. If you just cut off the excess, you can significantly degrade the strength of the body. Here it is necessary to carry out certain work aimed at strengthening the body.
How to make a GAZ Volga car convertible? The first step is to make a reinforced frame based on two powerful spars. They are welded in parallel to the bottom of the car. Instead of the side members, you can use the engine mounts and the floor with a steel pipe with a cross section of 20 millimeters, where the wall thickness is 3 millimeters. A thicker pipe connects the floor and the trunk. An approximate amount of work is indicated in the photo below.
Next, the windshield frame needs to be strengthened. Then the rear doors are strengthened and welded (if a two-door Volga-3110 convertible is planned). After that, a rigid partition is welded to the body. She will separate the trunk and the rest of the body. Then the thresholds are strengthened, and additional tubes are installed that go from the windshield frame to the bottom. Front doors also need to be strengthened. And finally, they put a solid beam that will bend around the seats.
It should be understood that these improvements will significantly increase the weight of the machine. This will affect the characteristics of the dynamics and speed. It is important to pay special attention to the body. In places of welds there should be no corrosion. If you do a do-it-yourself cabriolet from the Volga-24, it is recommended that you make a good anti-corrosion treatment.
Strengthening Racks
The windshield and frame will remain in factory condition. You can shorten it, but it is very difficult. After all, a new windshield needs to be made according to its own dimensions. This will significantly affect the budget alteration. The most basic thing is the security arcs. They are installed behind the back sofa or behind the front seats.
Roof folding mechanism
It is very difficult to calculate this mechanism, but with certain knowledge everything will work out. First, calculate the pattern by which the arcs will be made. Next, patterns are made.
They sew a tent made of leather, waterproof fabric or vinyl. Then it is installed on a folding frame and hidden in the place of the rear roof rack, in front of the trunk. Doing a do-it-yourself cabriolet from the Volga, you don’t have to install a convertible roof. Some after cutting the roof and reinforcing the frame, begin to ride "and so." But in this case, you can use a convertible only on a sunny and warm day.
Salon assembly
And if you can ride without a hinged roof, then without a cabin you won’t succeed. Often, a custom salon is made for such instances. As the finishing material used leather, or Alcantara. As for the color scheme, the interior should be classic. It is not permissible to use bright and sporting colors. Avoid bright red, yellow, blue and other shades. The simplest and most popular option is a white interior. It looks impressive and expensive, at the same time it does not spoil the classic, restrained look of the convertible. If the windshield struts are cut off, you need to shorten the side windows. This can be done in a specialized workshop. Door cards and floor are assembled in reverse order. It is advisable to update the caps on which the cards are attached. When assembling the cabin, it is important to hide all the shortcomings and shortcomings. Indeed, now the interior will be viewed by everyone. In this regard, the owners completely alter the interior, also mask the places where the racks are cut. This can be done by applying a light layer of putty with further painting.
Conclusion
So, we figured out how to make a convertible from the Soviet Volga. It is worth noting that the budget for work can vary significantly. If you save on everything, this figure will be about 50 thousand rubles, taking into account the complete repainting of the body. But if the work concerns the interior, the figure will double. But this is far from the limit. In addition, you can install bright, American wheels, hydraulic suspension and high-quality audio system. It all depends on the wishes of the car owner. There are frequent cases when the budget for the conversion increased from one hundred to one million rubles. After all, after music and discs, you can do the engine. This list can go on and on. Therefore, before starting work, you need to calculate all the articles of waste. Otherwise, Volga will remain an unfinished project, which was frozen due to a lack of money or its own time.