How to make a cab from the "Volga" car with your own hands: a step-by-step instruction

If you skim through the history of cars, it becomes clear that convertibles were owned by people from high society - the elite. The convertible was considered a luxury, as the prices for them were much higher than on a car with a roof. But this does not mean that you can not have a cabriolet without being the son of a businessman. With tools and certain skills, you can make such a car with your own hands. Everything depends on personal preferences, the possibilities of creative thought, as well as a certain amount of money. If there is a desire, make a cabriolet from an old "Volga" - not a problem. However, the operation should start long before the summer season - there is a lot to be done to rework.

About types of bodies

Information about the first cabriolet dates from the beginning of the nineteenth century - then in France began to appear light horse carts, the roof of which was folding. One horse was harnessed to this cart. Then, with the development of technical progress, cabriolets were called passenger cars, designed for two or four seats with convertible tops. Modern cabriolet is equipped with soft vinyl or fabric materials stretched on a light frame, or rigid folding roof types. Such cars have two or four doors. Kuzov - often sedans, less often - hatchbacks.

There are other bodies, on the basis of which cabriolets were created. For example, a phaeton. This is called a car with an open body with an upper part of soft materials. At the beginning of the 20th century, the main manufacturers of such cars were Skoda, Horch, Pacard. Targa - this is one of the varieties of two-seat roadsters, where the roof is removable, there is a rear window, as well as an arc of safety.

Why exactly "Volga"?

Now in the fashion tuning of classic cars, especially Soviet production. They include the "Volga". But unlike the "Zhiguli", "Volzhanka" can look like a low-rider. Simply put, it has more options for tuning.
It can be both a show car and a car on "everyday". What the "Volga Victory" cabriolet looks like can be seen in the photo that is presented in our article.

How to make a cabrio yourself

Before you start sawing the Volga, you need to know that a convertible is not just a car without a roof that has been screwed or cut off. The process of alteration requires a serious modification of the body structure.
Special requirements must be applied to safety. We need to take this issue seriously if the work is done in the garage or in private workshops.

What is needed for the operation?

There is a suitable car, tools, and a garage. How to make a cabriolet from the Volga? To begin with, you must find or develop drawings and cut out the templates. And after that, you can closely deal with rework. We will also need a welding machine and a Bulgarian with the appropriate disk. Do not forget about the means of protection - glasses, gloves, etc.

Cut off the excess

So, now we need to mark places on the body that need to be cut. This will be the central pillars of the doors, as well as the connection of the rear pillar with the body part (which goes to the trunk). Mark better with a bright marker - so that the place of the saw was clearly visible on a bright day. Also need to disassemble the interior and the glass (all but the front). On the door, you can do everything "in place," indiscriminately.
Then we turn on our Bulgarian and begin to cut down all unnecessary. In height, all racks should be at the same level with the body line. Try to cut the metal as flat as possible, otherwise you will have to put a lot of putty. On the back stand leave a small podium (as in the photo above). This will hide the design flaws.

Strengthening of the body

In addition to protecting passengers and the driver from the whims of nature, the roof of the car provides a certain stiffness. By simply cutting the roof, making a convertible from the "Volga" will not work. If you simply cut off 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 car GAZ "Volga" cabriolet? The first step is to produce a reinforced frame on the basis of two powerful spars. They are welded parallel to the bottom of the car. Instead of the spars, you can use the engine mounts and the floor with a pipe made of steel with a cross section of 20 millimeters, where the wall thickness is 3 millimeters. A thicker tube connects the floor and the trunk. The approximate amount of work is indicated in the photo below. Then it is necessary to strengthen the windscreen frame. Then the rear doors are reinforced and welded (if a two-door "Volga-3110" cabriolet is planned). After that, a rigid partition is welded to the body. She will divide the trunk and the rest of the body. Then reinforce the thresholds, and install additional tubes that go from the windshield frame to the bottom. The front doors also need to be reinforced. Finally, they put a solid beam that will bend around the seats. It should be understood that these modifications will significantly increase the weight of the machine. This will affect the characteristics of dynamics and speed. It is important to pay special attention to the bodywork. There should be no corrosion in the welded joints. If you make a cabriolet from the Volga-24 with your own hands, it is recommended to make a good anti-corrosion treatment.

Strut reinforcement

The windshield and the frame will remain in the factory state. You can shorten it, but it's very difficult. After all, a new frontal must be made in its own size. This will significantly affect the budget of the alteration. The most important thing is the security arc. They are installed behind the rear sofa or behind the front seats.

The mechanism of unfolding the roof

Calculate this mechanism is very difficult, but with certain knowledge, everything will turn out. First, a template is calculated according to which the arcs will be made. Further make patterns. On them, they sew an awning made of leather, waterproof cloth or vinyl. Then it is installed on the folding frame and hidden in the place of the rear pillar of the roof, in front of the trunk. Making a convertible from the "Volga" with your own hands, you can not engage in the installation of a convertible roof. Some after the roof slice and the reinforcement of the carcass begin to ride "and so." But in this case, you can only use a convertible on a sunny and warm day.

Interior assembly

And if you can go without a hinged roof, then without the salon does not work. Often, for such specimens, a custom salon is made. отделки используется кожа, либо алькантара. The leather is used as the finishing material or Alcantara. As for the color range, the salon should be classic. It is unacceptable to use bright and sporting colors. Avoid bright red, yellow, blue and other shades. The simplest and most popular option is a white salon. It looks spectacular and expensive, at the same time does not spoil the classic, low-key kind of gig. If the frontal legs are cut off, the side windows need to be shortened. This can be done in a specialized workshop. Door cards and the floor are assembled in the reverse order. It is advisable to update the pistons on which the cards are attached. When assembling the cabin, it is important to hide all the shortcomings and shortcomings. After all, now the interior will be viewed by everyone. In this regard, the owners completely alter the interior, and also mask the places of the cutoff of the racks. This can be done by applying a light layer of putty with further coloring.

Conclusion

So, we found out how to make a cabriolet from the Soviet "Volga". It is worth noting that the budget for the 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 salon, the figure will double. But this is not the limit. In addition, you can install bright, American discs, hydraulic suspension and a high-quality audio system. Everything depends on the wishes of the car owner. There are often cases when the budget of the alteration increased from one hundred million to one million rubles. After all, after music and CDs, you can also do the engine. This list can last indefinitely. Therefore, before starting work, you need to calculate all the articles of embezzlement. Otherwise, the "Volga" will remain an unfinished project, which was frozen due to lack of money or own time.