Emka : The GAZ M1 (Part 1)

The GAZ M1 is a true classic of the soviet automobile industry. Its serial production at the “Gorky Automoble Plant” started in March 1936. During the next seven years of production, the plant released nearly 63.000 samples of the model M1. In fact, the M1 is the copy of the American Ford V8 only slightly adapted for soviet roads. During the war, in many soviet regions, these vehicles were the sole means of transport for the communication between cities and settlements.

The car introduced in this article arrived in the Soviet Armenia before the Second World War. Initially, along with other five similar cars, it was serving the visitors of the capital, mainly the guests of the “Intourist” hotel.  The “Emkas” can be seen almost in all old photographs of this part of the city, on the Astafiev Street, at the entrance of the “Intourist” hotel. Unfortunately, the fate of the other five cars is unknown to us, but the one we managed to find, has a very interesting history.
After many years of exploitation as a taxi, this car became so much worn out, that it was discarded by the city authorities, after which it became the property of Vanik, its driver, who was a famous driver in the city and  perfectly familiar with the technical part of the car. After a complete overhaul, the car was back on the wheels travelling around the city.
To be continued...

The Restoration of a Pedal Car (Part 2)

Next, the guys restored the windshield. Like the original, there was used 3.5 mm transparent organic glass, which, after being bent, received the outlines of the factory windshield.
The glass fasteners were also made of stainless steel.

Now, it came to bumpers. As an example, the restorers procured an original bumper of the Moskvitch. The front and rear bumpers of this car are virtually the same. At first, our specialists created a mold in accordance with the factory bumper shape,only after which, using polyester resin and fiberglass, they managed to re-create the original bumpers.
Since the car was completely destitute of its seat, it was decided to make another one of plastic, which received a more ergonomic configuration. Thanks to the professional sewing of the upholstery cover, the seat looks quite pretty. The trimming was realized with high-quality artificial leather.

The wiring process was the final stage of the assembly of the pedal Moskvitch. Originally this model was equipped with 2 front lights with a capacity of 8 volts (0,068 amps.) But now, such lamps are no longer available for sale. More difficult it is to find an appropriate power source. Currently, two 12V batteries are connected to the light bulbs, which are switched on by means of a switch on the dashboard.
The restoration of this pedal Moskvitch was completed only in the summer of 2016.