Change of tactics, folks. I originally planned a quick ‘n dirty resto to get Agnetha back on the road as quickly as possible, then fix any other problems as and when they occurred (or were discovered). However, I think subconsciously I knew there were some corrosion problems with the bodyshell but I was enjoying being a first-time Allegro owner too much to take any notice.
Sure, it’s obvious that I should have checked this or that first but buying Agnetha was always meant as a decision from the heart rather than the head. This is my fun-time, my weird little hobby, I’m enjoying being naive, asking stupid questions, doing things wrong, f-ing around, finding out, learning, but at the same time being careful not to cause serious injury to myself or others (minor injuries to myself are fine though) – thus it is written in the Standard Operating Procedures of Projekt Agnetha. Don’t approve? Leave a comment below. Oh no, I turned them off. What a shame. Anyway back to the rust: I already knew the corrosion around the windscreen would probably be out of my league since I found her in the museum. Just look at it:
It goes all the way round like that. Then after Christmas I finally confronted my darkest fears and removed the plastic valence around the sills where I’d been ignoring the bubbled-up and cracked paint and – yuck.
It looks like the valence was intended to protect the sill from moisture and stones being flicked up from the road, but in the long-term this is obviously a perfect place for water to collect and initiate corrosion. Also there’s evidence of Agnetha hitting something like a low wall and having quite a rough repair done which has borne the brunt of the corrosion. The good news is that behind the sill the internal structure seems relatively tidy albeit a little bent out of shape in places.
Under the carpet inside there’s also some rust on the floorpan, but this looks more like it started inside the car somehow. Definitely needs investigating – we don’t want a Flintstones type of car.
Don’t get me wrong. I think she’s held up remarkably well considering the decades of neglect since she came off the road in 1989. Let’s be fair: BL got a lot of things right with the Allegro! But it obviously isn’t safe like that, and as a historic vehicle under Polish law Agnetha has to pass a vehicle inspection before going back on the road. The inspection is pretty much done to the same standard as the MOT in the UK so it’s strict on corrosion and structural integrity (this is a good thing). Furthermore, Agnetha will be carrying passengers so the legal requirement is that she’s tested annually just like any other vehicle. Basically it needs to be fixed and, much as I would love to learn to weld, I’m not keen to turn the car into a smoking puddle of molten iron by teaching myself on it.
Having thought long and hard about the options, I think my best course of action is to ship her off to a professional bodyshop so she can be thoroughly welded-up, repainted and protected. While that’s happening I can crack on with rebuilding the engine and everything else. I’ve got some building projects in the Spring with the house so Projekt Agnetha will go quiet for a few months until that’s all buttoned-up. Then it’ll be a case of finding a suitable shop, stripping everything out and full steam ahead. Going to be a long haul but after surviving all those decades in Sweden she’s got to be worth it!
Projekt Agnetha 