public
Captain Slow Charging
The Finnish Connection has been secured!
I picked up a 1976 Rekord with the 1900 engine and four-on-the-floor Sportschaltung yesterday. It was not very expensive and it's also not pristine: the front wings are patchy as hell and the bodywork needs an all-around reassessment due to a few dents, scrapes and surface rust, but so far it feels like a solid buy. Apparently it hasn't seen winter use in ages, there's a good amount of underseal and proper rot seems to be limited to the front wings. We drove it home for 100km yesterday with no problems except a sore need for new wiper blades, which was sorted out immediately. The drivetrain is good, the gearbox and clutch work well and the interior has been partially well preserved.
The initial impressions were of a slightly dodgy runner, but it seems the drive home blew out some cobwebs. This morning the Rekord was easy to start and it runs well on the country roads here, no matter if it's damp or cold. The carb tune isn't all over the place. We will do some basic maintenance and fit studded winter tires, but it's now insured and registered and legal til August if needs must. An oil change is in the cards and getting some winter-proof coolant in the system sounds like a good idea.