Importing Kmail files from Kubuntu 6.06 to newer Kubuntu

[rswanson]

     I had to update my old system, (Kubuntu 6.06), and because the 
files are so important to me as a listowner of a group , I backed up the 
old drive and replaced it with a new HD and Kubuntu 11.04, but the new 
kmail would not import the older kmail files.  They are in the /Mail 
folder, and are available, but the subject line is not readable.
	I have tried importing the mail files with Kmail, Thunderbird, and 
SeaMonkey, with no luck.
     I installed the original Kubuntu HD in another computer, and I can 
read the files, but that doesn't solve my problem.
	Does anyone have any way to successfully import the older files to my 
new system?  Would it work to install another, older, Kubuntu system and 
import the files that way?  I can't just dump the system and start again 
and there are too many files to do it manually. ( over 40,000 )
Thanks,
Bob