I had been thinking about this. But am not sure. I also have a set of standard rims and they will also need to be painted so I might need to do a bit of experimentation. Niva's generally have the sills in matt black, and what is not obvious in the pictures is that the window surronds and gutter trim are stainless so will shine up well. I am still leaning towards satin black for the wheels, but I might sleep on it!!
Lada Niva Mini Expedition Project
- Thread starter griffdog
- Start date
I had been thinking about this. But am not sure. I also have a set of standard rims and they will also need to be painted so I might need to do a bit of experimentation. Niva's generally have the sills in matt black, and what is not obvious in the pictures is that the window surronds and gutter trim are stainless so will shine up well. I am still leaning towards satin black for the wheels, but I might sleep on it!!
RMP&O
Expedition Leader
A member of my forum has one...he loves it! He is also in Australia....
http://www.rmp-o.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=707
I have seen a ton of them in Latin America, they are pretty popular in Colombia along with the UAZ/GAZ. I just watched a video the other night of one in Panama, it was outdoing the trucks on 33s no problem! Light weight has big advantages in mud.
Here in the USA we got tons of the 1980s Subarus in all kinds of configurations. I have had a couple of those myself and loved them to death, for what they were they were very good. What would make a Lada better the an old Subi?
Oh and here is a little Lada porn....
Mog portal axles under that bad boy! :Wow1:
http://www.rmp-o.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=707
I have seen a ton of them in Latin America, they are pretty popular in Colombia along with the UAZ/GAZ. I just watched a video the other night of one in Panama, it was outdoing the trucks on 33s no problem! Light weight has big advantages in mud.
Here in the USA we got tons of the 1980s Subarus in all kinds of configurations. I have had a couple of those myself and loved them to death, for what they were they were very good. What would make a Lada better the an old Subi?
Oh and here is a little Lada porn....
Mog portal axles under that bad boy! :Wow1:
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Having owned a number of subaru's including the one int he pic (turboed 2 litre with 27 inch rims), I cn say without a doubt that the niva is superior in every aspect bar outright power and build quality. Due to:
- 5 link rear end that gives massive travel.
- Long wishbone front suspnsion gives excellent travel
- 4.1 diffs with 2.2:1 transfer as standard but the ability to go to 4.3 diffs and 3:1 transfer if you are keen.
- Superior approach and departure angles.
- Shorter wheelbase but not pitchy like a swb cruiser.
- As much room in the back as my old swb MQ patrol when yo take the rear seat out.
- Simple and can fix nearly everything with the standard tol kit.
- Ability to get 29 inch tyres in with little effort.
But the clincher is that in stadard form a niva will go just about anywhere that a cruiser or patrol will go and some places they cant. You can modify them but they are just a great little machine even as standard. A suby is fun, but it does not have a low enough low range nd getting clearance by fitting biger tyres just stuffs this up even more.
RMP&O
Expedition Leader
Good enough! Having never owned one and only being around them briefly while traveling I am not familiar with the Lada much. They are uni-body though right, which I would think would be a downside, especially if modifying it.
How about reliability? Also not being familiar with Russian vehicles I can only guess at how reliable they are. And how about parts, are they still easy to get for the Lada?
Yes they are a unibody construction, but are made out of 1mm mild steel and so are very strong. When heavily modified a lot of people replace the sills with box section and this acts as a rock slider and also a good high lift jacking point.
Niva's are still being made and so you can purchase everything for them. Check out ebay Europe - lada niva has about 35 000 entries. As for reliability, they are essentially a 60's design so as long as you understand this and maintain as such you will be fine, but they are not a drive and forget machine like a modern vehicle. For example they require timing chain adjustment every 10,000 and they have lots of uni joints that need regular greasing. Things like the starter motor and alternator are designed to be pulled apart and cleaned/adjusted regulalry, and most pre 1995 models require rear brake adjustment regulalrly for them to work as they should. Their only real weakness is the gearbox, which is not really that bad as long as its treated with a little bit of care. Problem is 5th gear and to be honest I dont really use 5th on mine as I prefer to keep the engine humming at around 3750 on the highway which is about 100kph.
My car which is a 1991 model still came with a starter crank and a primer on the fuel pump for hand starting. So if you are handy and like fiddling they are perfectly reliable, but if you just want to drive something for 15,000miles at a time and then go and get it serviced, you would be very disappointed.
Two quotes best sum up the niva, and might help to explain why those that like them really love them.
Lada Niva - Made for Siberia not suburbia.
Lada Niva - Always half broken, never broken down.
They have bags of character and in Australia we would say they have a lot of heart. In Europe they would say it is a car with "Courage". If a Niva was a dog it would be a Jack Russell Terrier. Loads of balls in a small package and not afraid to take on bigger dogs without a flinch. Can be frustrating at times but you love em to death and when the chips are down you know the little bugger is going to give you 100% of what he's got even if putting himself well into harms way.
Keep an eye on this build and our eventual crossing of the Simpson Desert and you will see what I mean.:ylsmoke:
Niva's are still being made and so you can purchase everything for them. Check out ebay Europe - lada niva has about 35 000 entries. As for reliability, they are essentially a 60's design so as long as you understand this and maintain as such you will be fine, but they are not a drive and forget machine like a modern vehicle. For example they require timing chain adjustment every 10,000 and they have lots of uni joints that need regular greasing. Things like the starter motor and alternator are designed to be pulled apart and cleaned/adjusted regulalry, and most pre 1995 models require rear brake adjustment regulalrly for them to work as they should. Their only real weakness is the gearbox, which is not really that bad as long as its treated with a little bit of care. Problem is 5th gear and to be honest I dont really use 5th on mine as I prefer to keep the engine humming at around 3750 on the highway which is about 100kph.
My car which is a 1991 model still came with a starter crank and a primer on the fuel pump for hand starting. So if you are handy and like fiddling they are perfectly reliable, but if you just want to drive something for 15,000miles at a time and then go and get it serviced, you would be very disappointed.
Two quotes best sum up the niva, and might help to explain why those that like them really love them.
Lada Niva - Made for Siberia not suburbia.
Lada Niva - Always half broken, never broken down.
They have bags of character and in Australia we would say they have a lot of heart. In Europe they would say it is a car with "Courage". If a Niva was a dog it would be a Jack Russell Terrier. Loads of balls in a small package and not afraid to take on bigger dogs without a flinch. Can be frustrating at times but you love em to death and when the chips are down you know the little bugger is going to give you 100% of what he's got even if putting himself well into harms way.
Keep an eye on this build and our eventual crossing of the Simpson Desert and you will see what I mean.:ylsmoke:
Oh and these photos are real Lada porn - Early 80's Poch Lada Dakar racers. The picture with the car on its side is actually how you work on a Lada - you position the spare on the other side and then push it over so it wedges the spare at the b pillar. - no s--t!.
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Managed to finish painting and start putting things back together. Remember that my main aim was simply to make the car look respectable while I used it as a daily driver and did the work required to get it ready for a simpson desert crossing. Looks ok really.
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Ray Hyland
Expedition Leader
Looks good.
VanIsle_Greg
I think I need a bigger truck!
Looking great. I like the wheels that colour too...good choice.
sandalscout
Adventurer
Yep, really like the look of it!
Thanks for the comments guys.
I have the day off today before heading away for the Christmas holidays and a couple of weeks on the mainland, so will be trying to get a few things on the Niva done.
I have an alloy bullbar that I need to clean and paint in satin black. I need to replace the tubes that it attaches to soo I will not be able to put on today, so will just have it ready to go when I return. Put fron mud flaps back on. One more coat of paint on the sills and that will be it. I will then be away until the 20/1 so that will give the new paint a chance to harden, so that it can be cut and buffed when I return.
I am returning to the mainland permenantly at the end of March and so I will only have 8 weeks to get the Niva ready to go on the boat to come back.
Plans for that 8 week include :
Changing the rear diff housing - current one is slightly bent.
Home made 2 inch lift at front and 1.5 inches at back, using cut up bread boards as spring spacers.
Slightly longer rear shocks at back to allow increased travel, along with trimming bump stops.
Trim front bump stops to increase travel.
Engine bay tidy up and paint out.
Replace current bonnet latch with rally style rubber side latches.
When I get back to the mainland and have access to my shed and tools again the following is planned for the trip to the Simpson :
Replace seats with a set of cloth alfa romeo seats that are the same vintage but will be more comfortable than the current vinyl.
Extensive sound deadening program.
Replace bolds holding transfer with something a bit beefier and reinforce mounting points.
Sandblast and paint 6 standard rims and fit with 195/75r16 tyres for general road use and the desert trip.
Make a swing away wheel carrier for the back and convert rear side panels so that they become storage areas.
Fit my vintage thule roof bars (lovely alloy ends), and a small roof basket.
Changing engine driven fan to twin thermo fan set up - current fan set up is noisy and would like the option to be able to switch fan off for water crossings.
Long term options:
Exploring the possibility of fitting a 1.8 Mazda maita engine and gearbox combination.
Converting the rear drum brakes to disk.
I have the day off today before heading away for the Christmas holidays and a couple of weeks on the mainland, so will be trying to get a few things on the Niva done.
I have an alloy bullbar that I need to clean and paint in satin black. I need to replace the tubes that it attaches to soo I will not be able to put on today, so will just have it ready to go when I return. Put fron mud flaps back on. One more coat of paint on the sills and that will be it. I will then be away until the 20/1 so that will give the new paint a chance to harden, so that it can be cut and buffed when I return.
I am returning to the mainland permenantly at the end of March and so I will only have 8 weeks to get the Niva ready to go on the boat to come back.
Plans for that 8 week include :
Changing the rear diff housing - current one is slightly bent.
Home made 2 inch lift at front and 1.5 inches at back, using cut up bread boards as spring spacers.
Slightly longer rear shocks at back to allow increased travel, along with trimming bump stops.
Trim front bump stops to increase travel.
Engine bay tidy up and paint out.
Replace current bonnet latch with rally style rubber side latches.
When I get back to the mainland and have access to my shed and tools again the following is planned for the trip to the Simpson :
Replace seats with a set of cloth alfa romeo seats that are the same vintage but will be more comfortable than the current vinyl.
Extensive sound deadening program.
Replace bolds holding transfer with something a bit beefier and reinforce mounting points.
Sandblast and paint 6 standard rims and fit with 195/75r16 tyres for general road use and the desert trip.
Make a swing away wheel carrier for the back and convert rear side panels so that they become storage areas.
Fit my vintage thule roof bars (lovely alloy ends), and a small roof basket.
Changing engine driven fan to twin thermo fan set up - current fan set up is noisy and would like the option to be able to switch fan off for water crossings.
Long term options:
Exploring the possibility of fitting a 1.8 Mazda maita engine and gearbox combination.
Converting the rear drum brakes to disk.
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NothingClever
Explorer
Griffdog, you are the man !!
Great work on your restoration.
Great work on your restoration.
Picked up this little number yesterday for free. I really just wanted it for the rear diff housing and a spare rhd steering box. Despite its poor condition, it has done a genuine 120,000 km's and so my thoughts were that there would be a few bits and pieces worth keeping.
The car had been sitting in a padock for a few years, but when I checked the oil it did not appear to have any water in it and there was water in the radiator, so I thought stuff it I will see if it will turn over, with a view to at least maybe being able to creep it out of the padock it was in.
I hooked up a battery, jumped in and turned the ignition to on. Dash lit up and the fuel pump whirred. Hit the starter and after cranking over for about 10 seconds, ill be buggered, she fired up and settled into a smoothish idle. Brake and clutch pedals were pretty seized up but with a bit of prodding they came loose and chucked into low range, I reversed that sucker straight out.
Towed it 15km home and dropped the oil out of the sump and refilled (pretty sludgy but OK), and drained the radiator and refilled with rain water and fired her up again and went for a little drive around. Gearbox and transfer both good, steering good, and engine running fine appart from needing timing chain adjustment (but I think the slipper might be toast).
This car looks like poo, but it now raises the possibility of a complete swap to 1700tbi on my car. I am amazed that the injection system seems to have dealt with sitting in the open for so long without any great issue. Obviously the connections will need a bit of a clean up and the whole engine will benefit from a freshen up, but given that I have everyting here, it would seem stupid not to make the change to injection using Ahma's excellent write up as a guide
Long term goal now is to lighten the car as much as I can, change to the 1700 tbi, fit 2 inch lift and 205/80 tyres and hope that with a little extra grunt and the 4.1 diffs that I have a good little car for 90% of what I want to do. I now have a spare transfer case and gearbox, so am thinking that this provides a greAt opportunity to look at a rockcrawler case. The only thing that I would really want after this is either locking or lsd diffs. That would give me pretty much my perfect Niva.
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The car had been sitting in a padock for a few years, but when I checked the oil it did not appear to have any water in it and there was water in the radiator, so I thought stuff it I will see if it will turn over, with a view to at least maybe being able to creep it out of the padock it was in.
I hooked up a battery, jumped in and turned the ignition to on. Dash lit up and the fuel pump whirred. Hit the starter and after cranking over for about 10 seconds, ill be buggered, she fired up and settled into a smoothish idle. Brake and clutch pedals were pretty seized up but with a bit of prodding they came loose and chucked into low range, I reversed that sucker straight out.
Towed it 15km home and dropped the oil out of the sump and refilled (pretty sludgy but OK), and drained the radiator and refilled with rain water and fired her up again and went for a little drive around. Gearbox and transfer both good, steering good, and engine running fine appart from needing timing chain adjustment (but I think the slipper might be toast).
This car looks like poo, but it now raises the possibility of a complete swap to 1700tbi on my car. I am amazed that the injection system seems to have dealt with sitting in the open for so long without any great issue. Obviously the connections will need a bit of a clean up and the whole engine will benefit from a freshen up, but given that I have everyting here, it would seem stupid not to make the change to injection using Ahma's excellent write up as a guide
Long term goal now is to lighten the car as much as I can, change to the 1700 tbi, fit 2 inch lift and 205/80 tyres and hope that with a little extra grunt and the 4.1 diffs that I have a good little car for 90% of what I want to do. I now have a spare transfer case and gearbox, so am thinking that this provides a greAt opportunity to look at a rockcrawler case. The only thing that I would really want after this is either locking or lsd diffs. That would give me pretty much my perfect Niva.
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postalWagon
Adventurer
Awesome grab, makes me want to find me a Lada.
Cheers,
Cheers,