Сделано в СССР

[Wiggilez]

nice, and congrats on 3rd place  :thumbsup:

[desbennett004]

Just saw your Lada at the end of this clip. Great Job! https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=MaZOMnodGHA

 

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk

[gogmorgo]

I made a thing today!

For less than an hour's work and under $15 in materials, I'm questioning why I didn't do it long ago. This is a TON of fun. All cars should start like this.

 

Unfortunately I've canceled the rego on the Niva for the time being. The transmission's input shaft seal started leaking, and I lost fifth gear in New York. It made the trip back in 4th, but there are not-so-great sounds coming from my brand-new transmission, and the clutch did not care much at all for the 4000+ mile oil bath, and by the time I made it home was slipping above 1/2 throttle. So it'll be sitting where it's parked until that gets addressed.

[Wiggilez]

I take it the car was already set ip for that? Also i find it weird that a car built in 96 has a hand crank start thing.

[Minuit]

 i find it weird that a car built in 96 has a hand crank start thing.

 

Welcome to the world of Russian engineering.

[gogmorgo]

Yeah, apparently they weren't equipped with the bumpers with holes and the fancy crank nut for much longer after mine was built. At that point it was more of a gimmick than anything else, although back in the 70's (and even today somewhat) it's a hell of a walk out of most of Russia if your starter packs it in, and for the dollar or two it costs at production scale, it's a handy backup. Most crank handles went AWOL like mine did several owners ago though, but people who have them still use them regularly, as it's a great way to turn the engine over while re-tensioning the timing chain, which needs done every oil change.

[HOrnbrod]

If I were stranded out in the Siberian steppes in the middle of winter with a semi-dead battery, I would definitely like to have this option.   :yes:

[gogmorgo]

Or any other number of things.

A couple months after I bought it, the week after it was legal to be on the road, I hit a wash out at the bottom of a coolee way off the grid, and parked in a swamp. Five mile hike back to my friend's place. We dragged it out the next morning. I was going up one side, she was headed up the other, and as I turned around I stalled it. Hit the key and nothing. I look up and watch her truck disappear over the top. Five mile hike later I was less than impressed.

I won't ever exclude myself from the line of idiots who owned this Niva, but knowing what it had been equipped with from the factory and that The reason I was walking was one of the idiots before me couldn't keep a handle on his handle... I wasn't the happiest guy in the world.

 

I wasn't hugely inspired to make a handle at the time, but was keeping an eye out. It wasn't long ago I stumbled over the diagram and recommendation to make my own which is when it occurred to me to do such a thing.

Needless to say now though mine's staying in the vehicle unless I'm using it.

[gogmorgo]

Video from the Tail of the Dragon.

[gogmorgo]

Been cruising around in this thing again today. Forgot how much it doesn’t feel like it’s built for highway driving. 
Picked up a muffler for it. The glass pack is still hilarious at low speeds, but between the top gear being direct drive, 4.10 gears, and high range also being a 1.20 reduction, 100km/h is 4200 rpm and that gets real old, real quick. Nothing fancy, just a thrush welded. Haven’t decided if I’m going to swap out the glass pack, or leave it where it is as a resonator ahead of the rear axle and hang the muffler transversely behind it in the stock location.

Also the starter has apparently packed it in. You get looks using the hand crank, let me tell you.

Videos are hard. 

[Pete M]

it most definitely wasn't built for freeway driving.  Russia doesn't really have a lot of those things. 

[gogmorgo]

56 minutes ago, Pete M said:

it most definitely wasn't built for freeway driving.  Russia doesn't really have a lot of those things. 

Especially not when they designed it back in the 70’s. Last ten years or so they’ve been building more “refined” versions for paved roads. Single-speed transfer cases, more modern appearance package, luxuries like a power windows and a stereo, a/c even. Mine I’d just be happy if I could shut the heat off for the summer. 

[91Pioneer]

A buddy of mine has a Lada Niva, I haven't seen it yet. He said he was offloading it, got it stuck, and then broke a driveshaft when trying to get it out. I'm not sure how many years ago that was but it's been sitting for years now. I've been bugging him to fix it and sell it to me LOL.

 

Do you have any Niva parts? Do you want to sell your Niva to me? I'm ready for a challenge LOL. I can't even remember the last time I saw a Lada on the road, I'd say it was in the 90's....!

 

My understanding is that as Canadians we can import cars that are 15 years old. Do you know if there is some place I can buy a 15 year old Lada in Canada that's already been imported?

[gogmorgo]

On 11/28/2023 at 7:43 PM, 91Pioneer said:

A buddy of mine has a Lada Niva, I haven't seen it yet. He said he was offloading it, got it stuck, and then broke a driveshaft when trying to get it out. I'm not sure how many years ago that was but it's been sitting for years now. I've been bugging him to fix it and sell it to me LOL.

 

Do you have any Niva parts? Do you want to sell your Niva to me? I'm ready for a challenge LOL. I can't even remember the last time I saw a Lada on the road, I'd say it was in the 90's....!

 

My understanding is that as Canadians we can import cars that are 15 years old. Do you know if there is some place I can buy a 15 year old Lada in Canada that's already been imported?

I see the odd ad for a newer imported Lada. There’s a couple guys in the Lada groups on Facebook that will arrange an import as well for you, they’ll fill a few containers with cars and parts a few times per year, although I don’t know of any specific dealers that specialize or anything.

I was actually kinda wondering about the process again recently, I’ve started getting interested in the Chevrolet Niva, which is a weird joint venture with GM for a second-gen Niva, a more modern body with the original mechanical bits underneath, although I doubt that I’ll have the money to do it any time soon.

 

I’ve got a couple new cv shafts sitting around but no driveshafts. I bought them because the original cvs have boot shield things that are damaged on mine and I thought I’d need them for an inspection. Then I moved back to Manitoba and don’t need to pass an inspection anymore.

But otherwise most of the parts I have are either things I need that I haven’t got around to installing or else old broken stuff that came off that I didn’t throw away because I’m a bit of a hoarder.

 

Someone posted up this weekend in one of the Facebook groups that there’s a Niva in the Buck’s yard in Regina. Don’t know how much of it will be left, there was a fair bit missing already. 
Ital Motors in Edmonton carries a fair bit and has their own little salvage operation as well, I bought quite a bit of stuff from them for my Samara a few years back, including glass. They’re generally willing to ship stuff.

Otherwise most of the stuff I need I’ve ordered from Ladapower.com. His inventory is a little patchy right now but it’s improving as he rebuilds his supply chain. He recently relocated his operation from Ukraine to Estonia because… well, reasons. Just be aware that you may get hit with 35% tarriffs or whatever it is now on any Russian manufactured goods you import. Plus GST and PST.

There’s a handful of other online stores in Europe, Ladapower has some good parts manuals and you can find most things by googling the part number you’re looking for even if Ladapower doesn’t have it in stock. I also had a friend hook me up with a dealer in Sofia, Bulgaria, when she was there a few years back and getting parts from Ukraine was looking problematic, although I never ended up buying anything from him because Ladapower reopened in Estonia just after. 

[91Pioneer]

Thanks for the info.

[91Pioneer]

It turns out my buddy needs a left rear axle shaft and he's not sure what else off-hand, it's been sitting a few years He sent me a few photos, they are such cool rigs. Of course I then went to YouTube to see Nivas and found a guy that is fixing his up currently, username PLUKI 4X4

 

I have lost so much motivation to work on car projects this year I'm hoping any future vehicle is nearly done, like 95%+ done not needed much work at all.

[gogmorgo]

16 hours ago, 91Pioneer said:

It turns out my buddy needs a left rear axle shaft and he's not sure what else off-hand, it's been sitting a few years He sent me a few photos, they are such cool rigs. Of course I then went to YouTube to see Nivas and found a guy that is fixing his up currently, username PLUKI 4X4

 

I have lost so much motivation to work on car projects this year I'm hoping any future vehicle is nearly done, like 95%+ done not needed much work at all.

Apparently the axles and driveshafts are still under the one at Bucks as of last night. Engine and trans were there too. I have half a mind to run down there on the weekend and likely would if I didn’t need to throw some of my stack of parts onto the Comanche. I could do with a good transmission, getting sick of not having 5th gear on the highway. I’ve got an old one I could rebuild but it’s pretty thrashed, was run out of oil a few times. But like you say just don’t know when I’d get to it. Might be nice to grab the transfer case as well, mine has always made noises I’m not sure it should be making. 
If you do go full axle swap instead of pulling a shaft it might be good to grab the front diff out of it too. I don’t remember what the exact ratios are but there were a couple options and they’re pretty close together. Something like 3.95 vs 4.05 iirc. 

 

[91Pioneer]

I went this week and got the left rear axle. The brake drums were seized on there so I unbolted the hub and knocked it out that way. It's a shame that is in the junkyard it's in overall fantastic basically rust free shape.

 

The decal on the hatch shows it was sold by Matrix Lada in Regina and now it's met its demise. It has been a local vehicle it's entire life, I'd bet.

[gogmorgo]

3 hours ago, 91Pioneer said:

I went this week and got the left rear axle. The brake drums were seized on there so I unbolted the hub and knocked it out that way. It's a shame that is in the junkyard it's in overall fantastic basically rust free shape.

 

The decal on the hatch shows it was sold by Matrix Lada in Regina and now it's met its demise. It has been a local vehicle it's entire life, I'd bet.

That’s kinda what happened to most of them unfortunately. Either they got treated as disposable and disposed of, or else they got looked after carefully and theb parked for something like worn brake pads after the parts supply dried up in the late ‘90’s, before the internet really took off. 
 

My Niva’s brake drums are aluminum. But they’ve also always come off nicely when I asked. 
 

Just because it’s been on my mind recently, Ladapower sells J-hook wiper arms. There are still a few wiper blades out there that’ll fit the 7mm bayonet the Niva uses, but they’re getting pretty tough to track down. I think the last set I bought were Rain-X brand. I had some Bosch sets previously but couldn’t make the last Bosch blades I bought work. The Samara uses 10mm bayonets that really don’t exist anymore outside the eastern block. I ended up chopping up some junk wiper arms and welding the J-hooks onto the factory arms so now I can run any blade. I highly recommend figuring something out like that.

[91Pioneer]

I think my 86 Eagle has something like 7mm bayonet