T66
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| posted on 21/12/10 at 04:22 PM |
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I Broke My Lada - But Fixed It With Fencing Wire
Today started well but....
My Lada Niva (Yes Lada) is working hard at the moment with the weather in Northumberland being much like the rest of the Nordic UK.
The Niva is our preferred mode of transport, and therefore something I need to keep online and able to get us to work and so on.
Following on fromyesterday when the thermostat housing froze up (-15c here) , I bought more anti freeze to do a 50/50 mix.
Now bearing in mind I only used the drain plug yesterday , what did it do today I ask you ???
It snapped clean off.....
Coolant drains onto deck as I shout and curse my beloved Niva.
I didnt replace the blow torch I threw out 6 months ago, but thankfully I have had problems with the Saab radiator, and had bought a spare radiator
& hoses.
So to get me out of a hole, the Niva has a Saab radiator fitted, while the Lada one is out.
It required some modifying with a jigsaw to remove all the plastics, and the Saab hose kit got chopped up, pipe joiners were fashioned from my garage
hoover pipes, and it is all held in place with galvanised fencing wire.
Go buy some wire like this it is so handy !
Nipped out once mobile again and bought a replacement blow torch, and soldered back in the drain plug. ( which I will never use again)
Heath Robinson Christmas fix, as parts will take a few days to replace, and what with more crappy weather and the week before Xmas I wasnt chancing no
4x4.
However I am back on the road - Awaiting parts
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mangogrooveworkshop
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| posted on 21/12/10 at 04:32 PM |
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Dont know why but this came into my head http://youtu.be/kvDMlk3kSYg 
[Edited on 21-12-10 by mangogrooveworkshop]
[Edited on 21-12-10 by mangogrooveworkshop]
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speedyxjs
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| posted on 21/12/10 at 04:35 PM |
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Proper locost fix
Well done!
How long can i resist the temptation to drop a V8 in?
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T66
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| posted on 21/12/10 at 04:36 PM |
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Nice looking car (Trabant), probably more use than most fwd cars at the minute lol....
Surprisingly my Niva is attracting lots of glances at the moment, some obviously amused by my silly Ushanka, and maybe others admiring its go anywhere
ability.
My only concern with it, is it breaking down, or some prat driving into me. However some swift panel beating with a ball hammer will have it sorted (I
hope)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yoz7wazwqU
[Edited on 21/12/10 by T66]
[Edited on 21/12/10 by T66]
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NigeEss
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| posted on 21/12/10 at 04:41 PM |
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Top bodging
I actually really like Nivas.
Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.................Douglas Adams.
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chrisxr2
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| posted on 21/12/10 at 04:49 PM |
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good skills
Good skills OP, we had a 1.3 beige lada riva years ago, crap but really reliable, after all if they are built to survive russian wether ours is just a
walk in the park.
Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
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T66
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| posted on 21/12/10 at 05:23 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mangogrooveworkshop
Dont know why but this came into my head http://youtu.be/kvDMlk3kSYg
[Edited on 21-12-10 by mangogrooveworkshop]
[Edited on 21-12-10 by mangogrooveworkshop]
Thats a Niva body on a different chassis, its got leaf springs , my bet it will be on a GAZ chassis, like the ones parked next to it
[Edited on 21/12/10 by T66]
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mangogrooveworkshop
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| posted on 21/12/10 at 09:31 PM |
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When we get the locostbuilders team for the mongol rally you will be invited
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Mr G
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| posted on 21/12/10 at 09:48 PM |
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Can't see any difference in your quick fix pictures and what a Lada main dealer would do 
Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a
car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes
and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.
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T66
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| posted on 21/12/10 at 10:25 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr G
Can't see any difference in your quick fix pictures and what a Lada main dealer would do
What main dealer ?
The one in Moscow.....
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marcjagman
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| posted on 22/12/10 at 09:11 AM |
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Lets be honest here, they are crap cars, horrible, nasty and cheap so why do I want one?
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NS Dev
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| posted on 22/12/10 at 02:34 PM |
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A Lada Niva, crap, cold, rusty as it may be, will go places that any other 4x4 could only dream of!! They are so light, simple and unbreakable its
untrue!
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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Benzine
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| posted on 22/12/10 at 03:10 PM |
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Top stuff. I love Nivas! I have about 50 meters of fencing wire that i'll been snipping bits off for years, very useful stuff. Recently I
dropped a bolt down a cambelt cover, snipped off some fencing wire then heatshrinked a speedo magnet onto it and got it out first time, saved hours of
hassle ^_^
The mental gymnastics a landlord will employ to justify immoral actions is clinically fascinating. Just because something is legal doesn't make
it moral.
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T66
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| posted on 22/12/10 at 07:15 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by marcjagman
Lets be honest here, they are crap cars, horrible, nasty and cheap so why do I want one?
If your fishing for a bite , your wasting your time, Ive heard every Lada joke going They are a bit thin on the ground at the moment.
Obviously your all weather car is more than ample to deal with -15c temps and 12" of snow isnt it .....
A few weeks ago I sat and watched a Discovery, Xtrail & Skoda taxi failing miserably to ascend the steep bank infront of my house covered in
3" of snow - Niva went straight up it - Yep cheap and nasty.
Absolutely - cheap and nasty, however Russian , basic and very effective. The key to offroad travel is all wheel drive and lightweight.
Oh and I didnt ask you if you wanted one .....
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