Outer Limits 4x4 Board

i'm posting this for a friend of mine, he's after a basher 4wd to use on private land, so it wont be registered.

it wont be some big weapon, but will probably end up with welded diffs, cage, tyres and gearing, and chop whatever gets in the way.

now, lada niva's are CHEAP, but are they any good? how hard are parts to get for em? do they have any major mechanical flaws (eg. impossible to rip the guards off cause they are connected to the transer case etc. ), how strong are they? are 33's hard to fit? etc.

like i said, even if it only lasts a little bit, hes only gonna use it maybe once every 2 months, so would ya get a decent amount of use out of it before you cover it in dirt and turn it into a motorcycle jump?

antt wrote:i'm posting this for a friend of mine, he's after a basher 4wd to use on private land, so it wont be registered.

it wont be some big weapon, but will probably end up with welded diffs, cage, tyres and gearing, and chop whatever gets in the way.

now, lada niva's are CHEAP, but are they any good? how hard are parts to get for em? do they have any major mechanical flaws (eg. impossible to rip the guards off cause they are connected to the transer case etc. ), how strong are they? are 33's hard to fit? etc.

like i said, even if it only lasts a little bit, hes only gonna use it maybe once every 2 months, so would ya get a decent amount of use out of it before you cover it in dirt and turn it into a motorcycle jump?

Build quality is appaling and the vehicles are at best agricultural. Rough as guts is another phrase you could use.

However, one advantage of agricultural is that they are actually pretty tough and very simple. I know that most of the issues with them relate to the problems with build quality.

If you're handy with a spanner and not afraid of getting dirty, then they're still gonna be a chore, but they become a possiblity.

I'd still go a Sierra first, but if he's after something he can buy 5 cars for $2000 so he always has spares, then the Niva is the go.

antt wrote:\now, lada niva's are CHEAP, but are they any good

Hahahaha.......

I towed one for about an hour at the dunes up at newcastle.....

Suzuki Viagra wrote:I'd still go a Sierra first, but if he's after something he can buy 5 cars for $2000 so he always has spares, then the Niva is the go.

this is the key , he can buy 5 for the price of a zuk and have a demolition derby if we dont break it wheeling.

They're monocoque construction but have a pretty solid subframe for what they are. Go suprisingly well offroad. I've seen a stock niva go where stock toyota surfs and prados could'nt.

antt wrote:

Suzuki Viagra wrote:I'd still go a Sierra first, but if he's after something he can buy 5 cars for $2000 so he always has spares, then the Niva is the go.

this is the key , he can buy 5 for the price of a zuk and have a demolition derby if we dont break it wheeling.

If he does that then I'm keen for some parts....

i believe thay are coils all around and aren't too bad in the flex dept.

......for the price of a zuk and have a demolition derby if we dont break it wheeling.

You will mate I feel the force is strong with you

Bush65 wrote:They're monocoque construction but have a pretty solid subframe for what they are. Go suprisingly well offroad. I've seen a stock niva go where stock toyota surfs and prados could'nt.

... yep what he said !!!!

A mate had one, had a zuk first and killed it in 8 months....the lada lasted 2 years b4 he sold it, .....its still going !!!

an old dunga of a range rover would be better than a niva,

coils all round full time 4x4 that would be my bet there will be heaps to buy un reg and 33s will fit after some angle grinding

Has he thought of the older daihatsus? Lil menace on this board had old paddock basher he was trying to get rid of. These old rigs had some stout running gear, quite beef for its size, cheap and plentiful parts from a dedicated daihatsu wrecker.

Yeah Lada nivas go where other 4wds cant like this one

But if he can get hold of one cheap enough I spoze it would work for a fun bash around machine.

They are pretty tuff in the body depatrtment, i have seem one do a full roll back onto its wheels and still be driven home with the 2 doors opening and closing fine.

Problem is the interior is entirely made from plastic, my parents had one for years.

I guess they would be a good paddock bomb, there is one at Pick-a-part for $500.

There is one in the Mud racing down here with a WRX engine chopped down, it looks and sounds pretty Horn.

bigsteve wrote:They are pretty tuff in the body depatrtment, i have seem one do a full roll back onto its wheels and still be driven home with the 2 doors opening and closing fine.

Problem is the interior is entirely made from plastic, my parents had one for years.

I guess they would be a good paddock bomb, there is one at Pick-a-part for $500.

There is one in the Mud racing down here with a WRX engine chopped down, it looks and sounds pretty Horn.

I have seen one crack around the front strut towers with only on road work not sure they are that tuff

AussieCJ7 wrote:

bigsteve wrote:They are pretty tuff in the body depatrtment, i have seem one do a full roll back onto its wheels and still be driven home with the 2 doors opening and closing fine.

Problem is the interior is entirely made from plastic, my parents had one for years.

I guess they would be a good paddock bomb, there is one at Pick-a-part for $500.

There is one in the Mud racing down here with a WRX engine chopped down, it looks and sounds pretty Horn.

I have seen one crack around the front strut towers with only on road work not sure they are that tuff

Sorry by body i meant the shell & its condition after a roll.

dont get me wrong I'd never buy one.

RaginRover wrote:an old dunga of a range rover would be better than a niva,

coils all round full time 4x4 that would be my bet there will be heaps to buy un reg and 33s will fit after some angle grinding

Ummmmm..... Lada's are also coils all round and full time 4x4....

They also come with a centre diff lock standard!!!

Not bad for $500..... registered......

And for $500 I'd be more than happy to take to one with the grinder and fit big rubber......

Don't knock the Lada... they may be crap but they STILL won the Australian Rally Championship in the early 80's. Can't say that about much (except for Dattos of course!!!!)

They're just like Rovers really.... an unfinished poorly built third world car - but with some potential if you wanna fix what the factory forgot to do right

Ladas like Rovers...

that's a low blow.

Suzuki Viagra wrote:(Ladas) are just like Rovers really.... an unfinished poorly built third world car - but with some potential if you wanna fix what the factory forgot to do right.

awesome

I have heard more than once that Niva engines have enough meat in the block to be re-bored 7 times. But at $500 for a complete car it's a waste of time....Komrade.

2car wrote:I have heard more than once that Niva engines have enough meat in the block to be re-bored 7 times. But at $500 for a complete car it's a waste of time....Komrade.

like russian women that store enough fat as they age to be starved to death 7 times.

So my Anna is gunna put on some weight? WELL im ending it with her today!!! After she gets back from some Tennis match overseas!

Great little vehicle.

Need a few things done but tougher than hell - mind you if you go to the old USSR as was and drive any of the roads you find out why. Full time 4x4 system came out 2 years before the RR so well fettled.

Things to do.

There are no shims in the LADA (GAZ/UAZ) factory so loosen the drive train mounts slightly, bounce the vehicle up and down a bit, shim up the bolts that are looser than the rest and tighten up!

Check the front sub frame and inner wing mounts - later vehicles only had these tacked on!

Lada Riva Diffs and box internals are a direct swap to lower the gearing for bigger tyres and lifting the vehcle is a piss of P***.

FiatAlpha/Lancia 2.0ltr TC fits straight in (original lump is Fiat 1.6) but swap in the sump and the front diff mounting from the OE engine

Lancia 2.0ltr SUpercharged Volumex 180bhp lump also fits in same way...

Best of all, so does (with a bit of firewall tapping) the Alpha/Lancia/Ferrari 2.6/3.0 V6 Quad Cam with 230bhp plus and 8,000rpm - tends to tear the monocoque in half after a while tho'

Self build cage is available from Safety Devices...

Great Vehicle!

Ummmmm..... Lada's are also coils all round and full time 4x4....

They also come with a centre diff lock standard!!!

Rangie has Centre Diff

Don't knock the Lada...

I am not it just obvious that you have never driven a range rover, comfortable ride, nice lay out etc etc great size/wheelbase driving position is high, car is light.

They're just like Rovers really.... an unfinished poorly built third world car - but with some potential if you wanna fix what the factory forgot to do right

Hmmm Range Rovers were the innovators, creators of modern 4x4s took toyota and suziki a looooong time to match what the range rover hade in 1970. You need to brush up on your info here mate sorry but that comment really shows a lack of understanding of different makes and models.

"And in terms of reliability - its been found that approximately 80% of all landrovers/range rovers EVER build are still in service today. Have a look around ... the fawkers are everywhere."* Dont think you can say the same for any manufacturer

* Thanks Strange Rover for this info from a previous post
Edit: Damn grammar and spelling

"And in terms of reliability - its been found that approximately 80% of all landrovers/range rovers EVER build are still in service today. Have a look around ... the fawkers are everywhere."*

Aluminium doesn't rust.................................

Same old thing...

"My 4x4 is better than yours and if you say it isn't I will throw my toys out of the pram!"

They are all good at some things and bad at others so why does everybody need to be so damn defensive eh?

I have an RR classic with a 200Tdi - I love it. It rusts faster than a 70's Fiat, it leaks more oil than a Lada and it costs a fortune in parts. But I love it and it has taken me to places no one else will ever see and got me back. But so did my Toyota Hi-lux, Nissan 720, Auverland A3, Various Suzi's , etc etc non was really better than the other just different...

Wendle wrote::cool:

Not just cool.......

F*kkin awesome.

David Lovejoy wrote:Great little vehicle.

Need a few things done but tougher than hell - mind you if you go to the old USSR as was and drive any of the roads you find out why. Full time 4x4 system came out 2 years before the RR so well fettled.

Things to do.

There are no shims in the LADA (GAZ/UAZ) factory so loosen the drive train mounts slightly, bounce the vehicle up and down a bit, shim up the bolts that are looser than the rest and tighten up!

Check the front sub frame and inner wing mounts - later vehicles only had these tacked on!

Lada Riva Diffs and box internals are a direct swap to lower the gearing for bigger tyres and lifting the vehcle is a piss of P***.

FiatAlpha/Lancia 2.0ltr TC fits straight in (original lump is Fiat 1.6) but swap in the sump and the front diff mounting from the OE engine

Lancia 2.0ltr SUpercharged Volumex 180bhp lump also fits in same way...

Best of all, so does (with a bit of firewall tapping) the Alpha/Lancia/Ferrari 2.6/3.0 V6 Quad Cam with 230bhp plus and 8,000rpm - tends to tear the monocoque in half after a while tho'

Self build cage is available from Safety Devices...

Great Vehicle!

Try Lancia Delta Integral turbo WRC engine specs... 500hp plus.....

Of course the head for one of these alone is something like $3500.....

Ask Rigoli who put these in a Datto 1200 ute what quarter mile time they cut.

The specs of the Lada body are based on the old Fiat 124.... with constant 4wd you could actually make a dragstrip weapon out of it and swap the slicks for muddies for the "other" weekend fun



PS I don't have a lada, but like a prostitute on her last $50 I am open to possibilities......

RaginRover wrote:

Ummmmm..... Lada's are also coils all round and full time 4x4....

They also come with a centre diff lock standard!!!

Rangie has Centre Diff

Don't knock the Lada...

I am not it just obvious that you have never driven a range rover, comfortable ride, nice lay out etc etc great size/wheelbase driving position is high, car is light.

They're just like Rovers really.... an unfinished poorly built third world car - but with some potential if you wanna fix what the factory forgot to do right

Hmmm Range Rovers were the innovators, creators of modern 4x4s took toyota and suziki a looooong time to match what the range rover hade in 1970. You need to brush up on your info here mate sorry but that comment really shows a lack of understanding of different makes and models.

"And in terms of reliability - its been found that approximately 80% of all landrovers/range rovers EVER build are still in service today. Have a look around ... the fawkers are everywhere."* Dont think you can say the same for any manufacturer

* Thanks Strange Rover for this info from a previous post
Edit: Damn grammar and spelling

Umm... yeah I have driven a rangie (and helped in a 4.4 and auto conversion for one) and a disco and a series II Landy and been out with ex army Landrovers and Defenders offroad as well. I recall someone who sideswiped a tree where my Vitara got through in their Defender 130.... No names......... 130 wheelbase has it's downsides .

This is not Rangie bashing.... everyone knows that the build quality is the issue - the vehicles themselves are very capable.... As an example the current disco has almost 3" more clearance than the new cruiser in stock form.

As far as I know the Landrover defender still has the lowest stock crawl ratio in a new 4wd.


I was pointing out that the Lada had a centre diff lock.... and coil springs - something you said that the Rovers were better for and Lada's didn't have.

This was not true, so I responded.

This is also something that in their infinite wisdom was actually dropped friom the Landy's and Disco's for a while.... until complaints (from real 4wders) saw it return.

David Lovejoy wrote:Same old thing...

"My 4x4 is better than yours and if you say it isn't I will throw my toys out of the pram!"

They are all good at some things and bad at others so why does everybody need to be so damn defensive eh?

I have an RR classic with a 200Tdi - I love it. It rusts faster than a 70's Fiat, it leaks more oil than a Lada and it costs a fortune in parts. But I love it and it has taken me to places no one else will ever see and got me back. But so did my Toyota Hi-lux, Nissan 720, Auverland A3, Various Suzi's , etc etc non was really better than the other just different...

Exactly David... was just speaking for the Mighty Lada whaich seems very unloved at present....