A Lada Rust - Restomodding a 2106

[Noll]

I'm unlikely to make much progress on this for a while after I get it home (the 260z is getting done first), but figured I may as well get a thread rolling now.

 

I've been on the hunt for a Lada sedan for a couple of years now, but they are absurdly rare around here, having all returned to the earth decades ago. Finally found one this week, and have been offered it for free on the condition that I can get it out of the field it's been sat next to for the last 20 years. It's been there long enough to sink up the body in dirt and leaves, so I'm sure the underside is trashed, and you can see the wiring harness through where the rockers should be. This isn't a huge deal for what I have planned though; new panels are dirt cheap (rockers are 15usd a side!!!), and I may very well be tube-framing it and replacing the solid axle with a IRS setup out of a miata or BMW.  Also going to do a GM ecotec swap (mated to a mazda rwd 5 or 6spd), and some body modifications while aiming to keep the current patina as intact as possible.

 

This is going to be a fun one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully going back next week to clear out the undergrowth and dig the car out so I can get it home before we get a big dump of snow here finally.

 

 

 

[datzenmike]

We used to call them a LADA trouble. 👍

 

The poor poor man's Mercedes. Fiat

[Noll]

2 hours ago, datzenmike said:

We used to call them a LADA trouble. 👍

 

The poor poor man's Mercedes. Fiat

 

Yep, the most basic of basic cars. I don't know why I have such an affinity for the old soviet-bloc stuff lol, but it's hard to go wrong with 70's styling and rwd.

[grannyknot]

Noll, you're a glutton for punishment.

[Noll]

12 minutes ago, grannyknot said:

Noll, you're a glutton for punishment.

 

It sure seems like it sometimes haha. I'll be cutting out large chunks from the car anyway, so a bunch of the rust spots won't matter, and the rest of the replacement metal is very cheap. Still, it's going to be quite a project, even with the car being free.

[grannyknot]

So they are still making panels for those cars?  I guess there are tens of thousands of them still in eastern block countries. I grew up in Vancouver BC back in the 70's, the cold war was in full swing and people who bought Lada's often got their paint keyed or tires slashed.

[datzenmike]

I remember they had a lot of popping in the exhaust when slowing down. I wasn't a fan of their looks and just considered them a POS and wondered if they were safe to have on Canadian roads. Haven't seen one in a decade? Long time. I see Nivas and Scodas? Now a Lada is much cooler than it was. There are 3 things that become respectable with age...

Old buildings

Old politicians

Old whores

 

Now there's a fourth.... old cars.

 

[Noll]

2 hours ago, grannyknot said:

So they are still making panels for those cars?  I guess there are tens of thousands of them still in eastern block countries. I grew up in Vancouver BC back in the 70's, the cold war was in full swing and people who bought Lada's often got their paint keyed or tires slashed.

Yep! Pretty much anything I may need is available on ladapower.com and elsewhere, and is for the most part dirt cheap. They only discontinued this bodystyle a few years back in Russia as it happens. On my roadtrip last year, east of turkey every 2nd or 3rd car was a lada of some description. Oh yeah, their history here is definitely an interesting one.

 

1 hour ago, datzenmike said:

I remember they had a lot of popping in the exhaust when slowing down. I wasn't a fan of their looks and just considered them a POS and wondered if they were safe to have on Canadian roads. Haven't seen one in a decade? Long time. I see Nivas and Scodas? Now a Lada is much cooler than it was. There are 3 things that become respectable with age...

Old buildings

Old politicians

Old whores

 

Now there's a fourth.... old cars.

 

 

Yep, that sort of thing definitely changes over time. Same-ish thing with 510s I suppose, over the years they've gone from cheap commuter cars to full on classic/collector status. I don't know that the Ladas are there yet in the popular mindset, but they definitely have a cult following in North America.And yeah, even in when new they weren't exactly a performance package. Hoping to change that up a bit so I don't feel like driving it on a freeway will kill me lol.

[Noll]

Went back today, and got the area around the car cleaned up. Before:

 

 

 

 

And after.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Found the keys, which had unfortunately been sitting on the floor for who know how many years. No matter, a new ignition assembly is 10usd: https://ladapower.com/catalog/niva-1600/electric/lada-niva-ignition-switch-keys-detail

 

There's a distinct lack of rocker panel on the driver's side, from the window being open. Passenger side needs replacing, but it does actually exist.

 

 

 

Interior is trashed:

 

 

 

And made a timelapse video of getting it all cleaned up, because why not?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[banzai510(hainz)]

A guy at work close by has one that all fixed up  kinda cool.

 

personally I would rather spend the money on a old Mercedes w114/115

 

thos Lada Jeeps or what ever they are seem to be sturdy tough rigs to get thru a russian winter

Edited January 2, 2020 by banzai510(hainz)

[Noll]

5 hours ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

A guy at work close by has one that all fixed up  kinda cool.

 

personally I would rather spend the money on a old Mercedes w114/115

 

thos Lada Jeeps or what ever they are seem to be sturdy tough rigs to get thru a russian winter

 

Yeah, they're not for everyone, but still cool cars nonetheless 🙂 .

Oh yeah, the Nivas are pretty great (I have a build thread on here about mine although I haven't updated it in a while). 4x4, difflock, and hi/lo in a 2dr hatchback.

[grannyknot]

It's a good thing you got all those branches out of the way, don't want to scratch the paint.

[Noll]

4 hours ago, grannyknot said:

It's a good thing you got all those branches out of the way, don't want to scratch the paint.

 

lol! I figure clearing it out now when everything is leafless and brittle will be easier than the spring, as it's a job that needs to happen anyway.

plus, less chance of a stray branch breaking the windscreen, as those are not cheap (cheap in europe, but it's the matter of getting one here intact).

[Lockleaf]

maybe I missed it, but what year is the car?

[Eric]

On 1/3/2020 at 5:15 AM, Noll said:

 

lol! I figure clearing it out now when everything is leafless and brittle will be easier than the spring, as it's a job that needs to happen anyway.

plus, less chance of a stray branch breaking the windscreen, as those are not cheap (cheap in europe, but it's the matter of getting one here intact).

 

Get a tractor, get a chain and yank the car out of there. a few branches aren't going to hurt this car anymore than its already hurt.

Great looking cars, lower it a bit, polish the steel wheels and you are done.. 

[Aibast]

I still look at it and in here we scrap Ladas in that condition. But we are next to Russia so for us parts are cheap and there are lots of Ladas still running.

https://www.auto24.ee/kasutatud/nimekiri.php?bn=2&a=100&aj=&b=18&ae=2&af=50&ag=0&ag=1&otsi=otsi+(23931)

[Noll]

On 2/19/2020 at 4:29 PM, Eric said:

 

Get a tractor, get a chain and yank the car out of there. a few branches aren't going to hurt this car anymore than its already hurt.

Great looking cars, lower it a bit, polish the steel wheels and you are done.. 

 

Oh yeah, I'm not worried about scratches, just don't  want to rip it in half given most of thew lower structural members are just entirely gone.

 

and yeah @Aibast - I will import one at some point I'm sure, but shipping costs are a bit (not too much, but compared to doing work on a free car...)

[Noll]

On 2/18/2020 at 3:04 PM, Lockleaf said:

maybe I missed it, but what year is the car?

 

Sorry I missed your comment! it's an '81.

[datsunfreak]

Ever make any progress on this?

[Noll]

On 3/28/2021 at 12:00 PM, datsunfreak said:

Ever make any progress on this?

 

Whoops, didn't see this until now. Yes, but not majorly; went out a while back and got the car properly lifted up to ground level on some boards (that took a whole day, hard to find solid places to jack from and had to dig a hole to get at the bottom of the rear axle lol). This is how it sits as of then.

 

 

 

Need to wait for the field to dry as its a mudpit currently I'm sure with the spring melt, but hoping to get it out of there in a month or 2.