1996 Lada

Stal1878 · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:56 pm Post subject: 1996 Lada

Hi there, I'm looking to buy a Lada Niva for offroading. Is there anything I should watch out for/know about? There is one on Ebay at the moment, its quite a late model though, 1996. Are the front diffs ally and does this cause problems? Is the front diff mounted onto the engine and does with cause problems?
They don't have a chassis as such, so where do you guys mount your recover points?

What do you think the best year vehicles are for off-roading, or is there no difference?

Cheers,

simonallen · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 8:08 pm Post subject:

Hi,
The front diffs are ally yes. They don't cause as many problems as a vitara. The good thing is though, a few of us have made our own steel front diff housings using compnents from the rear axle. I'm running my 160bhp v6 engin through mine no problems. As standard the front diff is mounted to the engine yes. Doesn't cause problems as long as you make sure the bolts are always tight. they can work loose with hard use.
Recovery points are usually done either by making a HD bumper, or by using 50mm box section/tube put into the bumper holes. Again, no weaker than welding to a chassis if done with a bit of thought or as others have done.
Year wise they are all the same. Independant front, live rear, coils all round etc. The only real differences between the 1600 and 1700 mechanically is the diff ratios. Everything is interchangeable between any model though apart from tailgates which are different on the 1700.
Engine wise, the 1700 is single point injection which is a bit nicer to drive with than a carb which is found on 1600's
Parts availability is still surprisingly very good unless you need a RHD steering box. You're more likely to find hens teeth in a pile of rocking horse poo Smile

Stal1878 · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 8:49 pm Post subject:

Thanks very much for the info Smile

Do they have a diff-lock, they guy on Ebay says his has.....

The 1996 one looks hideous from the front, its got a massive plastic grill/bumper, is there still metal under there for the recovery points?

I haven't really seen them for sale, how much do they normally go for?

Do you have a build thread for putting your V6 in?

nivapulledout · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:26 pm Post subject:

they Do have a Difflock however it is on the center diff so it is just locking the front to the rear axle. same as a old land rover. However most people think it Is so good offroad because of the difflock. In reality the drivetrain in difflock is equal to a non diflocked Hilux in 4wd with the front hubs locked in.
They are really good offroad because they have great articulation with a wheel in each corner and are really light (mainly due not to having a chassis)

Watch for rust in the sills/rear door/base of A pillars. in the rear of the front wheel arches is a cover that is removable however no one does this and it fills up with mud and crap and likes to rust this area out. Otherwise they are not bad for rust, and any rust spots are easily fixed with a bit of spare panel.

buy one you will never look back.

Stal1878 · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:52 pm Post subject:

Ah right, I thought it would be unusual if it had a rear locker as standard!

The one I'm looking at needs all the brake pipes renewing, but apparently thats about it. Its got alloy wheels, but will need to get some proper tyres for it, do you know what size can be fitted without cutting the body out?

nivapulledout · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:49 pm Post subject:

I fitted 30x9.5x15s on mine with only a slight arch trim(front lower and rear lower of the arch about 10mm). this can be done in 10 min with angle grinder.
will be fitting 31x10.5x15 but will need full arch trim, the 2 " lift helps.

look at Baxters site as it has all the mods both easy and hard that you can do to a niva, with pics and write ups, has to be the most comprehensive site for a certain make anywhere in the world. we are lucky to have Baxter in our world.

http://www.ladaniva.co.uk/baxter/resources/

that should answer most of your questions and keep you busy for a while.

oh and yes the plastic (crap) bumpers and grill are removable and have the std body underneath.

simonallen · Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 11:27 am Post subject:

Mine had that big hideous grill on it, but don't worry it comes off and you can fit a standard one.

without lift or trimming you can get away with 215/15's on it quite happily. However, with a 2" lift that you can make yourself easily you will be able to get bigger on easily. 205 16's go on nicely. I have 750/16's on mine, and it goes wherever I want it to within reason. It takes a lot of cutting of the arches though, and I doubt a 1700 will have the power to cope without a diff change down to the 1600 diffs

Stal1878 · Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 12:37 pm Post subject:

Is there a thread on here about doing the 2" lift?

nivapulledout · Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 12:55 pm Post subject:

Check Baxters site like I told you, Everything is on there!!!!!

it is under offroad upgrades and modifications.
we call it the Hoodoo Mk I and MKII both achieve the same but doing it two different ways.

Both are easy to do and can be done cheaply.

Stal1878 · Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 1:08 pm Post subject:

Oh right, I bookmarked that last night, but forgot about it =/

I'll have a look now. I am pretty set on buying this Lada, so long as it doesn't make silly money.