My 1976 Lada 2101 - Nikita: Keeping Hobbyweld in business.

[eddyramrod]

2 minutes ago, sgtberbatov said:

Only if you let me have a go on your Polonez! My Dad had the white one of yours when I was born. Caused him nothing but grief. So I'd like to see how yours has survived!

I'd be delighted to oblige if I still had it!  That photo is 24 years old I'm afraid, they've both long gone.  Sorry.

[Parky]

Loving this Sarge, welcome along and look forward to updates on this with interest!  These are great looking cars, especially earlier ones with the more delicate chrome trim such as yours

Admire the chutzpah of fitting a K.  Certainly like a challenge don’t you!
 

 

[DodgyBastard]

 

 

I did have a 2.0 twin cam engine from a 132 and the running gear from a 124, I bought it for around £600, never sold it and struggled to get my money back for it, I ended up selling it for £300 to a Polish guy who wanted it for his FSO Polonez. Kinda wished I'd held onto it but at the time I didn't think I'd ever buy another Lada.

[brownnova]

This is a lovely thing. Very much looking forward to seeing progress with this!! 

[Cooper1]

[St.Jude]

On 1/10/2020 at 7:36 PM, eddyramrod said:

I'd be delighted to oblige if I still had it!  That photo is 24 years old I'm afraid, they've both long gone.  Sorry.

That's a shame. Once I get the Lada on the road I'd love to take a trip to Poland and get one myself. Not a fan of the newer looking Polonez's, the orignal ones look great.

On 1/10/2020 at 7:48 PM, Parky said:

Loving this Sarge, welcome along and look forward to updates on this with interest!  These are great looking cars, especially earlier ones with the more delicate chrome trim such as yours

Admire the chutzpah of fitting a K.  Certainly like a challenge don’t you!
 

 

I wouldn't say I like the challenge, more I let my wonderment of why hasn't it been done before get the better of me.

On 1/10/2020 at 8:36 PM, DodgyBastard said:

I did have a 2.0 twin cam engine from a 132 and the running gear from a 124, I bought it for around £600, never sold it and struggled to get my money back for it, I ended up selling it for £300 to a Polish guy who wanted it for his FSO Polonez. Kinda wished I'd held onto it but at the time I didn't think I'd ever buy another Lada.

That's a shame. I've seen them go for silly money but they're a niche really aren't they? 

Also got a small update for this since I put the post up.

Managed to pick up the 5 speed MX5 transmission on Saturday, so now I'm just left with the starter motor. Some late night reading last night I stumbled upon the use of a Ford Sierra starter on the K-Series, but this involves some grinding off of bits of the K-Series block. So if I don't get a Caterham starter I have at least got that fall back. But, yesterday, I met up with some Polish lads with their Polonez's and it occurred to me that some of the 1.4 Polonez's had K-Series engines. So they'll have a starter motor for that engine, which would be an ideal situation. Just need to find a cheap one now!

[motorpunk]

Magnificent! I love these. Here’s me being a twat on camera about ‘em;

 

 

[warch]

It's so, Soviet....

[Parky]

Don’t forget the Rotary versions - very rare indeed

http://cp_www.tripod.com/rotary/pg07.htm

 

[Minimad5]

Sam Glover had a rotary one, of which I've tried (and failed) to contact him, so I can secretly have a pocket shuffle over it.

Anyway lets comment on this Lada.

Dropping in an MX5 lump isn't straight forward, the sump will hit the front subframe AND potentially foul the steering components (I was planning on going steering rack with mine to overcome this)

Honestly ? - Have a word with B.P Racing (I can help if need be) or Lada power, and get that original engine tuned, saves messing about with wiring looms etc too.

Another BUT - Get this thing U.K registered and drive it around for a bit, see if you get on with it, get it rust proofed and try enjoy it. If it was me (after many years of fucking about with two 2105 Ladas) find a 1.7 engine with 5 speed gearbox, speak to the right people and you can easily have PLENTY of torque from what is a wonderfully simple and spot on engine.

Good luck

Now I must go visit mine which are tucked up in that warm and dry garage (Costing me god knows what in storage over the years haha)

[St.Jude]

Thanks all!

I may ask Sam Glover myself for a poke about his rotary, and use this K-Series Lada as leverage. 

Anyway, BIG NEWS!

As we all know, when the brown envelope comes through the door hearts start to sink. Especially when you can't see HMRC on it, so it could only mean a tax reminder or you've been a naughty boy and got a selfie taken with your car by a Gatso.

But no. Nikita the Lada is now registered in the UK! I've got the log book

Which is great - because I couldn't understand why it spent so long in the UK with 3 other owners and not get registered. But here we are! The only bad bit is that it's a P plate, I thought I'd get an R plate, so it'd match with the Corolla.

So yeah, I'm buzzing! And it didn't take all that long either, around 2 weeks?

[Uncle Jimmy]

Would you sell that Lada? 

[yes oui si]

If you're insistent on using the K series, K to Rx8 gearbox adapter plates are cheap and plentiful. Boxes are 5 or 6 speed, sweet shifting and £50-80.

[St.Jude]

1 hour ago, Nibblet said:

Would you sell that Lada? 

Maybe at one point in the future, but not for the  next few years at least.

1 hour ago, yes oui si said:

If you're insistent on using the K series, K to Rx8 gearbox adapter plates are cheap and plentiful. Boxes are 5 or 6 speed, sweet shifting and £50-80.

I did look in to using an RX8 gearbox, but I got put off with talk of them not being able to handle power. But forgot all about it then bought a BMW 320D gearbox which wasn't right and then bought a Mazda MX5 box last weekend. 

[yes oui si]

35 minutes ago, sgtberbatov said:

Maybe at one point in the future, but not for the  next few years at least.

I did look in to using an RX8 gearbox, but I got put off with talk of them not being able to handle power. But forgot all about it then bought a BMW 320D gearbox which wasn't right and then bought a Mazda MX5 box last weekend. 

Rx8 boxes will take 350+lb/ft all day long. A friend crews on a mk2 escort that just did an entire season with one behind a fully built c20xe with zero issues. In previous years their fully built Type9 would need to be stripped and serviced two or three times. 

They'll certainly take a K-series without breaking a sweat. 

Mx5 box is essentially the same, just with a different bellhousing which is difficult/expensive to get adapters for. 

[LightBulbFun]

if going down the Mazda route

why not drop an entire Mazda rotary engine in?, a DIY Rotary lada

[St.Jude]

34 minutes ago, yes oui si said:

Rx8 boxes will take 350+lb/ft all day long. A friend crews on a mk2 escort that just did an entire season with one behind a fully built c20xe with zero issues. In previous years their fully built Type9 would need to be stripped and serviced two or three times. 

They'll certainly take a K-series without breaking a sweat. 

Mx5 box is essentially the same, just with a different bellhousing which is difficult/expensive to get adapters for. 

I got the MX5 gearbox for £40, and the cheapest I can see for an RX8 box is £130. So I think at this point I'll end up spending the same amount of money either way. With the adapter plate I'm going to mock it up with 18mm plywood , trace the MX5 and the Rover 25 gearbox either side and see where I'm at with that. So hopefully then I can hand that to an engineering firm and get them to cut it out for me along with a spacer for the flywheel. 

36 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

if going down the Mazda route

why not drop an entire Mazda rotary engine in?, a DIY Rotary lada

I'm slightly mad, quite a bit stubborn, but I'm not a masochist ?

Plus I think the wife quite likes an RX8 as her next car. I don't want to upset her by buying one and then promptly breaking one. 

[Parky]

Buy an RX8, take the Rotary out and swap it with the four from the Lada.  I bet the wife doesn’t notice.  It’s the Autoshite way!

[SiC]

Isn't the RX8 5 speed box the same as the MX5 mk3 one?

[Prote]

On 1/10/2020 at 9:51 AM, sgtberbatov said:

I've seen a few people do this here, so I thought I would jump on the band wagon and talk about one of my cars. Which just so happens to be a Commie Red 1976 Lada 2101 from Lithuania. Here's the obligatory photo:

Wow. That trumps my Shitroen Pigasshole. I bloody love Ladas but have never owned one...yet. I always wanted one of the estate versions but was too young and poor to buy a new one when they still sold them new here. One day...one day...

Love the idea of a load-lugging skip  that I can fix with a hammer ? 

[St.Jude]

On 1/16/2020 at 7:48 PM, Parky said:

Buy an RX8, take the Rotary out and swap it with the four from the Lada.  I bet the wife doesn’t notice.  It’s the Autoshite way!

Oh she would. She went mental at me when the catalytic convertor on my Peugeot 107 cracked and it sounded like a two stroke dirt bike.

23 hours ago, SiC said:

Isn't the RX8 5 speed box the same as the MX5 mk3 one?

The MX5 Mk3 one is yeah. The Mk2 one I have isn't.

6 hours ago, Prote said:

Wow. That trumps my Shitroen Pigasshole. I bloody love Ladas but have never owned one...yet. I always wanted one of the estate versions but was too young and poor to buy a new one when they still sold them new here. One day...one day...

Love the idea of a load-lugging skip  that I can fix with a hammer ? 

You're being very polite about your French shitebox ?. Bloke up the road from me had a Riva Estate when I was growing up, think he had a Cossack Niva too. Now he's downgraded to a Kia.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Looks like an interesting project!

Is this the first engine swap you have attempted?

[yes oui si]

On 1/16/2020 at 8:40 PM, SiC said:

Isn't the RX8 5 speed box the same as the MX5 mk3 one?

Different bellhousing. 

[St.Jude]

On 1/17/2020 at 8:52 PM, Heidel_Kakao said:

Looks like an interesting project!

Is this the first engine swap you have attempted?

Yeah it is. That's why I'm keeping the costs low as much as I can in case I need to go to a professional welder or write the whole thing off. In fairness though I didn't do any major suspension work until I did the whole lot on my Corolla. I'm properly stubborn, so it will work. But there is varying degrees of a good outcome too ?

[St.Jude]

Well. Well well well. We've had World War 3. We've had half the world burn down. We've got the plague. We don't have the australian lady doing the Trivago adverts anymore. And it's only, today, March. And I still don't have the Lada home. I genuinely thought today would be the day it came home. But I was wrong. How wrong I was. Do you know why I was wrong? Well the chap I asked to move the Lada for me didn't know it was a non runner. So he didn't think to tell me that the winch on his truck didn't work. So we had no way to put it on today, which is a shame. He's getting it sorted for Saturday so at least it's only another week before it's home.

The thing is, I haven't looked in it since I parked it up. I'll be honest, if the World Health Organisation are reading, you may find your hot bed of Coronavirus inside my Lada!

There's, I think, two puddle of water on the floor too. Incredibly annoyed at myself for not getting this moving sooner. I think the headlining might be salvaged with wire brush and Dettol, Seats and door cards I'm not too fussed about.

But yeah. Here it is. Still on my mom's driveway under a tarp until Saturday.

[Mrs6C]

That is a lovely car!

Suggest you don't use a wire brush for cleaning the headlining, as it will damage the surface and drive the dirt/mould deeper into the fabric. Try using just a soft cloth, water and something like Flash liquid detergent to deal with the headlining, seats and door cards. Use a soft plastic scrim if you need to get a bit tough on it, as this won't hurt the surfaces. Rinse off the detergent with fresh water on more clean cloths, then pat dry with an old towel and finish off the drying with wodges of paper towels. I have cleaned up interiors worse than this, with that approach.

To help keep the inside of your car dry and mould free while it is not in regular use, put moisture-absorbant granules and/or a dish of salt in it to absorb moisture from the interior air. Finding and curing the leak into the footwell will help, but if you can't find it, as a temporary measure get a pack of 'no leak' style nappies from your local supermarket and cut out the absorbant pads from these. Press these down into the footwell, absorbant side down and weight them there with something. They will absorb all the water than is leaking in and lock it away. You can dry them out again in a warm place and re-use them if needed.

 

 

[Carlosfandango]

53 minutes ago, Mrs6C said:

That is a lovely car!

Suggest you don't use a wire brush for cleaning the headlining, as it will damage the surface and drive the dirt/mould deeper into the fabric. Try using just a soft cloth, water and something like Flash liquid detergent to deal with the headlining, seats and door cards. Use a soft plastic scrim if you need to get a bit tough on it, as this won't hurt the surfaces. Rinse off the detergent with fresh water on more clean cloths, then pat dry with an old towel and finish off the drying with wodges of paper towels. I have cleaned up interiors worse than this, with that approach.

To help keep the inside of your car dry and mould free while it is not in regular use, put moisture-absorbant granules and/or a dish of salt in it to absorb moisture from the interior air. Finding and curing the leak into the footwell will help, but if you can't find it, as a temporary measure get a pack of 'no leak' style nappies from your local supermarket and cut out the absorbant pads from these. Press these down into the footwell, absorbant side down and weight them there with something. They will absorb all the water than is leaking in and lock it away. You can dry them out again in a warm place and re-use them if needed.

 

 

Some very good advice there @Mrs6C, especially the salt in a dish and nappy bit! 

 

CFD 

[Carlosfandango]

2 hours ago, sgtberbatov said:

Well. Well well well. We've had World War 3. We've had half the world burn down. We've got the plague. We don't have the australian lady doing the Trivago adverts anymore. And it's only, today, March. And I still don't have the Lada home. I genuinely thought today would be the day it came home. But I was wrong. How wrong I was. Do you know why I was wrong? Well the chap I asked to move the Lada for me didn't know it was a non runner. So he didn't think to tell me that the winch on his truck didn't work. So we had no way to put it on today, which is a shame. He's getting it sorted for Saturday so at least it's only another week before it's home.

The thing is, I haven't looked in it since I parked it up. I'll be honest, if the World Health Organisation are reading, you may find your hot bed of Coronavirus inside my Lada!

There's, I think, two puddle of water on the floor too. Incredibly annoyed at myself for not getting this moving sooner. I think the headlining might be salvaged with wire brush and Dettol, Seats and door cards I'm not too fussed about.

But yeah. Here it is. Still on my mom's driveway under a tarp until Saturday.

Really looking forward to seeing progress on this @sgtberbatov  

I like an auld Lada. I’ve a few fiat TC engines, and a Lancia one but I’m a long way from where you are. Besides, the kettle and the Mazda box should be a lot of fun. 

 

Carry on. 

 

CFD

[St.Jude]

20 hours ago, Mrs6C said:

That is a lovely car!

Suggest you don't use a wire brush for cleaning the headlining, as it will damage the surface and drive the dirt/mould deeper into the fabric. Try using just a soft cloth, water and something like Flash liquid detergent to deal with the headlining, seats and door cards. Use a soft plastic scrim if you need to get a bit tough on it, as this won't hurt the surfaces. Rinse off the detergent with fresh water on more clean cloths, then pat dry with an old towel and finish off the drying with wodges of paper towels. I have cleaned up interiors worse than this, with that approach.

To help keep the inside of your car dry and mould free while it is not in regular use, put moisture-absorbant granules and/or a dish of salt in it to absorb moisture from the interior air. Finding and curing the leak into the footwell will help, but if you can't find it, as a temporary measure get a pack of 'no leak' style nappies from your local supermarket and cut out the absorbant pads from these. Press these down into the footwell, absorbant side down and weight them there with something. They will absorb all the water than is leaking in and lock it away. You can dry them out again in a warm place and re-use them if needed.

Thanks! The wire brush and dettol was a Billy Connolly joke. Not sure what you mean about a scrim?

It'll be alright when it gets home as it'll be in the garage, which is fairly dry and plenty of air gets to it. I didn't know that about the nappies though. That's incredible! I am going to get some sort of mould bomb thing just to let it off in the car as, while I'm fairly healthy, I don't want to breathe in the spores of whats in there. Then wash everything like you described.

19 hours ago, Carlosfandango said:

Really looking forward to seeing progress on this @sgtberbatov  

I like an auld Lada. I’ve a few fiat TC engines, and a Lancia one but I’m a long way from where you are. Besides, the kettle and the Mazda box should be a lot of fun.

Carry on.

CFD

Ah where were you before I bought the Rover?! ?

There is, at least on Facebook, someone selling the Estate Lada for £1,500. It's a 2107 I think. It's crying out for a Lancia engine!

[Mrs6C]

26 minutes ago, sgtberbatov said:

Not sure what you mean about a scrim?

A scrim used for cleaning is something like this:
https://www.spontex.co.uk/product/brilliant-scourer-pad/

More generically the term describes a tough, open weave fabric or mesh.