griffdog
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 13
Registered: Mar 11, 2011 0:28:43 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by griffdog on Mar 17, 2012 0:22:22 GMT 2
Hi Everyone, I am a niva owner living on King Island which is a located between mainland Australia and Tasmania. It has a population of about 1200, and is 70km long and 25 wide. I found your site through the usual suspects double posting on lada uk forum or the Australian version and by originally finding Baxter's site. Like everyone else I am looking for as much information as I can on the niva and have found you guys are both innovative and brave in your approaches to the quirks that define the niva. My niva is a perfect car for our Island which I will will be sadly leaving in a few weeks and returning to the mainland after 2 and a half years here. The niva is coming with me and I am planning a crossing of the Simpson desert in a few months with some other members of the Australian crew. To this end I am getting my car ready and working through the issues that were never attended to by previous owners. My car is a 92 1600, but I also have a wrecked 1700 tbi that I am going to refurbish the engine on. Below are my 3 kids who love "the bouncy car". Uploaded with ImageShack.usUploaded with ImageShack.us
|
|
spikes
Moderator
Posts: 3,689
Location: Mpumalanga
Town: Nelspruit
Registered: Apr 19, 2010 19:39:51 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by spikes on Mar 17, 2012 6:56:41 GMT 2
Welcome to the forum! Enjoy your visits and your NIVAs. Unless Aus has a ban on the imports of spares from the Ukraine, you will be able to get aal you need for the TBI rebuild from Pavel. Happy kids!! Must be the NIVA or just after you trashed the Boks in the World Cup ;D ;D regards Spikes
|
|
|
Post by marius on Mar 17, 2012 8:32:59 GMT 2
Welcome to the forum! Great pic of your kids with the Niva Marius
|
|
griffdog
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 13
Registered: Mar 11, 2011 0:28:43 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by griffdog on Mar 17, 2012 12:24:25 GMT 2
Welcome to the forum! Enjoy your visits and your NIVAs. Unless Aus has a ban on the imports of spares from the Ukraine, you will be able to get aal you need for the TBI rebuild from Pavel. Happy kids!! Must be the NIVA or just after you trashed the Boks in the World Cup ;D ;D regards Spikes Kids love the niva. It is a "real" car to them. My oldest boy Ned used to love my old renault 12 when he was a baby. My youngest Max, is devoted to the Niva. I cannot work on it without him wanting to help. This is my Tbi - it is beyond repair!!! But I am going to use its engine to rebuild to 1800cc, with mild cam, weber and free flow exhaust. It will be good. The car has already given me many good parts and though in poor condition (you get that on an island), it had done very low milage. Uploaded with ImageShack.us
|
|
darryn
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomyot
Posts: 713
Registered: Mar 5, 2010 21:50:09 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by darryn on Mar 17, 2012 12:33:14 GMT 2
Hello mate! Crikey, it breaks my heart to see a 1700 in such ba shape... But it makes me very happy to see a well kept 1600; not many of those left.
Welcome to the forum.
Laters.
|
|
griffdog
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 13
Registered: Mar 11, 2011 0:28:43 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by griffdog on Mar 17, 2012 12:52:48 GMT 2
This was my 1600 6 months ago before a little tlc and foam roller paint job!! Uploaded with ImageShack.us
|
|
|
Post by marius on Mar 17, 2012 13:03:39 GMT 2
Looks like that 1700 was rescued straight from the sea!! One thing I do admire from the guys "down under" is that they are capable of performing miracles in restoring their vehicles. Yours is just another such an example I am totally impressed with your foam roller paint job - WOW! Marius PS- what paint did you use?
|
|
Christo
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 38
Registered: Jan 23, 2012 21:47:02 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by Christo on Mar 17, 2012 15:16:36 GMT 2
Ja a bit of tlc can go along way Nice one
|
|
|
Post by Charles on Mar 17, 2012 15:46:31 GMT 2
Hi Griffdog.
Welcome to the forum. I have been following your posts for a while on the Oz forum.
Charles
|
|
spikes
Moderator
Posts: 3,689
Location: Mpumalanga
Town: Nelspruit
Registered: Apr 19, 2010 19:39:51 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by spikes on Mar 17, 2012 18:14:51 GMT 2
Looks like that 1700 was rescued straight from the sea!! One thing I do admire from the guys "down under" is that they are capable of performing miracles in restoring their vehicles. Yours is just another such an example I am totally impressed with your foam roller paint job - WOW! Marius PS- what paint did you use? Hi Griffdog, I read the write up you did for another NIVA forum, but for the life of me cannot find the site reference again, would you mind posting it on this thread, please. It shows the work you put into the 1600 so clearly regards spikes
|
|
hoodoo
Full Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 161
Registered: Sept 7, 2011 19:57:35 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by hoodoo on Mar 17, 2012 20:22:50 GMT 2
He's done a lot, and it's turned out very well! John
|
|
griffdog
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 13
Registered: Mar 11, 2011 0:28:43 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by griffdog on Mar 17, 2012 23:32:57 GMT 2
Thanks guys for your comments. Marius the car was painted in plain old Wattyl Killrust epoxy enamel, thinned down with turps. I now swear by this method of painting and would not bother spraying a 4wd again. This job took me about 3-4 full days of work, but I had very limited equipment. There are some areas that I will touch up again when I get back to the mainland and the car needs a wetsand and polish, but it turned out much better than expected and I now wish I had spend another 10-15 hours on prep at which point it would be almost perfect. The good thing about this method is that it is easy to go back over parts that reuire more work without having to mask up the whole car etc. Link to build on UK forum is: www.lada.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11251I have been working with very limited tools and equipment, limited to pretty much what is in the lada tool kit and a few old sockets and spanners I have found around the place - I am greatly looking forward to getting back to my actual home and my shed and tools, and getting stuck into building my 1700 engine and generally going through the car in preperation for the Simpson desert.
|
|
spikes
Moderator
Posts: 3,689
Location: Mpumalanga
Town: Nelspruit
Registered: Apr 19, 2010 19:39:51 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by spikes on Mar 18, 2012 7:53:26 GMT 2
Thanks!! LOCSA readers, if you not yet seen the rebuild thread, it is really a worthwhile read.
Spikes
|
|
|
Post by marius on Mar 18, 2012 8:28:08 GMT 2
I think your paint job/method rocks! Something I will definitely consider when the time comes. Like you say it requires very little masking and the finish looks more than exceptable. Great job!
Marius
|
|
griffdog
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 13
Registered: Mar 11, 2011 0:28:43 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by griffdog on Mar 18, 2012 9:32:58 GMT 2
Cheers Spikes and Marius,
This has not been a rebuild as such, more something to keep me occupied when I hava a spare moment from my work and to give my family a chance to see parts of the island that are not accessable without a car such as this. The more in depth "building" will happen when I get back home in a few weeks.
Marius, when I get home I will give the car a good clean and a polish and this will give an indication of the durabilitty of the paint. It should be noted that the car has been driven down some pretty tight "scrub" tracks that have given the sides a really good test, buit it appears to be holding up really well, and think that it will polish up fine.
If I were painting it again I would try a boat paint such as interlux brightside and just use a colour from their chart. I think this would give an even better finish, but all up I have only used about 50 Aus dollars worth of paint and I still have a couple of litres left for further painting and touch ups in the future.
My plan is that every 12-18 months I will attend to any rust and body dings and just give another couple of coats of paint. his should ensure that it stays presentable for however long I keep the car. I will 100% not invest more that 2000 aus dollars on this car. So far it has cost me 800 initial purchase, 50 paint, 400 for new lenses, and service items etc. I now have one spare engine, spare transfer, spare steering box, spare gearbox and spare drive shafts from the 1700 tbi, which I will make sure are ready to go at any time, so really this car should last me several years for next to no outlay.
I do have a lift kit to pick up from bobby who also posts on this site, but appart from this I am going ultra low cost and minimalist. No lsd's or fancy wheels for me, just 2 ich lift, trimmed bump stops and removed roll bar, and car at as low a weight as I can get it. I look forward to sharing some adventures with you guys.
|
|
darryn
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomyot
Posts: 713
Registered: Mar 5, 2010 21:50:09 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by darryn on Mar 18, 2012 12:20:51 GMT 2
Geez... I'm going to do this on my Niva. Looks like a fantastic idea!
|
|
|
Post by Charles on Mar 18, 2012 13:46:46 GMT 2
I am also planning on painting mine with enamel paint sometime. Did you thin the paint?
Charles
|
|
griffdog
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 13
Registered: Mar 11, 2011 0:28:43 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by griffdog on Mar 18, 2012 14:14:52 GMT 2
I am also planning on painting mine with enamel paint sometime. Did you thin the paint? Charles Yes - you thin with mineral turpentine/spirits. The trick is to get as thin a mixture as you can work the roller with and then try and get multiple thin coats. For a top job you might do 8 coats with a wet sand between every second. This will lead to a glass like finish. I just did three coats with one light sand between the 2nd and 3rd. This is fine for a off road car, and as I have said means that I can easily add coats down the track.
|
|
Nikki Lada
Senior Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 353
Registered: Jun 6, 2011 8:12:13 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by Nikki Lada on Mar 19, 2012 7:07:42 GMT 2
Welcome to the forum Griffdog – nice job you did with your Niva and your kids are gorgeous! I visit the UK T25 forum from time to time and have been reading about the amazing results one can get with the high density foam rollers and the right paint for quite a while. The paint they rave about over there is called Rust-Oleum Combi Colour, a self leveling primer and top coat in one. The thread became hugely popular and is now well over a hundred pages long! Guys – you can check out the link below for all you need to know on rollering your vehicle – although it’s a Kombi site the principle is the same. forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=18751Although Nikita doesn’t need painting at this point in time I would be interested to know what the equivalent of the Rust-Oleum stuff would be in SA as ordinary household enamel wouldn’t really be suitable. I’ve googled Rust-Oleum but although some of their products are available here I don’t see this paint. NIKKI
|
|
griffdog
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 13
Registered: Mar 11, 2011 0:28:43 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by griffdog on Mar 19, 2012 9:24:10 GMT 2
Hi Nikita, The rustoleum is what is usually used for this type of job, but a lot of people are now looking at boat paint as it is designed to be applied by brush or roller. You cannot get rustoleum in Australia. I had an 1968 kombi in bright orange and white roof. If I had of known what I know now back then, I would definitelly have rollered that baby, in fact I am not sure there are too many cars that I have had that I would not roller - triumph spitfire, alfa 105, ford zephyr. All would have looked better than they did if I had of pulled the roller on them. For a niva I would use any old rust type enamel. The only issue you will have is that it will loose a bit of gloss over time, but with a regular polish and a recoat every couple of years, you would be fine. I will keep everyone posted on how mine holds up, but it is a great project and there is a lot of satisfaction in doing it. You really cant go wrong with this method on a niva, and the quality of the job will increase with the amount of time and effort you are prepared to put in. Uploaded with ImageShack.us
|
|
dimitris
Senior Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 411
Registered: Oct 11, 2011 12:38:56 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by dimitris on Mar 20, 2012 12:52:47 GMT 2
Hello mate!!!! You have posted the best of the best photo in the forum!!!! Regards, Dimitris - Greece
|
|
Nikki Lada
Senior Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 353
Registered: Jun 6, 2011 8:12:13 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by Nikki Lada on Mar 20, 2012 23:37:40 GMT 2
Thanks for the info Griffdog - I really appreciate it and look forward to hearing how the enamel paint holds up over time. I must also say that I do agree with Dimitris about the photo - it really is a classic! NIKKI
|
|
griffdog
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 13
Registered: Mar 11, 2011 0:28:43 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by griffdog on Mar 21, 2012 12:06:38 GMT 2
Thanks for the comments guys. Had another adventure on the weekend, where we found a track heading down to a really isolated beach. Anything bigger than a niva would not have made it down the track, but it was very sandy so you needed a good 4wd. Given that my kids seem to be popular - here are a couple of picks from the day. Uploaded with ImageShack.usUploaded with ImageShack.usUploaded with ImageShack.us
|
|
|
Post by Charles on Mar 21, 2012 13:00:59 GMT 2
Very nice. Looks like they enjoyed it alot.
Charles
|
|
darryn
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomyot
Posts: 713
Registered: Mar 5, 2010 21:50:09 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by darryn on Mar 21, 2012 13:47:40 GMT 2
Why on earth would you ever leave such a place?
|
|
dimitris
Senior Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 411
Registered: Oct 11, 2011 12:38:56 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by dimitris on Mar 21, 2012 14:12:52 GMT 2
I saw the King Island in Google earth and a few photos in Panoramio ....... I think you're very lucky you live there with your family ....... like in paradise!!
I sincerely envy!!
Regards, Dimitris - Greece
|
|
griffdog
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 13
Registered: Mar 11, 2011 0:28:43 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by griffdog on Mar 21, 2012 21:42:49 GMT 2
King Island is a wonderful place and we have loved our 2 and half years here, but it is hard being away from family and friends and with only 1200 people on the whole island you do start to miss civilization.
Also my job entails being responsible for 40, 15 year olds who come to the island for 9 weeks. This is very intense and means I work pretty much constantly for 9 weeks at a time.
I am luck that my "home" is a little place called Bunninyong. For anyone interested in cycling it is where the Australian cycling championships are held each year. I am looking forward to returning there to my house, my shed, my tools and my friends and family.
King Island has certainly shaped my childrens lives however and they will always have a piece of the place in them. And when they are 15 they will come to the island for their 9 weeks as I will continue to work for the school that runs the program here, so we will keep a strong connection.
|
|
|
Post by Ari Bezuidenhout on Mar 21, 2012 22:25:56 GMT 2
Ain't it a bit late over that side to be posting now, or is it early morning??
Ari
|
|
griffdog
New Niva Petrol Head
Posts: 13
Registered: Mar 11, 2011 0:28:43 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
|
Post by griffdog on Mar 21, 2012 22:52:57 GMT 2
Early morning - with three small kids, a sleep in for me is usually about 6.30 am.
|
|