australian lada niva forum

G'day everyone,
Thanks for the reminder adam and eddy. I haven't been anywhere, it's just that I work nights and sleep during the day. Well, mostly I do. At the moment I'm laid up with a fractured left fibula just above the ankle from a workplace accident so I'll have some more time to lurk here and on the other boards I frequent. Obviously with a broken left ankle I can't drive my Niva but the Lexcen I also own is automatic so no real problem there. I hope you are all well and keep on Ladaing. Best little 4X4 by a country mile.

Cheers,
Ross.

Still around and still in a plaster and fibreglass cast. That comes off a fortnight tomorrow so the orthopoeds can have a looksee and decide if it stays off or a new one is put on for a bit longer. I'm really hoping they say it can stay off as I want to do some work on the Niva and start resotring my old 1974 Viscount Royal caravan. Sadly, the demon water has got into her and I need to do a fair bit of work on the old girl. Still the gas stove looks as though it's never been used and certainly hasn't by me in the almost 7 years I've owned the van.

She is going to be totally gutted and all new plywood put in. A previous owner had ripped out one of the front dinette benches and sawed the end off the table and ripped out the rear island bed and put a base and mattress in its place. I want to return her to her former standard fitout with the small additions of aircon, electric brakes and a battery and inverter system, (large one) and perhaps a genreator as well and a new exterior paint job to go with the tow vehicle; no not the Niva, the Lexcen. I have the mind to at some time in the future, build a teardrop camper to tow behind the Niva for short quick weekends away. I've already drawn my own profile for a teardrop and the frame would be light thick wall aluminium with quarter elliptic springs, torsion bars and no axle, the springs forming and torsion bars a kind of independant suspension system. I saw this idea on a 1/35 scale model of a german WW2 flak gun limber and I thinks to meself I thinks, that'd do just fine and dandy as a suspension system for the teardrop, light, simple and durable.

The rest of the bodywork I intend to do in the time honoured method of plywood walls with spreader bars giving strength internally and a modern compact kitchen at the rear. So you see I am still around, but I'm spending a fair bit of my enforced leave planning my caravan reno and working on the drawings for the teardrop.

Cheers,
Ross.

, Well, the plaster and fibreglass came off yesterday but I still have to be very careful what I do. I have a few projects that I have been planning whilst laid up including restoring my old caravan. I've started getting bits and pieces together and I'm currently in the process of arranging and pricing the veneer finish I want for the interior.

Cheers,
Ross.

must've done a good job with the break ross,plaster seems to have been on forever (bet it felt thatway too)