These Russian mechanics tried to return to the roots of motoring.
May 20, 2023 at 7:55 a.m. ET
Lada vehicles are built to be tough, even though it might not look like it. Both the venerable Niva SUV and the Fiat 124-based Lada 2101 (and later variants) were conceived in the 1970s and built well into the 2010s with few updates or modifications over the years.
In fact, the Niva is still being built today and currently holds the record for the longest SUV still in production in its original form.
What I’m trying to say is that Ladas can survive a lot of abuse and can be repaired with a hammer and rope in most cases. It may not be a luxury ride, but it will get you to your destination, especially if you need to travel in the windy tundra or on the icy roads of Siberia.
And that brings me to the latest internet-famous experiment Garage 54 YouTube channel, which made a name for itself modifying and torturing old Ladas in every way imaginable.
Previous episodes tried to find out if a water-filled rear differential could work after sitting in freezing temperatures overnight and what goes on inside a clear distributor cap.
This time, the aim was to modify the old gas engine and make it air-cooled, in a project inspired by the famous waterless engines of Volkswagen and Porsche. But while the Germans presumably used a lot of thinking power before they put a single tool on the workbench, the guys from Garage 54 he used a somewhat rudimentary method.
All the hoses were removed first, along with the water pump and radiator. A hole was then cut into the side of the engine block, where the Russians installed what can only be described as an asthmatic, underpowered fan to cool the engine’s innards.
The next step was to drill some holes in the head next to the spark plugs so the heat could escape and help cool everything down, and there was an oil temp sensor installed, while the temp sensor stock water was left in place.
It all sounds good in theory, but as you’ll discover, it wasn’t long before the stock temp needle tried to escape the dash to go live somewhere cooler.
As always, we’d love to hear what you think of the video embedded above, so head to the comments section below and let us know your thoughts.
