The good old “seven” - well, who is not familiar with this car? It is brutal, angular and easy to tune. In this article we look at the materials and procedure for tuning a VAZ with your own hands naturally.
One of the most popular cars produced during the USSR and modern times is the VAZ 2107 or simply “seven”. The start of production of these cars dates back to 1982, and the end of production in 2012. Although in many countries the production of this car continued until 2013-24. The slightly archaic design, which was typical of those times, does not make this car popular now. However, we offer an article in which you will learn new approaches to tuning the interior of a VAZ 2107 with your own hands, which will allow you to breathe fresh life into the car and please your friends with an unusual design. This will make your “seven” stand out from many others.
Typical owner
The average portrait of the owners of this Zhiguli model is as follows:
- middle age and above;
- they always know how much money they have in their wallet;
- practical and unpretentious;
- know how to save money.
For this type of people, it is preferable to update the interior while carrying out repair work related to the body. This will eliminate the need to disassemble the car interior - welding and painting work require this a priori. Not spending “extra” money is one of the desires of VAZ-2107 owners.
Do-it-yourself interior tuning will also allow you to save a certain amount. But provided that the owner knows how to work with his hands. That is, his hands grow from the right place. Otherwise, you will have to pay for this work separately. At the same time, no one will do a better job of tuning a car’s interior than its owner.
Installation of electric windows
The VAZ 2107 is one of the few car models on which power windows were not standardly installed from the factory. However, ESP for the “seven” are produced by various companies, the most famous manufacturers of electric windows:
- "Forward";
- "Pomegranate";
- "Katran".
All ESPs are equipped with an electric motor, but the window lift drive can be different:
- river type;
- cable;
- lever
Each type of mechanism has its own advantages and disadvantages, but rack-and-pinion ESPs are the most widespread.
Work plan
In order to immediately estimate the required cost of transformations, you need to make a list of what you decide to improve in your VAZ-2107. Interior tuning, which is described here, involves work to replace or improve the following items:
- Interior noise insulation.
- Replacing door cards.
- Installation of electric windows.
- Replacing the front row of seats.
- Modification or replacement of the dashboard and dashboard.
- Installing the stereo console and armrest.
- Installation of the rear acoustic shelf and acoustic pockets on the front doors.
- Replacement of ceiling covering.
- Replacement of plastic interior parts.
The above changes will allow the owner to breathe new life into an old car, enjoying comfort during daily trips.
Interior noise insulation
This procedure will significantly isolate the interior from road and car engine noise, which will undoubtedly increase the comfort of travel. For high-quality sound insulation of the interior, including the ceiling, the following materials and tools are required:
- Soundproofing material – 15 sheets.
- Vibration-isolating material – 15 sheets.
- Mastic.
- White Spirit.
- Metal brush and stationery knives.
- Hairdryer (construction).
Without installing sound insulation on a VAZ-2107 car, tuning the interior will not add comfort other than a decorative effect.
This procedure is fundamental to achieving the desired result. The efficiency of the work directly depends on the thickness of the material being laid. The thicker it is, the greater sound absorption will be achieved. If you are limited in funds, but still want to change your VAZ-2107, tuning the interior can be done in stages. And soundproofing is the first thing you need to install.
So, having freed the interior from the interior trim, removed the ceiling, seats and dashboard, you can begin preparing the surface. We carry out the work in the following order:
- Use a brush to clean the entire internal surface where you are going to glue the insulation.
- Remove the resulting debris using a vacuum cleaner.
- Treat the surface with white spirit.
- Let's start gluing the vibration-proofing material.
- We glue sound insulation.
When gluing vibration insulation, you must use a hairdryer, heating the applied material from the foil side. There is no need to heat too much. It is enough so that the resin included in the material becomes more elastic. After this, smooth the sheet using a rubber roller or a regular rag.
If you don't have enough material, you can skip the area under the rear seat. But it is extremely important to treat the doors. It is almost impossible to do this work in one whole piece, so apply the material in convenient pieces, laying them end to end. Then soundproofing material is glued on top. Don't worry, all the interior elements will fall into place. Tight, but they will.
In addition, when installing the dashboard, it is recommended to additionally cover the points of contact with the body with a special material that prevents the appearance of squeaking - a sound that can unbalance even the most phlegmatic and balanced people.
Steering wheel tuning
On the 2107 model, two types of steering wheels were installed - old and new; the type of steering wheel installed from the factory depends on the year of manufacture of the car. The new type of steering wheel is more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, so car owners of older cars often perform simple tuning - replacing the old-style steering wheel with a new one.
Undoubtedly, you can install a steering wheel from a foreign car on the “seven,” but the problem here is that rarely does a steering wheel fit the splines. Experienced drivers do the following - they take an old steering column and take it to a car dismantling site, selecting a steering wheel from a foreign car according to the splines.
Auto stores sell special sports steering wheels of reduced diameter for the 2107. Here, drivers should remember that it will be impossible to pass inspection of a car with a sports steering wheel, so you should not throw away the original steering wheel, it will still be useful for inspection.
One simple type of tuning is to install a braid on the steering wheel rim; covers are sold in a wide range of car stores. The braid makes driving the car comfortable - your hands do not slip on the steering wheel, and the cover looks aesthetically pleasing.
Electric drives for front door windows
Installation of this equipment should not cause major installation difficulties. The most suitable and reliable are Ural lever drives, produced in Sarapul. Their installation is fully described in the attached instructions and simply requires care and leisurely work.
The amount of distortion when lifting the glass will depend on the accuracy of the location of drilling the holes (there are only two of them). This moment is the most difficult in the entire operation of installing electric lifts on the front doors of a car. The control buttons can be placed on the dashboard to the left of the steering wheel, or they can be installed on the central shaft (console) next to the gear selector. The second option seems more comfortable to me.
Features when connecting
When tuning the car interior and installing electric lifts on the windows, do not under any circumstances skimp on wires. The safety and reliability of their operation depends on their quality and location of connection to the vehicle network. Lift motors are very powerful consumers of energy, so it is not recommended to connect them to the first fuse you come across. It is better to make a separate branch through a relay and with its own fuse directly from the battery, or connect it to the most powerful input on the VAZ-2107 fuse panel. Tuning the interior with your own hands implies great responsibility on the part of the owner: for mistakes made that violate the safety of the car, there will be no one to blame but himself.
Refill containers
- Fuel tank (including 5 liter reserve) - holds 39 liters of gasoline
- Lubrication system (including oil filter) - holds 3.75 liters of oil
- Engine cooling system (including interior heater) - 9.85 liters of antifreeze
- Washer reservoir - 2 liters
- Gearbox housing - 1.35 liters of transmission oil (semi-synthetic GL-5 75W90) / for a 5-speed gearbox - 1.59 liters
- Rear axle housing - 1.3 liters semi-synthetic GL-5 (75W90)
- Clutch hydraulic system - 200 ml
- Brake system 660 ml
Dashboard and trim
Since we are committed to cost-effectiveness, the dashboard will remain unchanged. We will not reupholster it or replace it with a more modern one from any foreign car. As an economical option, I would advise purchasing a special kit for converting the VAZ-2107.
Tuning the interior with its help will take a little time, but the effect will be noticeable immediately. This kit includes all plastic interior trim, dash trim, console, door cards, sun visor panel, rear acoustic parcel shelf, front acoustic door pockets and door cards. There are several product variations that allow you to choose your preferred color and graphic design. By purchasing the entire set, you will save money - individual parts will be much more expensive.
By installing the entire kit at once, you will be able to evaluate how your car has been transformed. After such an intervention, the VAZ-2107 will be able to please with its novelty.
Devices VAZ-2107
There are two creative options here: change the backlight to LED and stick a new decorative film on the shield itself, visually changing the panel, or install an alternative GF 608 Gamma panel. The second option costs much more, but in addition to the new panel you will get an excellent on-board computer.
In addition to route control and service reminders, the new panel has the following properties:
- parking sensors;
- taximeter;
- panel brightness adjustment;
- many other functions and operations.
The appearance of the tidy will definitely arouse the interest of others, and you are guaranteed to get envious glances from your neighbors in the garage.
Seats VAZ-2107
If you wish, you can install seats from a foreign car. The best option is from Opel or Fiat. In the latter case, modifications to the fastenings will be minimal.
And the Opel is different in that its seats are low. By installing them, you won't hit your head on the ceiling. If we don’t have enough energy and money for the seats, we’ll limit ourselves to new covers.
As a result of all the efforts made, your VAZ-2107 car has acquired the ability to surprise and delight again with its novelty.
What would be suitable for seats with minimal modifications?
If it is possible to use a welding machine or an angle grinder, then you can install almost any option in your car. In this case, it is better to start from the concept of “price-quality”.
For example, there is the selection and installation of seats from Lancer 9. The main difficulties appear in fitting:
- Correctly measure the angle of the seats;
- The location of the structure relative to the floor, ceiling;
- Get into the factory mounts;
- Location between tunnel and door.
After the adjustment, the modification of the seats for the VAZ 2114 begins. Usually, a profile pipe is used on which they are fixed. Or they weld it to the slide, modifying it to fit the factory studs.
A lot depends on imagination and experience. For example, in the photo the fastenings were modified in a similar way.
Oddly enough, the seats from Lancer 9 in the interior of the VAZ 2114 look very harmonious.
Many people use seats from Subaru cars. They are quite affordable, can be found within 5,000 rubles. Replacement occurs on the same points as in the situation with the past. In this case, designs from Subaru Forester .
But remember that when using seats from a right-hand drive car, a large number of settings will be received not by the driver, but by the passenger. Of course, they can be swapped, but access to the settings will be limited, since the settings are usually located on the door side, but you will have them on the tunnel side. Ready-made anatomical seats for the VAZ 2114
