HELP.!!

In urgent need of glass for both doors of my newly acquired 88 Rapid and if anyone can help the keys have long been missing any help on sorting out a replacement set l know that the original keys came with a tag with a code on but this is missing 2 an really dont want to go down the new ignition and door locks route.. Nk

Hello, not sure if they could help but they sometimes have older skoda parts, Skodaland in Leeds, they are in Armley. I am sure they will be in the phone book. They had some old estelle body panels last year. I don't think there will be anywhere on the body that says the key number. Maybe it is stamped on the ignition lock barrel if you take the trim off? Is this the Rapid that was on car and classics website? [i recall that one mentioned in the ad there was no keys!]

regards

Matt

We need pics!

Hi thats great thanks, so far daverapid has been brilliant help, he may have most of the parts lm looking for, but will definitely give skodaland a buzz as lm only based in Wakefield so thanks for that

Yes its the car off Car and Classics the lady had been messed around so luckily for me its mine, only been after 1 for a few years now cant wait to get it on the street as my daily should turn a few heads before going in the garage over winter for a good look over..

Very pleased this car has found a home. Please keep the vinyl roof!

Thanks, ohh l intend to cant wait any advice on lowering and wheel width.? thinking Banded steels but different to alloys

Check front arch clearance before going mad on the wheel front. As for lowering - if you are only looking to make the car look good then you just need to lower the front an inch by chopping a coil and suitably rounding off the end so it doesnt dig into the rubber or buying a set of lowering springs but leaving the back ones in the box. If you want to make the car really handle (on tarmac not loose), then you need to rehash everything starting with a 2 inch minimum drop at the front, ditch the front roll bar, drop the back an inch and stiffen the whole lot up significantly adding gas adjustable shocks, chop the front rubber bump stops level with the mounts and take the end off the rears, add hardened bushes all round. Its also worth packing the kingpin to upper and lower arms metalastic bushes with M10 (if my memory serves me well) washers, replacing the metalastic bushes and the rear trailling arm main bushes (ideally with uniball metal joints) and ensuring the steering rack bushes are in good order or replacing them with a hardened version.

If you don't have the inclanation to do all of that lot then lower it and add the gas adjustable shocks, but make sure you frop the front more than the back and consider the M10 washer fix.....its almost free! I have a guide on how to do it somewhere...if I can find it I will post it up.

I should add as an edit that none of the lowering springs available in this country significantly stiffen the car up (Spax included) so won't on their own make the car handle or ruin the ride over rough roads.

Edited 14 August, 201213 yr by hawkeracing

WOW.!!! lm not looking to stiffen the car or go round corners like a go Kart haha, just simply to give it a nicer look low over the wheels, whats the biggest rim l can use.? lm thinking banded 15s with stretched tyres very VW l know but with old skoda chrome hubs l reckon it would look awsome, any help is appreciated new to this

Depends if you are going to mess with the ET or not. Standard rims dont come wider than 5.5. Reckon you could safely go to 6 but probably not much more, but I doubt you will find anything wider than 5.5 anyway because the PCD of 130 is not a common pattern, although it is shared with the old Beetle. Stretched tyres will wreck any ride and handling you may have, so I am guessing you are all show and no go, in which case chop a coil out of the fronts and smooth the ends off to even the stance. To go low then take 2 out and one out of the rear, but you will need to remove the roll bar or it will catch on front crossmember. You also need to remember to ensure the cut ends are at the top or a strict MOT tester might fail you......its either that or you need to buy some customs springs from a company like coilspring UK.

This is my Rapid fitted with some lowering springs I bought off eBay. Standard shocks etc. 13 x 5.5" wheels and odd sized tyres - that is being changed this week though and should sort out the nose down stance.

It is a cheap and quick way to get it low but in the long term I do intend to have it sorted properly. Note rust and dents under front bumper caused by new found low'ness.

WOW all you guys are brilliant ld heard the skoda scene was friendly and informative Skodanorman loving your Rapid, l really cant wait to get to work on mine.. Looks like l will be surfing ebay, skodaland and Daverapid for bits and ideas..

....... l may sound like a newby which obviously l am whats the standard ET & rim size ?

The ET is 30 I think and the alloy wheel rim size is 5.5" (13") on a standard car - they did briefly fit 14" wheels to some mk1 Estelles but it was some kind of disaster ad they never fitted anything bigger than 13" after that. I know the standard VW Beetle Empi 8 spokes fit nicely - they are 15" and 5.5 - usual tyre is a 195 profile which is as big as you can go I think.

My Estelle has a 2.5" drop at the front and 2" at the back......don't have clearance problems by and large but then the lowest point of any Estelle/Rapid is the front roll bar and I don't run one.

Edited 15 August, 201213 yr by hawkeracing

Awwww your Estelle is awesome love the colour and the front grille Im after an old Skoda steering wheel from the 60s or 70s if you hear of one..

So l should be able to get away with 15's as long as l dont go over 6 wide, so the vw scene is where l need to look..

Sorted the windows and ignition through Daverapid picking those up on Sat and also the brand new door locks from Skodaland Leeds, just need to hope that theres nothing major wrong for MOT :/

Thanks...front grill is standard as its a mk1....its also the oldest Estelle in the UK .Look on ebay for standard 'classic' VW Beetle Empis and you will get a great set for less than £200, or you could buy new for about double that if you have funds and want them.

Edited 16 August, 201213 yr by hawkeracing

Yeah l thought it was a mk1 they shouldnt have changed the grille.. lve been looking at Empis but fancy something different going to VW fest on Sunday might be able to buy something there off a beetle..

VW Fest will be the best place to look. There is a whole plethora of wheels available for Beetles so look around.

Yeah it should be a good place to look for some wheels, ohh yeah what is the centre bore of the hub.???

Now there's a thought....If i remember I will try and check.

Haha l like to throw a spanner in the works

I'd not recommend going bigger than a 185 section (probably 70 profile); pretty much no-one used more than a 185/70 OEM fit back in the day.

A 185/60R14 on a 5.5 would fit and retain rolling radius (within wearing depth of tread) but will give you a harder ride.

88 Rapid 130 5 speed has finally arrived after much ridicule from my cousin haha,

Thanks to Dave Rapid for having a look over her and confirming that she is in pretty solid and in good nic no rot in the usual places and that the 130 engine is a rare engine and the interior is even more sort after made me feel a whole lot better..

She does need a lot of work after been stood for so long so she is now a "Project " not a doer upper currently parked up awaiting our move to a new house she is going to have to wait a little bit longer until l can start.

I have looked online for an 88 Haynes Manual but can't find 1 anywhere so if anyone has 1 at a decent price please let me know, will be keeping a pictured diary so pics will arrive once the project is underway and lm sure many questions will be asked on here...

The proper Skoda factory workshop manuals do turn up on ebay. The Haynes one was issued several times and I have seen them on ebay for 99p. The most common ones do appear to be the ones printed that say the models covered end in '85 or so though! Just a case of keep looking. Should not be hard to find, the workshop manuals are more like £10 or more when I have seen them.

Beetle wheels will not fit the front hubs unless the lip is ground off, or the wheels are machined to fit.

Beetle wheels will not fit the front hubs unless the lip is ground off, or the wheels are machined to fit.

Thats true but it takes 5 minutes with an angle grinder to remove the lip.

Pretty much all Haynes manuals are the same the one with the mustard coloured front is fine and covers what you will need.