Andyroo!

Right then, Covid's (almost!) over and I NEED to do some tinkering with my Skoda, if only for my mental health! 1/ The ignition key problem referred to earlier has been solved, by me removing the ignition switch from the dashboard & sending it to the same locksmiths who carried out the original keys, who've cut me two keys, and as they have the barrel, they know the keys fit and work the switch! 2/ The headlamp glass problem's also been solved, thanks to another Octavia owner, who sent me another symmetrical lens, so I now have two complete headlamp units, ready to be re-chromed soon. 3/ The fuel line from the tank to the engine bay is blocked and the petrol pump had failed. I've bought (but have yet to fit) a new pump, which will help, but I need to clear and possibly replace the line, as well as cleaning the tank. I'm prepared to fit a new tank if necessary, as repairing petrol tanks is very dangerous... 4/ One of the two spare dynamos I was given with the car is currently being refurbished and converted to NEGATIVE earth, as I plan to run the car with a negative earth. Apart from the dynamo and reversing the coil wiring, everything else should be fine. In the words of an old British Rail advertisement from the 1980s..."we're getting there!" Onwards and upwards!

I’ve fitted a simple on/off switch in place of the ignition key pro tem and have bypassed the petrol tank, running a pipe from a 5 litre container to the pump. With a charged battery and a few prayers, it fired! After a few seconds it settled down to a happy tick-over, which, considering it’s not run for over 33 years, was pretty impressive! I videoed it, but the file’s too big to add here.

Right then...... In the words of Apollo 13: "Houston, we have a problem"..... The set of keys I was given by the previous owner consisted of 3 keys: one for the ignition, one for the door and one about which I have no idea! I arranged to have another set of them cut by a specialised car locksmith in Brighton, who were happy to take on the job. They posted the 2 sets (the originals and the new set) back to me by Royal Mail Special Delivery (I suspect you know where this is leading...) Owing to Coronavirus restrictions the Royal Mail don't ask for signatures at the moment, and we're having a huge load of building work done on our home at the moment, with the result that our driveway and the front of the house looks like it's been struck by a V2 bomber! The parcel, a small Jiffy bag, seems to have gone walkabout, I now have jo keys at all for my Skoda & need some advice as to how I might obtain another set! Any ideas, anyone out there in Skodaland?

I've spent a few hours in the lock-up today and have achieved a little, learnt a lot and found a few problems..... I've fixed the dip-switch! The floor operated dip-switch didn't work before and the headlights were stuck on dipped beam, but a hefty dollop of WD40 has worked marvels, and I now have both main and dipped beam, together with a working main beam warning light! But.... my horn repair wasn't quite as simple as I had envisaged. I'd noticed a black wire coming from the front end of the steering column, which I had assumed was the sliding connection that earthed the horn when the ring was depressed, so I connected it to one terminal on the horn, knowing the other terminal to be permanently live (this is called a "hot" arrangement) but this resulted in the horn remaining permanently "on", so I suspect the sliding contact is defective in some way. Has anyone talked this? In other Octavia news I've managed to free off the heater valve, which had been stuck solid. Again, WD 40 came to the fore! In addition, I've found TWO spare starter motors and TWO spare dynamos in the boot! (I ought to explain the lock-up has no lighting and most of my visits are late in the afternoon or early evening-here why I haven't been able to look in the boot too closely!) I plan to convert the car to negative earth, thus making the use of a modern radio easier, so a visit to Unit Exchange in Borehamwood (a local auto electrical company) is on the cards! Also found in the boot were four hubcaps-I plan to have them re-chromed, together with the headlight surrounds at some stage. Onwards and upwards......

A little more "tinkering", together with an industrial-sized 12 volt battery and a new set of correctly gapped plugs has produced a "near-start"! Judicial use of some Easy-Start resulted in a splutter from the engine, suggesting that a fully-fledged start is not too far off. Other gremlins solved were the horn wiring (defective earth) resulting in a horn that sounds terrifyingly loud, and an interior light that now works. Something else I like with the car is the boot light, that comes on with the sidelights. Is my car meant to have a light under the bonnet? There isn't one, but some wiring diagrams have shown this item.

Hi! Thanks for replying. I've tried a couple of Czech sites, so far without success, but hunting around some Italian motor scooter sites has proved quite promising..... As to when it will be back on the road, I have to reassemble, adjust and bleed the brakes and get the engine going before it'll be running. I was a V.W. trained mechanic in a previous job (well several jobs ago!) which helps.

As requested! It's what mat best described as "a work in progress", but the engine now runs and I'm sorting out the electrical gremlins as quickly as I can, although I need a near-side headlight lens....

Twelve years late in finding this thread, but I have a right hand drive 1961 Skoda Octavia Super! Any idea as to where I could find some symmetrical headlight lenses? I drop into this forum regularly!

This a seriously late response, but I, too, would recommend this dealership, who sold me my second Skoda in 1995. It was a Felicia and the deal was really good, and they even threw in a full tank of petrol-NICE ONE!

Hello! i've bought a 1961 right hand drive Skoda Octavia; an earlier version, with a bench seat, a column change selector and a handbrake on the left side of the car! It's a G-R-E-A-T car, and although it's not started since 2004, it did, this afternoon, fire-albeit with four new spark plugs and a goodly dose of easy-start! I've bought a workshop manual for the car and I was a mechanic in an earlier life, having done my City and Guilds training with a local Volkswagen dealer, so I'm fairly au fait with how to set up the ignition system. My question is: does anyone know the appropriate dwell angle reading for a Skoda Octavia Super? I've bought a new set of points and want to set them very accurately! While I'm here, does anyone know where to obtain the headlight lenses (the "symmetrical" ones) for a Skoda Octavia?