1964 Octavia in NZ

[RobClubley]

Got to love it!

Skoda Octavia 1964 for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

[dieseldarren]

Got to love it!

Skoda Octavia 1964 for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

So, are you bidding?

[RobClubley]

Tempting! But I don't have the money to do it justice.

[anewman]

Looks like it's already had a lot of time and effort spent on it. Don't think those alloys are quite fitting with the car's era though

[dieseldarren]

1500NZ$ in the end, was it you then Rob?

[RobClubley]

Not guilty

I did try to persuade SWMBO that it would make a good first car for her!

[dieseldarren]

Not guilty

I did try to persuade SWMBO that it would make a good first car for her!

Well I suppose it's got rack & pinion steering on that one, so it's less like steering a boat.

Letus know, next time you're coming over & we'll try for a little ride out.

[RobClubley]

We'll be over for a wedding early October - but we're only in the UK for 6 days :eek:

[Andyroo!]

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! 

[Westbury63]

Sorry, I have no idea where you might find some Andyroo.

 

I do however think it would be great to start your own thread and post some photos of your fantastic '61 Octi.

[Andyroo!]

3 hours ago, Westbury63 said:

Sorry, I have no idea where you might find some Andyroo.

 

I do however think it would be great to start your own thread and post some photos of your fantastic '61 Octi.

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.... 

[Westbury63]

Thank you for posting! I love the shape of the early Octi.

 

Any ideas when you might get it on the road?

 

I wish I could help you with the spare. Might it be worth trying a Czech forum?

[Andyroo!]

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.   

[Westbury63]

With your VW background, hopefully you will get the old car running easily. Fingers crossed for no problems!.

 

The Octi looks to be in fairly rust free solid condition. Is the underside solid? Are you planning on a full respray? I like the way it looks. Be tempted to sort the wheels out, roughly colour match paint the primer and use as is.  Patina and everything and it looks great for a 60yo car. From the photos, the interior looks good too.

 

Keep up the good work Andyroo!

[Andyroo!]

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. 

[Westbury63]

3 hours ago, Andyroo! said:

a splutter from the engine, suggesting that a fully-fledged start is not too far off

 

Exciting times! Spluttering is good. When was the old car last in use?

 

Can't help you with the electrics, no info at all sorry. I wouldn't be surprised if spec varied a lot though.

 

Following your thread with interest.

[Andyroo!]

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......

[Westbury63]

1 hour ago, Andyroo! said:

Onwards and upwards......

Sounds like you are winning!

 

We know what to get you for christmas now.....more WD40 !!

 

Did you see this in the 'Chuckle in Your Day'  thread  ??

 

 

 

 

[Andyroo!]

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?  

[Thefeliciahacker]

On 14/03/2021 at 18:30, Andyroo! said:

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?  

Ask the locksmith if he has the templates maybe you could be lucky 

[Andyroo!]

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. 

[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!

[J.R.]

Its been over 40 years since I changed a vehicles polarity but I have a dim memory of having to "flash" the starter terminal although it may have been the dynamo, maybe some rewiring of the voltage control unit, come to think of it I think it was that which was "flashed" and now I am pondering if the starter solenoid will throw in the right direction?

[Andyroo!]

I've spoken to authorities greater than I, who have informed me the "flashing" of the dynamo is all that's needed, apart from the coil connections being reversed. In fact, the car will run without reversing the coil's wiring, but the spark will leap from the adjustable pin to the central electrode, thus reducing the efficiency by about 50%. The guy refurbishing and re-polarising the dynamo tells me the starter, wiper and fan motors should all operate normally when the polarity is reversed. Here's hoping.....   

[Andyroo!]

Latest update: The ignition key barrel and key have been returned to me, and I've fitted the barrel back into the car's dashboard. Pragos have supplied a new fuel pump, which I've fitted and confirmed that it works properly. I've also disconnected the electric fuel pump that the previous owner had mounted on the engine bay inner wing, although I've yet to remove it. The car now runs happily with petrol being pumped from a 5 litre can, via the new pump, to the carburettor. What's more....I've driven the car, under its own steam, up and down the access road to my lock-up, in first and reverse gear. 

 

The fuel line to the tank is not  blocked, as I confirmed by using a piece of rubber hose to connect my tyre pump blowing compressed air into the line, removing the tank filler cap and hearing loads of bubbling! I still want to remove the entire contents of the tank, both old and new petrol, muck and associated crud. I'll do this by removing the tank from the boot (it's only held in by a couple of bolts & the hose to the engine bay) and flushing it out in the open air, carefully......  Once done, I'll re-fit and confirm the new pump can draw fuel from the tank correctly.

 

The headlamp re-chroming has been postponed sine die as I've now rebuilt both headlamp units using rubber parts from Pragos and will fit these back onto the car very soon. I still find it incredible that Skoda supplied these cars with pathetic 35/35 watt headlamp bulbs! Continuing on the electrical theme, my shenanigans with the wiring have prompted the windscreen wipers and heater fan back to life! Previously these items were dead, but, perhaps as a result of my tightening of the screw terminals on the back of the ignitions switch, these now work! Another few jobs ticked off the "to do" list....

 

Onwards and upwards! I hope the originator of this thread doesn't mind my "hijacking" it. If so, I'm happy to start an alternative one!