1989 Skoda Rapid 136

[skodanorman]

A project journal for my beloved Skoda Rapid. It's quite a long story behind this one and in the hope of keeping you interested, I'll just go over the history quickly.

I bought the car in December 2005. It had been in the same family from new and only covered 23,000 miles. However the engine was buggered so with the help of Daverapid we rebuilt and reshimmed the original 136. This was popped back into place and with a spot of welding on the sills it passed its MOT and was ready for me to use once I had passed my test.

Having passed my test I put the car into daily service. I used it every day and covered 7,000 miles before the bodywork really began to show signs of age. I left the car with Daverapid for a couple of months whilst I went to sea and came back to a bodily restored Rapid. In all both inner and outter sills were replaced along with both rear arches and front inner arches. Two new front wings and front panel were also fitted prior to a complete respray in the original ermine white. The results were stunning. Unfortunately it was still my only car and was used daily again from January through to July. Another period away had the car in storage until December 2009 when things started to go wrong. The head gasket blew and this eventually led to a the core plug going but not before a period of annoyingly unreliable times.

I then replaced the engine with a Felicia 136 and the gearbox as that failed too. A new radiator was fitted and the car was tarted up a little here and there. I n my wisdom I also fitted some lowering springs and then set off with the missus on a 5 week roadtrip around Europe. We covered 4,000 miles and visited France, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia & Poland. It was great fun.

Upon return to the UK the car was put into storage so that I could concentrate on my studies. Once completed I then went away to work and before you know it we're in October 2011. I've relocated to Wales and bought an Octavia vRS to keep it company. Somewhere in between the car has accumulated another engine and is almost ready to go once the clutch release bearing has been replaced.

So that's its story. I'm hoping now that I am in a position to have a bit more disposable income and don't require the vehicle daily that I can lavish some attention on the car and get it to a condition I would be proud of.

Some pictures from our time together:

As bought:



Engine rebuild:





Daily service:



RN153642 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr



RN193241edit by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr



RN273330 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

Body restoration:



01122008569 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr



01122008577 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr



RN204625 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

[skodanorman]

Further daily useage:

RN104810 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr



RN074992 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

At it's peak:



RN215269 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr



Further mechanical issues:







Roadtrip:











Moving to Wales:



2011-10-09 16.28.06 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

And in Wales with my partner, dog & Octavia:



2011-10-10 10.28.46 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr



RN139201 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr



RN139204 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

(No engine, hence stance).

And I've just bought my first ever clay bar which I will put to use to bring back the paintwork to its beautiful shine.

Thanks for reading.

[daverapid]

Brought back some memories there mate!

[skodanorman]

For you & me both. Needless to say, the car wouldn't be where it is without your help.

[daverapid]

:p Not sure if that's a compliment or not!! :p

[richardsfavorit]

Looks very good! Hopefully will see it if we can organise a meet in the spring

[GeeVRSman]

love it!

[daverapid]

Thought I'd post a few pics of Robs car in my barn being bodged up!

Quite a lot of work went into it this time, brakes, shocks, engine, clutch, gearbox, welding, electrics, dashboard, heater, refitting glass ect....and at times I wondered if it would ever get done! The end result was good though, it drives really rather well. I have more pics that I can post up as and when.

[skodanorman]

Drive It Day Elan Valley 12 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

As can be seen from Daverapid's pictures, over the past couple of months it had some remedial work carried out. I say "some" remedial work, but in truth it was quite extensive ranging from rebuilding braking systems, welding up a hole in the boot floor all the way through to an engine block change after a head bolt snapped in the original block! It'd be fair to say the car has been a real challenge to get back on the road but due to the skills of Dave and his persistence the car is now gracing the public highways once more!



SAM_0671_edit by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

To have it back is great and I've totally fallen in love with it again after an absence from my life of 18 months - I don't know how I managed?!! Reliability, a concept not previously known to this car, has been revitalised with a trustworthy stead the end result. Performance is up on previous efforts to thanks to a few tweaks in the engine bay. It won't set the world alight, but with a car like this, outright pace isn't what matters. All factors combine into a package that brings smiles and looks of amazement from all observers. To the pilot behind the wheel the car rewards with positive steering, sensory overload and a supple soundtrack. If you've ever had the chance to drive one then I'm sure you'll understand what I mean.



SAM_0682_edit by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

Parked next to my Octavia vRS it creates a perfect combination of motorcars for all occasions and moods. I'm in love!



SAM_0560_Edit by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr





SAM_0523_Edit by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

[joestig]

HA! This blog has made me laugh a lot, my second ever car (after a disasterous 3 months of Escort mk II that was rusted all the way through in the sills, the MOT guy told me not to even drive it home) was a banana yellow 1984 Skoda rapid. My grandad bought it for me as an 18th present, and it was in mint condition (and only 6 years old, this was in 1990). Needless to say it didn't stay mint as I was an 18 year old chump, I put it through a hedge within a few months, sliding on ice because there was no weight over the front wheels. Reliability was also terrible, it's head gasket went, me and my dad put it back together over about 2 months of weekends. It failed again straight away. We paid to get it done properly. The clutch went, we took it to a guy in barn who specialised in clutches, fixed price £120. Picked it up a week later than planned. He said he never wanted to see another skoda again.

Sold it to my stepdad so I could buy a small van.

My kid brother (aged 13) borrowed the car with his mate and took it for a spin on an icy night. They crashed through a neighbours garden and into a caravan. My mum paid off the neighbour, my brother had to switch his paper round money from being paid to him to being paid straight to my mum for the next year. We bolted on some new purple wings to the Skoda. It lived.

Eventually it had to go to car heaven, but it certainly had some adventures. But listening to the amount of work you've done has cured me of any nostalgia about getting another one! I drive a felicia diesel now, and although it's a bit basic compared to my last car, an Audi 80, and loses out in looks to the Rapid, it has cost me only £75 in repairs over the last 18 months.....and I'm much happier that way!

[Llanigraham]

Memories of D876 FYE, my Yellow Rapid.

It was an ex Skoda Area Managers car I bought after the RAC Rally in Bath. Got it at a mark-down price as I worked for the Rally Team and I was "allowed" to purchase the car at a good discount. It went like ####-off-a-shovel and is the only car I've ever been stopped by the Police in, but we were doing a very illegal speed on the M40 going to the pre-season meeting for the Skoda Rally Challenge.

Wish I had never given it away to my sister-in-law. Her idiot boyfriend scrapped it because it had a rusty front wing!

I must find some photos of it.

[robk1]

^ Takes me back to my dads old 120.

Her idiot boyfriend scrapped it because it had a rusty front wing! - Now that's just criminal Llanigraham

Would be good/interesting to see some pics of the Rapid

[skodanorman]

Yeah I'd like to see pictures too.

Thanks for the comments, I always like hearing stories of Skoda's of old.

[skodanorman]

Since the last update not a great deal has happened. I attended the Retro Rides Gathering at Prescott Hill Climb - couldn't resist having a run up the hill. What fun!

SAM_0833edit2 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr



SAM_0835edit2 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr



20120919_171725 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

And then the MOT ran out and the exhaust fell apart so I put in the garage and forgot about it whilst life sorted itself out. That is now on the way to doing so, so I am looking forward to getting in the garage and sorting it out over Winter.

In the mean time we've bought a 1995 Felicia 1.3 LXi.



RN299595 by Rob'll Pics, on Flickr

More on that next time!

[daverapid]

I really don't know why, but I miss this old heap! I affectionately named it "The Cow".

[K]

Nice one with Autoplas front grill, a real gem, long live her! Congrats!

[skodanorman]

Thanks. I'll hopefully have something to update in the coming weeks.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[skodanorman]

As can be seen in the previous photos of my car, it was getting a bit frilly around the edges. When the MOT expired in September I decided to put it in the garage over Winter.

This week I recieved a package from Bilt Hamber and so I have started to derusting process. I haven't taken a great deal of pictures of the main areas I've been working on which is the driver's side arch and sill, so I'll have to take some at a later stage. The good news is that so far the car has been solid and the rust only surface rust. I think I've caught it just in time though.

20130220_155829 by skodanorman, on Flickr

One of the biggest areas of concern was the front panel which has taken quite a battering. This is what greeted me when I removed the bumper.

20130221_131657 by skodanorman, on Flickr

And with the panel removed.

20130221_135120 by skodanorman, on Flickr

20130221_135136 by skodanorman, on Flickr

15 minutes later it looked like this. I realise it would be easier to start with a new panel but I am going to try and salvage this one. Seems a shame to throw it away. It if all goes pee-tong then I will seek a replacement.

20130221_171712 by skodanorman, on Flickr

[skodanorman]

[Leeboy]

Would you not be best to have it shot blasted for a quick but more importantly long term save?

[skodanorman]

I don't know, would I? Will shot blasting just remove the paint? Won't it damage the metal?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[Leeboy]

No it will give a nice keyed surface for primer, rust is softer than the sound steel underneath. Looks like there are a few dents in it too though?

[skodanorman]

Oh I might look into that. Lots of dents in it! I have a new panel in the garage but I'd like to try and save this one. I don't even mind the dents cos they all tell a story.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[skodanorman]

Work has been continuing on my Rapid. I have been doing all the work myself and as it is the first time I've ever attempted any form of bodywork it has been a steep learning curve. It is taking me longer than I expected and I've ended up doing more than I was planning on, but I think that is just the way. I have a vision of how it'll look when it is finished and that is all that is keeping me going!

Rust Saving 10 by skodanorman, on Flickr



Rust Saving 9 by skodanorman, on Flickr



Rust Saving 9 by skodanorman, on Flickr



Rust Saving 6 by skodanorman, on Flickr



Rust Saving 5 by skodanorman, on Flickr



Rust Saving 4 by skodanorman, on Flickr



Rust Saving 3 by skodanorman, on Flickr



Rust Saving 8 by skodanorman, on Flickr



Rust Saving 7 by skodanorman, on Flickr



Rust Saving 2 by skodanorman, on Flickr



Rust Saving 1 by skodanorman, on Flickr

[hawkeracing]

That looks like a fairly major overhaul.....and good work too!