So what's next.  Top priory is the gearbox/diff output seals. I'll do that myself. Then the timing belt, waterpump and thermostat. Even though I fancy having a crack at it, now I'm using the car and can't afford to have it off the road should things go wrong, so I'll probably put it into my local VW specialist.   After that I need to cure some oil leaks from the cam cover and sump. Might as well replace the oil pick up pipe while I'm in there.   And then at some point will replace the rear beam and rear brake pipes, and all of the front suspension. As you can see from the above pics, it's all very rusty.  So still plenty more to do. 

 

Ah, and I still need to finish turning it back I to a police car!

Edited 23 March, 20224 yr by a1topdog

Last update for now. I've finally got the interior looking presentable. I've mixed and matched a few sets of seats and door cards to get to this stage. I still need to swap over some front seat base foams, but over all its 1000x better then the tip it was when I got it. 

I thought I'd tackle what should be a fairly easy job....camcover gaskets and tensioner chain half moon and gasket. Unfortunately for me the last person use tons of unnecessary sealant which took ages to clean up, and the timing chain tool just didn't loosen up the chain enough to get the old gasket out. In the end I slackened off the cam caps on both cams just to give the tensioner an extra bit of wiggle room. I cleaned everthing thing up and reassembled. Just one perished breather ripe to replace. 

Edited 2 May, 20224 yr by a1topdog

Spot the massive lump of sealant that someone had filled up the space infront of the half moon gasket with. 

 

Edited 2 May, 20224 yr by a1topdog
Update

All cleaned up and back together

Had a catch up with a fellow enthusiast yesterday. The work he has put into his ex Thames Valley police Omega to bring it back to spec is outstanding. 

I finally got round to replacing the seal on the gearbox and found a fitted the missing driveshaft heat shield

I bought a cambelt, tensioner ,waterpump and aux belt kit in one of autodocs many sales. I think I could have done the job myself but ended up putting into my local VAG indy to fit, just to be on the safe side. It's the only job I've paid to have done so far on this car.  I also bought all new genuine engine mount bolts. I can't understand VAG pricing, some bolts were only £2.50ish and one was nearly £11!

 

Edited 3 September, 20223 yr by a1topdog

I'm still on the middle of refreshing the suspension, but been trying to get some use out of the car while the weather is good. It looks ok from 10ft after throwing a bucket of water over it. 

Great work so far - what a Project!

This reminds me of one I saw for sale a few years back (Classified Ad. seems to have disappeared, however found a few old photos from when it was in use by Kent Police) - note the light bar!

https://www.google.com/search?q=mk1+skoda+octavia+police+car+gn53+loa&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi-lcbiirv8AhUvUaQEHTc-DwMQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=mk1+skoda+octavia+police+car+gn53+loa&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoECCMQJ1C5BFjgKGCLK2gAcAB4AIABQogBqgSSAQIxMJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=bVi8Y_6qMa-ikdUPt_y8GA&bih=937&biw=1920&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB931GB931&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=IiB_f5SJABLIxM

It's mot time again. Just a quick wash down and fingers crossed it passes. 

they do look awesome in white 😍

Took the car to the Skoda Owners Club event today. Still work in progress, but getting there. 

love the detail on this

On 26/05/2024 at 21:28, a1topdog said:

Took the car to the Skoda Owners Club event today. Still work in progress, but getting there. 

If you use a damp magic sponge gently on the steering wheel it will remove the super gloss look and return to like the gear knob

It's Mot time, and I'm fed up of the testers with their oily boots messing up my carpet, so this year I'm taking no chances.  Carpet protector layer down, and I'll put the mat over the top. 

22 hours ago, a1topdog said:

It's Mot time, and I'm fed up of the testers with their oily boots messing up my carpet, so this year I'm taking no chances.  Carpet protector layer down, and I'll put the mat over the top. 

great idea that

Been putting of this job for quite a few years. The crusty back axle and brake lines. I refuŕbed a spare axle and mounting brackets and bought everything new to go on it but its surprising how many part are needed.. As expected all nuts and bolts totally seized. It's one of those jobs you wish you never started. Still need to try and separate the brake flexi hoses from the hard lines and mark the postion of the mounting brackets so that I have some some sort of rear alignment. It's worth noting that the drivers side axle bolt cannot be removed without dropping the mounting bracket, as it hits the fuel tank. End of play today was axle out.

On 02/03/2025 at 15:33, a1topdog said:

It's Mot time, and I'm fed up of the testers with their oily boots messing up my carpet, so this year I'm taking no chances.  Carpet protector layer down, and I'll put the mat over the top. 

Can't say I blame you. Do you cover the seat too? I trust their overalls even less.

9 hours ago, OccyVRS said:

Can't say I blame you. Do you cover the seat too? I trust their overalls even less.

Yes, always have seat covers on

11 hours ago, a1topdog said:

Looks like that axle has been lying next to the Titanic!!

love a progress update , bit quiet on the forum with us Octavia people lately ❤️