Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[Michel]

Excellent I see it's a pretty much a 'square' engine and that always suggests one happy to rev... I love revvy little engines through my utter adoration of the TU - they just thrive on revs The ET3 in my 207 - Basically a TU with a 16v VVT head - also loves to rev...

It was the reason I always preferred the 1.6 205 GTi over the 1.9 - the 1.6 was a revvy little thing whereas the 1.9 wasn't... As a consequence the 1.6 was always much more fun to buzz about.. The 1.9 may have been marginally faster but it was too sedate to truly have the true 'fun and smile factor'...

That's only my view; others may beg to differ...

Agreed on all counts Jim, apart from in a motorway car. The Skoda lump, well, as a 17 year old, I proved you can rev the proverbials off it. I reckon with a bit of old-school breathing on, it'd be even better..

I prefer to drive the 207 than the Focus or BMW around town, as it can be driven like only a small French hatch can, though it needs more roll to make it really French:)

[Zelandeth]

The single biggest restriction in terms of breathing off the shelf for the Skoda from memory is the bean can...sorry...I mean exhaust system.

No point in looking at things like porting and polishing the head without seeing to that bottleneck first. To be honest though if you're looking for one to tune you're probably better starting with the 136 (alloy) head as it flows better out the box as I recall, and quite possibly has bigger valves...can't remember for certain.

For me though, it's not that sort of car though! 54bhp is what it was designed with, and being comfortably below the 1 ton mark, that's enough to be honest.

The thing I think that will surprise you compared to the Lada Jim, will be just how quiet the Skoda is. Plus how much more supple the ride is (the amount of travel in it is ridiculous compared to modern cars). The gentle "bobbing" motion of the front end as you go down the road you'll get used to.

[Michel]

Yes! It's so quiet because it leaves its tappety racket behind it

[RichardW]

I strongly recommend anyone who has never ridden in a Lada to do so as you may well be amazed

I've been in a Lada. In Moscow. In February Certainly an experience I will never forget!!

[Zelandeth]

Forgot to mention from my trip over to Jim's - That little Saxo he's got is an absolute gem from the looks of it. Well done to all involved.

Activa excitement is starting to build here now. It's a car I've wanted since before I could even drive - I've always had a massive like for the XM and Xantia, never thought I'd have a chance to own what's debatably the pinnacle of what it could be (nonwithstanding the availability of a V6 Activa Estate or Coupe)...

Finally can tick the wood trim box off on "features in cars I've owned list" too!

Seriously Jim, there's absolutely no rush though. I need to get the Skoda tested yet too. Reckon I'm going to order up a set of flexible lines for the brakes anyway. They were slightly perished last year - and at 30+ years old probably should just be swapped on principle. Happy to just provide them with the car if you'd actually enjoy that sort of thing! Either way they'll be ordered up and come with it.

[CitroJim]

I looked at the Skoda exhaust in the BoL... It's a funny old thing

I'm no intention of doing any tuning even though it's a subject that interests me... The car is and will always be treated as the classic it is

Gosh, I'm even planning and cogitating on how I can rearrange my garage to accommodate it!

Mike, yes, I'll concede a revvy little buzz-box is not best for a motorway cruiser... I try to avoid them and even if I do venture onto one I only run at lorry speed anyway...

Must take the 207 out for a little leg-stretch today... Battery will be flat otherwise!

[Zelandeth]

Probably doable Jim, it's ridiculously narrow by modern standards...

[CitroJim]

Probably doable Jim, it's ridiculously narrow by modern standards...

That's what I'm hoping

Last car that ever lived in my garage was a Pug 205...

[Michel]

I looked at the Skoda exhaust in the BoL... It's a funny old thing

I'm no intention of doing any tuning even though it's a subject that interests me... The car is and will always be treated as the classic it is

I don't mean tuning for outright speed, perhaps just a little like Zel's done with the Lada to make it a little more economical, and give it some more torque. I'd wager it's not hard to fit an FI system and a less restrictive exhaust to it - there used to be loads of tuning bits for sale for them in the 80s when they used to blitz their RAC rally class every year, around the time I had one.

[CitroJim]

Yes, that makes sense Mike

I've been reading David Vizard's book on tuning the BMC A-series to get me back up to speed on old -school OHV engines and carbs

It's been a long time since I've played with either

[Zelandeth]

Just make sure if you do put it in the garage that you do it nose first so you don't choke yourself when you next start it! Manual choke and all that...

They did put a throttle body EFi system on it (135 model number), using a Pierburg setup as I recall. Unlike Lada however they made other changes, lowering compression ratio etc which had a major impact on performance - I think because it was originally planned for the Canadian market.

It was a swine of a system, using a weird impossible to find wideband lambda sensor, which I never managed to get to work right the whole time I owned the Rapid. Unlike the Lada system it lacked any real diagnostic interface, and documentation was high on impossible to find. The Lada is proof that a bolt on system actually can work properly though!

Main things I'd probably look at would be...

[] Rearrange the configuration of the cooling fan thermoswich so it's not at the far end of the car to the engine - too much of a spike in temperature when you start moving in traffic for my liking.

[] Fit a higher output alternator. Stock one is 40A I think from memory, and struggles to keep up at idle if you've got headlights and...well...anything else on! Note, old school external regulator!

[] New headlight bulbs as the original ones are still in there I reckon and are about as much use as a couple of candles. Reckon you'd be better reversing... reversing lights are brighter!

[] Add some ballast to the luggage compartment, otherwise it's downright scary if there's anything like a sidewind!

[CitroJim]

All very much noted Zel!

Give me the traditional Jikov carb any day over an early fuel injection system... Especially one using a wideband Lambda sensor!!!

[CitroJim]

Zel, the Skoda will have company here

Next door have got rid of the Vauxhall Ashtray after it suffered total brake failure due to a burst pipe...

They have replaced it with a bright red Skoda Citigo

I was shocked to learn the 02-plate Ashtray was worth only £150 on trade-in for the Skoda

[Zelandeth]

Better car than the Astra if you ask me. Still overcomplicated for a small car, and I just couldn't get along with the engine. It's a tiny three pot like in the C1/107 yet unlike the one in those really doesn't seem to like to be revved...makes trying to make any real progress quite tiresome, and it just felt somehow "heavy" for such a small car.

I've never had any particular problems with the Jikov carb, unlike the Ozone carbs Lada produced it seems a pretty decent copy of the Webber. One thing that's usually suggested to help the car run well on modern fuels is to change the jets on the 120 to those on the 130 - which has already been done here (the carb from my old 130GL is fitted). I do need to tweak the timing back a touch as it still likes to pink a bit under hard acceleration at low revs.

[CitroJim]

Ahh Pinking! Not heard it for years now after so much time spent with clever engine management systems...

Yes, getting little tree-pots right is hard. Only Daihatsu really seem to have cracked it with the Aygo/107/C1 engine...

The three-pot in Sian's Pixo is a bit rough around the edges... It goes OK though, just a bit agricultural... It's wearing well too...

The Citigo does look a bit lardy, awkward and bulky for what it is - nothing like the clean, neat and tidy lines of the C1/107/Aygo at all...

Maybe all this accounts for why it's only done 10K in three years...