IJ Answers.....
I have this theory about the internet. ( I have a lot of theories about everything.....)
The internet exists for two reasons.
1: Someone thinks that by putting information on the WWW (Hence me putting this site together), someone else will be able to make use of it.
and.....
2: Someone else will be daft enough to want that information.(That's you that is...)
Hence this page. Since I put my e-mail address on the site, I've had a few queries regarding Estelles, the tuning of.
I've decided to put some of the answers on this page, it may be the information that you are looking for......
From: Steve Griffths
Subject: Don't want to ask stupid questions but ...
Dear "skoda chap" "Erm" looks great! I'm hoping to do something similar with a 120 Estelle I've just acquired. Bodywork is a bit rusty in the sill areas, bonnet, wings etc - but I kind of like 'em rough an' ready and the engine's a beastie! It's had a rocket shoved up its bottom in the guise of a late model 136 Rapid engine with skimmed, ported and polished cylinder head, twin choke webber, electronic ignition of some kind, Ashley sports exhaust - its also been lowered!. Did I mention kevlar brake pads and Audi TT three pronged spark plugs? (drives real nice!)
I'm not the greatest mechanic but am hoping to use this as a opportunity to learn. I'd like to strip it out and race it, but am very limited in terms of my budget, so any advice would be extremely useful. a couple of friends (with far more mechanical knowlege than I'll ever aquire) are into circuit racing, so I'm hoping to cut my teeth in some kind of production/modified saloon series and by taking it hill climbing and sprinting. Parts are going to be a question of scavenging what Ican from wherever, so if you have any useful contacts I'd love to hear from you. I'm looking for seats, a roll cage, wheels & tyres (bonnet, wings) etc etc etc - very basic stuff I know, but the list goes on!
Hope to hear from you soon cheers, Steve
IJ Answers:
Steve,
As it happens, we've had a bit of experience with 136 powered 120's. Team Bouncing Czech's first car was such a beast.
In your case, I'd say the engine is sorted - short of putting a different camshaft profile from standard. The main thing to consider is that if you intend on using it for motorsport, make sure it's reliable rather than fast.
The rusty bodywork may or may not be a problem, If the sills are starting to get rusty then you could be at risk of failing the MOT next time round. It's also very inconvenient when a jacking point gives way when you're trying to change a wheel. A coloured sketch is attached, hopefully should help explain the next bit.
The outer sill panels (Magenta) are available from most motor factors. The door step (Black) doesn't usually rust but could be plated if holed. The inner web (Red) can rust quite badly but could be made out of plain sheet steel. If you find that inner web missing, don't be tempted to ignore it and just put a outer sill section on. We are talking about body strength and side impacts here (Always a possibility in competition). Extra metal could save your life! The lower section shown in blue quite often rusts but you can fabricate a section using sheet steel to replace it. The inner sill (Green) is the bit that starts at the door seal and curves down into the floorpan (all 1 piece) If the blue bit has rusted, this bit certainly will have. I trust that you or one of your mates can weld? If not, try and sign on for a welding class at night school, that's how I learnt. Money and time well spent.
The wings, front panel, luggage compartment cover and engine cover are all bolt on items, the front wings have loads of M6 bolts holding them in place including 3 that are really only visible when you remove the front doors - Take care removing the bolts from the door hinges as they can easily snap. But then again, lots of the bolts will probably snap when you try and remove them. They always do when I try. :-)
The leading edge of the bonnet always rusts. If you're so inclined, just look for a better one in a scrappers. Ditto wings. Otherwise it's out with the body filler.....Where the wings bolt onto the edge of the luggage compartment is a favoured rust trap as well....
A good supply of new parts is "S4 Spares"
in Bradford, could they supply new body panels too. www.skodaparts.ukf.net
I also found for a while that people would
just give me their old unwanted Skoda's so that meant I had loads
of parts - so many that I had to have a clearout in my garage a
couple of years ago......
So now you have a decent bodyshell to work with. You could strip all that nasty rubberised underseal off that comes on the car from the factory, remove the silver backed insulation from the engine bay, the carpets, the back seats, the steel sections behind the bumpers if you want the car to look standard or remove them altogether as I have done. All that could save 30-50 kilos.
Apparently, the very early Estelles had thinner glass, but that's starting to get a bit extreme. You could always use Perspex/Lexan instead. One of the TBC members had the glass in his car replaced by Perspex in such a fashion that he still had wind up windows.
As for 2nd hand competition parts, it's possibly bad news - There seem to be very few Estelles running now - Following an internet search, I could only find 5 different cars listed on UK entry lists this year. Including Ermintrude.....
Prepared Estelles do crop up in the comics from time to time - Motoring News had one advertised a few weeks back. And it may be better to buy one ready prepared than it would be to build one up, if only for the parts.
Any competition seat will fit as you'd have to make mountings to suit anyway.
The roll cage can be bought new from Safety Devices - If you do happen to find a 2nd hand cage, make sure it's steel. Aluminium cages were banned from circuit racing and stage rallies several years ago, not sure if it would be legal in a sprint but certainly OK for road rallies. Steel cages made by both Safety Devices and Aleybars. SD "rear" cage fixes to the rear parcel shelf, allows you to get in the back. Aleybars "rear" fixes to the inner wheelarch. Bit of a struggle to get into the back with a tube across the door!
As for wheels and tyres. Standard alloys are 5x13". Older wheels such as the "Minilite" style that were fitted to Estelle 1's for a couple of years are 5.5x13", I'll have to put some pictures on the website at some point to explain the differences. The sizes will be cast on the rim though....Older rims may not fit onto newer car front hubs as the locating ring for the wheels was enlarged on later models. This can be sorted by fitting the older hubs.
Tyres - H'mm. How long have you got. The best way to find out what is suitable for the purpose would be to ask people in the discipline that you're interested in doing. Rallywise, the ubiquitous Colway remould is hard to beat for value as a gravel tyre.
I pushed the boat out and bought some proper cut slicks for the tarmac stages. Michelin's no less. They're worth more than the car! However - the MSA, bless 'em, have decided to ban cut slicks from rallies and are now insisting on "Moulded" tyres, so we're back to the Colway Intermediate 185/60x13. Don't go wider than 185 section on the back, and in fact 185 may be too wide for the front. I tend to find the fronts locking up too easily, not so pronounced on narrower tyres.
Remoulds are banned on the race circuits! All very confusing. For a lot of this stuff - a good place to start may be the "MSA British Motorsports Yearbook" otherwise known as the "Blue Book" which is given to all MSA competition licence holders so badger your mates for a copy of last year's....
Loads of stuff about the various Motorsport disciplines can be found on the Carlton and District Motor Club Website at http://freespace.virgin.net/skoda.chap/Index.htm
CCC did a series of articles in early 1986 about building a Group A 130L rally car. I hope this information helps. If you need any more, let me know.
Regards, Ian Jones - Team Bouncing Czech
Next up is a picture from Noel Dempster in Northern Ireland. This is his old Estelle called "Kermit" grabbing some air on the 1994 Circuit of Ireland.
From: Jim
Jones
Subject: Hello Skoda Chap
Hmm.. Well just seen your website great isn't it, been looking every where for some info on rallying Skoda's. I've been rallying a Skoda for 3 years now, an Estelle with a 136 engine and straight cut box. I think you're right about the crown wheels but mine did 23 rallies before destroying itself !! While I was leading the class with one stage to go..GRRRRR..... not happy. Easiest way is to life these bits, u know like say we will change it after say 300 stage miles.
Anyway I've just bought a proper motorsport engine out of a Group A Favorit but it needs a cyl head. Now I work for a Skoda service point but can't find a contact no or e mail for Skoda Motorsport. I know they used to sell the Group A parts because I have a catalogue with all the part no's in but no addresses, just wondered if u knew of a way to contact the right people ..I could have a new head machined but I would rather have the proper item..
Just finished 3rd in class in the Heart of England championship in my first full season with only a crash on the Mid Wales and CWP failure at Ditton Priors slowing my progress...hope to hear from u soon
yours, Jim Jones.
IJ Answers:
Hello Jim,
Thought the name seemed familiar. I remember passing your car in its "parked" position on the Mid Wales. Well, I could see the roof anyway.....And you did the Dukeries as well....It's also nice to see someone doing well in the class in the old beasties....I'm normally fighting for last.....
Piece of Triva: The Mid Wales event saw 3/5ths of the remaining Estelles (shown in entries listed on the internet) on UK stage events in one place, if that makes sense. (others are the Ford engined one that did the Mid Wales, one listed on a couple of events at Snetterton - 1200cc and one 130 in Scotland) I've also had news about one in Northern Ireland.
Regarding crownwheels, the one common factor in all this seems to be the straight cut box. We've never had one fail in a standard road box. Perhaps the reduced backlash in an SC box puts extra strain on the CWP??
Regarding Skoda Motorsport, I believe John Pearson has contact details, I'll be seeing him on Tuesday so I'll ask then...... I've got a 136 Favorit motor ripe for rebuild too, Ermintrude's probably going to have a quiet year as I'm looking at houses.... :-(
Still, twin 40's, a 285 cam and BTB Exhaust should keep her happy. I'll be in touch when I have an answer.
Regards, Ian Jones-Team Bouncing Czech
From: Jim
Jones
Subject: Well, I don't Know
Really
Hi, thanx for the reply. I know the bloke with the Ford engined car quite well cos we have done the same championship this year. As far as I know he has broken several CWP's in standard boxes but then he's got 150 bhp.. yea there doesn't seem to be many Estelles about any more. If you fancy some better braking for the Estelle I can show you the easy way to fit disc's on the rear, my car has run with them for 15 rallies now and the differance is incredible on tarmac and even better on gravel .. speak to u soon....
Jim
From:
Paul Drissell
Subject: Skoda Estelle Tuning
Just a quick note from a Paul Banham Spyder owner........I don't know if youve tried any dizzy mods but i have discovered that the electronic ignition and dizzy from an Alfa Romeo GTV Spyder or 'Sud fit the Skoda engine with virtually no mod ! Reliability and performance for a tenner at the breakers.
all the best . Paul Drissell..
From:
Collin Frowen
Subject: Help
Hi Ian,
We have rescued a nice tacho from a 130 Estelle at a scrappy, to place it in a road Mini. Mr Haynes forgot to include the wiring colours in his circuit diagrams.
Do you have any idea??
Thanks
Colin
IJ Answers:
Collin,
Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. If you haven't been able to work it out yet then here is the answer (I think).
First, a bit of background. As you noticed, PAL Magneton (An eastern european Lucas, I s'pose) decided "Why bother with a printed circuit board on an instrument panel when a complete jumble of wires will do the job" You've also noticed the complete absence of colour coded wiring diagrams in the Haynes manual. Can't really blame him though, Mr Haynes printed exactly the same wiring diagram as can be found in the official Skoda Garage manual. No coding there either - Perhaps this was a way of making the proletariat suffer in the former eastern bloc......
Anyway, wiring the rev counter is simplicity itself. There should be a diagram attached to this mail showing the back of the unit. Hopefully, on your counter there is a sticker showing "1" "+" and "-"
"1" is the feed from the coil. This wire will be connected to the same terminal as the distributor low tension feed to the points. This is white/black in the Mini Wiring loom
"+" is the positive power feed to the back of the rev counter, this is normally wired up to connection number 6 on the Mini fuseblock, assuming that you have a 4 fuse block. (3rd fuse down - connection to the right of the fuseblock - should have light green/orange wires connected to it)
"-" is the earth for the counter. Connect it to a decent earth.
You could easily test all this by making quick connections to the ignition & power supply under the bonnet before you go through the palaver of putting it in the car. Might be worth the 5 minutes extra to test the theory.
As for fitting the counter to the car, I'll leave that to you. I had a 3 clock dash out of a 1275 GT, the PAL counter fitted tightly into the black plastic cowling. I'd taken out the existing rev counter from the dash, the wires ran through from the engine bay (If you drill holes for the wires, use grommets) and the light for illuminating the counter at night was the one that came with the counter, wired in parallel to the Mini instrument light in the clock adjacent.
All the above assumes that the Mini isn't fuel injected, electronically ignited, doesn't have a 2 or 24 fuse block etc. The counter was fitted to my 1979 Clubman with the 4 fuse block.
At this point, it's well worth refering to the Haynes Manual for the Mini.
I hope this helps. If you have any problems, or indeed if it's a success, let me know.
Regards Ian Jones
(Note for other prospective rev counter fitters reading the above, it's possible to wire this unit to any 4 cylinder engine, but beyond the notes about "+,- and 1" you're on your own.....IJ)
From:
Collin Frowen
Subject: Help
Hi Ian, thank you for your recent assist re fitting a Skoda tacho into a mini....you asked for feedback. Just to report it is a great success. Thanks for the help, look out for our leery mini se7en racing in ( hopefully ) 1 or 2 summer races and in winter mini's.
Best regards Colin