Skoda Rally Blog

There’s an old proverb about the longest journeys being started with a single step.  And at the moment, getting to do anything again seems like a very long way away, let alone getting the car done and ready for the Sunseeker, and getting me ready for the same.  But today a first step has been taken.  Kev came over around lunchtime to get the engine into the car.  First up a precautionary clutch change was done (revealing a lightened flywheel into the bargain), and then the front pulley needed to be changed for one with a toothed wheel welded to it, to allow the DTA management to run off it.  I took the one off the engine that had just come out and…. it’s the wrong size!  there are two sizes of crankshaft nose on the 136 engine, and this was the wrong one.  Fortunately, many moons ago, I didn’t know this and I’d had a different one made up which handily was the WRONG size until today.  So that error 18 months ago made things a piece of cake today.

Taking the engine out of the crate took a bit of effort as Ady had made a very sturdy job of the crate and the mountings, but once it was out, it was fairly simple to get the gearbox onto the engine (I say simple, it was for me as I was just rocking the crank back and forth, while Kev did all the hard work), and once it was bolted up, it was time to put it in.  We even managed to get it under the car on the “giant skateboard” I made years ago for such jobs, and getting it into place was really simple; obviously I’ve done this a few times and with a strong helper it’s a piece of cake.  The only trick is getting the exhaust to engage on the way up, but this was done and the engine was bolted in quickly enough.  Kev even put the gear linkage back on, and next it was time for the driveshafts.

Previously these have been tough because of the lack of the chamfer on the Gripper LSD, but greasing the circlips to keep them central (something I came up with after an hour of struggling before) had them in easily – long shaft at first attempt, short one at the second.  Hubs all bolted up, and that’s a good effort for today; I was supposed to be going to France for a snowboarding holiday this week, but that obviously hasn’t happened, so Paul is off there at the moment.  Kev needed to go as he, too, is off on a similar holiday tomorrow morning, so it was grand that he’d helped (OK, done!) all the heavy work needed to get the engine back in place.  Everything else is easy to do in a piecemeal fashion, and the most awkward job will be changing the fuel lines throughout the car due to the old ones failing.

There is a choice now – either try to get the Weber Alpha inlet setup sorted out, which will involve getting new parts and probably making up an airbox; this would be legal for the Sunseeker, but not for Rally GB, but give a LOT more power.  The MPi inlet setup is obviously legal for both, but won’t be as quick.  Either way, the engine will need to be mapped, which will take some time and cost money as well, so I have to weigh all these things up.  But that’s in the distant future (in terms of effort), although obviously not far away now as there isn’t much time left if I am going to enter the Sunseeker.  I’ll have to sleep on it.

Engine - in place!