The £650 Puma

Oh if you had said there was roast chicken I would have been there last week :-D

Mind you if its like your legendary alleged Coffee that's another matter entirely

Will coffee-gate EVER END?????!!!!!

My helper today got percolated coffee, ocean spray cranberry juice, a roast chicken dinner AND a couple of glasses of very nice New Zealand white wine.

There. I can be a good host as long as I remember to be a good host! :lol:

Alzheimer's is no excuse for...........................err..................

.......pies?

I can count to pies :-D

This evening, I set about preparing the replacement gearbox for fitting.

My replacement clutch kit (this time for a Puma not a Transit Courier as previously) was delivered so I could mount the new clutch cylinder/bearing. Also swapped across the rear gearbox mount subframe (shiny thing bottom left in the following photo);



I also finally managed to get the driveshaft cup out of my old gearbox so I filled it with grease and re-attached it to the rest of the shaft. I also removed the gaiter on the outer bearing to find that there was very little grease in there. I filled it right up and put it back together. I haven't the money for a replacement shaft and there is a bit of play, but hopefully it can soldier on for a bit until I can afford to replace it.



I reclaimed my garage at the weekend so I've made damn sure to fill the space with bits... :lol:



The bad news is that, with the setbacks, wrong parts delivered and the next few weekends being completely booked up, I'll not be making it to Ford Fair this year. I could slap it all back together but I've found a few other issues that need sorting out before any long trips and I don't want to be taking it all apart again because I was rushing things. Time is still an issue with this project and I've sort of run out if it. Yes, I'm a bit gutted, but Jegger and I will be there next year if you'll have us! :-(

BOOOOOOOooooooo... ;p

Yes Rob, I concur.... Boooo indeed. :-(

I'd like to go next year too...perhaps in my own project vehicle...who knows lol

What are the other issues your having, I'll have the gearbox in and bolted up in an hour from where you've got it to if you need a hand

Cheers for the offer GT that's remarkably kind, but it's a number of factors.

Firstly the car - I've got a coolant leak that I think is coming from the water temp sender (battery side of the head by the cam cover - think that's where it is!) and possibly the thermostat housing. Also, I want to swap the springs over from the Eibachs cos I'm soft. The belts are squeaking and I'm slightly worried about the cambelt which is over-due a change. I've run out of money for the car this month so the issues requiring parts are going to have to wait until next month.

Secondly it's time - None of these issues are too hard to sort, but I'm booked up with weekends away and family commitment. I've found out this week that it looks like my in laws are moving most likely on Ford Fair weekend and I owe them about a million favours so I'll be helping them out! I've been doing some bits in the evenings but there's not enough time to get anything meaningful done.

Thirdly, it's stubbornness - I really want to do the stuff myself as much as possible so that I can say 'I did that' (probably as I sit awaiting an RAC van on the hardshoulder...) :lol:

The Arch Bishop said:

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Thirdly, it's stubbornness - I really want to do the stuff myself as much as possible so that I can say 'I did that' (probably as I sit awaiting an RAC van on the hardshoulder...) :lol:

Click to expand...

I'm the same )

Never admit defeat..... Until it's got really expensive!

Still rattling on with the jobs when I can find time. This evening, I grabbed a few hours and set upon doing the little things. First of all, my car has a brace that fits between the gearbox and the engine mount. I can only think that this was removed from later cars as the replacement gearbox came with a large plastic cable holder fixed into the bolt hole. I removed the cable holder and tried the bolt for the brace but the thread was so badly corroded, it didn't want to fit. So, I cracked out my Lidl tap and die set and cleaned up the thread;



This worked a treat so I'll be able to use the brace.

Another job was to fit new drive shaft seals to the replacement gearbox. I'd been advised by Project Puma experts that the last thing I wanted was to fit the gearbox to find that the seals leaked, so I ordered a new pair up.

A tight fit but I managed to find a copper pipe cutter just the right diameter to use as a drift. Seals in!



Then I turned to my struts. The nearside had been removed to enable the removal of the gearbox, so I set about changing the springs back to standard Ford ones from the hated Eibachs.



One side done, I moved on to the other which was still on the car. It came off nicely but I ran out of time to replace the spring tonight.

I've been promised help to refit the gearbox next week (everyone seems to be on holiday but me) so further progress will be limited until then, but I'll be buying a flywheel locking tool so I can get the new clutch on beforehand.

Too late for Ford Fair, but least the work is progressing I suppose!

:thumbs:

Piiiifffttt..... Still trying to get this all done. I had a morning to spend on it today, but most of it was taken up trying to mate the offside drive-shaft joint back together. It had come apart unnoticed when I was changing the springs on that side and refused to go back together, so I had to take everything apart again on that side and re-do it. It was a bit soul destroying to be honest...

Still got the new clutch installed without a locking tool. Just used a socket wedged between the the flywheel teeth and the starter which worked a treat.



Spent the remainder of the day trying to work out how to offer up the gearbox on my own. The car isn't high enough that I can fit the gearbox on the jack under there (my jack doesn't go high enough for the next step on my axle stands) so I have to lift the gearbox through the engine bay and slide the jack underneath it. Meanwhile I would also have to somehow support the box to stop it dropping off the jack. Basically, you need two people.

Gutted as I was hoping to make more progress. Sick of the sight of it on axle stands lurking down the drive.

Probably a bit of an obvious suggestion, but can you not put a block of wood on the jack to give the extra height?

Do you want to borrow my other jack, which has a higher lift? Won't need it back 'til next week, as have visitors for the weekend. Also breeze blocks under wheels to lift the car higher? Higher axle stands?

Send me a PM.

Due to the lower suspension, the jack only just fitted under the car so a block of wood was out of the question.

Raising the car further now isn't really practical/safe as there's a jack supporting the engine at the moment. I may be able to raise the engine, then jack one side slightly, rinse and repeat until I can raise the axle stand. Just need to figure out a plan of attack, employ some help and try and get some more time to actually get it done. I'm being dragged off camping this weekend which is my least favourite activity (apparently it's 'fun' - all it means to me is cold, damp, making even the simplest everyday necessity into a chore and a complete lack of sleep).

To my credit, I did make a crude gearbox jig which is a wood base with a block screwed down one end. The gearbox sits nice and securely on it without tipping sideways on to the fifth-gear end - you can balance it on the jack nicely and move it around. Sadly, it doesn't help getting it under the car.

Just a low point. Once I crack it, it'll be forgotten.

Well, in the end I did raise the car up another few inches and today enlisted the help of my neighbour Rob (who I paid in Biltong).

Between the two of us, we finally managed to man-handle the 'box back on and torque it all back up.





Also managed to refit the off-side drive-shaft, speedo drive, hydraulic line various wiring etc so after long last, progress has been made. Everything else is relatively simple so a great weight has been lifted (both physically and mentally). :grin: