Can this be salvaged....?????

ProjectPuma

Help Support ProjectPuma:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

matty325

Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2024
Messages
57
Location
scottish borders
One for the welders and bodywork guys can this level.of corrosion be sorted ? I've already put 100s of hours into the car it's 74k full history amd original bill of sale from ford low owners as well.ive done loads tackled the floor pans sill patches etc but this is way out my skill set I know it's the rear beam mount but it seems to be more like the outer skin so to speak and the more substantial mental underneath seems untouched by the rust .if the car was upside down on a spit I'd probably have a go but nowhere near a good enough welder to weld above my head like that.......
 

Attachments

  • 20250119_171041.jpg
    20250119_171041.jpg
    898.3 KB
  • 20250119_171046.jpg
    20250119_171046.jpg
    1.1 MB
  • 20250119_171103.jpg
    20250119_171103.jpg
    1,010.8 KB
  • 20250119_171113.jpg
    20250119_171113.jpg
    1.5 MB
  • 20250119_171122.jpg
    20250119_171122.jpg
    1.6 MB
Anything is possible. I would recommend removing the fuel tank and the beam and fabricating out of similar gauge steel pieces of metal to cover not only the holed areas but to weld to wherever the metal is still good. It might be possible to weld it by raising 1 side up with a fork lift truck or a tall jack etc so that it will be easier to then weld 1 side at a time. In the past I have welded the underside of a Morris Minor and resting the complete side of the car on used lorry tyres . However the Puma Panels would probably get damaged doing that, because they are very thin. If you do tilt it over substantially , drain the engine oil out to prevent the engine smoking after a restart. Obviously refilling with oil before actually starting the car. Once the rear beam has been removed it will require wide pieces of timber to lift the underside of the car under the strongest area to spread the load. It would also for safety reasons be a good idea to use a wide webbed strap passed through under the roof and supported from above perhaps using an engine crane or RSJ and ball and chain. To ensure if the wood slips you won't get crushed under the car.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the input I work on a farm so straps and a forklift are available🙂ive heard mig welding is difficult outside tho? I have a gas welder . It's definitely worth saving the doors are mint as are front wings bonnet etc and the complete front end is rust free. I thought about lying on tyres but came to the same assumption the panels are too thin and will dent easily. The tanks out already and had beam off to polybush and paint its only in with a couple of bolts to make car mobile .not too many pumas left and others ive looked at when considering a reshell aren't much better in this area and mines has the bonus of new arches at some point 💸💸💸
 
Thanks for the input I work on a farm so straps and a forklift are available🙂ive heard mig welding is difficult outside tho? I have a gas welder . It's definitely worth saving the doors are mint as are front wings bonnet etc and the complete front end is rust free. I thought about lying on tyres but came to the same assumption the panels are too thin and will dent easily. The tanks out already and had beam off to polybush and paint its only in with a couple of bolts to make car mobile .not too many pumas left and others ive looked at when considering a reshell aren't much better in this area and mines has the bonus of new arches at some point 💸💸💸
If you can borrow a gasless mig welder that has flux coated 0.6mm wire . Apparently they work ok outside.

I borrowed a budget gasless mig and found because it only had high & low settings for the current that it was still too fierce to use on the pumas thin panels. In reallty it was no better than using 1.6mm rods with my arc welder set on minimum current.

If you can borrow a more expensive gasless mig that has a knob also for current adjustment in addition to a seperate knob for adjusting wire feed . I think you could quickly tack it move away and tack elsewhere and return after the first tack has cooled, eventually to end up with a continuous weld.

I seem to recall Draper may have done a welder with a knob for current adjustment.

If you can get hold of some wooden pallets that previously had heavy bricks or stone slabs on , then these use much stronger wood than the usual pallets.

Perhaps the car could be safely supported using some fence posts or similar in on one side to tilt the car over a bit to weld.

If you weld in a slightly thicker guage than original, the car will last for ages at that point. Take your time as rot freePumas are now getting increasingly rare.
 
Thanks I'll def try get it up in air that way be a lot easier than trying to weld above my head .I'm using 1mm steel to weld in which is amazingly thicker than what's in as standard,I agree with you on the rot free pumas this will never be Worth 1000s with the amount of welding itll have but at least I'll have a solid trackday/wknd toy for trips with my son .Also have a mk1 fiesta which is solid but you can't really go anywhere over night and park it up for fear of it getting nicked 🙄👮
 

Latest posts

Back
Top