New Puma owner...need a little info

[Terribl3Tim]

Hi all,

Just bought my first Puma after I got fed up of buying parts for my 106 GTi. I'm not a boy racer but I do enjoy a fun drive and when this Puma showed up I couldn't resist:

55k miles, 2 previous owners and it's in really really nice shape. Sadly no service history is present as it was lost. Nor is the original key (lost with the service manual...was owned by a really old guy) however the mileage is correct due to some MOT history and just the condition of it. It's only done 1000 miles since it's last MOT and the cam belt was done 500 miles ago. Only thing it needs really is replacement centre caps which are on their way in the mail this week.

Couldn't be happier however, I have a few questions.

1. There is simply no rust on this car anywhere that I can see, nor have there been any repairs. How do I make it stay that way (should I get rid of the carpet wheel arch liners to start?)

2. What wheels are those...are they standard? My brother had a Puma on 150k a few years back and it had the 5 spoke wheels which I thought were stock? Doesn't matter I'm just interested to know.

3. I have a 6000CD radio. I'm desperate to get iPod connectivity but don't want to lose the original radio. Is it true you can buy a cable to hook in the back of it (saw some on eBay that have PC/molex style connectors) if so, what button on the radio would make it work???

4. It's immaculate underneath and just sailed through an MOT with no advisories (I use a reputable guy who's always honest with me) and yet I'm getting a knock on the front NS when going over light pot holes, is this normal? I don't hear it on the drivers side but then I don't hear it when someone sits in the passenger side either so is it just the suspension moving more on the NS where there is less weight?

5. Can someone tell me what are the best sparks to buy. Do they need a certain gap or are decent standard Bosch or NGK ok as long as they compatible? I have no idea when the car was last serviced so I'm going to do it myself, air filter was coal black so it needs doing.

6. Is it possible to buy a programmable central locking fob? Gotten kinda used to the button CL on my Pug and opening and closing this thing with a key is gonna get old quickly. I can see in the manual I can program more keys (however can I do this if mine isn't original?) but does it work for CL fobs? Don't really want to take it to Ford as dealers always charge an arm and a leg for key related issues.

Lastly is there anything else I should be looking out for? I'm not afraid of a spanner and some hard graft and I'm determined to keep this Puma as good as it is for as long as possible so any tips would be welcome. Hopefully I should be chiming in with some convo as the time goes on.

- Ta.

 

[748]

Hi Mate, a lot of questions there :grin:
Firstly, no need to ditch the wheel arch liners, they don't cause the rust. Strip out the rear trim including the seats and rear quarters and you will see where it needs treating. The rust comes from inside the seam.
Those are original wheels, I think the 5 spokes you mentioned would be the early 'propeller' style.
55k miles in that condition it's probably still on all original suspension components so will need some bush renewal.
Platinum tip plugs are the Ford recommended ones I think, 1.3 mm gap.
Paul

 

[Terribl3Tim]

Hi Mate, a lot of questions there :grin:
Firstly, no need to ditch the wheel arch liners, they don't cause the rust. Strip out the rear trim including the seats and rear quarters and you will see where it needs treating. The rust comes from inside the seam.
Those are original wheels, I think the 5 spokes you mentioned would be the early 'propeller' style.
55k miles in that condition it's probably still on all original suspension components so will need some bush renewal.
Platinum tip plugs are the Ford recommended ones I think, 1.3 mm gap.
Paul

I had read a bit about the inside seams. Do you have any recommendations on a good product to use? Everyone has been saying Waxoyl but I've never been a fan but I'll buy it if I must. I take it I just smother the seams?

As for the bushes...worth going with something like power flex or just go standard?

 

[748]

Haven't done the arch rust treatment myself but I 'm sure someone will be along with some recommendations.
Bush replacement is very much down to personal preference, some say poly bushes make for a harsh ride but others like them.
They are easier to fit and you should never need to change them again.
But genuine Ford bushes should last quite a few years anyway .

 

[Terribl3Tim]

Haven't done the arch rust treatment myself but I 'm sure someone will be along with some recommendations.
Bush replacement is very much down to personal preference, some say poly bushes make for a harsh ride but others like them.
They are easier to fit and you should never need to change them again.
But genuine Ford bushes should last another 10 years anyway .

Ok cool.

One last thing (I'm waiting on a Haynes Manual arriving). With wishbone bushes. Is a press required to switch them out? I found out on my GTI that they will not come out without one and in the end I just bought new wishbones.

If I can get away with just swapping out the bushes on this I'll be much happier.

 

[748]

Yeah, you really need a press to get new ones in, but if you take new bushes and your wishbones to a friendly garage they will likely press them in for you for the price of a few beers.

 

[Skippy]

Welcome and congratulations! - that looks mint!!!

Replacing bushes is a press job as far as I know. New ford wishbones aren't cheap, but I'd be using them if my Puma looked like yours.

For the rustproofing, I've used Bilts Hamber Hydrate 80 to treat any rust that is there, then Dynax S50 to protect where ford skimped. It's on my project thread. Hopefully it's arrested it on the inside. I also did the arches with hydrate and Hammerite smooth and Scotchgard on the arch liners. Time will tell!

I think the sparks can be anything and the gap was revised to 1.1mm later on. Look for oil round the plugs when you're swapping them. That's a leaky rocker cover gasket, and a very easy fix.

 

[Terribl3Tim]

Cheers for the help chaps.

I might just go full throttle and replace the wishbones in one go and do the links and tie rods while I'm at it.

 

[Skippy]

ARB bushes and rear beam bushes too.

I'm jealous.

 

[Terribl3Tim]

ARB bushes and rear beam bushes too.

I'm jealous.

Lol, I'd hold off on the jealousy for now, with my unlucky track record, something surprising is about to show up with this car.

I can't afford to tackle any of the bushes yet as buying the car has cleaned me out for the month but tbh the knocking is only on medium pot holes and nowhere else so it's not bad to the point of being annoying yet and it handles like a new car so I don't think it'll suffer if I leave it for a month or two.

I will be buying some of that Hydrate 80 as soon as possible though, I'm determined to stop it rusting.

Few more pics, the first one I showed was mine after a polish, these are just dealer pictures. Once I start getting stuck in I'll start a progress blog no doubt...even though hopefully there isn't a whole lot to do.

 

[karlc145]

Welcome! ooh a sunroof :wink:

 

[Terribl3Tim]

Welcome! ooh a sunroof :wink:

Is that unusual?

 

[Micheal x]

Congrats I bought one last week. I was looking at one for £995 in the end I went for one for alot cheaper with a bit more milage.

 

[Terribl3Tim]

Congrats I bought one last week. I was looking at one for £995 in the end I went for one for alot cheaper with a bit more milage.

I paid £875 in the end but had to tax it so it's swings and roundabouts really.

Prices seem to vary widely on these with no real rhyme or reason.

 

[JP88]

You might find some useful info from my progress thread -

http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=24986" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

WELCOME. :grin:

 

[3dcandy]

connects2 do an adapter that you might want to look at for your stereo mate

http://www.connects2.co.uk/ProductInformation.aspx?id=11547&p=CTAFOUSB003

 

[cj2013]

Before you get too carried away, very light 'clunks' from the front that aren't detected by the MOT are most certainly going to be from the Anti Roll bar. About £9 posted from ebay and piece of cake to change.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Ford-Escort-Fiesta-1-3-1-4-1-6-1-8-Front-Stabiliser-Drop-Link-Anti-Roll-Bar-/400486214024?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3APuma&hash=item5d3ed6a988" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Next thing would be the anti roll bar bushes, which are about £4 posted.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-FRONT-ARB-Anti-Roll-Bar-Sway-bar-BUSHES-x2-FORD-PUMA-97-97-01-16mm-/130584031245?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1e676a300d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These are more likely to need changing if you get the clunk with a 'rocking' motion, i.e. driving slowly down a bumpy road.

Those links are just for example, have a look round online. Remember that polybushing the front can actually cock up the handling and ride completely - the Puma was designed to a meticulous level of detail so that it handled fantastically, so there's no real need to 'upgrade' IMO.

 

[Terribl3Tim]

My first stop was going to be the drop links. They were causing the same sound on my Pug GTi.