rob987_0
Member
I got my 1.7 Puma back in September and posted in the newbie area to say hello. I always planned to make a project out of it as it but never really made a start with the awful weather. I've got no mechanical experience so everything is a learning curve. I don't have loads of time to work on it with having a full time job and having the little'n but I'll try and keep this updated as much as I can. Luckily I can cycle to work and we have another car which my girlfriend uses so I don't need the Puma back on the road.
I bought the Puma with 42,000 miles on the clock. It had one lady owner, just had it's MOT and cost me £800. I viewed the car in the dark which wasn't the best of ideas but after a good test drive I decided to take a punt. I was chuffed at what I had got for £800, although it did need a major clean!
Problems with the car...
No service history
Cambelt hadn't been changed
Wiper blades were awful
Keyfob had been chewed to bits by their dog so the remote didn't work
Stereo didn't work
Usual rust spots (doors, front wings, rear arches, door sills)
The first thing I did was get it serviced. I also got the cam belt changed for £216 and bought some Bosch wiper blades from ebay. I then sent the key fob away to a guy on ebay and he fixed it. I programmed it using this guide http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?t=39
After a good clean, clay bar, polish and wax...
I stripped the interior and gave it a good clean. The previous owner was a school teacher so I found around 50 pens and pencils. They also had a dog so the amount of dog hair that had accumulated over the years was horrendous. There were a few rust spots so I treated with Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80. Some of the bolts that hold the seats snapped when removing them so I had to drill them out and use similar sized bolts with nuts screwed on under the chassis.
Rust grinded away and Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 applied
I had planned on getting the rear arches repaired with 206 wings. Back in Janurary a taxi crashed into one of the arches when I was driving so he agreed to pay for it to be repaired. I took the opportunity and bought two 206 wings and my local coachworks did both arches for £140 each. They also repaired a big dent I created when the jack slipped. Overall they did a pretty good job!
The dent
I'll get a picture of the repair as soon as possible.
Over the last two weeks I stripped the interior, removed the brake drums from the rear beam, then removed the beam (which was a nightmare), and now I'm in the process of stripping it and re-painting it. All of this has been a lot of work, not helped by heavily rusted bolts and me not really knowing what I'm doing :lol: I've never had so much bother removing the bolts which go through the rear beam bushes.
Unfortunately when I tried to remove the abs sensor wiring, the plastic clips which hold it to the beam all snapped, so I'll just have to use tie wraps when I come to put it back together.
I had tried a wire cup brush on a drill but it just couldn't get through all the rust. So I borrowed a grinder and it cuts through the rust like butter. So much easier. I'll be using the same method to de-rust the chassis.
Cleaned, degreased and ready for paint...
I bought some FK lowering springs direct from FK in Germany.
http://www.carparts-tuning.co.uk/Su...21.html?listtype=search&searchparam=ford puma
They cost around £48 delivered. I know they are cheap and cheerful but I thought they were worth ago for the price. I fitted the front ones and the rear ones will be installed when I've finished sorting the underbody rust.
Before the end of the week I hope to have the rear beam painted. I was thinking of using Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80, and then a coat of Epoxy Mastic 121, although I'm not sure whether to leave the hydrate 80 and just use the 121? Does anyone have any suggestions?
Rust Busters say to just apply the Epoxy mastic straight to bare metal. Whichever method I use, I will do the same for the rest of the chassis restoration.
I bought the Puma with 42,000 miles on the clock. It had one lady owner, just had it's MOT and cost me £800. I viewed the car in the dark which wasn't the best of ideas but after a good test drive I decided to take a punt. I was chuffed at what I had got for £800, although it did need a major clean!
Problems with the car...
No service history
Cambelt hadn't been changed
Wiper blades were awful
Keyfob had been chewed to bits by their dog so the remote didn't work
Stereo didn't work
Usual rust spots (doors, front wings, rear arches, door sills)
The first thing I did was get it serviced. I also got the cam belt changed for £216 and bought some Bosch wiper blades from ebay. I then sent the key fob away to a guy on ebay and he fixed it. I programmed it using this guide http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?t=39
After a good clean, clay bar, polish and wax...
I stripped the interior and gave it a good clean. The previous owner was a school teacher so I found around 50 pens and pencils. They also had a dog so the amount of dog hair that had accumulated over the years was horrendous. There were a few rust spots so I treated with Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80. Some of the bolts that hold the seats snapped when removing them so I had to drill them out and use similar sized bolts with nuts screwed on under the chassis.
Rust grinded away and Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 applied
I had planned on getting the rear arches repaired with 206 wings. Back in Janurary a taxi crashed into one of the arches when I was driving so he agreed to pay for it to be repaired. I took the opportunity and bought two 206 wings and my local coachworks did both arches for £140 each. They also repaired a big dent I created when the jack slipped. Overall they did a pretty good job!
The dent
I'll get a picture of the repair as soon as possible.
Over the last two weeks I stripped the interior, removed the brake drums from the rear beam, then removed the beam (which was a nightmare), and now I'm in the process of stripping it and re-painting it. All of this has been a lot of work, not helped by heavily rusted bolts and me not really knowing what I'm doing :lol: I've never had so much bother removing the bolts which go through the rear beam bushes.
Unfortunately when I tried to remove the abs sensor wiring, the plastic clips which hold it to the beam all snapped, so I'll just have to use tie wraps when I come to put it back together.
I had tried a wire cup brush on a drill but it just couldn't get through all the rust. So I borrowed a grinder and it cuts through the rust like butter. So much easier. I'll be using the same method to de-rust the chassis.
Cleaned, degreased and ready for paint...
I bought some FK lowering springs direct from FK in Germany.
http://www.carparts-tuning.co.uk/Su...21.html?listtype=search&searchparam=ford puma
They cost around £48 delivered. I know they are cheap and cheerful but I thought they were worth ago for the price. I fitted the front ones and the rear ones will be installed when I've finished sorting the underbody rust.
Before the end of the week I hope to have the rear beam painted. I was thinking of using Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80, and then a coat of Epoxy Mastic 121, although I'm not sure whether to leave the hydrate 80 and just use the 121? Does anyone have any suggestions?
Rust Busters say to just apply the Epoxy mastic straight to bare metal. Whichever method I use, I will do the same for the rest of the chassis restoration.
k:
