Advice on Puma's especially rot

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zaph

New member
Joined
Mar 14, 2019
Messages
2
My father is looking at getting a Ford Puma. To be honest I hadn't heard of it but doing my research I was intrigued and don't think it is entirely a bad idea. The only thing that gives me pauses is rot.

I have worked on an old British classic, which is another way of saying I have learnt how to mig weld. Which has taught me that body repairs are hard and even harder on modern cars with complex curves and internal panel structures.

I have seen a few Pumas described a good for age. I could see the rot on the rear wheel arches and sills even on the photos. No need to see the car in person.

Now I think that my father would be better off spending more to avoid the rot. So where do Puma's go and how easy is it to repair them, especially in the sill area?

Thanks.
 
Hi Zaph
The most serious area of rot on a Puma as you rightly said is around the rear inner and outer wheelarches and sills but they also tend to rot on the main rear chassis rail around where the rear beam brackets are. Any rot up to 300mm from the beam brackets is an instant MOT failure and if it's underneath an absolute pig to weld as you will know unless you have a four post or a pit. As well as this they also rot on the floors and also at the bottom of the front wings but this is easily fixed as you can take the wings off for welding and do the floors from above. The advice to your father is definitely right about spending more but even a low mileage one is likely to have possibly lots of rust unless it had a fastidious owner or somebody has restored it already. If you have a look on my build thread you will see what I had to face on mine and that was started in 2013 on a 37k mile car.
Barry
 
This doesn't sound promising to be honest, if rot is common. I have found welding on relatively modern designs a bit of a nightmare.

Too much hidden sound insulation to potentially catch fire and hidden complex structures in things like sills.

I know you can't get rear arches but how easy it it to repair things like sills? Is there a hidden sill reinforcer that goes? Do they rot from the inside out?

Can they be rust proofed once repairs are complete?
 
Hi Zaph
Sills are available from Expressed panels and if you are used to welding on old cars shouldn't be too hard to fit but the inner sills would, possibly need repairs as well but that is just sheet steel cut to shape. For me the ultimate no-no is the chassis rail adjacent to the rear beam mount, if that's rusty.... forget it. As for welding on the car I would recommend fuel tank and all interior out just to be safe.
Barry
 

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