The £650 Puma

[The Arch Bishop]

Nothing wrong with watching paint dry! Much more fun than getting wishbones off!

 

[quest63]

:grin:

 

[The Arch Bishop]

Yawn... :zzz:

 

[quest63]

:thumbs:

 

[The Arch Bishop]

Went and had a look this morning and they are by no means perfect, but a rub down and some laquer and they'll do!

Should hopefully be getting the tax sorted out today as well! :grin:

 

[quest63]

I can feel a handling test report in the pipeline

 

[The Arch Bishop]

Think I'll need the tracking doing first! Looks like a lot of toe-out on the front at the moment!

 

[Sparx]

The centre caps look like new! Good work k:

 

[The Arch Bishop]

Cheers Sparx, they haven't dried quite as well, but as I say, they'll do!

 

[The Arch Bishop]

Ah well, start again... Rubbish can of lacquer undid the work in seconds by spraying normally for a bit then spluttering big dollops on. Sighed, got out the wet and dry and started again. :evil:

Still, car tax is sorted so went for a quick run to see how the suspension had worked out. So much better! The ride is actually better (the result of having non-seized dampers on the back) and there are no clunks, creaks or squeaks! It also tracks a lot better over uneven tarmac. Will still need tracking though!

After 5 months without driving Jegger, I'd forgotten just how much fun he is to drive! :grin:

 

[The Arch Bishop]

New can of lacquer and the caps are finished and installed;

Quite pleased with them!

Jegger was given a wash-down yesterday so it was, again, a good excuse to get some images;

And one of our cats nonplussed by the bigger cat;

 

[quest63]

Curiass cat

 

[The Arch Bishop]

Spoke too soon on the noises being gone from the suspension. The most annoying is one that has plagued me for some time now, but it's so weird I can't seem to track it down. Coming from the nearside front, it happens over 'yumps' in the road where the suspension compresses then extends very quickly. There's a noise that sounds like a very loud scratch... The strangest thing is that it tends to stop in warmer weather... :x

I'm thinking either anti-roll bar components or something to do with the arrangement of the brake hoses and the metal spring guard around them.

Other than that, and the hilarity of the awful Sussex roads meets stiffened Puma suspension (the ride quality is pretty poor on certain roads now I will confess), Jegger has done some shuttling to work and picking up the kids in fine style. Also, the saving of £20 over the Subaru on filling up with petrol (£47 vs £67 for circa 300 miles) means it's the sane choice for everyday commuting.

Jegger is also booked in for tracking up tomorrow. A report on improvements will follow!

 

[Anonymous]

You could temporarily tape something round the spring guards so they don't rub or 'scratch' on anything. Even if it's just to rule them out......

 

[quest63]

Maybe if its too harsh for you, you could run softer tyre pressures or slightly higher profile tyres

 

[The Arch Bishop]

Tony, that's a very good idea. I'll give it a go. I'll need to have the wheels off anyway as I think they are rubbing most of the time now. I may have to have a go at completely re-routing the hoses as the HEL one's are frankly far too long anyay and with the suspension set lower, it's more of a problem now.

Questy, nah, not too harsh, just takes some adjusting to that's all! I've been driving around in a soft and squishy Subaru for too long. Need to man up a bit!

 

[The Arch Bishop]

The hose's rubbing most of the time was, on closer inspection, the wheel-nuts working themselves loose and allowing the discs to float around onto the pads! I tweaked them back up by a half turn and the gentle scrapping I'd heard this morning was sorted.

Also got the tracking done at the (very efficient) Lavendar Motors in Haywards Heath. Top job done quickly and painlessly as soon as I arrived. Jegger no longer follows all the ruts or tacks from side to side. Also it's returned the weight to the steering and eliminated the understeer that I'd had since the suspension over-haul. A good use of £40! :grin:

Next up, trim rattles! Lots of rear quarter trim making a racket!

 

[quest63]

:thumbs:

 

[The Arch Bishop]

Ok, so suspension done, tracking done. Nice journey home from work today so a bit of handling testing...

I'll go for the bad bits first - Traction out of pock-holed Sussex corners isn't quite as good as the standard springs as, with less travel and firmer springs, it tends to tramp a little. Also, ride quality on the front is a little worse and the bump-stops come into play a little more often.

The Good bits - Body roll is better controlled and you tend to find the car is hacking along a lot quicker than you think as it is so well planted. Turn in is even more instant than it was before. Out-right grip overcomes the seat bolsters. A tight roundabout left my arse lifting off the seat and over the edge of the seat... Available grip seems to be entirely limited by how hard you can hold on to the steering wheel. I cannot get it to understeer to any degree (obviously I could if I was utterly ham-fisted but I take some pride in driving). The Falken tyres are a very good match to a Puma and this helps also.

Haven't had any safe opportunity to indulge in any over-steer malarkey yet but I'd have to be really trying to do it...

 

[The Arch Bishop]

Sorry, not a great deal to report.

Faults are starting to get annoying though.

After a few days of the tracking feeling great, it's gone wobbly again. :roll: God only knows why...

Scratching sound from front is still present. :roll: God only knows why...

Gearbox is starting to get on my wick now getting into 5th. :roll: I know why but it needs a new one...

I now can't select the top vents from the ventilation dial. :roll: God only knows why...

Annoyingly, I've found a few problem points with last years respray. The paint has started just lifting from some nooks and crannies. I've found issues with under the off-side headlight, within the recess on the drivers side door handle and, most noticeably, around the fuel filler hole. :roll: There also seem to be about half a dozen stone-chip-like chips in the bonnet, but I know for a fact that I haven't had any stone-chips so it looks like some sort of paint blistering. It's been less than a year so I'm going to have a chat with the place that did the work to see what can be done. Otherwise, the paintwork still looks great though.

I haven't had any time recently to investigate any of the issues yet, but I grabbed a few hours to fit the leather gear and handbrake gators that my wife suprised me with. Pain in the rear to fit but they look fantastic!