2001 1.7 - my new project

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YORKSHIRE LAD

New member
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Messages
26
When I say new, I've actually had the car since last September, but I've only just got it pretty much how I want it to be for some fun in the Spring and Summer and maybe attend a few shows.
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The car has had one lady owner from new (for some reason, the dealer registered it in his name as well, can't really see why but never mind) and had done 53,000 miles with full Ford history from new. It has had some paint work done a few years ago and the arches sorted out, but the underneath and the sills are totally solid.

I started off by removing all the interior; seats, side panels etc. so that I could apply some rust proofing around the top of the arches and in all the cavities.
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As you can see, the floor plan was just like new and just needed the general dust and debris vaccuming away. I sprayed the rustproofer into every gap and cavity I could find until it started to appear under the car dripping from the various drain holes in the sills.
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The front was the same with just one small patch of rust that I treated and re-painted.
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I then re-fitted the seats and all the trim and started on the outside and underneath. Removed the rear bumper first and, again, I was amazed by the condition,just one small area under the tailgate rubber which I treated and re-painted.
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Took out the lights and the wheel arch liners. I pressure-washed those (the arch liners)to remove the 16 years of road dirt and
they came up like new.
Before
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After
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The spare wheel tray was looking a bit shabby, so I removed all the loose paint and rust and gave it a coat of Hammerite
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I cleaned the area above the spare wheel tray and the rear beam and all the suspension and then treated everything to a coat of either Hammerite or Stone Chip paint.

Then I moved on to the front!
Did the same process here; removed bumper, lights, arch liners and anything else that was easily removed so I could clean and paint everywhere that I could reach
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The picture below shows the passenger side cleaned with the drivers side still to be done

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Again,the lack of rust was very reassuring and it all looked original. Not to everybody's taste, but I painted the calipers red as I think they look good through the wheel spokes.
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Once all the underneath was done, I started on the paintwork. When I first saw the car from a distance of about 3 or 4 metres, it looked fine, but under closer examination, it was very scratched and dull. I have been using a D.A polisher on my other cars for several years, so I knew I could bring it back to how it should look.
This was the paint before I had done anything to it:
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Then some after shots:
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There are still a few bits that I am not 100% happy with but the car is still a work in progress; just need some warmer, drier weather!

I wanted the cam belt changing for my own peace of mind, so when I saw the posts about Allison Automotive, I was impressed with Chris's approach to the issue and the positive comments in the post prompted me to give him a call. The outcome of all this was that I took the car down to him in early December and managed to get down for a day just before Christmas to clean inside the engine bay whilst it was out.
Before:
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After:
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Chris kept sending me photos of engine in various states of disrepair and then the finished article:

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I eventually collected the car on 14th January and it drove like a new car. The engine was as sweet as a nut and Chris had also replaced the clutch and release bearing whilst it was in pieces which made sense.
The next plan is to replace the driver's seat as it has a couple of cigarette burns in it; I've got one lined up from E Bay. I am also contemplating spraying the underside in red as I've just done this to my son's classic Mini Cooper Sport and it looks good.
So, I think that's about it for now, but I'll keep adding more bits as time goes on.
 
That’s gorgeous and Chris is a top man.

Wish I could find one of these gems!!!
 
Barry

Yes mate, I gather you're in Huddersfield.

I was reading your Project Puma thread the other day and that's what set me off to do mine to be honest.

I've wanted one for a long time and there are so many shabby ones that, when I saw this, i thought I would take the plunge.

I always have that nagging doubt whenever I buy a car that I have missed something when I look at it, but this one seems to be a little gem.

When Chris had done the engine, he very kindly took it for the MOT and said he thought it was a cracker so, to me, that was good enough.

The plan is to have a bit of fun in it over the Spring and Summer and attend a few local shows, so we may bump into each other.
 
Sounds good. The first run out for me is the Sherburn Cafe all Ford meet in early April. Looking forward to it already.
Oh yes Huddersfield but to the South in sunny Denby Dale.
Barry
 
Hi Andrew
Not as yet but I post it every year. There's one in April and one in September and they are starting to get pretty big shows now.
Barry
 
tuonokid said:
[post]367268[/post] Just checked on the Squires website and it's already set for Sun 8th April :)

Count me in as part of the Yorkshire contingent!

And Andrew, Chris has done the engines on both my FR0 and standard one, don’t have a bad word to say. My standard Puma drove like a new car. Still does!
 
Hi James and Andrew.
Good to hear you're making one (or two) in this year James. Andrew, no need to register just turn up on the day but better to meet up before hand to make sure we're all together if that's ok.
Barry
 
I was going to send you a msg Paul. I have that pipe for you if you still want it. It's about 70mm ID, 400MM long and made out of a sort of clothy, wierd material, can't see it coping with dampness very well.
 
It's too big Barry, was looking for about 50mm. Sorted now though.

Lovely car by the way Yorkshire Lad, sorry to hijack your thread :)

Paul
 

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