The Skippy Kitten

This is my winter fix up project (constrained budget) and summer play thing. A late 2000 (post update) with aircon and quickclear screen.



I'm sure I made pretty much every newbie mistake. The engine is very good for 100k. Paint is pretty good. Arches better than all the others I've seen.

What else is good
Oil clean (could have just been done I know)
Wheels very tidy for 14 years old
Not too rattly
Heated windscreen works!
Generally clean


What's not so good
Corrosion starting on underside
Binding front brake - fixed
Front wishbone bushes shot
Roll bar links dead
Rear bushes probably shot
Centre brake light not working
Front tyres very marginal (I was expecting to change tyres on anything I got)
Tiny oil leak (I think rocker gasket)
Cabin filter looks original
Air filter grubby
RH bumper not aligned with wing
RH door trim loose
Crack in RH headlamp outer lens
Heater stuck on hot (Ford HCV on the way)
Aircon active but not getting cold (well probably, given the heater issue)
Steering wheel cover manky

So I have a list of pretty standard Puma issues. I'm taking the quick wins as I can and tackling the big jobs as time allows.

Why the CHMSL didn't work!



Found a replacement for £20. I had to get the old lens out and the glue used to hold it in! Then a little retouching to cover the damage. All sorted after checking continuity down the strut.

Other quick-ish wins

Brake unstuck with rebuilt caliper
Pilot Sport 3s on the front
Nasty dealer sticker removed from rear windows
Bumper aligned with wing
Refitted door trim
Cabin and engine air filters replaced

In progress
Swap wishbones and bolts out for Delphi aftermarket ones and drop links. This is so I can use the car while refurb OE wishbones. I can also make a call on if it's worth upgrading to poly bushes. Front wheel arches seem generally good for corrosion. There is some inside the rear of the LH arch where a pile of soil had accumulated behind the liner. Nota sure if that's common..

Replace rear arm bushes

Hi Skippy, great work so far! Could you tell me how you realligned your bumper to match the wing? mine's popped out on that little point where the wing, headlanp and bumper meet and I keep meaning to investigate. ANy tips on how you do it?

Skippy said:

There is some inside the rear of the LH arch where a pile of soil had accumulated behind the liner. Nota sure if that's common..

Click to expand...

Yep, thats common, emptied what looked like half a beach out of mine

The wing/bumper alignment was just the tail end where it forms the wheel arch. Nice and easy to fix by removing the screw inside, ahead of the arch. I 'finessed' the bracket with an adjustable spanner to move it out. I could have done it by just pulling at the bumper to be honest. Sounds like you might have more 'fun'.

Cheers, it's tipped slightly forward as well so it could be that re-jigging it may bring the point back in. Either that or it'll be two hours of knuckle scraping 'fun' resulting in inches of panel gap and the Puma looking like it's had a stroke!

Sounds like a 2 person job. One to hold it in place, the other to do the bolts back up. That's what I'll be doing with the rear bumper shortly.

Why I changed the cabin filter:

I have HEL braided hoses to fit at some point. I have asked elsewhere but looking at ArchBishop's project it looks a little different (and better). Which end takes the longer hose? (Muppet question I know!) any help more than welcome.

I 'think it was the longer ones on the front (best measure the ones on it first), but they were a pig to be honest. Far too long and don't fit in the standard bracket without modifying it! They were too tightly kinked in the front wheel arches for my liking and a 30mm drop has only made them worse. I think the best thing to do is to ditch the metal holder that attaches to the shock entirely and cable tie it instead. They should fit far better then. They are very nicely made though!

The Arch Bishop said:

I 'think it was the longer ones on the front (best measure the ones on it first), but they were a pig to be honest. Far too long and don't fit in the standard bracket without modifying it! They were too tightly kinked in the front wheel arches for my liking and a 30mm drop has only made them worse. I think the best thing to do is to ditch the metal holder that attaches to the shock entirely and cable tie it instead. They should fit far better then. They are very nicely made though!

Click to expand...

Thanks. The hoses need sorting so it made sense to spend a few quid more on shiny ones! And if they improve the brake feel then that'll be a bonus.

And the worst rot I've found so far...

Fingers crossed!

Original wshbones off...


Unfortunately the left side one didn't want to let go of the ball joint peg. Once it was persuaded out, I got a dremel wire brush up inside there. Feels nice and smooth but it's not happy to have the new one to slip in. I can't really pry it open as it's somewhat chunky.


Anyone else had this.

Wishbones and drop links sorted.

Rear bushes 'in progress'. They were utterly mashed though so should see the benefit once finally replaced!

Rear bushes in!!!!!! My learning from this is that it's easiest to drop the mounting of the frame and undo the through bolts off the trailing arm. Also drilled a hole large enough to get a junior hacksaw blade in, towards the front. Opened it up enough to get a full hacksaw blade in then cut down to almost through the shell. I then hammered a cheap screwdriver between shell and a all the way through. I then used a bush press to easily press it out.

Off to ford in the morning for new through bolts as I had do use heat to get one out. They seem a bit of a mystery item. Is there a Finis number for them?

While waiting for the rear arm bolts I thought I'd sort the HCV. Ford one fitted, but it's not sorted the problem. Hot or hot are my only options. I'll check the PWM signal into the valve in the morning. I'm guessing it's the control panel but need to check first.

PWM not very PWMey. Near 0V with high impedance. Looks like a fried control panel to me. New one ordered. I would fault find and repair it, but I don't have much kit and no circuit diagram so I'd be guessing.

In happier news, she's back on the rubber! About to get 4 wheel alignment done then a little gentle test drive. :grin:

Update: THAT WORKS! I knew there was a reason I went for a Puma!

I love the way you ask questions, nobody answers so you move on to the next post :lol:

Keep up the good work

This is a forum on the interwebs - questions go unanswered sometimes. If I don't get an answer here, I've asked elsewhere if needed, or keep looking for an answer. Sometimes I even work it out for myself, sometimes. It's not a problem.

I have commented in the real world that I wonder what people did before the Web for hobbies like this. Struggle on I guess. Or were Haynes manuals better back then?!