Puma 1400 Rally Build

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I am using 12" springs but still need to order the softer ones. I have just had to move so I have lost my workshop and garage so I now have all my puma stuff in storage at the moment and everything is on hold. Managed to get the car moted before it went in the garage. Just trying to find a unit but as soon as you mention cars in am being turned away. Few photos below that you may be able to work out the ride height.

Graeme
 
Since getting my softer springs back and fitting them, I've been playing around with the ride heights. Initially I set them at standard FRP height. I then spoke to GAZ who said the travel I'd measured should be okay. I then took it for a blast over the moors and went down a severe dip where the suspension compressed that much that the metal join above the tyres in the upper wheel arches cut a groove into both tyres. Luckily it's not deep enough to cause any damage but I guess any faster and it would have blown both tyres. I've now raised the suspension 10mm and stiffened the suspension a few clicks. I also intend fitting some poly carb against the sharp metal edge above the tyres too.

Few extra jobs on the car which includes setting the steering tracking, fitting an upper brace, sound test (on the limit at 99.5 db ) and a monit computer. Still waiting for the sump guard to be fabricated from November, getting a bit annoyed with them now.

Getting closer now and hoping to do our first event in June :grin:
 
another option is to reprofile the inner arch to remove the seam that is causing the tyre damage - think plasma cutter and welding a low profile filler back in place
 
Hi Guys, I had to do it on mine to stop my 17" wheels and tyres getting cut up after I lowered it 40mm. An angle grinder will do it and you can go a fair bit if you re-do the spot welds on the bottom chassis rail. It's all on my thread anyway if you want to look.
Barry
 
Thanks for that Barry

I am going to do the same too but I'm going to leave the welding to the pros though.

Is there any reason why the join couldn't be cut and welded flat to the arch to get the greatest clearance?

Great thread btw, you've put a lot of work in.
 
Registration is now in for our first event....

http://www.warringtondmc.org/90270/info.php?p=5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is a single venue event at Anglesey circuit on Sunday 21st June


Picked a single venue event to kick off as we have had zero testing so far, so it will give us the opportunity to put it through it's paces and find out if everything is working okay.....including the brakes.

There is also a 1600 puma registered too
 
Hi Johnny
Thanks for that. The flange that really hangs down low is only a single sheet of steel thickness but from memory removing this only gives a few mm more clearance. I wanted more than this so I went further which ate into the flanges joining each side of the inner wing and the membrane between them and removed a few of the factory spot welds. So to put strength back into it I partially drilled through the outer flange and plug welded it.
Barry
 
Sorry only just got round to posting an update….

The rally at Anglesey was a bit of a mixed bag. We always intended that it would just be an opportunity to put the Puma through its paces but then when it comes to it your competitive nature always takes over.

First hurdle was getting it through scrutineering. I was a bit nervous at noise test as we suspected that it would be on the limit of acceptable; however we got through so the next stage was the main scrutiny of the car by the MSA official. As we had been through scrutineering on rallies before we knew the drill but as the car had only just been built and had never been through scrutineering I was worried that he would pull us on a technicality and that would be the end of our rally and entrance fee; however it sailed through and he even commented that it was a great car to inspect. Job done!

The next hurdle was understanding the maps that we had been issued. The events we have done before had pace notes, but this event had maps with splits and merges which was a whole new ball game for us.

Johnny the co-driver soon got to grips with the maps and then it was off to the start of the first stage. We got our time card stamped then we were on the start line watching the red segments count down to the start. Adrenaline then started pumping as this was the first time we had used the car in anger – are the brakes safe? is the suspension put together correctly? are the seats bolted in right? are the harnesses fitted securely? Why all these thoughts come into your head at this time is a mystery!

The first stage was a blast and we soon started to gain confidence in the car, everything seemed to be working and it felt right. Before we knew it we were back on the start line for stage two. We started to get in a rhythm and gain confidence in each others roles….. Johnny delivering the notes, and me trusting in him to push the car.

04-DSC_3361.JPG


At the end of the second stage it all started to fall apart. Upon inspecting the tyres it was evident that the super soft tyre compound was not the right choice for the harsh circuit tarmac as they looked like they had melted, with the rubber scrubbed off the tyres and rolled up into plasticine sausages and laid across the tread. As we drove, the car rumbled like we were driving on cobbles.

IMAG0903.jpg


IMAG0907.jpg


Then we noticed that the metal flange on the inside of the wheel arch had cut into the tread (see earlier posts above) and had made a bit of a mess of the tyre. With no decent spare tyres to switch to (on a tight budget) we took the quick decision to stiffen the suspension to its hardest setting and raise the suspension height to the max. The car looked more like we were on a forest stage than tarmac. Even one of the marshals commented on it.

This upset the handling and knocked our confidence as I was expecting the tyre to burst at anytime whilst cornering hard. However we pressed on and decided that we our aim now was to get through all the stages and finish the rally.

We had a few more dramas on the following four stages including; Johnny the co-driver being violently sick on the time keeper at the end of stage three (sorry mate if you are reading this, it was just too good not to put in!), the intercom packing in intermittently so I couldn’t hear the notes, the clutch starting to slip under load, the shift light going haywire and fuel starvation in some of the tight corners stopping the car dead then springing back into life.

Despite all of the above, we did get to the end finishing third out of four in our class which all in all was a good first outing. As there were only four starters in our class, only two awards were given out, so no silverware on this occasion but it was a great feeling finishing the rally in a car that we built ourselves.

07-DSC_3381.JPG


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Now the car is back home, I’ve started to address the issues. I’m getting a welder to cut the metal flange in the wheel arch and weld it up to give me more clearance, I’m going to buy slightly stiffer springs (sorry Graeme / Andrew – its got to be done!) so I can get the ride height down, I’ve bought medium compound tyres for the front (when funds permit I’ll buy some for the rears too), I’ve bought a competition clutch which is to be fitted shortly and I’m going to trace the problem with the shift light and intercom. I suspect the last two will be down to poor connections somewhere.

Finally…. Johnny the co-driver will NOT be having bacon butties on the morning of the rally on future events! Water and anti-sickness tablets for him in future :grin:
 
Glad you managed to get to the end safely on your first event. At least they were all manageable issues that you had during the day. Noticed on one of your pictures that your exhaust clamps are with the nuts pointing down. I would have them facing the side slightly facing up if you can as the way thay are they could catch on something and do damage to the exhaust and other things. Love the way your car looks it's better than my wee shed lol.

Graeme
 
Use a hot air gun and scrapper to remove the dead rubber from your soft tyres :twisted: Keep the soft tyres for when its cold or wet. :cool:
 
mrbushrat said:
Glad you managed to get to the end safely on your first event. At least they were all manageable issues that you had during the day. Noticed on one of your pictures that your exhaust clamps are with the nuts pointing down. I would have them facing the side slightly facing up if you can as the way thay are they could catch on something and do damage to the exhaust and other things. Love the way your car looks it's better than my wee shed lol.

Graeme

Graeme , thanks for the observation, I'll sort that.

It doesn't matter how many stickers you put on a car it doesn't make it go any faster!
 
Ziggy said:
Use a hot air gun and scrapper to remove the dead rubber from your soft tyres :twisted: Keep the soft tyres for when its cold or wet. :cool:

Thanks for the top tip. A lot has already cleared off the tyres driving down the motorway. I sold my main car and had to go to a stag doo in Wales so I took the Puma. Looked a bit of a knob turning up in a rally car but I had no other option :cool:
 
Well done for finishing, Johnny! Good to get the seat time in the car. We had a fuel starvation issue too - I'll be looking into getting a baffled tank. I'm not going to be offended in you getting different springs, honest! But I would like to understand why you are changing them? Was the handling poor? The Proflex guys I got my springs and settings off said the car would look high but that is how it should be. I wouldn't mess with it if the handling is good.
 
Andrew Hebron said:
Well done for finishing, Johnny! Good to get the seat time in the car. We had a fuel starvation issue too - I'll be looking into getting a baffled tank. I'm not going to be offended in you getting different springs, honest! But I would like to understand why you are changing them? Was the handling poor? The Proflex guys I got my springs and settings off said the car would look high but that is how it should be. I wouldn't mess with it if the handling is good.

Let me know if you make any progress with the starvation issue. I was planning on running with more fuel next time to see if it improves. But then you end up carrying more weight :-(

I've had the inner metal flanges cut out of the arches now and welded up so hopefully I can lower the car a bit more now, I'm also going to get some additional bump stops to prevent the tyres catching the lip at full compression. So I will see how that goes before ordering stiffer springs.

I've got a new helix competition clutch fitted and fresh gearbox oil, so hopefully the clutch won't slip now and I'll be able to select 3rd gear.

Just a few electrical niggles to find and repair - shift light and intercom fault.
 
Very interesting thread - thanks. Your car looks very smart & professionally prepared, I'm not surprised that the scrutineer was impressed!
I've recently joined Puma land & have rallied many different cars in the past including a Group A Volvo 240! Stage rallying is beyond my budget for now so I'm concentrating on Targa Rallies, having tried a few sprints & hillclimbs this year, I found that they aren't very good value for money. Our first event is Chelmsford MC Wethersfield Targa on the 22nd Nov.
Regards, Darrell.
 
Thanks, I've spent some hours on it learning as go. Just need to get some time on stage.

It's encouraging that there are a few puma rally cars on the go, we just need more to take the plunge.

I guess the 240 is rear wheel drive? I bet that was fun!

I've done a few sprints and hill climbs, enjoyed them at the time but as you say they are expensive when you consider the time on track per $.

What's a Targa rally?
 

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