My Puma 1.7, more than a year on (A works in progress)

Hi Dan
I assume the first part of your wish list is on this photo here where I found the only rot on the front end of my scrapper.

170220173156_zpsmjrlngwh by barry wilson, on Flickr


I also assume it's missing from yours with your engine config so if you can give me some dims I can cut it out for you and you can repair it off the car. The handbrake holder plate should be ok just again give me some dims and I can cut it out. As for the jacking panels, not sure what you mean, but if you mean the panel through which you can see the underneath of the chassis no they are still available new from Ford and shouldn't be used for jacking.
Are you going to Fordfair because they are free to you with free delivery or if you want you can come up here and take the lot for nowt if you want.
Barry
PS I mean the whole car

Hi Barry,

That is indeed the bulkhead panel i'm after.. believe it or not even with mine configured the way it is the bulkhead panel remains completely intact. The issue I have is for whatever reason someone has attacked it with a hammer and flattened it beyond belief. So I think the easiest way to repair this and the lip above is to graft in a new panel neatly.

Will get you dimensions of both the handbrake and bulkhead panels. Unfortunately I don't have a trailer I can easily lay my hands on and I missed the trailer licence cut off by a year or so (now you have to take a test to be able to tow). But yes Ford Fair is definitely on the cards again so that would be perfect, I will bring some cutting discs to replace your burnt out ones!

Yes think we are on the same page with the 'jacking points', sills and those panels are a no no with a jack.. shame the people who have worked on the car didn't know this.. and even the floor pan itself!! More bodywork to correct at some point. We can still get those hollow framed panels from ford still, even today? Only ask as we are now some 15 years after last production.

Thanks Barry k:

Hi Dan
For the new panels contact James (XAF) as he has the finis codes for these left and right and if you've got a decent parts guy at your local dealer he should be able to get those for you from Germany I think. There is a photo of one of the panels on this thread somewhere if you want to look back as I bought one side for when I eventually see to the rust on my VIN no.
Also just to clarify the bulkhead panel I will cut out for you is rotted just below the lip but at least it's the right shape for you to do a repair off the car which should be relatively easy.

I'll have a look back through and double check the panels. Sounds about right though. That's fine as long as the rust isn't horrendous then a small repair is fine, I would imagine most by now would be a little rusty! I'm thinking I may take the majority of the bulkhead panel as it may give me a chance to mock a few things up prior to grafting into the car.

McCloud 85 said:

[post]360794[/post] I'll have a look back through and double check the panels. Sounds about right though. That's fine as long as the rust isn't horrendous then a small repair is fine, I would imagine most by now would be a little rusty! I'm thinking I may take the majority of the bulkhead panel as it may give me a chance to mock a few things up prior to grafting into the car.

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Hi Dan, are these the bits you need?

Yes! I've just spent an hour or so going through this thread (some great work Barry!) and saw the photo of one. But yes both mine are crushed and it's obviously going to be easier to replace both once I've panel beaten the floor pan back into shape.

Do you have the codes by any chance?

McCloud 85 said:

[post]360796[/post] Yes! I've just spent an hour or so going through this thread (some great work Barry!) and saw the photo of one. But yes both mine are crushed and it's obviously going to be easier to replace both once I've panel beaten the floor pan back into shape.

Do you have the codes by any chance?

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Sure! It's 1012780 and 1012781. £25-30 per side from memory. My FRP was the same hence why I replaced them. Well, I say "I", it was more the body shop and it was a pig by all accounts!

Perfect James thank you very much. Oh great I'll look forward to that job then :lol:

The welding's easy just drill out the floor from above and plug weld it's getting the old panel off that will be fun.

Did you use a spot weld removal drill bit or just a normal HSS bit? I've always used standard HSS bits to drill out spot welds but recently used a friends spot weld removal drill bit and it was pretty dam effective.

Hi Dan
TBH I've never used either as I thought it would just muller the bits so I just attack the spots with my grinder or dremmel with the diamond tipped bits. I have thought of buying one of those spot weld bits but the spot welds I come across always are bigger than the circles you see and the drill bit doesn't look big enough.

It's MOT time again so on the list of jobs I had to do was fix the horn as it sounded like an asthmatic donkey so taking out the headlight seemed the easiest way in (as I have no airbox) Took off the horn and bracket put an earth on it as it's only a live feed to the horn, took off the silicone sealant on the adjuster screw (the blob on the photo above the holding bolt) and then kept adjusting it an eighth of a turn in and then out till it sounded ok again.

090320173174_zps5vpnd1tv by barry wilson, on Flickr

Next job was to de-rust the rear brakes (I did the fronts last week)
Before.

090320173176_zpsduj3ucak by barry wilson, on Flickr

After.

090320173177_zpswquawqfx by barry wilson, on Flickr

I'd just about finished the car ready for the MOT and my son arrived wanting a hand to put some headlight bulbs in his KA (what a faff!) which ended up being 2 headlight bulbs and two broken front springs so the rest of the afternoon ended up stripping the suspension on his car ready for new springs tomorrow. With a bit of luck I'll finish his car tomorrow and get the Puma tested in the afternoon

Need we ask if it passed mate?

If THAT puma didn't pass, there would be very few cars left on streets (given the apparent criteria that need to be met) IMHO

Thanks for that Sinisa, that's very kind of you. Well I failed to take the car for it's MOT today as I spent half the afternoon putting the new springs on Andrews car but at least the pair of springs were less than £18 so that was a result.
Oops Rob sos I missed that you had posted

Well the good news is it passed today with only one advisory for an offside front wishbone but that's not a problem as I have the two new ones ready to go on (Thanks Ben).

130320173178_zpsroawhsgd by barry wilson, on Flickr

Moving out of my drive the suspension/steering sounded terrible but soon settled down (new coilovers on the front) and I can report on the brief journey that the coilovers on the front actually work as opposed to the lowering springs which just went coilbound. I don't have to swerve to avoid potholes or low manholes anymore which is a blessed relief. I will just have to monitor the front tyres now to make sure the inner wing flanges aren't scraping on the tyres. The coilovers also feel a little bouncy but they are on their softest setting so when I get some miles on it I'll be able to stiffen it up if needed.
I also have a few little jobs to do on it over the next couple of weeks. The rubber "hat" I put on over the bonnet switch has disappeared so I have the door open symbol illuminated on the dash, I need to wire in a live supply to the drivers Recaro and the headlamps need polishing and clearcoating (if it can be done).
Oh, nearly forgot, my brakes were not too good on the way to the MOT station so I kept applying them every 50m or so. They were better when I got there but I think I need to take the pads out and give them a rub on my doorstep to get rid of any rust particles that are on the pads face.

Good news mate, not that there was much doubt, indeed, I feel slightly affronted on your behalf by the advisory :grin:

Cheers Greg, I think that advisory might have been advised before so it's ok, really

Good news indeed Barry, though I would have been shocked if it failed...

Any plans to fit coilovers on the rear?
If you can drive over man hole covers with them I reckon ill have to start saving my pocket money :wink:

Hi Barry, good job with the mot, how are the recaro's, have you noticed a big difference when driving. The reason I'm asking is, I've got the std leather seats, but I think the recaro's look alot better.
I think I may start looking for a set., .. good to see the progress, keep up the outstanding work.