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

ProjectPuma

Help Support ProjectPuma:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
250420173316_zps0yuncd07 by barry wilson, on Flickr

This is the reason I wanted to heat wrap the exhaust manifold as it's slowly cooking the plastic cover around the lower steering column. So I took the manifold off using the old manhole in the drive method, pictures later. I'd also decided to re-do the cat but using a brand new cat which I ordered up but has not yet arrived.

250420173313_zpswz4fokmk by barry wilson, on Flickr

A collection of the bits including the swagged exhaust stubs.

250420173314_zpshvxetdn3 by barry wilson, on Flickr

As it happens I didn't have enough heat wrap to do the full system as well as it not really being necessary. Everything was fastened up with S/S ties.

051120141609_zps41b286b7 by barry wilson, on Flickr

This is how I take off and put on the exhaust manifold. If not for this manhole I would have to get the car much, much higher to get the manifold on and off which would make it really hard to pull the manifold back into place on the engine

250420173316_zps0yuncd07 by barry wilson, on Flickr

250420173315_zpsbrbzzyda by barry wilson, on Flickr

The string is just used to lower and lift back up the manifold. The gearbox stabiliser also has to be disconnected so the engine can be rocked forward to give enough clearance to push through the manifold.

I'd just finished around 1pm and it was freezing cold and then this happened;

250420173317_zpspqeoqdtu by barry wilson, on Flickr

And then this arrived;

250420173318_zpsxjcumsq6 by barry wilson, on Flickr

It's supposed to be 57mm dia but even though the the 57mm exhaust stubs have been swagged it's the same size as the stubs, luckily I have some 57 mm S/S pipe in the garage so Ican put that inside the cat and stubs and weld it up that way.
https://profusionexhausts.com/catalytic-converters/sport-catalytic-converter/2-25-57mm-magnaflow-universal-high-flow-sports-catalytic-converters-200-cell-59955.html
This is the cat I ended up getting at a total cost of £77.99 delivered so not too bad.
 
Over the last couple of days the weather improved up here so I've been cracking on with the rest of the exhaust. Because the swagged stubs clashed with the size of the cat I decided to do away with the flange to the rear of the cat and just weld it to the pipe. So first thing, remove the flange,

270420173319_zpstby1x6hj by barry wilson, on Flickr

After a couple of hours I ended up with this

280420173320_zpscl4k9fdn by barry wilson, on Flickr

I'd found some 57mm pipe in the garage and used it to hold the flange stub against the cat and then assembled and tack welded the whole thing under the car, then I welded solidly around the stub/cat joint at max power to make a good solid weld. Trouble is it can't be ground off as any vibration shakes the catalyst chemicals off the netting inside.

290420173321_zpsnywigemy by barry wilson, on Flickr

Just as a check I put the pipe back on the car to check it hadn't distorted and it hadn't so I took it off again and put a double row of S/S weld on the joint at the rear of the cat.

290420173322_zpsngwuez2h by barry wilson, on Flickr

Then it was just a case of bolting it all back on the car and re-fixing up the lambda wires and then starting it.
It started first turn of the key...on 3 cylinders!!!
So I plugged it into Forscan and it came up with po351 which indicated a possible coil problem on cyl 1. I was starting to get a bit worried about it but took off the plastic engine cover to have a look and check all the HT leads. They all looked in good condition with absolutely no oil around the plugs but even though the caps were tight the number 1 cyl one clicked and moved down a little so I tried to start the car and it fired up straight away :grin:
The exhaust still smelled a little of fuel and it was tick over was not 100% but after I'd been for a 15 minute drive all now seems good.

290420173325_zpse69ckcqg by barry wilson, on Flickr

The new Cat on the car
 
Well done, Barry, as always top job! I hope that now your car is ok and you won't have any issues with it anymore.

On the other hand, I really do need to get myself a welder and start practicing........
 
Cheers Guys, I went to a show at Thoresby today in the Puma and it seemed ok but it's only the lack of a flexi joint that has me worried now. I'll have to see if anything breaks without it.
Next jobs are to put on the front wishbones I got off Ben and order up some new higher profile tyres to try and improve the ride quality.
PS Sinisa yes get yourself a welder :grin:
 
Well no work done on the Puma this week as I decided to do a job which I've been putting off for 3 or 4 years, knocking down and carting to the tip my old shed and it's spoiled contents. I'm getting desperate for more storage space now as I have stuff everywhere and can hardly get into my garage let alone work on cars or bikes in there. So I plan to build a really big shed out of steel box section and galvanised sheeting which has now become even more necessary.....
For about a year now I've kept an eye on a Puma Thunder 3 doors down from my Mothers house but last night I decided to do a VOSA MOT check on it so I took the reg no and checked it out later on the VOSA site. The site revealed that it had failed it's MOT on 27th April so I thought I'd better go door knocking before it went for scrap. Anyway I had my Mother here for lunch today and thought I'd call in at the Puma household whilst taking her home. As I got there the guy was outside working in the garden so I had a quick word and I became the owner for £100 and it was still tested so he drove it over to my place for no charge.

060520173352_zpsihnmx57z by barry wilson, on Flickr

I had a quick look around after I'd driven him home and the engine 85K is as sweet as a nut apart from a slight cam belt tensioner tap and a rocker cover gasket leak/torrent. No warning lights, un-kerbed alloys, decent tyres, no dents/damage to the panels I want and a good leather interior with no rips. Even the bonnet switch is good (I need one of these)
The bad points are it's rusty in all the bad places so my Son Andrew is not having this one as there's far too much rust for me to get the welder out.

060520173353_zpsbpprronr by barry wilson, on Flickr
 
Hi Paul
Yeah it's for sale,seats and doorcards, how much is it worth? Come and have a look first if you want.
Barry
 
That's a bargain Barry, take it the rust is making it past redemption? Your neighbours are gonna love you having another dead Puma on the drive :p
 
With your welding skills, I would start pileing up some metal and welding wire and just go for it.. Another 2years project and Andrew will love you even more :wink:

Shame to let so nice car go to waste
 
Wild E. Coyote said:
[post]362686[/post] With your welding skills, I would start pileing up some metal and welding wire and just go for it.. Another 2years project and Andrew will love you even more :wink:

Shame to let so nice car go to waste

And it's an 02 so one of the last. Save it Barry! :wink:
 
Hi Guys
Thanks for the positive comments but it's too far gone for me to spend more time on now and just ideal as a donor car to keep mine running for another 20 years. I just need to build super shed now :)
 
I might have a home for the inner wings Barry of it gets to that stage with it... Sorry! :roll:
 
Hi Dan
I'm not promising anything this time as the guy who took the last one away made nothing on the deal at the scrappys as the car weighed less than 300kg plus taking off the inner wings in a re-weldable state is a mammoth task. Is there a specific bit of them you need?
 
Barry that's absolutely fine. Don't do anything that's going to cause a hassle on my say so! I don't actually want much of the inner arches. Mine have been cut and moulded very badly to accept larger wheels so was looking for as much of the lower sections of the inner wings over the wheel opening to craft a new section back in to tidy it up.

It's no issue if you can't or even can't be bothered, please just say.. I'm trying my luck!!

Thanks
 
Hi Dan
Panic over, I thought you wanted the whole inner wing!
Can you send me a piccie of the area that you want and if it's do-able I will have a go but the strut towers will have to stay in place as it's going as a rolling shell when it goes. On the other hand if you want to come and fetch it it's yours for free as long as I can have a few bits back at next years Fordfair (if you're going).
 

Latest posts

Back
Top