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Millenium Cleanup/rebuild Didn't start as a project.... Rate Topic: -----

#121 User is offline   happy-kat 

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Posted 07 December 2013 - 05:52 PM

I have osram indicators and then Phillips bulbs in the others but they did't blow anything, faulty bulb maybe?
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#122 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 07 December 2013 - 08:54 PM

Nothing blew, what I mean is the *cough* uprated bulbs and wiring are much brighter than standard, un-upgraded Nightbreakers.

Now have them properly fitted and tidied away, and I managed to do a comfortable 60 on unlit main roads.

Very, very pleased - such a massive difference, makes driving in winter much less stressy.

#123 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 07 December 2013 - 09:45 PM

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#124 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 18 December 2013 - 12:34 PM

Little tip - Halfords Extreme Glass Cutting Cleaner is damned amazing. Now have a nice clear screen without so much haloing and bloom from headlights/streetlights (this is after I cleaned the screen with normal glass cleaner, too).

Well worth it.

#125 User is offline   happy-kat 

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Posted 18 December 2013 - 09:32 PM

Good tip as I hate windscreen flare glare
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#126 User is offline   Rids 

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Posted 17 January 2014 - 03:25 PM

Good thread. Particularly interesting to me as I've just bought a Millenium that I'm looking to slowly refurb. Sounds like I'm pretty much where you were about a year ago. My name is Steven too. :-)

#127 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 08 February 2014 - 03:23 PM

And it's the correct spelling, too!

I think the main thing with the Puma is prioritising - things like suspension and bushes will make more of a difference to how it drives (which is 50% of the car), engine work (mounts, seals, etc) will keep it zipping to the revlimiter (which is 25% of the car) and a general t-cut and wax will keep it looking nice (which is subjective, but more important on the Milly - 25% of the car).

Start with the suspension and drivetrain basics (oil change, belts, clutch etc) and then worry about the rest (arches etc) later.

Put about £500 aside for the rear arches to have them done properly - my tuna is talking around £600 to replace the arches and fix all the little rust spots (bottom of the drivers door slam on the chassis, arch curves at the front, leading edge of the bonnet) with a sand and blow-over, which aught to improve the looks of it no end.

Anyway, it's MOT time, but I'm also looking for somewhere new to live, so my list of Definites:
MOT (natch - may have to 'adjust' the headlights ;) )
Assuming nothing nasty comes up then I'm looking at:
Rust - as above
Brakes - got 280s to go on, but don't have the kit to replace them myself in case of problems getting the old ones off etc
front lower arms and bushes
rear tyres will probably be needed too.

Possibly:
front shocks
Engine mounts - replace them all.

Desirable - rear boot release (note that at the start of the thread - still not fixed)
Window runners, rails and seals (all getting a bit tired, my mechanic is happier messing with the guts of the doors than I am)


There are a few other bits (aircon etc) but they are less important.

It'd be nice to just throw a grand at the car and not have to worry about most of it for a few years though, as I have no plans to sell it any time soon!

#128 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 22 February 2014 - 01:09 PM

Looks like I need to move house, so MOT is just MOT for now - annoyingly. Will likely get the big brakes put on too. May need rear tyres.

Bah, etc.

Will find out about the arches, see if I can budget for them.

Grumble grumble etc.

#129 User is offline   Kizza 

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Posted 22 February 2014 - 01:14 PM

what quotes have you had for the rear arches?

#130 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 01 March 2014 - 04:54 PM

In the region of £400-500 for both - I was quoted around £600 for getting the lower half of the car cut and cleaned at the same time (there are a few bits of rust in the usual spots - door slams, arch edges, leading edge of bonnet etc) which need looking at, but obviously have them all done and painted back up while the arches are done reduces the overall cost somewhat. This also from my good man Jonny May of Mays Garages, we have some mutual friends and we do the odd bit of backscatching for each other so it's sort of mates rates (although I don't like explcit mates rates as it implies owed favours etc, which I disapprove of when money is changing hands!).

If a bodyshop wants more than £600 for both of them, look elsewhere - it's not a small amount of work to be done, but it's not horribly complicated, either. Bear in mind that the paint colour and quality of the surrounding paint will make a difference - if it's faded to hell, they will likely want to machine polish it to get it back to the original colour to ensure a good match, and if the rest of the car is faded, you'll want the rest of the car cut back too to match - that could easily had £100 to the price.

I don't mind throwing that much at a car that cost that much in the first place though - I enjoy the car, and driving is a serious hobby of mine. Some people throw £500 at train sets, so who's to argue at the likes of us throwing a pony at a cut and paste job? :)

#131 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 01 March 2014 - 04:55 PM

Oh, and MOT fail - but only on the handbrake action - May is going to sort that on Wednesday, and throw my 280s on at the same time. I'm hoping to walk him around the rust as it stands and get an updated quote for reparations.

#132 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 07 March 2014 - 08:26 PM

Posted Image

BOOM, 280mm!

Anyway, MOT involved fixing the handbrake (it now bites nice and low, but I need new shoes soon) and fitting my 280mms, because fvck you, that's why. All in cost (including labour, fluid, MOTs, etc) - £185.

Pedal feel is pretty much the same for pootling - you give it a prod, and it gently sheds speed, the usual ford 'soft' (or as those of us who drive hard call it, progressive) pedal.

Take it up to NSL, and progressively increase pedal pressure.

Brush - nice and smooth deceleration, absolutely no snapping or snatching. Buttery smooth, like hard engine braking. Nice.

Prod - firm, but clear deceleration - nice.

Push - impressive speed shedding

Proper, hard stamp - er, blimey. Tried that last one four times, including from 100, er, kph...no fade. Very nice.

Toyo T1-Rs warmed up helped - some major stopping power. And no fading.

Imagine what it could do with EBC Greenstuffs....

Anyway, well pleased, and Jonny at Mays Garage is now perfectly happy with 280mm upgrades to ST brakes. www.maysgarage.co.uk for a little more of your puma needs Posted Image

Looking at about £400-500 for the arches from start to finish (IE cutting out, welding in, any detail filling required, prime, paint, feather to match, polish) for both sides by the way, with his new welding contact (proper professional, coded welder too, not just some numpty with a MIG) - this guy is doing the doors for Mays classic Buick, so if he trusts his welding skills, I trust him. If I do it all at once, I'm probably looking at about £700 to clear up all the rust, pitting, realign the drivers door, etc.

Will get that looked at this summer methinks.

#133 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 18 April 2014 - 03:57 PM

Well, things are on hold at the moment - having moved into a flat from a room, I've had to populate the flat with furniture, appliances etc, so I'm a bit short of scratch at the moment.

However, I do have offstreet parking, and an engineering shop around the corner, so I might be able to swallow some brave pills, get some spring compressors, and finally get around to polybushing the front end!

I can walk to work in under five minutes now, too, so the car is getting used less, so I can justify leaving it in bits for a few days at a time.

So things will likely be moving even slower now, but at least I can get my hands dirty. Landlord never mentioned anything about whether I can work on the car, but the neighbour (whom I share the drive with - it's pretty big!) has tapped his nose and said that he's blind to socket sets, jacks and whatnot and won't say owt Posted Image so I think I can afford to get my hands dirty. And it's a flat driveway, hurrah!

So less updates, but hopefully more done between updates, especially now as it's spring and the weather is improving.

#134 User is offline   happy-kat 

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Posted 18 April 2014 - 08:43 PM

a flat and with a flat drive way too and can walk to work sounds great.
These extended evenings are lovely after the wet winter.
Easy to keep clean and waxed :-)
searching is fruitful | I'm a sponge not a mechanic | please do try that if stuck with a Puma problem whilst waiting for a reply | For the Puma fan this read 'The Inside Story Book' is very nice to own sometimes still seen for sale

#135 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 30 May 2014 - 10:27 PM

You say that, the seagulls have other plans!

#136 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 20 June 2014 - 12:53 PM

Well, nothing really happened (yet again) what with sorting the flat out and all that. Car did a decent job of shuffling a few flat pack bits around, with some effort ;)

Sounds like my cheapy ebay backbox is blowing a bit, so might see if I can find something from Magnex/Piper/etc and get some real aural bite in the exhaust note - my recent dalliances with lift of oversteer (when you really push it, it just sweeps the back out so nicely....) are making me feel a bit more muppety, so loudish zorst (or maybe just drilling the existing one through and patching any holes) seems like a good idea.

I'm such a child :roflmao:/>

#137 User is offline   happy-kat 

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Posted 20 June 2014 - 01:00 PM

Lol just watch out for low hanging dustbins with a magnex, the original Puma design was neat then it ballooned.
searching is fruitful | I'm a sponge not a mechanic | please do try that if stuck with a Puma problem whilst waiting for a reply | For the Puma fan this read 'The Inside Story Book' is very nice to own sometimes still seen for sale

#138 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 22 October 2014 - 09:52 PM

Update - long time no action. Well, I say that.....

I've got a new job now with these lovely chaps which is in York. I'm in Scarborough. That means 80 miles a day, every day.

This has brought up some issues that with the cars light use haven't been an issue, but have turned into problems.

Rear brakes: These were not great before, but have now been reshoed (on the drive, with help from the paternal unit) but the handbrake is still feckless. I've got a new rear-section handbrake cable as it's almost always the rear cable that's the issue.

Starter motor - this conked out on me a few weekends ago - at 1am, on a Friday in McDonalds car park, about three miles outside of Scaborough. It was proper dead, not a fuse or flat battery. Paternal unit was surprisingly chilled about being called at 1am and asked to help diagnose and possibly tow me away. Except the towing eye in the car wasn't for a Puma. It's a lefthand thread, but it just wouldn't fit. Now have a proper ford one (about a tenner, ask yer dealer. No, not Big John, your FORD dealer). Even better, go out and check your tow eye fits NOW rather than at 1am.

Anyway, me dad and the manager of the MaccyDs helped me bump start the car and it ran perfectly - so off to The Infinitely Patient Jonny May who sourced and fitted a starter for me and had it fitted by 3pm Monday after I had got the car to him on Sunday (I was ruined after being up till 4am on Friday night/saturday morning so missed the chance to get it to him earlier). Sourced and fitted, with a Sunday drop off (his family day no less - I felt a bit bad about that) by 3pm Monday with a Bosch unit? That's well worth the £130 it cost IMHO as the starter is not *that* easy to access.

Then this morning, with me feeling crappy I took the day off. Fine. As I am now in the habit of checking the car every day in case something comes up, I noticed the alternator, which had previously been flickering at high revs, wasn't charging at all. Handily, having spotted the flickering, I'd sourced one from everyone's favourite puma breaker, Ian. So after I had stopped making offensive bowel movements, I jacked/standed the front end of the car, and swapped it. I've documented this below for an amateurs perspective.

Anyway, I've also now got Ford bushes for the lower arms, so JM is going to pop them into the arms soon. I also need four new tyres and while I was doing the alternator I realised I've not seen any paperwork for the aux belt - so I've got one of those too.

At some point in the next few weeks, I'm going to throw the car at JM, get him to put four boots on, the lower arms, the handbrake cable and the aux belt. The OEM front arms should preserve the alignment properly, and I'd really like to have a properly working handbrake at some point too. He reckons he can do that all in one day (he's suggested a saturday, the ever-accommodating chap that he is) the crazy mofo, but then if he wasn't working on my car he'd be working on his Buick, the Elan he has floating around, a VW T4 van, etc - so I'm not causing any bother.

Then it's save up time for the bodywork....eek. Still, with the new job this is at least feasible - I think....

Updates as and when. Oh, and the zorst is just heating up and expanding - it might be making gaps but I don't mind as it means it pops and crackles when hot, too. Every cloud and all that...!

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Doing the alternator - a hamfisted amateurs perspective

For this you will need a decent socket and spanner set with sockets between 8-15mm and a deep-wall 15mm might be useful. Ideally you'll have a short breaker/knuckle bar for torque/smacking with a heavy object, a random screwdriver or other pokey-tool for undoing clips, a pair of boggo needle nose pliers and something to lay on - a cheap halfords tarp is my arse-protector of choice.

I didn't get any pictures, but the procedure is - let the car cool properly, unhook the battery and whip off the alternator connectors - 10mm socket for the main positive connection (thick and red) is self evident and the two-wire connector comes off if you squeeze the wire on it with a blunt, thinnish object - I used an allen key.

Hook them aside out of the way. Jack and stand the car, get under it ahead of the drivers side wheel and drop the splash guard (you'll need the car pretty high to make access easier - don't mess about, get good jackstands - do NOT do this under an Aldi two ton trolley jack unless you've lived a life free of regret) - two 8mm bolts, easily found. Watch out for crap in yer eye, and they will be rusty so WD40/penetrating oil those bad boys up first. When it is free, you'll note there's a clip to hook a hose to the guard - undo this. There may also be a plastic 'squeeze tab' poking through (anyone who's taken the heatsink off a Socket 775 mobo knows what I'm taking about) so clip this with the pliers and push it through - the splash guard will come away. Or do what I did and try to use your fingernails, slip, and break the tab. oh well, eh?

Anyway, careful at this stage as the splash guard will make an excited bid for freedom and shower you with rust, dirt, etc - so watch yer eyes. Find the bolts that fell out and rolled into a pile of broken glass, etc - because God Hates You, or me at least - and put them somewhere safe with the splash guard. Somewhere you won't kick it and lose the bolts again...

Find a neighbour and ask them to lift the belt off the alternator when you make grunting noises - the grunting noises are you detenting the belt with a spanner. This is the rearmost pulley from behind the splashguard, and it wants a spanner on it - no choice. Twist it anticlockwise (IE pull towards you) and you'll see it detensions the belt. It's pretty tough so if you have a longish spanner and some gauntlets this'll help prevent blisters. He says, in hindsight. There is a lot of movement on this tensioner so get a feel for the weight of it, don't be afraid to really give it a tug, and check you can hold it off. Make sure you can hold it for a solid 30 secs without slipping etc in case your helper has any problems, you do NOT want to trap their fingers, as when it's tensioned it's very, very tight. Then ask your neighbour to keep themselves available for the next couple of hours, but not to wait outside, you'll knock for them. Assuming you didn't crush their fingers, etc.

Get back up, brush off the broken glass/spiders etc. Set the belt aside, but try not to drop it entirely - access is a bit tight for the whole belt, but if you have it off just a couple of pulleys that are accessible from the top, it should be fine. A cup of tea may be useful at this stage, but is not mandatory.

Right, tea down, back to work.

At this stage, there are three bolts - two are 15mm (main bolts), one 13 or 12 as I recall (secondary locating bolt). The one at the top is the one with tension on it, break it free with a bar rather than risking a ratchet on it.

The smaller one is to the right, and down a bit visibly hidden by the inlet manifold, but accessible with an extension bar. You'll notice access is tight unless you have an extension bar that is just the right length, but fear not as this bolt is not tight. Crack it loose and it'll probably come out by hand.

Same for the bottom bolt (another 15mm IIRC), but access is even more annoying. Get your gauntlets off to allow fine control, use that to get a ratchet on it, try using that deep-wall socket to reach it. Again, once this cracks off, it should come away pretty easily. It's further forward than you might think, too, but it's the only 15mm head there so you shouldn't accidentally unbolt the aircon or anything Posted Image

Get all of the bolts out, put them aside somewhere safe - ideally in their respective positions on the replacement alternator. You do have a replacement, don't you? No? Right, get those bolts back in and get everything hooked up again, then go get one. Assuming you *do* have a replacement, grab the old one and give it a shove. If it doesn't move, find something soft but heavy, and tap it a bit. It's FUBAR, don't worry too much, just try not to twat anything else around it. I found some penetrating oil on the top mount helped free it up. It's a heavy thing so do NOT let it fall loose if you can help it - just tease it back and forth till the bushes on the top mount start slipping off the block - then get it free.

Twist anticlockwise to get it out - the pipework from the header tank will get in the way and it's not as flexible as it looks, believe me. This is also why I suggested doing it with the car cold, those pipes get hot when running and stay hot for a long while. You now have one old, FUBAR alternator. If you're going to take it to an auto-spark to get it rebrushed and redioded (worth it, new replacements can be up to £100 and a rebrushed and redioded alternator is as a good as new, effectively, assuming the bearings are OK), put it carefully aside. If you're junking it, celebrate your new found manliness by hoofing it as far as you can. After the palaver it had caused me, I was tempted, but I fancy getting it refurbed as a spare, so mine is sitting here till the weekend.

Now sit the fook down and have a cuppa. Possibly a ciggy, if that way inclined. Anyway, chill thyself - as the worst is yet to come.

Installation of the replacement alternator is genuinely a reverse of removal - however, getting that bush in the 'top mount' in the right position to slide the bolt through is an unholy pain in the arse, so be carefully forceful and methodical and expect it to be tricky. Once you get it on, get the bolt in and through, but not tight. You can now rotate it around that axis to position the lower bolt correctly. This isn't as bad, but use lubrication to smooth it up if required. Watch your fingers, remember, this thing is heavy.

When you have the two 15mm bolts back in and hand tight, put in the smaller one. Get them all hand tight, then bar tight, then crack them over a quarter turn more, or two or whatever ford say (50nm for the bigguns, 25 for the littleun). If you can get a torque wrench in for anything other than the top ones congratulations, you must have remove the engine from the car. Otherwise use common sense - they need to be secure, especially the top one as it's bushed for tension I expect.

Get your neighbour again, and explain to him that when they comes to put the belt on, that they needs to visually confirm that the belt is aligned correctly - if the belt is off by a 'tooth', it might damage it and then you can't do shit. So make sure they are clear on this, as they will be doing this while you're under the car. You can check the aircon pulley (if applicable) from below but you can't really see the rest from below. Detent the belt, get it back on, and visually confirm all is well.

Thank your neighbour, and have another cup of tea, and invite them too - you've both earned it.

At this stage, you'll want to make sure your hard work has paid off - reconnect your wiring (push clip and 10mm nut) cleaning up the positive terminal if required. Reconnect the battery, say a little prayer to Richard Parry Jones, to whom you owe your car, and fire up the Beast Within.

If it doesn't start - check your voltages and connections, etc. But it should. Listen for any strange noises, immediately verify the belt is turning cleanly and isn't snagging. The engine will rev up and down a bit as the raised wheel freewheels a bit from being in neutral, this is normal I suspect, so flaring revs (it thinks it's doing 15mph and so will try to anti-stall) are OK. Watch you don't catch yourself on the wheel.

Check the voltage - if you're used to seeing 14.3+ on the voltmeter, don't be shocked if it's 13.8 or a bit lower - the battery may have gone a bit flat and so won't be showing the normal output. If it's anything other than 13.5+ V, you have a problem and need to start diagnosing from the top, the same way you did to diagnose a dead alternator. If all is OK, though, kill the engine quickly (to prevent heat buildup), let the car settle again, and then crawl under and pop the splash guard back on, not forgetting to put that hose clip back in place. The bolts can take a fair bit of turning but should 'pin' the guard in place, so don't be shy.

At this stage, lower the car, and let it idle for about twenty minutes keeping tabs for any odd noises as heat soaks through the engine bay. Make sure the alternator isn't wobbling, moving etc. If not, check the voltage (it should be more acceptable now) and check basic ancillaries - lights and wipers - don't kill the engine. If not, take the car for a run for 20 odd miles. Give it a good range of revs from pootling to redline chasing, watch that battery light.

Assuming all is OK, get home, let the car idle, then fully load the electrics - heated front/rear screen, fans on max, wipers on max, full beam headlamps (if safe to do so) and then lower or raise both windows at the same time - this is the most load the electrical system will ever normally get.

If it just chunters a little and gets on with it - congratulations, you've just fixed yer car.

I think that calls for a cuppa, eh?
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This post has been edited by StevenRaith: 22 October 2014 - 09:53 PM


#139 User is offline   StevenRaith 

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Posted 13 November 2014 - 11:15 PM

Four Nokian WR A3s ordered. Shade over £200 from TyreLeader in 195/50/15

LOOK AT MY SIPES!

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#140 User is offline   happy-kat 

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Posted 14 November 2014 - 09:54 AM

Wow you have been busy :-)
Here's to a winter of reliable running in your yellow cat and a nice and tight car once the other planned bits are done.
Sorry don't know what SIPES is.
searching is fruitful | I'm a sponge not a mechanic | please do try that if stuck with a Puma problem whilst waiting for a reply | For the Puma fan this read 'The Inside Story Book' is very nice to own sometimes still seen for sale

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