[ssulti]

Fall and winter is closing in fast, even now it's still 20'c outside. So, it's time to start gather parts and doing plans what to do and how.

At least there is;
- outer cv-joints, needs replacing. Parts waiting at the garage.
- suspension, at least check if it is ok, or not. If not, new set to be source from somewhere and installation
- full interior (except dash) remova and cleaning and fixing. And installation back to where it belongs (or leaving some of it out)
- spare wheel and tray removal.
- some minor fixing all around the bodywork
- parking sensor adjustments - currently too sensitive for bumps on the ground.

Blog is in the new location, due need to preserve my home-ADSL link bandwidth. New location is http://www.elisanet.fi/siuruainen/project_puma/

Posting info and photo to that site and also some words and pictures to PP - of course.


Ready for the next winter buildup...

[happy-kat]

That time already eek!
I have not finished my summer project

[ssulti]

Spent few hours in the garage. Stripped interior on rear end. Still leaving front seats and front door cards on.

Findings:
- Driver side (LHD) rear shock topmount is about to die soon. Rubber thing was slipped partly over the metal part.
- Rear seat needs couple of plastic parts to hold it in place
- Driver side tailgate pump was dead, I could move it like bicycle tyre-pump... needing new.
- Front lower grill is split to half by some "handyman" installing engine heater plug...

Pictures to follow. Tomorrow work will continue. Long vacation is good. (2 months paid vacation...)

Website and blog is updated, more and detailed at this time there.

[expatscot]

That time already eek!
I have not finished my summer project

Tell me about it... I meant to tend/treat and sort my little cosmetic rust patches before they became more structural. But havent managed yet.... may have to rush it and get it done in some remaining good, dry days.

Or take the ££ hit and let the professionals do it in a painting bay etc.

[ssulti]

I have been done small things and check several other things.

Got driver side seat fixed (temporary, but fixed). The inner rail was worn out and let the seat bent back on inner side, leaving backrest in bad feeling position. Two 3mm washers under the rail and now the seat feels bit better. Probably needing new seat and rails on some time soon. Not speaking cheap parts, bare metal structure for the electric seat and rails will cost over 1200 euros (!!!! ). That's a big load of cash for the metal structure...

Still to go under the bonnet and remove resonator box and other unnecessary things from air cleaner.

Nothing big or fatal has been found during this inspection work. I probably will apply second coat of the black protecting spray underneath to protect the metal against elements.

[ssulti]

Seems that there will be again an rust hunt session ahead... Just when I thought that it would be over for a while... passenger side has an small rust bubble on near rear arch. Applied some rust-eater to it and starting soon to disassemble last bits of the rear end interior parts. Need to clean rear arches again and crawl in to look what is going on there. Looks like the rust has come from inside, but hoping that it's just a paint damage + small bubble...

[happy-kat]

There is a Wiki on this rust from inside on the arches

[ssulti]

Tailgate lift-pump was changed today, now this Puma will shoot the tailgate up to the blue with no help from driver.... but... It’s damn hard to get closed. I’m not lightest driver and even I have to almost hang on it to get it closed. I left one original pump in, it had power to keep the tailgate up, but not lift it. I cannot imagine how hard it would to be close tailgate if I have replaced both pumps... Cost 20 euros at local car part dealer (Motonet.fi). Used code for Fiesta 1999~2000. As known, it's bit longer than original, but I have original almost-dead on other side to act as an stopper.

Front lower grill will be made from black aluminum mesh. Just got one big sheet of it from local shop (Motonet.fi) for this part of the project. 150x50cm sheet, going to be quite much left overs.

Probably I spend some hours in garage at saturday. At least I'll start cutting new lower grill. But probably I'll take also a quick look inside the arches to check if rust is coming from inside on passenger side.

[YOG]

This is what you may find inside the rear arches:
http://www.pumapeople.com/forum/index.php?...ticle&id=75

That inside looks different to my Thunder (built Dec 2001). I've got the panels off and will take pics, probably tomorrow and start a thread on my rust treatment. My rear arches (inside the car) seem to be treated with bands/strips of a waxy substance - maybe Ford treated the last Puma's better!

This post has been edited by YOG: 17 September 2009 - 07:27 PM

[ssulti]

Spent few hours at the garage again. Got both grills done, lower is entirely made from black aluminum mesh, upper is original wrapped with same mesh.

Also reattached the driver side black strip on the roof. It has come of partly, so I stripped it out, cleaned and reattached with heavy duty double-sided tape. Should stick now for a while.


This is the result

[ssulti]

After a break on project (had to build dogs house) work is starting again. Just planning and ordering things.

Ordered from Ford:
- both strips to door (F1068402 & F1068404) - 22.90e each
- rear seat (bottom) locks (613A46) - 1.30e each
- new black strip to roof on driver side (50462 - left) - 44e

Also ICE is going to be ordered soon with:
- Focal Solid 4 (4 chan amp)
- Peerless 2" (830970) wide range speakers (150 to 22000Hz)
- Peerless 5.25" mid-bass (or like)
- Vibroplast M1 + Splen 3008

Waiting to be installed:
- outer CV joints (as soon as possible)

This is how I'll go on this project. Maybe later shocks with original ride height, because I'll trash the underside of the Puma with my garage doorway if I lower it.

Also some real work has been done. Removed some aluminum sheet (part of heat shield?) from enginebay. It was rattling there, jammed between oil pan and some steering parts. This cured two things: 1) rattle and 2) jumping when hitting pedal to the metal. Also built interior back, except rear seat which awaits some small bits and pieces to be installed.

Now tailgate also works as Ford planned it : http://www.elisanet....en/puma_pop.mp4 (mpeg4 video) - I'm happy now.

Pictures and short description of the rattling (click).

Current state of the rear seats:

[happy-kat]

It seems like you only drove it for a month before starting your projects again, or is it still being driven this time between jobs?

[ssulti]

Stripped it a parts, did rust checking and other things and run to fact that I got too much (family... trip... building things from wood...) to do and forced to let it be last 1 month. Now continuing again. Still same project/winter-tweaking/fixing.

It has been in use while rear interior was stripped out. Luckily I needed only two-seater during that time. And it will be on use during these modifications/fixings.

(had to strip out all smileys from this posting to get it thru... "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this board")

[ssulti]

As usual, plans tend to change, it happened again to me. Decided to change active-2way-front and separate amp to 2-way kit from Sony, without amp this time, maybe later. Got today those speakers, Sony Xplod XS-HT130SN. Looks good and has separate tweeter element.

Spent a moment to strip down both doors. What a adventure to the history it was. In means of bad and good.

Driver side door has been (probably?) changed at some time past, because the wire harness has been cut and joint with tube-things... Looks odd. Even odder looks the sound proofing "paper", or should I say, what is left of it now. Had to use heavy and hard brute-force to get it out. Previous owner or fixer has GLUED it to door with some sort of silicone glue, duct tape and some clear packaging tape. Had "good" time to strip it out. Driver side speaker was standard 20W thing. No rust there, god thanks.

Passenger side door... ok, I knew that there will be some things to consider it "odd". Passenger side panel was attached with non-standard bolts and one extra screw, that suggest some odd things to be found. Back of the panel had some strange clips keeping it on the door. But the sound proofing "paper" was lose and cut from there and here. It just dropped of when panel was out. No hard work on this side. Wiring seems to be original without any funny extras. And door is clean from rust from inside. God thanks.

Next thing is to drill, fill and sand - to get tweeters on place...

As usual, pictures on the project site. I'll post some here after spending some good time on sauna...

[ssulti]

Short visit to garage (today was father's day) and wash winter tyres to be ready for tomorrow install. Found out that I'll need new alloy or entire set. One of the winter wheels was bent and outside was looking awful - scratched badly. After installing those tomorrow, I'll be forced to go to the tyre shop and order a rebalancing of tyres. Hopefully those wheels aren't too badly damaged to be used for this winter... Then I have entire winter to get new set for summer tyres and put good ones (pick from all eight) to winter tyres.

Tomorrow is time to install wheel arch inner "arch" back to rear arches, been out since I did the rust hunt. Bad idea to run on winter without those. Will fill rear bumper with snow. Also do a quick check for the arches, to ensure that there is no problems showing up.

Small steps, but going on. The Ford dealer LOST all bits and parts I have ordered... They sent them to their Helsinki office even I ordered them to Tampere. Two weeks after order I got info that those parts are available on Helsinki (+200km drive, no thanks), called and asked why - they promised to search the parts and send them to Tampere. After week waiting, nothing was happened. I p**sed of and called again, that time they promised parts to be on Tampere "in 1 to 2 days". After 2 weeks, nothing, this time they even claimed that there is no such parts on their inventory... Ok... no hurry... I just need bits to secure rear seat again and replace few strips on outside of the car... (doors weather strips, and one from the roof running from front to rear window)

So waiting and doing small things. And getting angry to local Ford dealer...

[happy-kat]

Crikey they are making a right meal of your order
I feel I must be inspired to carry on with mine, but having a break right now.
What a find in your door, right 'heath robinson'

[ssulti]

happy-kat, on 08 November 2009 - 09:03 PM, said:

What a find in your door, right 'heath robinson'

Sorry, forgot to add pictures... been too busy with almost everything else lately. Some 18h workdays and so on...

Taped door... nice...




Drivers door, some sticky glue:


Some "well" done wiring on driver door:





Some pictures from minor audio update project

Speakers, old vs new front:


Speakers, old vs new back:


Final wiring on driver side door:



Final door:

This post has been edited by ssulti: 08 November 2009 - 09:19 PM

[happy-kat]

Did you apply anti rust wax on the inside of your doors?
That wiring was amazingly bad, what a find.

[ssulti]

Anti-rust wax: Not yet, remembered it when all was built back. Still have to open both doors again, putting filler/raiser ring to speakers, they didn't sit well and there is gap between door frame and speaker - letting air run from back of the speaker to front of it... bad. This is good point to put wax/oil in.

That driver door wiring was something what I wasn't expecting. Awful looking thing. Passenger door was wired factory way. This Puma have been given me some wtf-moments, and I know it still will.

Tomorrow is good day to do lot of things, I'm having day-off due extra hours done past weeks and kids are in daycare -> garage...


panic!
Winter tyres MUST go under at monday; just watching weather-dude saying "probably southern finland will get 20cm of snowfall on tuesday"...

[ssulti]

happy-kat, on 08 November 2009 - 09:03 PM, said:

Crikey they are making a right meal of your order

Ok, ordered parts has arrived to Tampere, at last... 1.5 months. How they did it, from Sweden (Stockholm) to Finland (Tampere), I really wanna know...
It still gonna take couple of weeks before I have time to go and grab those parts from desk. Bouncing around Tampere area, but not entering to Tampere in time to go and grab parts. And partly due that I have been last 4 weeks on flu (no, not h1n1 as far as I know).

Snow has fallen down, not 20cm as feared, but few good cm's. Winter tyres under and waiting to be checked on local tyre-shop.