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Ultimate Frp? - No.70 FRP goes racing Rate Topic: -----

#1 User is offline   RESTELL 

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Posted 12 February 2012 - 11:05 PM

Hi all


Well this is the story of a new project ive recently started. Only last week I sold one of the best cars ive ever owned (FRP 441) to help fund a new venture which I'm really excited about.

In recent years I've been lucky enough to take a Racing Puma out on a few trackdays, and even to themighty Nurburgring, and realise just how good these little cars are, they have so much grip, don't get tired and just keep giving.

I always thought they still had more to give, could be even better if someone was brave enough to try, and one day i was in the right place at the right time and managed to secure another FRP to play with.

Last year I contacted a guy who was selling FRP 70, or P1 FRP as some of you may know it. The guy was at the end of his tether trying to get the car fixed after it had suffered a snapped cambelt. I step in with a small bundle of cash and away I go with a new toy!

Here it is as I found it:

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and on the way home!

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so for a short period of time I was lucky enough to own two FRPs!

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Various stories came from the garage i brought it from, of titanium valves having been fitted, but not being able to get the right tappets (even though the engine was built up!!), but as it turns out they simple got a spare cylinder head, swapped the cams over and tried to rebuild the engine. Where they went wrong was by firstly not firing the belt tensioner properly (loose belt) and secondly not using the right timing tool.

So FRP 70 is a good base for a project. The car has been loved in the past, with a large folder full of receipts, its been resprayed by Pumabuild at some point and was a cherished example up until about 5 years ago, when it became a daily hack and was a bit neglected, until it eventually died.

Close inspection of the engine also shows the bottom end was knackered, its been run dry of oil (either as a result of the garage running it with no oil in it, or it was prior damage) so the engine was caput. It lasted over 100,000 miles so that's not bad going.

So, we need to broach the subject of modifying an FRP. There is a school of thought out there they we shouldn't change or modify these superb cars because only 500 were built, and only 350ish still exist. That is a very good reason not to mess with them, and one I agree with on the whole. My previous FRP (441) was on its way to becoming a prime example of a superb, original, FRP and I would never have messed it up.However, where FRP70 is concerned, it was a mess when I got it, it would have been either patched up (badly), and run into the ground, or broken for parts and vanished forever. Therefore I don't feel bad about 'messing' with this one. It will become a fantastic car, will be for filling its potential, and most importantly, still be around for many years to come!

Glad that's out the way! Now onto the good stuff!

Here's a short list of jobs to do:

Sort the engine – Port the cylinder head – fit Fiesta ST clutch – Strip interior completely – fit rollcage – replace all worn bushes in suspension – fit decent coilovers – renew /replace anything that's worn out – remove windows and fit polycarb ones – full race seats and harnesses – GO RACING!

So, since getting the car home, the engine has been removed, a new one with 48k miles has been sourced and a full engine rebuild/refresh is taking place.

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A full weld inCustomCages roll cage has been ordered and is in the process of being fitted

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the fitting will take a couple of weeks, then the engine will be back in and the rest of the project will continue

the aim for this year is to take the car to the Nurburgring at the end of may, so I don't have long to get all this sorted!

I will keep this thread up to date with all the progress and let you know how I get on.

Cheers

Ross

This post has been edited by RESTELL: 12 February 2012 - 11:10 PM


#2 User is offline   Ian G 

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Posted 12 February 2012 - 11:51 PM

Brave man taking a rare car racing :)

Looking forward to seeing the updates, one thing is for sure with that lovely garage you won't worry about bad weather outside :roflmao:

#3 User is offline   melinamotor 

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Posted 13 February 2012 - 12:44 AM

Excellent, looking forward to seeing this one develop. Good work so far.
Ex Melina 1.7,ex FRP441,ex Silver 1.7
Currently.
BMW M3. www.tremonagarage.com

#4 User is offline   volcomstone411 

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Posted 13 February 2012 - 09:14 AM

have fun with that cage lol. I had to cut every bar to get it in. They may of improved them though.
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#5 User is offline   Badger 

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Posted 13 February 2012 - 11:49 AM

Did this belong to a guy in Chatham??

Brave move mate, good on you!

#6 User is offline   ally frp364 

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Posted 13 February 2012 - 02:36 PM

Would love to do this to my FRP but am scared..........

Ally

#7 User is offline   RESTELL 

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Posted 19 February 2012 - 05:36 PM

UPDATE 19-02-12
Afternoon all, its been a productive weekend. the dash is out, and the cage is in place. only held in with tape and zip ties at the moment, but good news is it all seems to fit pretty well.

it will be welding in properly over the next couple of weeks, but these pics give an idea of how it will look.

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more next week!

cheers

ross





#8 User is offline   happy-kat 

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Posted 19 February 2012 - 07:05 PM

Can I ask please, seeing as everything is stripped out how is the rust situation on this one down inside the rear arch well on the interior side?
This car looks to be in a good starting condition unless it is fresh paint still holding out.
Will you be joining Toby and Lisa in Tin Tops?

To Ian's comment, I suppose any of us who take their FRPs out on track are taking a brave risk, but I do not like to think of that but I suppose less contact risk then actually racing :)

Look forward to more updates Ross :D
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

#9 User is offline   RESTELL 

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Posted 05 March 2012 - 07:25 PM

05-03-12 UPDATE

Hi All

Well its been a busy weekend. P1 FRP is now really coming on and starting to take shape. Ive spent most of the weekend in the workshop with my dad and his mate welding in my roll cage. its looking awesome. But before we get to that some other news is that I've now got myself some awesome new seats. Im lucky enough to work for Lotus Cars, and occasionally they scrap off parts they no longer need. I stumbled across some brand new carbon fibre seats, destined for the new Evora GTE (the £140k, 444bhp monster!) that were surplus to requirements. So I bagsyed them, and they will be pride of place in my FRP!

Im sure it will make the car unique, surely it will be the only FRP in the world to have hand crafted, Lotus, carbon fibre seats from a super car?! Plus i weighed these new seats, and they weigh 8kg each! the Old Sparco FRP seats weighed in at 21kg each! what a saving!

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I'm obviously really chuffed with these!

Anyway, this weekend the whole cage was finally welded in, and looks great:

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Some action shots!

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So thats it for now. Ive got a plan, and only 8 weeks left until the first track day is booked at Snetterton in May, so its all systems go.

Next up is having the cylinder head ported, fitting a Tran-X LSD, and generally rebuild.

thanks for looking

Ross

This post has been edited by RESTELL: 05 March 2012 - 07:26 PM


#10 User is offline   Big Boy Al 

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Posted 05 March 2012 - 07:37 PM

looking great matey, love it and them seats are awesome.

p.s, thanks for the invite to snetterton ;-(
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FRP 241 RINGMEISTER -23 LAPS = 296.7 MILES COMPLETED, MORE TO COME NEXT YEAR

#11 User is offline   RESTELL 

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Posted 05 March 2012 - 07:44 PM

 Big Boy Al, on 05 March 2012 - 07:37 PM, said:

looking great matey, love it and them seats are awesome.

p.s, thanks for the invite to snetterton ;-(


Sorry Big Boy, I've been a bit distracted! in a bit of a panic to get it all sorted in time. of course it would be awesome if you were there, its Snett 300, open pit lane, all day on May 9th (Wednesday) on Javlin. Im using it as a bit of a shakedown / test day, so didn't ask anyone else cos I'm not sure if i'll be running the whole day. If you are free though please do come along. Will be a good day!

My FRP may be a bit of a better match for your track beasty now its all stripped out! we'll see ;)

#12 User is offline   Big Boy Al 

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Posted 05 March 2012 - 07:47 PM

Haha that's great mate I'll see if there's still any space. I've not touched the car since November :-/.

I want a ride in the ultimate Frp :-).
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FRP 241 RINGMEISTER -23 LAPS = 296.7 MILES COMPLETED, MORE TO COME NEXT YEAR

#13 User is offline   AndyReact 

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Posted 05 March 2012 - 08:03 PM

Nice build, roll cage looks serious!! and those seats are awesome!

do you know Geoff Kerss? I have had many laughs with him at car shows over the years! :)

#14 User is offline   RESTELL 

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Posted 05 March 2012 - 08:38 PM

 AndyReact, on 05 March 2012 - 08:03 PM, said:

Nice build, roll cage looks serious!! and those seats are awesome!

do you know Geoff Kerss? I have had many laughs with him at car shows over the years! :)


Thanks! yes i do know Geoff, not very well mind, but I've seen him about. Seems like a nice chap. Small world hey.

#15 User is offline   happy-kat 

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Posted 05 March 2012 - 09:00 PM

Those seats are amazing B)
Car is looking very fine
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

#16 User is offline   melinamotor 

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Posted 06 March 2012 - 04:23 AM

Those seats are fantastic Ross! The cage looks superb now its in place. Loving this thread so far.
Ex Melina 1.7,ex FRP441,ex Silver 1.7
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#17 User is offline   zara014 

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Posted 08 March 2012 - 04:42 AM

As everyone elses comments, those seat are amazing!! :D

Nice work!
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#18 User is offline   Mogsmex 

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Posted 14 March 2012 - 03:09 PM

excellent work mr Restell, look foward to watching progress...................
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#19 User is offline   RESTELL 

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Posted 18 March 2012 - 07:13 PM

UPDATE - 18-03-12

Quick update on my project. This weekend has been mostly about the engine. Its now back together and almost ready to go. Its a new (to the car) unit that i brought from ebay recently, had a verified 42,000 miles on the clock and was absolutely mint when we stripped it back. We've done quite a lot to it:
  • Full strip down, and a paraffin clean of EVERYTHING!
  • Cylinder head has been ported, polished and flowed by a highly experienced guy at Lotus
  • New cylinder head bolts
  • New head gasket
  • New cam belt
  • New belt tensioner
  • New thermostat
  • New water pump
  • New accessory belt, pulley and idler
  • All new gaskets and hardware
  • New oil filter
  • Plus the cams have been timed up properly using a new FRP timing tool, and double checked with a DTI.
  • A brand new Fiesta ST clutch (with brand new puma master cylinder)

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Thats taken most of the weekend. However the rest of the project is progressing well. Ive recently ordered a whole host of new parts, most of which are waiting to be fitted, including:
  • A brand new FRP gearbox with a brand new Quaife LSD from pumabuild. this is due any day now, so the car will also benefit brand new transmission.
  • New driveshafts (including the FRP unique blue one)
  • New CV joints
  • New wheel bearings (front and back)
  • New brake lines
  • New Fiesta ST clutch (with Puma master cylinder)
  • New heater control valve
  • A complete set of Powerflex bushes (both wishbone bushes, antiroll bar and rear beam)
  • New front damper strut tops
  • New drop links
  • New track rod ends

Most of these bits are sitting in the workshop waiting to be fitted, along with my seats, so its like a parts dealer round mine at the moment!

Its a good feeling to be finally bolting things back onto the car though rather then taking stuff off. I can't wait to get the thing running though, that will be a great day!

The next big job is the roll cage, I'm deciding what colour to paint it. Im definitely going for a dark grey interior (floor, roof etc) but can't decide whether to have a Red, Orange, White, Grey or Blue cage. What do you think???

Also, last weekend we spent a great deal of time refitting the dash board. I took lots of the dash away, including all the metal framework as the roll cage replaces most of this. I reckon its saved at least 10kg of weight. Also i finally finished the lovely job of removing all the sound deadening, and cleaning all the gunk that it leaves behind. Its looking quite good now though, ready for paint. Here it is:

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So thats all for now. Its certainly getting there, but with only 6 weeks left until the MOT there is no time to waste!

cheers

Ross

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This post has been edited by RESTELL: 18 March 2012 - 07:20 PM


#20 User is offline   FlashBastd 

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Posted 20 March 2012 - 01:11 PM

Nice work, are you going to take more weight out of the doors?

Good luck with the rest of the project!
2005 Vauxhall VX220 Turbo
2000 Ford Focus 1.6i Ghia
2006 Renault Clio 2.0i RenaultSport 197 - SOLD
2005 Honda CR-V 2.0i Executive auto
2001 Ford Puma 1.7i Black

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