[danbrush]

ok so i got my license last july,bought a fiat bravo 1.6 in december,modded it a bit loved it to bits!!!





then i did this


The car had a huge leak issue,extremely rainy day and i didnt wait for windscreen to clear up,started to drive and did not see a post in the biggest carpark ive ever seen,funny but a lesson well learnt!
So i waited a few weeks and bought this lovely machine!


S reg Melina blue 1.7
on about 81k miles,FSH and cambelt done at 58k
insurance went up a lot from the bravo but its worth it,fuel economy is brilliant,goes well.
not too sure on the plans yet but im already going to lower it quite a bit,ive sourced some mondeo 16 cossy rep wheels,ive carbon wrapped the dash and light switch panels,pics to come. Also fitted some black side repeaters. and there is a minor ICE upgrade which il post a picture of soon!

[happy-kat]

Nice change and opps but you learnt the easy way as it was just you and a post, rather then something with legs.

The Puma is fab and a hoot could see to it that it has a quality set of rubbers on it?

[danbrush]

happy-kat, on 16 June 2012 - 08:04 AM, said:

Nice change and opps but you learnt the easy way as it was just you and a post, rather then something with legs.

The Puma is fab and a hoot could see to it that it has a quality set of rubbers on it?

yeh it is a nice change but i caught that italian car bug!,the bravo felt more special to drive,not as fast but it handled better beleive it or not !
ive already checked out the bushes they are fine but i defo want all round polys as i think with the puma it will make a huge difference,especially where i live,not a straight road in sight
Also im stil in the middle of sorting this oil leak ,i refitted the sump and it isnt leaking from there so im guessing its the breather panel.
Going to pick up some cossy rep 16s later,finished in black

[happy-kat]

A common oil leak is the rocker gasket. Take the silver plastic top off and if you see oil then it is the rocker gasket. A guide to replace it is in the Wiki. Often leaks after a cam belt change if it is not replaced.
The Puma should feel tight and precise so if the handling is off something is old and could do with replacing

[danbrush]

it does feel precise but it rolls a lot more than the bravo and i felt more confident throwing it round corners,already been sideways in the puma!,i think once its lowered and stiffened its a car that can only be matched by a mini! .
ive already inspected the rocker cover,there is no leaks.
when i bought the vehicle,the owner claimed there was a leak from the sump gasket after his wife had 'power washed the gasket out',very dodgy but i had a look and it seemed to be from the sump. But after cleaning and resealing the sump i found the leak to be from elsewhere,it pretty much drips off the filter but the filter is very tight!
ive been meaning to whip the inlet off to have a better look but i havent seen a dry day for weeks!

This post has been edited by danbrush: 16 June 2012 - 12:10 PM

[happy-kat]

See if the gear box breather cap is on the wrong way round.
It is a small black plastic cap on the right side of the engine when looking at it.

Sideways could be your tyres too and trye pressure is sensitive on the Puma.
Lowering may make it feel less roll but does not necesssarily mean it actually grips or has more traction.

[danbrush]

happy-kat, on 16 June 2012 - 09:01 PM, said:

See if the gear box breather cap is on the wrong way round.
It is a small black plastic cap on the right side of the engine when looking at it.

Sideways could be your tyres too and trye pressure is sensitive on the Puma.
Lowering may make it feel less roll but does not necesssarily mean it actually grips or has more traction.

il give it a go anyway,i prob wont take it to a track or anything,yet
ive checked that,the gearbox is totally dry,the leak is covering the fan housing and wires,looks like it starts somewhere behind the throttle/manifold

just collected and fitted my mondy 16 cossy reps in black,looks awsome!!

[danbrush]

just a few picture updates






so yeh the wheels look brilliant,just needs lowering now!,apologies for ruining the rear seats with that monstrocity!!! but i like my music Fing loud,hopefully sort a boot build out in the future tho!,carbon wrapping has worked great! ive also done the centre dash and the main dash and it looks great! few mistakes but for first time i cant complain!

[danbrush]

bit of an update,i purchased and fitted the 75/55 mm fk suspension to the puma,i found one of the dampers was totally ****** no oil seal left! . The ride isnt too hard now but there is a tyre issue,it isnt too low but im on 16s with 50 profile tyres,heavy cornering makes the tyres rub on the inside of the arch. Not to mention when the car Iis loaded up with passengers,its almost undriveable. If i was to fit poly anti roll bar bushes does anybody think this will make a difference?

[mada]

what width are your tyres?



im running same wheels with 195 45 16 tyres on and im slammed on coilovers and spaced out by 22.5mm at the back and dont scrub at all

[danbrush]

they are 205/50 16s. they are perfect width wise but hard bumps seem to make the tyre contact the chassis,like 3 thin bits together that run over the tyre,by the strut. i would have to put some serious spacers on to get away from it,and 195s

[happy-kat]

What ET are the alloys you fitted?
If your tyres are catching then it is likely that a slicing action could be occuring on the tyre. The Puma arch has a pretty nastey seam that can do a fair bit of tyre damage if it is rubbing down on the tyre it would appear from previous posts.
http://www.pumapeopl...=1

[danbrush]

hey yeh its the seam that is contacting the tyre when i corner very hard or go over a nasty bump,its stopped now as i have slightly bend the seam,given about 10mm more clearance, not sure on the ET but they are ther mondeo 16 inch cosworth replica wheels,with 205/50 tyres.

other updates

fitted a sportex race tube and back box
fitted sportex 421 decat manifold
was a sruggle i admit but its all good now apart from the burning paint from the manifold.
goes like stink when after 3k revs and sounds epic
ive also done a few more little bits of carbon wrapping,tie eye cover,fog light cover things,and added a rather funny sticker. il get some pics soon

[danbrush]

http://www.ebay.co.u...#ht_2024wt_1199
hi guys i would really like these seats but can someone tell me if i will need subframes or any fabrication done? thanks

[happy-kat]

These two Wiki articles might be useful to you.
http://www.pumapeopl...eat_Information
http://www.pumapeopl...,_%2B_Fiesta_RS
You might not be able to fit your seat belt pretensioners I don't think hence the airbag light comment in the seller's listing. But it is a little unclear, probably comes under the 'some fitment required' comment.
For these seats you would need subframes I think.

[danbrush]

thanks for the reply,im not too sure as they are pretty budget seats tbh there is no subframe for them,i do have a local motorsport place that fitted some buckets to a mates fiesta st for 80 quid,spose i could go with that if they dont fit without a subframe

[danbrush]

">this is the drop from the 55/75 fk suspension,rubbing on chassis seams round hard bends,ive made it better now tho with some slight modofications to the seams,bearing in mind they are 16s on 55 profile at rear and 50 at front

This post has been edited by danbrush: 30 July 2012 - 05:01 PM

[danbrush]

quick update, the car has been running now with no maintenence for a while,oil leak was fixed,tyre rubbing sorted . the sportex exhaust and manifold are running perfectly no burning from mani or knocking or rattles!. bucket seats are being delivered and it is almost stripped out to my comfort! bit loud inside tho!
my aims now are to change the rear brakes as the handbrake does not work for ****
and it needs to be faster! so im looking down the route of throttle bodies and aftermarket ecu which could be costly but im not sure about gains etc.
Either this or a custom Manifold