Decision on Mrs F's car and advice needed

[flango]

Hi All

As many of you know we have been toying the the possibilty of changing Mrs F's car currently a Ford Racing Puma. However after consideration and due to the fact these cars were a limited edition run of only 500 and not all have survived. We have now decided to keep it and spend on it to try and keep it as near original as possible. ( tried to convert her to MB but failed miserably)

Anyway, going to change the suspension, refurb the alloys and get a good engine detail on it.

Problem is there are a few rust bubbles / stone chips mainly chipped on front of bonnet,backs of mirrors and rear of passenger door. Both rear arches have signs of rust bubbles (common on Puma). My dilema is do I just get the rust chips and relevant panels done by my usual bodywork guy ( did arches and boot on my clk) or do I go for the full respray? Colour as they all are is Ford racing blue and not an easy one to match. If I were to go for a full respray I would use my normal guy as he is OK for panels, but his prep ( glass / lights removal etc) leave a lot to be desired in my opinion as does his ammount of overspray ( from other cars I have seen which he has done) I also do not know anyone in the trade I would trust with this.

So do I paint the panels or go for a full respray

Does anyone know of a good bodyshop (distance no problem if workmanship and end result is right, but Yorkshire / Midlands would be good)

How much am I looking at for a full spray?

All advice comments welcome please

Thanks

 

[shorty]

I think that I would get a full respray , it will clean up the car and give the paint work a "as new " look . If your usual paint guy can or wont do a top job then take the car to some one who will . Any time that I have painted a car I always strip all the exterior trim off and remove any windows that are not bonded in place . I would think that a full respray should cost around £2500 , this would include geting the door jams painted and the back of the doors painted .

 

[Dieselman]

If the majority of the car is in good order I would limit the paint as the more the car is stripped the more chance of problems/peeling/overspray, etc.

I would think the Ford Racing blue is an easy colour to match being a strong colour and not too light.

 

[wxmclk]

I also would limit the painting to the necessary areas. Ford Racing Blue is a colour that can be cut/blown into panels fairly easily. A half decent bodyshop will be able to blend this to perfection.

 

[gaz_l]

Don't know how much a full respray would be, but £2500 sounds like a lot for a car that's maybe worth £4-5K? Better to spend a few hundred to get the rust/chips touched in properly, keep it clean for a couple of years and hope that a few more get stacked to increase the rarity value further..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[Big_Jon]

Loved the racing puma, sold one moons ago that was V8 FRP if I remember correctly.

Lovely.

 

[hawk20]

Triangle Sprays at Cadnam, near Lyndhurst in Hampshire are brilliant and an approved MB bodyshop.

 

[flango]

Don't know how much a full respray would be, but £2500 sounds like a lot for a car that's maybe worth £4-5K? Better to spend a few hundred to get the rust/chips touched in properly, keep it clean for a couple of years and hope that a few more get stacked to increase the rarity value further..

Cheers,

Gaz

Think you are bang on with the valuation I reckon £5k tops thats why if a full spray is £2500 then the economics don't work and I'll just get the panels done keep it tidy and hope it stacks up on the rarity value, its low mileage, inteior is mint, suspension I think is ready only paint lets it down.

Thanks for the reply

 

[Will]

I'd just get the bits painted that need doing - no point doing more than is needed, especially as it'd work out nearly unviable to do so.

Just make sure that any rust is dealt with properly, prep is good (stone chips etc).

Keep it clean for a couple more years and if anything it'll look more genuine - not freshly painted but still A1, mint interior etc - and rarer.

Maybe down both sides, bonnet + boot. £1k-ish up your way?

Will

 

[A210AMG]

Hello

I drove a 1.7 puma a few years back, nice handling car, called it the bug as it looked squashed to me


Was the racing a tunned engine at all?


I agree spending £2.5K on paint, £500 on suspension / £200 allloys / £100 engine clean is a lot given the value of the car?

However its probably cheaper than swapping in a way as you know the car and it would look new.

By the way this looks quite good?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/989718.htm



If your wife fancies something differnet I always like the look of the Clio V6 3.0 ?

 

[Big_Jon]

Engine not tuned as such, just a different intake and 4-branch manifold and sports-exhaust as I remember.

 

[James Rothwell]

You must be mad A210!!

Those V6 Clios are a serious handful, they are mental in the drive and undriveable in the wet. They aren't even that fast really, still whenever I see one I always think how cool the owner looks. I could never have one as mine wouldn't look cool in a ditch on the A25.

 

[flango]

Hello

I drove a 1.7 puma a few years back, nice handling car, called it the bug as it looked squashed to me


Was the racing a tunned engine at all?


I agree spending £2.5K on paint, £500 on suspension / £200 allloys / £100 engine clean is a lot given the value of the car?

However its probably cheaper than swapping in a way as you know the car and it would look new.

By the way this looks quite good?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/989718.htm



If your wife fancies something differnet I always like the look of the Clio V6 3.0 ?

Racing Puma is 155 bhp as against the standard 125 bhp, mainly cylinder head, ecu maps, exhaust and air intake responsible for added 30 bhp.

PH car looks quite good I must admit.

As for the Clio Mrs F in a French car, never going to happen

Also they are gearbox prone saw 2 killed at the ring last year with gearbox failure

Thanks for the comments

 

[A210AMG]

Guess it stems from when I had a 205GTi years and years ago and always wanted the Dima version.....

 

[A210AMG]

I agree with the French comment....I guess it would fall apart arond you..

My 205Gti back when had steel any thinner you could use it to wrap your turkey up at Christmas. It was a blast though

 

[flango]

I agree with the French comment....I guess it would fall apart arond you..

My 205Gti back when had steel any thinner you could use it to wrap your turkey up at Christmas. It was a blast though

205 GTi was a decent handling car, I rallyed one for a while

 

[Will]

You must be mad A210!!

Those V6 Clios are a serious handful, they are mental in the drive and undriveable in the wet. They aren't even that fast really, still whenever I see one I always think how cool the owner looks. I could never have one as mine wouldn't look cool in a ditch on the A25.

I saw the aftermath of a V6 RWD Clio that had gone off the road near me, the wall he hit is still missing 2 years later!

I don't remember it being wet either.

Will

 

[Big_Jon]

Had a V6 clio in stock once.

Was lovely to drive, very loud also.

Turning circle was awful though.

 

[James Rothwell]

Had a V6 clio in stock once.

Was lovely to drive, very loud also.

Turning circle was awful though.

I had a customer try and part exchange one, I didn't want to get involved with it but he insisted I took it out. After cramming myself into it (I looked ridiculous, imagine someone wearing a bright green coat) and eventually getting it out the car park and onto the road I thought I looked cool until I tried to take a roundabout with a bit of speed/style and it all went wrong, wasn't expecting understeer which was sorted with uncontrolable oversteer. I looked like a fat chav who just stole it.

After I got back the customer said 'Now do you understand why I don't want it'. It was his third he crashed his first 2, guess he was worse than me at roundabouts in the wet.

 

[Big_Jon]

The problem with the understeer is that the weight-balance is all wrong in the car and the front just doesnt go where you point it.

Far too much weight over the back wheels.