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Hello all!

I bought my 1st Puma back in July (http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14402) and have since taken great pleasure and inspiration in reading other peoples' projects on here.

I have covered a few (thousands) miles since July and have got used to the pros and cons of a Puma as a daily driver. Overall I am enjoying ownership far more than I did with my previous cars. It is much more suited to somebody who wants to get into track days and motorsports yet hasn't stopped my normal activities - I had 3 passengers, 4 lots of gear and 4 mountain bikes in/on it - covering several hundred miles in one trip. I even moved an old (heavy!) 46" plasma TV in it.

Instead of neglecting this car as I have with others in the past, I have a plan. A long term project of a plan (which I will update as I progress). Here it goes:

Stage 0 (July '11 - Nov '11)
(a) - Buy 1.7 Puma in reasonable condition (done)
(b) - Test performance in standard form and compare with factory figures (done)
(c) - Enter Practical Performance Car Magazine's 2011 £999 challenge (done)
(d) - Take Puma to a rolling road to check power and torque against predicted (done)
(e) - Weigh Puma to check 'fighting' weight against factory figures (done)
(f) - Find a suitable method of practicing for PPCM £999 2012 and investigate (done)

Stage 1 (Nov '11 - Apr '12)
(a) - Move Puma to brother's house and declare off-road instead of renewing insurance
(b) - Gather any tools necessary for any modifications to be carried out (welding?)
(c) - Strip out interior completely and weigh each group of parts individually
(d) - Improve the chassis stiffness, suspension performance and ergonomics of the Puma
(e) - Improve power of the standard engine through ITBs, aftermarket ECU and exhaust
(f) - General tidy up and complete service ready for re-commissioning back onto the road

Stage 2 (Apr '12 - Aug '12)
(a) - Tax and insure Puma and map aftermarket ECU (private land or dyno obviously)
(b) - Join suitable motor club, register for BTRDA Autosolo championship
(c) - Re-test performance and compare with a new rolling road session
(d) - Compete in a minimum of 6 Autosolo events and get used to the 'new' car
(e) - Attend Formula Student and FS Germany in Puma and visit the nordschleife
(f) - Prepare for the Practical Performance Car Magazine's 2012 £999 challenge

Stage 3 (Sep '12 - Dec '12)
(a) - Win the handling portion of the PPCM £999 2012 event? - top 10 overall?
(b) - Purchase a suitable tow car (new daily driver) & lightweight trailer (<3.5T total)
(c) - Purchase a 1999 2L Mondeo donor vehicle & scrap all but engine, box & wheels
(d) - Begin gathering remaining parts for a turbocharged 2L Zetec conversion
(e) - Compete in BTRDA Autosolo final round and evaluate season's performance
(f) - Complete any fabrication work with help/equipment use from uni where needed

Stage 4 (Jan '13 - Dec '13)
(a) - Re-register with suitable motor club and BTRDA Autosolo championship
(b) - Complete 2L turbocharged conversion, map and test/verify performance
(c) - Compete in BTRDA Autosolo championship to get used to the 'new' (turbo) car
(d) - Win Practical Performance Car Magazine's 2013 £999 challenge outright!?
(e) - Upgrade brakes & fit roll cage. Attend FS & FSG & re-visit the nordschleife
(f) - Graduate, get a good job, hit 4+ years NCB & 25 years of age, buy a good tow car

...well, that's how far I can see at the moment. It's a lot to do but I'm passionate and am surrounded by the right kind of people. I think I will get there but there are a few things to remember:

-I am a full time student and will be funding 90% of everything I do using my student loan.
-Everything will be done on a very strict budget - PPCM £999 challenge means £999 total cost!
-As I have a plan I can take my time to snipe eBay bargains (I got a CBR600 RR head for 99p!).
-Being a student hoping for a good degree; there will be times I am too busy to add updates.
-I see great value in your previous experiences of similar modifications so please share

Every time I progress or complete a piece of the plan I will add a new post with photos and videos where possible. I hope you will all enjoy it

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Originally posted by Nismo
This is how anal the S2K board is:

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if it am im out im affraid, ill be drinking in bournemouth till 4-5am so no chance me being anywhere near legal to drive, have fun tho guys,

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Moderator comment: Please do not use text speak here, thank you.

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erm...

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if it am im out im affraid, ill be drinking in bournemouth till 4-5am so no chance me being anywhere near legal to drive, have fun tho guys,

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what part of that is text speak? thanks

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Highlighted for you

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