pu-ka budget trackcar project
well lads for the last while iv been building a ka track car for the sole purpose of having a cheap fun car and it has been a labour of love for me its been great crack doin it and while it cost me very little in parts etc it has a big cost in labour time so here is a few pics and a spec of it
the project car: 1998 ford ka 1.3 endura 60bhp 49000 miles 1 owner from new
the donor car: 1999 ford puma 1.7vct 126bhp 80000 miles body rusted out full service history
the finished spec :
1.1.7 vct engine and loom ecu pipercross induction kit
2.puma ib5 gearbox with techni clutch kit
3.exhaust 4 branch manifold ,decat ,puma exhaust modified to centre exit
4.suspension: front track widened 40mm with extended wishbones and puma drive shafts
rear track widened 40mm with ford motorsport axle widening kit
new rear axle bushes and axle stiffening plates welded in
puma steering rods and ends fitted to ka rack
gaz gold height and damping adjustable coilovers set at -60mm
mounting points on chassis for suspension seam welded
front camber set at -6 degrees rear camber is -2degrees
5.brakes for now:
puma front discs and calipers with mintex racing pads
puma rear hubs and brakes
6. wheels :
puma 15" alloys with avon tyres for now will fit toyo r888s next
7.interior :
fully stripped out everthing except dash, puma instrument cluster and wiring loom fitted
cobra bucket seats and 4 point harnesses battery relocated to rear of car and kill switch fitted
rear strut brace welded in and camera mount fitted




the project car: 1998 ford ka 1.3 endura 60bhp 49000 miles 1 owner from new
the donor car: 1999 ford puma 1.7vct 126bhp 80000 miles body rusted out full service history
the finished spec :
1.1.7 vct engine and loom ecu pipercross induction kit
2.puma ib5 gearbox with techni clutch kit
3.exhaust 4 branch manifold ,decat ,puma exhaust modified to centre exit
4.suspension: front track widened 40mm with extended wishbones and puma drive shafts
rear track widened 40mm with ford motorsport axle widening kit
new rear axle bushes and axle stiffening plates welded in
puma steering rods and ends fitted to ka rack
gaz gold height and damping adjustable coilovers set at -60mm
mounting points on chassis for suspension seam welded
front camber set at -6 degrees rear camber is -2degrees
5.brakes for now:
puma front discs and calipers with mintex racing pads
puma rear hubs and brakes
6. wheels :
puma 15" alloys with avon tyres for now will fit toyo r888s next
7.interior :
fully stripped out everthing except dash, puma instrument cluster and wiring loom fitted
cobra bucket seats and 4 point harnesses battery relocated to rear of car and kill switch fitted
rear strut brace welded in and camera mount fitted
Last edited by wagon dec; Nov 11, 2013 at 10:34 PM.
got myself a gearshift unit from a focus 2.0 rally car over the Christmas and also a focus 1.6 gearbox so my next job is to convert the ka from the old rod system to the newer cable shift system that the focus has so I can raise the gearshift unit higher up and closer to me as at the minute its a bit of a stretch from the seating position also it will give me a crisper gear change
it is a great combination alright but the bigger engines would be more powerful to me this was an exercise in budget track car building at the minute it stands me less than a grand in total excluding my labour, but im sure with the more trackdays I do that will rise as I want more from it etc .I must start a build thread only issue is I didn't take a lot of pics while doing it but from now on I will and update accordingly
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True if it was around 140-150 but I'd be more than happy with it, I just need some track Tyres now and bigger brakes they will be the first things in the New year along with the box
ye it goes really well for something with such a low budget .surprises a good few more capable cars usually the guys that laugh at it in the paddock before the trackday starts
what did you do to your wishbones to extend them to make the front end puma track width??
I was thinking of modifying the wishbone carriers to take the puma wishbone, then its all puma so driveshafts, track rod ends etc will all match up ok.
I was thinking of modifying the wishbone carriers to take the puma wishbone, then its all puma so driveshafts, track rod ends etc will all match up ok.
I got a spare set of wishbones and cut off the end that the ball joint rivets into and then I cut the end off the original wishbones and by making both cuts +10mm on each piece I gained 20mm when I welded it back then on the underside I cut a reinforcing plate to strengthen the wishbone welded it all up and that was that
Cool. be good to see it. Everyone on the ka forums all claim you must use the ka gearbox and shafts and tbh i call bullshit. An ib5 is an ib5 at the end of the day so i see no reason why a puma one cant be fitted like you have done.
as far as im aware all ib5 boxes are the same just different drive lengths for the different car models im goin to put a reminder in the phone I forgot to take pics today
another view the piece on the chassis leg is 3" angle iron and is drilled to match original bolt holes left after removing the ka top mount bracket and the black piece you can see is a ford transit gearbox lower kick mount cut to suit the piece on the top of the box is 8mm plate drilled to match the original mounting holes
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Last edited by wagon dec; Apr 19, 2014 at 09:34 PM.
Cool thanks for the info. Did the ka lower gearbox/torque link bolt up or did you do a similar fabrication job there?? I was thinking you could use a pair of rose joints with threaded tube between them to get a custom length mount to suit the ka subframe and puma gearbox.
I'll be watching this, good work 
My dad has a 54,000 mile 1.7 Puma, full service history 2 owners, but as said above the body work is rotton so he'll be looking to change.
I know he's been offered Ł400-Ł600 trade in, I said I'd buy it for that and break it

My dad has a 54,000 mile 1.7 Puma, full service history 2 owners, but as said above the body work is rotton so he'll be looking to change.
I know he's been offered Ł400-Ł600 trade in, I said I'd buy it for that and break it
Cool thanks for the info. Did the ka lower gearbox/torque link bolt up or did you do a similar fabrication job there?? I was thinking you could use a pair of rose joints with threaded tube between them to get a custom length mount to suit the ka subframe and puma gearbox.
so the zetec s one was right length (mk5 fez?) and i imagine that bolted to the gearbox and then fabricated a u shape mount to bolt up on the chassis where as on the puma it would normally bolt onto the subframe?
With the knowledge people are sharing it is turning into an easier project that i thought.
With the knowledge people are sharing it is turning into an easier project that i thought.
here is my mount I cut the ka mount! the piece that bolts to the the car so it would accept a piece of 2" box iron and I welded it in place drilled a hole through it and put a bolt up through the end of the mount and into the box iron very simple and very strong. all of the fab could be tidier but it was a budget build from what I had laying around it works though
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Did you put the slight bend in to help ensure the throw on the gearlever rods was right?? cant think of any other reason why half a cm difference in length caused by the kink might matter?
Fair enough.
This is what i was thinking for the right hand engine mount as a bit of a cut and shut:

not my picture, but it looks simplest way of doing it.
Certainly better than this pumaspeed version:

A majorly cut and shut puma wishbone!
This is what i was thinking for the right hand engine mount as a bit of a cut and shut:

not my picture, but it looks simplest way of doing it.
Certainly better than this pumaspeed version:

A majorly cut and shut puma wishbone!












