[DeTomaso]   Headlights Not Going Up and Down

JDeRyke at aol.com JDeRyke at aol.com
Fri Nov 2 00:24:52 EDT 2007


In a message dated 11/1/07 12:45:46 PM, trevor at fougere.com writes:
snip.....
> Once it came off, a lot of rust inside the perforated (relay) cover and on 
> the panel holding all the relays.  I guess De Tomaso just set it up to let 
> any condensation from the heater/airconditioning just find it's way down into 
> the relay box??? One of the last places I would expect to find so much rust on 
> an otherwise essentially rust free car.
> 
Get back under the dash and look straight up with a strong light. There 
should be a 5/8" dia rubber condensate drain hose from a spigot on the heater/AC 
box out thru a grommet in the front firewall. 

One other possibility: a weak spot in Pantera bodies is, the windshield 
gasket is tight around the glass but not around the steel body flange. Water drives 
under the lower flap of the windshield gasket, collects in the formed channel 
that locates the windshield, and in time, rust can penetrate that channel. 
Guess whats directly below the usual hole it makes? I've seen relays that were 
full of rusty water from pinholed windshield channels! If you have such, the 
only fix is to remove the glass and gasket and have a good TIG welder repair the 
area. Then glue the gasket all around the car with windshield silicone 
(different from hardware-store silicone). FWIW, a new gasket is around $250 and a 
new windshield is $750-$1000, depending on who you deal with. So don't let just 
any shop screw around this area. Good luck- J DeRyke



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