[DeTomaso] Pushbutton

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/12/07 18 49 23, gow2 at rc-tech.net writes:


> It went to France first. 
> 
>>>A-ha!   So it's fitting a pattern.


> The first one imported to USA was 1286. It was
> reported this one was set aside and finished latter thus a 1972. 
> 
>>>That agrees with my speculation--although technically no matter when the 
car was actually finished, it's a 1971...unscrupulous French car dealers 
notwithstanding.


> >I will
> dig out the full VIN latter. 
> 
>>>No need.   It's THPNLD01280. :>)


> It's actual VIN as a USA car is #1280. No
> other numbers.The original number is on the brake box though.
> 
>>>There should be a tag riveted to the dash, and another one riveted to the 
front of the front trunk compartment (facing the radiator) which says:

 xDT01280x
> 
> There are a few things on this car that don't follow. This one has the
> ridge on the decklid, latch for the decklid in both the rear and the
> door jamb. 
> 
>>>Can't be.   Or, rather, they can't both be functional.   The mechanical 
function of the two different latches is completely different.   The doorjamb 
lever pulls a cable that operates a latch identical to the one in the front 
trunk; the decklids for those cars have a striker which is a simple bar, basically 
the same principle as the front hood.   The later-style pushbutton trunk 
latch (the guts of which are identical to the door handles on pushbutton door cars 
BTW) works completely differently.

I can't say for sure, but most early cars I've seen with later decklids have 
been victims of a smack up the backside at some point in their lives.   I 
would hazard a guess that your car got whacked, the back panel and decklid were 
both damaged, and at the time the only available replacement parts were 
later-production parts, so the car was changed, along with the Gr4 taillights.   That 
is a pure guess however.   It's remotely possible that your car was built with 
a pushbutton trunk latch, but I find it almost impossible to conceive of it 
being built with a ribbed decklid.

Are your bumpers rounded?

> Few other things a little different. Even has cloth seats
> which apparently came from the factory.
> 
>>>I highly doubt that too.   The only seats I know of at the time were 
naugahyde.   I don't think they even offered leather then.   So yours were almost 
assuredly changed after the fact.

A lot can happen to car in 14 years, you know.
> 
> It was imported around 1985 and is stock except for valve cover and
> aircleaner removed. 
> 
>>>And the back panel and decklid Gr4 lights and Euro GTS decals and chrome 
rub strip along the beltline and two-slot wheels and uphostered seats and Dash 
2 gearbox and later A/C fan and....

...stock for a Pantera, in other words.

Having said all that, I do note that some of the French pushbuttons I've seen 
apparently came with Dash 2 gearboxes (or, at least, they have them now and 
the current owners have no idea where they came from?).   So again, given the 
supposed late completion date of your car, it's possible that some of these 
later-car features your cars has were original to this particular car.


> It is pretty rough but solid.
> 
>>>I like it a lot.   I consider it a diamond in the rough. :>)
> 
> I got it stored till I finish the restoration on #1905. #1905 is
> extremely modified and 1280 will be 99% stock.
> http://www.rc-tech.net/cars/panttransam/1280/stored.jpg
> 
I do hope you'll paint it in an 'original' color scheme, i.e. a solid color 
red (or better yet, yellow!) :>)

If you are going to do a full restoration on the car, I do hope you'll take 
the time to incorporate the chassis reinforcements that the factory applied to 
the US-market cars, and all subsequent Panteras.

I'm talking about part #25 in this illustration, among other parts:

http://www.panterasbywilkinson.com/webpages/catalog/ill29a.html

The Ford parts book doesn't show this as a separate, unique part, curiously, 
but rather shows it being part of the whole center structure section.

Cheers!

Mike





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