[DeTomaso] Fantastic fiberglass Pantera parts score

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

Hi guys,

I got an excited phone call from Larry Stock last week.   He just got done 
buying two 18-wheeler loads of fiberglass molds for Pantera parts.

A LOT of parts.

Although he didn't know it at the time he was negotiating the purchase, he 
wound up getting all the original Long & Newman molds, so he can make a complete 
fiberglass Pantera.   He also got dozens and dozens (maybe even more than a 
hundred???) of additional molds for everything you can think of--multiple 
variations on front hoods, decklids, every bumper style you can imagine, 
dashboards, Pre-L, L and GT5 center consoles, etc. etc.

He also has complete flare kits--Gr4, GT5 and GTS.   Plus things like a 
complete nose piece (the whole front valance), and etc. and so forth.

He can also make anything you want out of carbon fiber instead of fiberglass. 
  No, it won't be "real" carbon fiber, i.e. the kind of super-strong stuff 
that's made in an autoclave.   But it will be basically the same as fiberglass, 
except using carbon fiber cloth instead of fiberglass as the material.

It turns out that the fellow who makes all the 'carbon fiber' parts for 
Wilkinson and PI is actually located in Reno, just a few blocks from Larry's shop, 
so now he will be using Larry's molds to make Larry's parts too.   The guy 
makes everything one at a time, with no volume discount.   In fact, Larry told me 
the guy's technique is to simply make a part and keep it inside the mold; 
then when the owner of the mold calls up and requests it, he pops the mold open, 
ships the part right away to the vendor, and then makes a new part at his 
leisure, waiting for the next order.

So, if you're just burning to have a set of carbon fiber door handle buckets, 
Larry Stock is your go-to guy.

Les Gray and I are planning on going up there to inspect the molds, and I'll 
be doing a feature on Les (who was one of the dudes behind the Long & Newman 
project) in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, here are some of the photos of just some of the molds, on 
the website of the outfit that Larry bought them from:

http://hotrodscustomstuff.com/Pantera%20Molds.htm

Oh, and BTW, not pictured here but included in the score was a complete set 
of *Mangusta* molds too!   If you ever had a fantasy of having a tube-frame 
chassis with a Mangusta body on it, you're set.   In fact, you could have the 
whole body made of carbon fiber if you wanted.   Imagine the looks on the 
rice-burners when a fire-breathing carbon fiber Mangusta turned up at the cruise 
night!!!!

(The long pole in the tent for a Mangusta replica is the windshield, and 
Wilkinson told me last week that he's having 25 Mangusta windshields produced in 
Finland in the next few weeks....)

Mike


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