[DeTomaso] 351C questions

[mikeldrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/17/09 12 02 11, doug at silicondesigns.com writes:


> What engine was used in Panteras for the years 1983 through 1989.  Was it 
> a
> 302? or a 351 Aussy Cleveland?
> 

At some point the supply of USA-made Clevelands dried up, and then 
low-powered Australian 351C engines were installed.   These had varying 
configurations, but none of them were particularly desirable; they didn't normally have 
the 'Aussie' heads for example, as those are actually Aussie-market-only 
302C heads.   I think some cars got low-compression open-chamber motors.   

Eventually the Aussie 351C supply dried up, and the last Panteras were 
equipped with low-horsepower 351W truck motors.   For a considerable extra pile 
of money, De Tomaso's "race engineers" would soup up the engine for you.  As 
Colin Bradshaw (the original owner of one of the very last GT5-S Panteras) 
found out to his dismay, for your money, you got an extra line on your sales 
invoice stating that you have a higher-horsepower engine--but that's it.   
When his engine blew up after he drove it very hard for a few years, he 
discovered that it was bog-standard truck motor inside--not a thing had been 
changed.

De Tomaso's 'engineers' worked similar magic on ZF gearboxes--for a 
considerable extra pile of cash, you could get alternate gear ratios.   One owner 
in the UK paid to have the 4.00 final drive instead of the 4.22.   For his 
money, he actually got TWO things--an extra line on his sales invoice stating 
that he had the alternate gear ratio, and a nice little "4.00" stamp on the 
top of the ZF case. 

However, many years later, when driving side-by-side with another GT5-S 
equipped with the same wheels and tires, he discovered they turned *exactly* 
the same rpm at the same speed.

DOH! :>)

Mike