[DeTomaso] Fw: On the importance of chassis drain holes....

[Charles Engles]

Dear Will,


                   I have the Pantera Performance Center upgrade trunnion bearing.  I have used some Griot's teflon  type spray lube and currently I am using some similar (and cheaper) bicycle  non-petroleum based lubricant.    I don't know if it is the best, but despite the temperature extremes that the cars are driven in, there has been no "hard crap" at all.   Your mileage may vary.


                             Warmest regards,  Chuck Engles





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Will Demelo" <wdemelo at cogeco.ca>
To: <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 8:00 PM
Subject: [DeTomaso] Fw: On the importance of chassis drain holes....


> <<<that did improve shifting, although it's still pretty crappy,
> as the original stock trunnion bearing has never once been lubricated. 
> I'll
> attend to that shortly.>>>>
> 
> What is the best type of lube for the trunion? Everything I put on just 
> turns to hard crap after a few weeks.
> Will
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <MikeLDrew at aol.com>
> To: <detomaso at realbig.com>
> Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 8:40 PM
> Subject: [DeTomaso] On the importance of chassis drain holes....
> 
> 
>> Hi guys,
>>
>> I've spent today working on #3535, the very original one-family-from-new 
>> blue
>> '72 Pre-L that sold for a bargain price on E-bay last week.   The seller 
>> was
>> somewhat near to me, the buyer is down in Orange County, and I have to go 
>> down
>> there routinely anyway, so I volunteered to serve as delivery agent.
>>
>> My original plan was to drive it down there yesterday with Claude Dubois.
>> But with the entire state getting hammered by an extremely powerful storm, 
>> and
>> with this car being a relative unknown to me, except that I knew both the
>> heater and A/C systems were inoperative, I decided discretion was the 
>> better part
>> of valor, and so I stayed home with the Pantera and Claude rented a car 
>> and
>> made his way down there (more on that in a second, separate post).
>>
>> With an unexpected day off today, I decided to fiddle with the car and try 
>> to
>> tackle some small problems.   An inoperative passenger window was 
>> initially
>> diagnosed and fixed by replacing the obviously blown fuse (!), but then it
>> would only go down, not up, due to a typically defective factory switch. 
>> I have
>> some good factory switches in my stockpile, so I got that sorted 
>> temporarily,
>> although I've ordered a proper Bosch replacement (the driver's side was
>> already changed, so now they will match).
>>
>> I also removed the redundant shifter centering spring, which is done as a
>> matter of course.   That did improve shifting, although it's still pretty 
>> crappy,
>> as the original stock trunnion bearing has never once been lubricated. 
>> I'll
>> attend to that shortly.
>>
>> I put the car in the air to inspect for rust, and found it to be among the
>> most very rock-solid cars I've ever been near.   However, it didn't have 
>> the
>> chassis drain holes that the factory failed to provide, but all knowing 
>> owners
>> create themselves.   So I got out my drill and went to work, and got 
>> soaked in
>> the process!   The car had been brought here in the rain, and the chassis 
>> tubes
>> were filled with water.
>>
>> This just goes to show the importance of these holes; had I not drilled 
>> them,
>> the water would have just sat there until it evaporated, which might have
>> taken a long time; all the while, the bare metal would be rusting away.
>>
>> If each of you don't have these holes in your car, you are wrong!   Get it 
>> in
>> the air, get out your drill, and get to work!
>>
>> Here's a photo of the affected area (the inner wheelhouses, in between the
>> mounts for the lower rear control arms), with residual water still 
>> dripping from
>> the holes!
>>
>> http://www.poca.com/index.php/gallery/?g2_itemId=4043
>>
>> Mike
>>
>>
>> **************
>> Need a job? Find an employment agency near you.
>> (http://yellowpages.aol.com/search?query=employment_agencies&ncid=emlcntusyelp00000003)
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