[DeTomaso] Who makes a replacement Delta wing for a GT5/GT5-S?
Peter Havlik
phavlik at pris.ca
Mon Jun 1 12:50:29 EDT 2009
Charles:
Kirk Evans has created molds for the factory correct GT5/GT5-S wing
in fiberglass. He assures me that it will have much more structural
integrity and durability than the factory original.
I have ordered one from him, but I do not have it yet because he
needs a casting of my deck lid to ensure the struts will fit, and
making a casting is a task I have not had time to undertake yet.
I called around to all the other main vendors, but was told in each
case that the dimensions of the wings they sell are not factory
correct. This is why I settled on Kirk's wing. This, plus Kirk's
reputation for making solid, quality parts.
The old wing was a piece of crap. I am amazed DeTomaso (and
Lamborghini, for that matter) was allowed to install them and that no
one has been hurt by one flying off a car. I took mine apart with the
intention of restoring it, and was horrified by what I found. The
only thing that held it together, for all practical intents and
purposes, was body filler and a very thin coat of fiberglass under
the flimsy aluminum skin. I hesitate to even call it fiberglass
because it looks like mostly resin to me. In my judgement, and in the
judgement of two separate specialty aluminum welder/fabricators I
consulted, it would be much cheaper and simpler to build a new wing
from scratch than to try to modify and restore the original to a
condition that would be structurally sound. There is literally
nothing there to work with.
If anyone wants photos of my stripped wing as proof, send me an
e-mail and I will provide them.
I would encourage anyone with a factory original wing to inspect it
regularly by giving it a good tug to ensure it is not about to fall
off. The struts are good and solid, but the wing is held on to them
by only a few rivets through a paper thin sheet of aluminum. With
age, these rivets will corrode and loosen, eventually breaking or
pulling right through the sheet aluminum. This happened to me, and
the wing clattered to the ground at my feet one day when I closed the
deck lid. Not an hour before I had been flying down the highway at a
speed that would have ensured the wing would have been a deadly
projectile should it have hit anyone.
- Peter
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 19:58:19 +0200
From: Charles McCall <charlesmccall at gmail.com>
Subject: [DeTomaso] Who makes a replacement Delta wing for a
GT5/GT5-S?
To: <detomaso at realbig.com>
Message-ID: <91FE6180876C4AA0B6B1BA846596F50C at Sisteplant.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hi all,
This fall my car will most likely be repainted. It's showing the signs of
having been driven, which is after all, why I bought it. And one of the
"blemishes" that bothers me is the stock delta wing. It is showing numerous
blisters and bubbles.
It is my understanding that this happens to all stock wings with time, due
to the construction. The center is some kind of foam, which absorbs
moisture, expands and contracts with heat, which in turn creates bubbles in
the paint above. I've seen similar things on period Countachs and other
late-model Panteras.
Talking with Mr. Campana last week, who is the individual who painted the
late-model cars for DeTomaso, he gave me a quote for repainting the car, but
said that he systematically replaces the stock wing with a fiberglass,
aftermarket one. The stock style will will inevitably bubble again - it's
just a matter of time.
So, does anyone know who manufactures a fiberglass replica of the STOCK
delta wing, complete with end-plates. I'm only interested in an identical
replica of the original.
One view of the wing is here:
http://www.poca.com/index.php/gallery/?g2_itemId=6904
And an overhead view here:
http://www.poca.com/index.php/gallery/?g2_itemId=2350
Thanks!
Charles McCall
1985 DeTomaso Pantera GT5-S #9375
"Raising Pantera Awareness Across Europe"
<http://www.poca.com/index.php/gallery/?g2_itemId=2323>
http://www.poca.com/index.php/gallery/?g2_itemId=2323
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