[DeTomaso] 12 cylinder Pantera

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/17/09 4:58:48 AM, lotus0005 at hotmail.com writes:

> But, one of the ads caught my eye: "For sale:  1971 Lincoln Continental, 
> 460 engine, Great restoration project, $1200.00, call 979-865-3087."
> 460 Lincoln (Ford) engine - will it fit in my Pantera?
> 
Yes- and the 'stock' 460 can be bored & stroked to over 600 cubes ; the 
curent Hot Rod magazine has such a build-up using more efficient Boss 429 
semi-hemi heads that bolt on the 460, and they got 805 bhp on 93-octane pump gas, 
with a 1000-rpm idle. There are quite a few BB Ford-Panteras running around 
the U.S; the stock ZF can handle the torque in a street car. Don Byars at 
Precision Proformance actually sells a kit or will do the whole installation 
for you. The usual adaption sets the engine and ZF back towards the tail by 
about 4", and uses aluminum heads, intake and waterpump to drop engine 
weight down to within a few pounds of a stock 351C. The kit uses custom engine 
and ZF mounts, a custom oil pan, modified central crossmember under the pan, 
and a host of fiddly little brackets etc. 
Once the monster is in there, you'll find 1st (and sometimes, 2nd) gear is 
utterly useless except for roasting rear tires of any size; the true fix is 
to regear the ZF ring & pinion so you again have a real 5-speed.   Now, with 
your 200-mph potential speed, you might think about MUCH larger brakes, and 
17" or larger wheels for big enough rotors and speed-rated tires to harness 
all that power. The big tires & brakes will require better shocks and a 
chassis stiffening system to keep the overloaded stock monococque body from 
cracking paint or steel. Bottom line: it can be done but bring lots of money to 
this table.... Good luck- J Deryke



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