[DeTomaso] Stress Cracks

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/18/09 9:07:39 PM, boyd411 at gmail.com writes:

>  Is it necesary to install all the stiffieners or can you get by with the 
> ones in the engine compartemnt and front hatch? I reall don't fell up to 
> puting the under chassis brace? Are there any designs that are better then 
> others or are their plans available if you want to make your own?
> 
IMHO, the bay brace in the engine compartment is mandatory and should be 
one with long ends to jam solidly into the brace pockets so not all the side 
forces try to go thru those flimsy sheet metal tabs. As for the rest 
including the under-car stiffeners, they're really too new to say which is best or 
even if they're necessary at all. The problem is, if they work, you get no 
evidence except a lack of cracks....hard to prove a negative!
I note that Larry Stock of PPC-Reno sells a complete brace system. On his 
race/street Pantera, sometime in the recent past he completely cracked the 
two front subframe longerons off the tub, 
and with his front under-car brace welded in place, he hadn't realized it 
until the steering got a little loose. The lower front brace actually held 
the whole front suspension in place, and the car was still easily driveable! 
There are a myriad of designs in steel and even carbon-fiber that guys have 
ginned up over the years and all could be copied by a good craftsman, but I 
doubt if exact dimensions would be worth much. Each Pantera is unique and 
few chassis dimensions are identical. There are no published plans that I 
know of; vendors sell theirs for good money and most get welded into a car, so 
I've also never seen a system for sale 2nd hand. Evaluate your needs, do 
your research and take yer choice- J Deryke